AI Search in short

AI search is no longer a future concept. It is happening now and is already changing how consumers discover brands, products, and services online.

According to McKinsey, half of consumers already use AI-powered search today, and this shift is expected to impact up to $750 billion in revenue by 2028.

That statistic should immediately grab the attention of every UK business leader, marketer, and founder. Because when consumer behaviour changes at this scale, entire industries shift with it.

The real question is no longer “How do we rank on Google?”

It’s: “How do we show up in AI answers?”

AI Search Is Becoming the New Front Door to the Internet

For decades, Google controlled digital discovery.

A customer searched, clicked through links, and visited websites to compare options. But AI search platforms are rewriting that flow.

Instead of browsing 10 results, users now ask AI questions like:

• “What’s the best CRM for small businesses in the UK?”
• “Which cybersecurity tools are most trusted?”
• “Best fintech companies in London?”
• “Which marketing platform should I use in 2026?”
• “What is GEO and why does it matter?”

And then AI generates an answer instantly—often recommending specific companies.

McKinsey describes this as a new “front door” to the internet. And the impact is massive: AI isn’t just driving traffic, it is shaping decisions.

Why This Matters for UK Tech Companies

This shift is especially important for UK-based tech companies, SaaS platforms, and fast-growing startups.

In a competitive ecosystem like the UK, being visible in AI search is becoming a strategic advantage. Because AI is influencing:

• B2B vendor selection
• SaaS purchasing decisions
• product comparisons
• investment research
• media discovery
• brand credibility

In other words, AI search is now part of the sales funnel.

If your brand is not present in AI answers, your competitors will be.

The Real Risk: You Can Still Rank on Google and Lose Visibility

Many brands assume that strong SEO performance will automatically translate into AI search visibility.

But that’s not how AI works.

AI search engines don’t just display results—they summarize the market and select sources. That means a company can have excellent content and still be missing from AI-generated responses.

Even worse, AI might:

• recommend a competitor instead
• mention your brand incorrectly
• cite outdated information
• position your company in the wrong category

This is not a small issue. It is a reputational and revenue risk.

Because when AI becomes the first point of discovery, the brands included in the answer win the customer.

GEO: The New Category Every Brand Needs to Understand

We are entering a new era of digital marketing:

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

GEO is the process of improving how your brand appears inside AI-generated answers across platforms like:

• ChatGPT
• Gemini
• Perplexity
• Claude
• Microsoft Copilot
• Google AI Overviews

Traditional SEO was about ranking for keywords.

GEO is about being mentioned, cited, and recommended when people ask AI questions.

And that difference is huge.

In AI search, users don’t scroll across multiple websites.

They trust the answer.

The New KPI: “Does AI Recommend Us?”

For years, marketing teams measured success using:

• keyword rankings
• organic traffic
• impressions
• backlinks

But AI search changes the KPI completely.

Now the most important questions are:

• Does AI mention our brand?
• How often are we cited?
• Are we positioned as a leader or an alternative?
• What sentiment does AI associate with us?
• Which competitors appear instead of us?
• Which prompts generate the highest visibility?

This is not SEO.

This is the brand’s presence within the decision engine.

A Practical GEO Activation Plan for UK Brands

If AI search is shaping a $750 billion revenue shift, then brands need an activation plan.

Here’s what a real GEO strategy looks like.

1. Measure Your AI Visibility Across Platforms

You cannot optimize what you cannot see.

Brands need to test how they appear in different AI engines, because each platform produces different answers. ChatGPT may recommend one vendor, while Perplexity recommends another.

Measuring visibility across platforms is the starting point.

2. Identify High-Intent Prompts That Drive Business Outcomes

AI search is prompt-based.

Users don’t search “marketing software.” They ask:

• “What’s the best marketing automation platform for startups?”
• “Best AI SEO tools for agencies?”
• “How do I increase visibility in ChatGPT?”

These prompts represent intent and demand.

Brands that map and target the right prompts will own the conversation.

3. Optimize Content for AI Understanding, Not Just Google Crawlers

AI engines rely heavily on clarity, structure, and trust.

This means brands need to create content that is:

• authoritative
• easy to summarize
• structured around questions and answers
• aligned with real user intent
• consistent across all public sources

The goal is not just to rank.

The goal is to become a reliable reference.

4. Track Competitive Movement and Share of Voice

AI search is dynamic. Results change constantly.

Brands must track:

• share of voice inside AI answers
• competitor presence
• visibility trends over time
• sentiment changes
• prompt-level performance

Without tracking, GEO becomes guesswork.

Why iGEO Is the Essential Platform for AI Search Visibility

The biggest problem in this new AI era is that most companies still use marketing tools built for the old internet.

They measure Google rankings.

But they don’t measure AI visibility.

This is exactly where iGEO becomes critical.

iGEO is a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform designed to help brands become visible in AI-powered search engines.

Instead of guessing how AI describes your company, iGEO gives you real visibility into how your brand appears across AI platforms.

With iGEO, brands can:

• Track brand mentions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and more
• Measure AI’s share of voice against competitors
• Identify which prompts trigger brand visibility
• Monitor sentiment and positioning in AI-generated answers
• Discover new opportunities to improve brand presence
• Build a measurable GEO strategy that drives growth

In simple terms:

iGEO helps brands become the chosen answer in AI search.

For UK tech companies competing in crowded markets, this is becoming a major advantage.

Because if AI is the new front door to the internet, visibility is no longer optional.

The Bottom Line: AI Search Will Reshape Digital Growth in the UK

The shift is already happening.

Half of consumers already use AI search today, and by 2028 it could shape hundreds of billions in revenue.

This is bigger than SEO.

It is bigger than content marketing.

It is a structural shift in how people discover brands.

And the brands that act early will own the next era of search.

FAQ: AI Search Strategy and GEO

What is AI-powered search?

AI-powered search is a new way to search online, where platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews generate direct answers instead of displaying traditional search result pages.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of improving how your brand appears inside AI-generated answers, ensuring your company is mentioned, cited, and recommended.

Why is AI search important for UK businesses?

AI search is important because consumers increasingly rely on AI tools to discover brands, compare products, and make purchase decisions, which in turn affects traffic, trust, and revenue.

How can a company improve visibility in AI search?

Brands can improve visibility by building structured content, publishing authoritative resources, targeting high-intent prompts, and tracking performance across AI platforms.

What is iGEO and how does it help?

iGEO is a GEO platform that helps brands track and improve AI visibility across major AI engines by monitoring mentions, share of voice, sentiment, and competitor positioning.