AI Search vs Google Search: The New Battle for Visibility

 

Google search has been a part of our lives for decades now, and unless one was born under a rock and stayed there all these years, we have all had occasion to use it to obtain information for practically everything under the sun. In fact, to digital natives, anybody who hasn’t “googled” something might as well as be an alien from outer space.

​But as the old adage goes, change is the only thing that is permanent; the era of Google search is giving way to the age of AI search. This  promises to make the process of obtaining information more involved, as it involves a collaborative process where we can have a conversation about what exactly we are searching for instead of merely posing a simple mono-dimensional query and hoping for the best.

​What is AI search?

Like Google Search, AI search too can be used by people to obtain information or seek answers to any question they might have. AI search is superior to traditional search engines like Google Search as it does not rely on keyword-based indexing and instead is able to intelligently analyse the exact context of the query in question and is, therefore, able to come up with very pertinent and relevant answers that speak to the exact need of the person carrying out the search. This is made possible on account of AI search leveraging the power of cutting-edge AI technologies like  Large Language Models (LLMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Machine Learning (ML).

​AI search vs Google Search- The path ahead

For all the talk about the emergence of AI search and its growing importance in the overall scheme of things, the fact of the matter is that Google Search still dominates, with AI search only being able to drive less than 1% traffic to most sites. People still primarily turn to Google Search when trying to locate products, services or websites. That is the reason why businesses around the world continue to spend big bucks on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to ensure that they are able to obtain top rankings.

​However, the advent of AI has refined the process of obtaining information with the help of AI-backed search platforms like Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. Where they score is in their ability to provide customised information on the basis of conversations they are able to have with the searchers. That makes AI search considerably more useful than traditional SEO ones, and that is something that hasn’t escaped the notice of brands and businesses. They have caught on to the fact that they need to optimise for both types of search engines-Google and AI

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It is not surprising, therefore,  that 37% of consumers are already searching with AI tools in place of the Google search engine, with ChatGPT alone boasting over 900 million active users. The Google Gemini app has as many as a very impressive 750 million active monthly users. Today, a brand's online reputation is more important than keywords for achieving optimal search results in the world of AI. Over here, your AI search strategy requires that your brand is the answer to people’s questions. Your digital presence has to be optimised so as to catch the attention of Large Language Models. The more the ChatGPTs, Claudes, Geminis and other such models cite your content and accord it importance, the better your brand’s authority gets stamped in the digital universe.

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While SEO will stay important and relevant, it will have to be strengthened by what is called answer engine optimisation. The more high quality original research goes into your content the more can you expect to build your industry authority and thereby lead to better capitalisation of traffic to your site.

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Summary

The old way of obtaining information via good old Google search is passe. No longer do links that will hopefully lead to the right answer do the trick. Instead, AI-powered search engines are able to come up with direct, personal, precise and conversational answers that serve your interests much better than the old way. Consequently, the click through rates are no longer as high as in the past, being supplanted by authoritative and highly reliable content. Brands are now called upon to do more than SEO and work on enhancing their AI visibility as well, by furnishing precise, high-quality, and context-rich information which helps them stay on top in the battle for online possibility.

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The Death of Traditional SEO—and What Comes Next

 

Traditional SEO, as we have known over the last three decades, is effectively dead. This is borne out by the fact that experts reckon that the $80 billion SEO market is on its last legs. What is slated to replace it instead is Generative Engine Optimisation or GEO. In place of using traditional search bars, consumers increasingly feed their queries into chat boxes on platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. More and more, we are  seeing the rise and domination of an AI propelled system of search that brands would do well to adopt at the earliest, unless they want to be consigned to oblivion.

​It is no longer about ranking, but reference

In the old way of doing things, the higher one ranked on the results page, the better it was. The world of GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) or LLM (Large Language Model) Optimisation that individuals and brands now operate in demands that one achieve creditable reference rates vis-a-vis AI, instead. Where this form of search is intrinsically better than the old way is in the fact  that it actually entails engaging in active conversations rather than merely typing keywords. 

​AI Search all the Way

Online discovery is done the AI way in the post-SEO era with the help of a myriad of platforms like Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. Factors like keyword density and backlinks, which were the lifeblood of traditional SEO, are no longer as critical in the online discovery process. Instead, AI models zero in on content that is well crafted, factually reliable, and sufficiently cited. In other words, they go for content that is unequivocally authoritative. The way things are these days, a brand may do without a website, but not without an impressive digital experience.

​Go for GEO

World over, people are making a move to EVs (Electric Vehicles) from traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Vehicles, troubled by the growing incidents of extreme weather events caused by global warming. A similar paradigm redefining move is afoot in the digital marketing universe with regard to a move from SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to the more contemporary GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). This is because it helps generate content that is reliable, trustworthy and authoritative and, therefore, more liable to be found useful by AI models.

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GEO requires individuals and brands to ensure that they prioritise high-value and high-quality content over articles stuffed with keywords as was practised in the past. One has to be recognised for one’s insights and cited often enough to denote credible authority. This helps build a brand that exemplifies expertise. The idea is not to encourage clicks, but to become a go-to source for knowledge.

​Up the Trust Quotient

You may be masterful at technical optimisation and a past master at creating reams of content, but the ladder to success in the age of AI will come to those who display real expertise, rather than the ability to crack an algorithm. Your ability to come up with high-quality content that provides demonstrable value will make people as well as AI gravitate towards you as a point of reference. Now’s the time to up the trust quotient of your brand.

​Age of the Personal Brand

This may be the AI era, but there is an increasing premium on the human connect in an age of AI generated content with its almost cookie-cutter precision. Businesses and brands with the foresight to empower their leader by allowing them to create and build personal brands that emotionally resonate with their prospects and customers are on to a good thing. People crave to hear from successful people who seem to have everything sorted. These could  range from a highly regarded CEO, a super rich and successful entrepreneur, a hugely respected researcher or a consultant whose advice is much sought after. A credible  personal brand allows a business to wield far more influence than a mere website. It also helps the brand place better in AI driven searches.

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As the old adage goes-the old order changeth, yielding place to the new. We are on the cusp of a digital marketing revolution.

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Why Every CEO Needs a Personal Brand in the AI Age

There are several reasons why the personal brand is so valuable in the age of AI, the least of which is that a personal brand is several times more powerful than a business brand. As a human being, one connects better with another human on a primal level before one ever gets to fall in love with a product or a service. This is the reason why soldiers will perform better in battle under an inspirational commander than a lacklustre one. The same reason is why the skipper of a team sport like cricket or football often inspires their team to victory against seemingly impossible odds.

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The presence of social media has made it very easy for CEOs to connect with people on a personal and individual level, something the brand itself needs much time and effort to achieve. It is way easier for a CEO with a personal brand to lend his charisma to the brand than the other way around in today's times. It is this personal connection that brands crave in order to influence their target audience. This also explains why brands value influencers so much. They add an emotional connection to the outreach.

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Brands crave relatability with their target audience more than anything else, and a CEO’s personal brand can help them get just that. People trust people whom they relate to. That is something that no amount of advertising and other forms of paid promotion can easily create. If the CEO in his or her personal capacity wields the mojo when it comes to addressing the aspirations of the target audience of a business, they have hit the jackpot. That is because the CEO will get the business connections they seek at a fraction of the cost.

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The good news is that your personal brand as a CEO is easy to build. You don't have to be a media-savvy rock star. As discussed earlier, you have to be a relatable and real person with genuine  stories to share with people who know where you are coming from.

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The companies and brands which have seen revolutionary growth over the last thirty years or so have largely been led by people of tremendous courage of their convictions, possessing great personal brands. Everybody from Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk  had captured the minds and hearts of millions by sharing their seemingly grandiose dreams and making them approachable and achievable.

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With artificial intelligence automating all the repetitive tasks and increasingly taking on the mantle of decision making people will crave more and more for a steadying human voice which advises them in the manner of a friend they know well. This is where a CEO with a strong personal brand will be able to raise their business brand’s profile far above the mechanical clutter created by a super efficient world managed by soulless AI.

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As AI finds its way into more and more of our activities, humans will increasingly hark back to creativity, passion, connection, community, and vision to connect with the humans behind a business's products or services. AI may very well improve both products and services and their delivery, but it is the human connection that will make the customers loyal and stay.

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Using AI as an ally to build your personal brand as a CEO

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AI is here to stay and with good reason. It is not the villain to compete against, but the Ally who can help a CEO do better personal brand building. For instance, not everyone is a born writer and you as a CEO can surely use generative AI to draft content that helps you connect with your target audience, as long as it genuinely reflects your voice.

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AI tools can also help analyse vast amounts of data pertaining to your target audience in double quick time, giving you critical information to speak to their concerns on a personal level.

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Personal Brand as an exclusive club

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Finally we are reaching a stage where the personal brand of a dynamic CEO and their loyal followers will determine the success of a business. It will not be so much the product or the service that a business provides, but the values and aspirations that the CEO as a person displays that will draw his loyal followers, associates, fellow believers to buy what's on offer. Much like Trump has his MAGA supporters and Elon has his Tesla lovers. To take a sporting analogy die hard Beckham fans will buy merchandise of the football club he plays for, because he is there. Personal branding is the way to go for CEOs.

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How AI Is Reshaping PR Forever?

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 AI is transforming the scope and very nature of PR activity, imparting it a dynamism and urgency it didn’t have in the past. Thanks to it, communication is always on point, as it is data-driven, leading to much smarter campaigns and way better results than was possible in the past.

Public Relations as we knew it in the past no longer delivers in the age of technology, especially since the use of AI tools started becoming standard practice for PR practitioners. AI has caused a paradigm shift in the way that PR frames narratives, connects with audiences and tracks its deliverables. Is it any surprise then that PR professionals have majorly come to use AI tools in a major way to bolster their outreach efforts?

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AI helps smooth the AI process

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AI tools help PR professionals in a plethora of ways, including allowing  them to get a more precise idea of what is trending with the target audience, thereby allowing them to come up with bespoke messaging for their communication campaign. AI can help them do everything from creating emails and social media posts to press releases that are primed to meet the exact requirements and expectations of the target market in question.

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PR practitioners these days can perform a slew of formerly time consuming tasks like writing press releases, media tracking and creating performance reports in practically no time, freeing them to focus on the human aspects of communication that make it more resonant with the target audience. These involve the all-important tasks of framing the core strategy and narrative as well as building human relationships.

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AI makes PR more creative and innovative

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AI has made PR creative in ways that was not possible in the past. It can, for instance, carry out an analysis of journalists’ past articles, social media engagement and their propensity to respond and help one come up with customised media pitches that get the timing and the tone of the pitch just right for the journalist in question. This increases the pitch success rate by as much as 40%.

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PR professionals can make their press releases more impactful by embedding them with striking visuals created with the help of A generative AI. This can be especially impactful with things like product launches.

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AI promotes efficiency in PR

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AI makes PR way more efficient than it used to be. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by PR professionals, as evidenced by the fact that a study by WE Communications and USC Annenberg Centre for Public Relations found that AI in PR was used 54% of the time for content creation, 40% of the time for data analysis and 37% of the time for background research. What’s more, 95% of the respondents observed that AI helps enhance both efficiency and the quality of their work. For all the criticism PR faced historically on measurable deliverables, new age AI powered PR wears efficiency and easily quantifiable results as a badge of honour. AI in the truest sense provides teeth to PR.

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AI has helped brands rediscover PR

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There is a renewed interest in PR in the age of AI on account of the fact that language models these days analyse media to zero in on which brands to feature in their results. This has businesses calling upon PR companies to help them make their presence felt across the media. It is up to the PR professionals in question to use AI in an intelligent and ethical manner so that they  majorly enhance the reputation of their clients with the help of cutting-edge and highly efficient AI tools. Using disclaimers, for instance, wherever using AI-generated content helps one be more productive and efficient while not in a way impacting upon the integrity of the brand. Similarly, any research that one uses has to be properly attributed. AI, if used the right way, has the ability to supercharge PR and deliver stupendous results.

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AI Use in Public Relations

Content Creation       ████████████████████████████ 54%

Data Analysis          ████████████████████         40%

Background Research    ██████████████████           37%

Benefits Observed by PR Professionals

Enhances efficiency & quality     ████████████████████████████████████████████ 95%

Improves media pitch success       ██████████████████                         Up to 40%

               AI TOOLS

                   │

 ┌─────────────────┼───────────────────┐

 │                 │                   │

 ▼                 ▼                   ▼

Content         Analytics          Research

Creation        & Tracking         & Insights

 │                 │                   │

 └────────────┬────┴────────────┬──────┘

              ▼                 ▼

      Better Strategy     Better Timing

              │

              ▼

      Stronger Media Coverage

              │

              ▼

      Higher Campaign Success

The way forward for the creator economy

 

The rise of the creator economy is a veritable media revolution that is knocking down old entrenched bastions of power and privilege held in place by gatekeepers who hitherto dictated the terms of the game. Look around you. Hardly any movies rake in the moolah, and no one takes television seriously. Digital media, on the other hand, is taking the world by storm.

Digital news portals, YouTube videos, podcasts, and social media content move the world, and this is reflected in brands abandoning traditional media in favour of digital outreach. The digital universe, with its wonderful array of tools, has changed the very paradigm of creativity and empowered large numbers of people to give full rein to their creativity and innovativeness and, in the process, create healthy revenue streams for themselves.

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-The creator economy is already worth an impressive $250 billion, with this figure slated to double by 2027. The Indian creator economy, for its part, is already valued at an impressive $15.03 billion and is expected to reach $61.87 billion by 2033.

-There were some 200 million people who considered themselves part of the creator economy in 2025.

-As many as 27 million creators earn an income via content creation in the US..

- The total number of creators in India has crossed a creditable 100 million figure, while the number of active creators boasting more than a thousand followers stands between 2 and 2.5 million people.

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The Way Forward

Investments, acquisitions, and mergers are expected to fuel growth going forward. According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy could approach a size of half a trillion dollars by 2027.  Similarly, Research and Markets suggests that the creator economy should grow to $820.83 billion by 2030. The Indian creator economy, too, is touted to hit a very healthy $61.87 by 2033, providing huge opportunities for brands and creators to enhance their growth and revenue.

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According to BCG, there are more than 2 to 2.5 million monetised content creators in India bearing an influence that exceeds $350 to 400 billion in terms of consumer spending. Their report further states that this ecosystem is expected to lead to more than a trillion dollars' worth of creator driven consumption by the year 2030!

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The role that AI will play in the emerging creator economy is going to be a significant one. Rather than being a threat to creators, it will be an enabling factor helping reduce costs and enhance efficiency, levelling the playing field for creators across scale. In India, particularly, regional language content creation will drive growth, especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

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Worldwide, there will be a rise in the incidence of creators becoming entrepreneurs and in the process actively launching products, selling courses and growing communities and brands, rather than just looking at advertising as a source of revenue. More and more creators will graduate from being mere entertainers hoping to go viral to savvy media company owners. They might even move up the value chain by launching their own niche products catering to the precise requirements of their loyal and dedicated audience. The creator economy will herald the dawn of the niche entrepreneur.

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Summary

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-The creator economy is on the cusp of rapid global and Indian growth, driven by investments, mergers, and acquisitions.

-Creators in India are all set to become a major economic force, leading to  hundreds of billions of dollars in consumer spending, with creator-led consumption expected to top $1 trillion by 2030.

-AI will be a catalyst and not a disruptor as many expect, enabling creators to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and compete more effectively.

-Regional-language content as well as creators based out of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will be key drivers of growth in India.

-Creators will increasingly diversify their income streams, launching products, courses, communities, and brands instead of relying solely on advertising, as in the past

-The creator economy will undergo a paradigm shift, evolving from an influencer model to an entrepreneurship model, with creators being able to build sustainable media businesses.

-Niche creators with loyal communities will gain prominence, signaling the rise of the "niche entrepreneur" in place of today’s mass-market influencers.

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Why is marketing so painfully difficult for some?

 

Why is marketing so painfully difficult for some? If anybody ever told you that they are able to market something effortlessly, like it's second nature to them, they are fibbing. Hands down, it is the most difficult activity in the world. Yet some are unarguably better at it than others. That is true of both individuals and organisations.

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What gives? Why is it like that, and what can we do about it? Is there a switch that we can flip that will make marketing a simple and easy job to perform? What do the most successful marketers in the world do differently from the rest of us?

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It is all very well for the grand daddy of management theory and practice, Peter Drucker, to say that ”the aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself,” but the million-dollar question is, does that happen in real life for everyone who gets that part right?

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What if your customer still doesn't come to you, or your product or service is just one among many others offering more or less the same things that you are? What if some of your competitors’ products are so well entrenched in the minds of your prospects that they won't give you a look in, even if your product or service is superior?

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As you can see, marketing is as tough as tough can be, and if somebody excels at it with all the challenges it offers, they deserve all the accolades in the world. Consumer behaviour and buyer psychology are, of course, the essential components of the marketing process. You have got to be able to unerringly put your finger on the pulse of the consumer in terms of why they choose a certain product or service over another. What are the psychological or emotional reasons that make them behave the way that they do? People who get that make great marketers.

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That is what makes street vendors and people selling their wares at flea markets so good at plying their trade. Without any fancy management degrees to their names, they are able to sniff out their customers with the help of instincts they have honed with much practice and experience. They can read their prospects’ body language and even disposition to buy with remarkable accuracy. Of course, they are often pushy and overbearing, but they do get an essential part of the marketing process right- observing and understanding the customer well enough to read their intent to buy.

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Listening to the customer

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Extrapolating the above example to an organised business or corporate organisation, it is not enough to get traffic to your website, for that by itself will not result in sales. If you don't begin by listening well and very carefully to your prospective customers, you will not be able to show any interest in your offerings as they would not speak to their specific wants.

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The thing is that customers in the digital age are invariably very hard-nosed ones. They are fully aware of what they exactly want, as well as the options available to them. You have got to give them a chance to tell you what they want from your product or service by engaging with them on a deeper and more personal level than before. You need to be able to book a permanent place in their mind. As you need to make that effort to get inside your customer’s mind,  you had better listen hard to what they are saying.

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You better tell your story right

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If you are sure that you know your customer inside out, it is time for you to ensure that they know about your product or service inside out. That can only happen if you can tell them your story right. Your ability to connect with your customer via your tale well told will form the foundation of your marketing effort directed towards them.

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The ability to make them see your story as their own will connect you with them in an emotional and subliminal manner, allowing you to draw them in like a bucket of water extracted from a well. Hark back to how a flea market salesperson appeals directly to your emotions above everything else, leading to quicker sales. Always look at things from your customers’ perspective and not yours, and you will know exactly what to communicate with them.

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Remember brand loyalty from the customer will follow from customer loyalty from the brand.

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Make marketing a priority

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Very often, business owners and CEOs do not accord marketing the importance and top priority it deserves. They are busy chasing production deadlines, overseeing day to day operations and ensuring that all the parts of a business run like a well oiled unit, forgetting that marketing is the life blood of a business.

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Thinking with a marketing perspective ensures that a business never loses sight of the fact that, ultimately, the success of whatever one produces or provides has ready customers.

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Your product matters

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If there is one thing that marketing doesn't reward, it is fluff. Snake oil salespeople never make good marketers. If your product or service is outstanding, you can market it well  on the back of its attributes. Japan, in the aftermath of the Second World War, was known as the land of low-quality products. In a few decades, however, they started making the world's undeniably best products in the process, garnering colossal global market share for everything ranging from cars and motorbikes to consumer electronics items. The sheer quality of their products made their brands’ marketing easy.

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Today, Chinese EV manufacturers like BYD are witnessing the repeat of this story. There was a time when Elon Musk had laughed at the very thought of BYD being a competitor to Tesla, but today his electric car company looks slated to lag behind its one-time weak competitor. Focusing on one’s product quality and, in the words of the famous dialogue from the movie, The Godfather, making the customers an offer they simply cannot refuse, because it is so good, is something that can make the marketing effort as easy as can be.

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Marketing can be turned from excruciatingly difficult to smooth and easy if one focuses on the essentials. Understanding the customer just right, regaling them with the right tale about how you have their best interest at heart, making a sincere effort when it comes to marketing your offerings and topping it all with a product or service that is undeniably stellar will help you achieve just that.

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Your marketing outreach strategy and the tools you use to implement that will really work for your brand if you predicate them on the principles enunciated above, as these help you focus on what it is that works both for you and your customers.

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