Businesses scramble to get noticed by AI search

Source: BBC Technology

AI Has Changed the Way Many People Get Information from the Internet

Sean McManus – Technology Reporter

For many businesses their website is a vital shop‑front, so losing 140 million visits in a single year would be a big problem.
That’s what happened to HubSpot, and the cause was AI.

HubSpot provides sales, marketing and customer‑service tools for B2B companies. Like many firms, it has been hit by a crucial change in the way we search the internet.

“I remember the days when I would search [the web] and there was no good information,” says Kipp Bodnar, chief marketing officer at HubSpot.
“Sometimes there was some stuff, but I had to scroll through 10, 20, 30 links.
“What you have now is access to all the world’s intelligence in an instantaneous way. How people find information and subsequently take action is very, very different.”

Why HubSpot’s Traffic Dropped

• Search‑engine algorithm changes – Engines are rejigging their algorithms to fight “AI slop,” making credibility on core topics more important.
• Shift from search engines to AI tools – Users are increasingly asking AI assistants directly.
• AI overviews in search results – Search engines now place AI‑generated answers at the top, often satisfying the query without a click.

“The click‑through rate for searches that have AI overviews is about 60 %–70 % lower,” says Bodnar.

Answer‑Engine Optimisation (AEO)

Answer‑engine optimisation (sometimes called generative‑engine optimisation or GEO) is about helping websites rank well in AI tools, including AI overviews and chat‑based assistants like ChatGPT. These tools are built on large language models (LLMs).

Many companies are using AEO alongside traditional SEO.

“We’ve been able to use answer‑engine optimisation to increase the conversion rate and quality of the people who are coming to us,” says Bodnar.
“I don’t know how you are a competitive business in the future without having a strong competency in this.”

Changing Search Behaviour

• Traditional Google searches: 4–6 words on average.
• AI‑driven searches: 40–60 words on average – an order‑of‑magnitude increase in specificity.

Bodnar gives the example of a motorhome‑rental company in New Zealand. A user might ask an AI for “a complete holiday plan for a family of five, including an opportunity to see a favourite animal.” To be cited, the motorhome company would need an article about “the most popular animals in New Zealand for children,” written in natural language that matches the question.

HubSpot’s New Content Structure

HubSpot is now publishing shorter chunks of information rather than long, feature‑by‑feature articles.

• AI can easily extract these bite‑sized pieces.
• Example: a query about the “contact‑management feature” can be answered directly from a concise paragraph.

“AI is now delivering between 7 % and 12 % of HubSpot’s website visitors most months, and it will become an even more important way for customers to discover the brand,” says Bodnar.
“You’ll see people coming through direct traffic and other sources because they were influenced by those LLM responses.”

Spice Kitchen’s AI‑Focused Content Strategy

Ann Lowe, head of PR and communications at Spice Kitchen (a gift‑set spice retailer), explains how the company is adapting.

“In order to survive, you have to adapt,” says Lowe.

Spice Kitchen is building a content cluster about the history of the spice trade – a dedicated subsection that demonstrates authority and aims to be picked up by AI search bots. It will look more like a training course than a shop, targeting researchers who may discover the brand along the way.

Working with Lumos Digital

Lumos Digital, led by co‑founder Nathan Pearson, is helping Spice Kitchen.

“Historically, you’ve always optimised the product page so that you are picking people up at the moment they’re ready to buy,” says Pearson.
“Now that focus seems to be shifting towards the research and decision stage and winning them at that point.”

Pearson recommends publishing buying guides:

• Example: “Best trainers for long‑distance running” – list all products and highlight a clear winner.
• “AI loves that.”

Takeaways for Research‑Oriented Organisations

Companies that want to rank in AI‑driven results can learn from Spice Kitchen’s practices:

• Build authoritative, topic‑focused clusters.
• Write in natural, question‑matching language.
• Provide clear, structured guides that AI can cite.

End of article.

AI’s Impact on Building‑Supply Traffic

Emphasising expertise, authority and trust indicators

• Lots of inbound links from trusted sites
• Outbound links to high‑quality resources
• Clear content policies and author biographies

Jamie Akrill / MKM Building Supplies

Andy Pickup on AI‑Driven Answers

Andy Pickup, Digital Director at MKM Building Supplies (an independent builders’ merchant that also sells directly to the public), says more people are getting answers on building projects from AI.

“We are seeing fewer people come to the site because they’re getting the answers from an AI model,” he explains. “They don’t need to visit our website to read a blog on how to fit artificial grass or whatever it might be.”

“If that trend continued, you’d potentially see your site traffic almost dwindle to nothing.”

Being Cited in AI Results

Pickup recognises the importance of being referenced in AI outputs:

“We need to make sure that, when people are searching for answers around building projects, these AI models are referencing us rather than our competition.”

He hopes this will drive footfall to stores, where staff can help customers with their projects.

ChatGPT vs. Google

Although Google remains the dominant search engine, ChatGPT is sending more visitors than Google’s built‑in AI.

“It’s a seismic shift in user preference of what app [customers] use,” he says. “They’re making a conscious decision to not go into Google, even though it’s got built‑in AI, and are actually going into ChatGPT.”

The “Defensive Strategy”

Pickup embarked on a “defensive strategy,” creating blogs about best‑selling products for AI tools to reference.

• SEO‑like positioning – act as an expert in the niche.
• Provide LLMs with complete, clear information – not just product descriptions, but how the product solves a problem.

“The content evolves from just talking about a product. It’s more about how this product’s going to help you solve a problem.”

Optimising Content for AI

• Summaries at the top of each page.
• Bulleted lists to break up information.
• FAQ sections for quick answers.

“Search engines were looking for keywords, but AI engines need to be able to process the meaning on the page easily. As a result, MKM’s new pages have a summary, bulleted lists to break up information and frequently asked questions (FAQ) lists.”

• Site map to help AI bots crawl the site efficiently.

Results

• AI‑driven traffic grew from almost nothing to “a low double‑figure percentage” in the past year and continues to rise.
• AI visitors are more likely to purchase than traditional search‑engine visitors.

“My theory is that customers have got the information they need from the LLM answer, which gives them confidence to make a purchase.”

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