The AI boom has already made a splash in industries across the board, including Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Making it as close to the top as possible on the first page used to be the goal for companies, but now, it’s crucial to be included in the AI-generated answers.
According to McKinsey’s October 2025 report, roughly half of all consumers are now using AI-powered search tools, and that figure is set to rise dramatically, with projections placing more than 75% of Google searches featuring AI summaries by 2028. (McKinsey) Moreover, McKinsey estimates that around $750 billion in U.S. consumer spend will funnel through AI-powered search engines by 2028. For marketing folk, brand teams, and agencies, this is a major shift in how people discover,
evaluate, and buy.
From SEO to “GEO”
What we’ve long called SEO is getting a rewrite. McKinsey introduces the concept of GEO — Generative Engine Optimization —as a way of thinking for today’s AI-driven discovery landscape. Brands can no longer rely solely on their own website content since many AI-search outputs pull from a broad mix of sources, like publishers, user-generated content, affiliate sites, not just branded pages.
To break it down:
- Traditional search engines ranked pages. AI-powered search engines summarize, interpret, and serve answers (often without a click), meaning the “front door to the internet” is now shifting.
- Brands could lose significant traffic (McKinsey estimates 20-50%) if they don’t optimize for this new paradigm.
- Visibility is no longer just about being found in a search results list; it’s about being chosen in an AI-powered recommendation/answer context.
Why It Matters to Brands
Here’s what this shift means for your strategy and execution:
- Amplify listening and source mapping: Map which sources feed the AI engines that our target consumers use. McKinsey points out that a brand’s own site may account for only 5-10 % of the content used by AI engines.
- Content strategy enlargement: Create content that is credible, structured, and spans owned, third-party, and community-driven platforms. In sectors like consumer-packaged goods and financial services, more than 65% of AI-powered search sources are from non-brand-owned publishers, affiliates, or user-generated content.
- Measurement and governance: Establish GEO-specific KPIs, cross-functional teams, and diagnostics to assess visibility in the AI era. Only about 16% of brands currently track their performance in AI search, so utilizing metrics will help set you apart.
- Brand presence earlier in the funnel: Make an impact at the beginning of the customer journey. Because consumers are using AI to ask “What are the best cross-training shoes?” or “Which fintech is best for me?” before clicking, brands must show up at those early discovery moments. McKinsey’s research shows that over 70% of AI-search queries are top-of-funnel to learn about a category/brand/product.
Where We Go From Here
The mandate is clear: adapt or get left behind. The steps companies need to take include:
- Diagnostic audit of existing content and visibility across AI-powered search platforms — what’s our share of voice now, what’s at risk?
- Content ecosystem redesign to expand beyond owned-site blog posts into trusted third-party/affiliate/community channels, optimizing structurally for LLM consumption (clear headings, succinct answers, unique insight).
- Cross-functional strategy build-out to align SEO, content marketing, brand PR, and CX teams into one unified GEO cell.
- Continuous measurement to define GEO-specific metrics (visibility in AI summaries, brand presence in AI-driven discovery paths) and track them alongside traditional KPIs.
Get On Board Before It’s Too Late
The future of discovery is being written by AI-powered search engines today, and brands that treat this as a “nice to have” risk are being late to the party. McKinsey’s report makes it plain: the “front door to the internet” is shifting. Winning in the age of AI search means rethinking where and how brands appear, what kind of content they produce, and how they are measured.
At TP Palmer Agency, we’re ready to help our clients step into that new front door. Reach out to us and let’s get started at info@tpalmeragency.com.
