Just in 2025 ChatGPT went from being ranked number four largest search/answer engine by daily queries to now being second. We see a search market that is still growing, but that the playingfield has leveled off. There are more players eating away from Google's monopoly, but Google is still growing steadily.
A fragmented market
The day's where you could game a single providers algorithm to gain visitors are gone, and how pages are indexed is changing. Perplexity is the first one out to ditch using search engines and are indexing the web for them selves, they have also shifted towards sub-documenting processing where they index small snippets instead of the whole page. When perplexity is moving beyond using a search engine as the backbone for AI web search the SEO methods used to win that top place weakens.
Where to focus in a fragmented market
1) Owning your content is the way to go
We recommend to start using POSSE (Publish (on your) Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere) structure for new content, where the goal is to ensure that your website is the source of truth for all other content pieces scattered around in silos like X, LinkedIn, Medium etc... Ignore optimization hacks targeted at a single provider. Content is still king, but the way it's written and presented is changing. You have to show experience, expertise, authority and trust by choosing a small domain and dominate that. It's so important to bring something new to the discussion, show your brand's knowledge and write from your point of view. This is way more interesting than a generic list of "top 5 ebooks for X".
2) Using Earned Media
AI engines show a consistent bias toward Earned media over brand-owned or social content. While Google balances various sources, AI prioritizes third-party authority, such as professional reviews and institutional sites, to determine brand trustworthiness.
To adapt, shift investment toward securing third-party coverage through:
- PR & Media Relations: Gain features and reviews in authoritative industry publications.
- Expert Collaborations: Partner with thought leaders to build external credibility.
- Strategic Link Building: Focus on high-authority backlinks, as these now directly shape how AI perceives your brand's reliability.
Final thoughts
Bring something new to the table, if you dont have the resources to do this then look for reports, papers or other data heavy information pieces where the information can give value to your potential customers. Summerize these, present the hard facts and mix it with experiense.
