For more than 20 years, Google has been the engine of online discovery. Rank well, and the traffic followed. Awareness grew and leads came in.

That model is still working, but the buyer’s journey is changing shape and brands need to make sure they’re on board.

More people are starting their research inside AI tools, typing out detailed questions and getting structured answers back.

Instead of scrolling through a page of links, they’re building their first impressions of a product, service or brand through a conversation with a machine.

PayPal’s recent research found that 48% of Australians have already used AI for online shopping searches, with younger shoppers leading the shift.

78% expect it to become a normal part of how they shop, and 53% plan to use it to guide their own buying decisions in the next 12 months.

AI is shaping preference before a brand name has even entered the picture.

AI research first, Google second

When people start exploring a purchase, they’re not always ready to search for a brand name. For our property clients, their potential customer is asking things like “what builder won the most awards in Melbourne in 2025?” or “who’s the most popular builder in Werribee?”

AI platforms respond to those questions by summarising categories, comparing options and simplifying complex topics. By the time a user gets to Google, their perception of the landscape has already been shaped. They arrive with a shortlist rather than going in blind.

The Google moment still matters enormously. When buyers are ready to act, they search for brand names, read reviews, check pricing and look for proof before committing. But Google is often confirming a preference that AI helped form earlier.

If a brand isn’t part of that early conversation, it may never make it onto the shortlist at all.

How to show up in AI results

Traditional SEO focused on ranking pages around keywords. That still has a place, but AI search works differently.

AI systems pull from authoritative, well-structured content across the web.

They look for consistency, expertise and credibility. Visibility is less about hitting the right keyword and more about whether your brand is recognised as a reliable source on topics your audience actually cares about.

Rather than building content only around what you sell, we’ve found it’s worth thinking about the problems your audience is trying to solve and where your product or service connects.

For a property client, their buyer is researching land purchases, but the questions they’re asking first are about government grants, school zones and planned infrastructure.

Content that answers those questions honestly puts a brand in the room long before a decision is made.

Well-structured pages with clear headings, concise explanations, comparison tables, pricing breakdowns and FAQs are also easier for AI to interpret and reference. If the information is hard for a person to parse quickly, it’s likely hard for AI too.

Authority lives beyond your website

AI systems don’t just look at your website. Reviews, media mentions and social platforms all feed into how credible a brand appears when AI is assembling its answer.

For most of our clients, this is straightforward. A complete Google Business Profile, a steady stream of genuine reviews, active social communities, participation in relevant forums and testimonial content that lets one customer’s experience speak to the next.

When someone asks AI to compare two services head-to-head, this is the material it draws from.

What to measure now

As AI search delivers more direct answers, fewer users need to click through to a website to get what they need. Traditional traffic numbers are becoming less useful on their own.

The metrics worth watching now are branded search growth, direct visits and high-intent conversions. A sustained lift in branded search is often a signal that AI-driven discovery is working, even when you can’t see exactly where it’s coming from.

The real opportunity

AI isn’t replacing Google. It’s giving consumers more information to work with, and when they’ve processed it, they go to Google to narrow down their choice.

The brands that do well over the long run will be the ones showing up across the whole journey, from the exploratory questions people put into AI tools through to the high-intent searches that follow.

Visibility in an AI-influenced world isn’t just about ranking first. It’s about building trust long before someone searches for your name.