For more than 25 years, finding something online followed a familiar pattern. You opened Google, typed a few words and clicked one of the links that appeared.
When we started Netgain almost 20 years ago, helping businesses compete in that environment was a big part of what we did. Search engine optimization (SEO) meant making sure a company could be found when someone searched for its products or services.
Search has evolved plenty since then, but the basic process remains familiar. Now, for the first time in a long time, that process itself is changing.
People can ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity a detailed question and receive a direct response. Google is also bringing AI-generated answers and back-and-forth conversations directly into search.
The search bar isn’t about to vanish. But it may no longer be the only place where someone begins their research or the main way they decide which websites to visit.
For any business that depends on being found online, that deserves attention.
Search Is Becoming More Conversational
You can see the change in the way people ask questions.
A traditional search might look like this:
“Best accountant in Barrie”
A conversational search provides far more context:
“I’m opening a small business in Barrie. Who’s a good accountant with experience helping incorporated businesses?”
Someone looking for a generator may have once searched:
“Whole-home generator”
Now, they can ask:
“My power goes out several times every winter. What size standby generator would I need for a 2,500-square-foot home, and who installs them near me?”
People haven’t stopped using short search terms. They simply have another option. They can explain their situation, ask follow-up questions and receive a response that considers more than a few keywords.
That can influence which companies they consider before they ever reach a traditional page of search results.
Search Rankings Still Matter, but They Aren’t the Whole Story
For years, getting onto Google’s first page was the main target. It still matters, and I’d be cautious of anyone declaring SEO dead every time a new technology appears.
What’s changing is that ranking isn’t the only way a business can be discovered.
An AI-generated response can bring together information from multiple sources and decide which businesses, if any, are relevant enough to mention. That puts a bigger spotlight on what the web says about your company, not only what your website says about itself.
Your content matters. So do your reviews, case studies, business listings, industry recognition and mentions on other credible websites. Together, these details help establish what your business does, where it operates and why someone should consider it.
What Businesses Should Be Working on Now
I don’t think businesses need to panic or abandon everything they know about digital marketing. They do need to take a broader view of how people and AI platforms find, evaluate and compare companies.
Answer the Questions Customers Actually Ask
Some of your best content ideas are probably already coming up in sales calls, emails and conversations with customers.
Answer those questions clearly. Explain how your services work, what affects pricing, how different options compare and what someone should consider before making a decision.
This is much more useful than publishing another surface-level article created only to target a keyword. It also gives your business an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge your team uses every day.
Give People Evidence They Can Trust
Your website will naturally present the strongest case for your company. Customers will also look elsewhere to confirm it.
Reviews, detailed case studies, industry memberships, local business listings, media coverage and mentions from trusted partners all provide independent evidence that your business is established and credible.
These signals were valuable long before AI search appeared. They’re becoming even more important as AI tools gather information from across the web.
Make Your Website Easy to Understand
Clear page titles, descriptive headings, focused service pages and useful FAQs help visitors find what they need.
They also make it easier for search engines and AI systems to understand how your content is organized and what each page is actually about.
This doesn’t mean writing stiff content for robots. Good structure helps everyone.
Keep the Basic Information Accurate
Old addresses, conflicting hours, outdated services, former team members and broken pages can all create uncertainty.
Review your website and important business listings regularly. Make sure your services, locations, contact information and team details match wherever they appear.
None of this is especially exciting, but it affects how confidently your business can be represented.
Google Isn’t Going Anywhere
Google remains a major part of how people find information. It’s also changing its own search experience through AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Instead of only displaying a list of websites, Google can summarize information and allow people to continue asking questions about a topic.
That doesn’t eliminate the need for websites. It may change when and why someone visits one.
A potential customer could arrive on your site later in the decision-making process with a clearer idea of what they need. Your website then has to confirm what they’ve learned, answer the next question and give them a reason to choose your business.
Don’t Wait for Traffic to Drop
I wouldn’t wait for a noticeable decline in website traffic or leads before paying attention to this shift. Changes in search behaviour tend to happen gradually, which makes them easy to ignore until the effect becomes obvious.
You don’t need to rebuild your entire marketing strategy tomorrow. Start by looking at the questions that matter most to your customers.
Does your website answer them well? Is your business information consistent? Can people find evidence of your expertise outside your own website?
If the answer to any of those questions is no, that’s a practical place to begin.
At Netgain, we’re already adjusting how we approach SEO, content and online reputation. Traditional search still matters, but businesses now have to be prepared to appear in more than a list of links.
The Google search bar will likely be around for a long time. I just wouldn’t build a marketing plan that assumes it will always be the only place customers look for an answer.
