By Jennifer Norene, Founder of Beyond Brand Collective
For more than twenty years, the goal of online marketing was simple to describe, even if it was hard to achieve: get to the top of Google.
That goal hasn’t disappeared. But the way people search has changed faster in the last two years than in the decade before it. Today, your next customer might never see a page of blue links at all. They might type a question into Google and read the AI-written summary at the top. They might ask Perplexity. They might open ChatGPT or Claude and simply say, “Who should I call?”
And whatever those tools say back is, more and more often, the answer that customer acts on.
From Searching to Asking
Think about how differently people behave now.
A search used to be a few words: “CPA Gig Harbor.” Today it’s a full conversation: “I own a small restaurant and I’m behind on my books. Who’s a good accountant near Gig Harbor who works with restaurants?”
That’s not a keyword. That’s a request for a recommendation. And AI tools are happy to give one, often naming two or three businesses and explaining why.
If your business is one of those names, that’s a powerful moment. If it isn’t, you may never know the customer was looking.
Four Platforms, Four Different Experiences
Each of the major AI search tools works a little differently, and your customers are spread across all of them.
Google is still where the most searches happen, but it isn’t the same Google. AI Overviews now appear at the top of many results, and Google’s AI Mode turns search into a back-and-forth conversation. Many people get what they need from that summary and never scroll down to the traditional listings. Ranking well still matters, but being featured in the AI answer is becoming just as important.
Perplexity
Perplexity was built from the ground up as an “answer engine.” It searches the web in real time and responds with a written answer and a list of the sources it used. Its users tend to be researchers and decision makers who want quick, trustworthy answers, which makes it an especially valuable place for professional services to show up.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT has become the first stop for millions of people who once would have started with Google. It now searches the web, compares options and makes recommendations in a conversational way. For many consumers, asking ChatGPT feels like asking a knowledgeable friend, and that kind of trust is hard to win back once it goes to a competitor.
Claude
Claude, from Anthropic, is quickly becoming a favorite for professionals and business owners who use it for research, writing and planning. It can search the web and summarize what it finds, so it’s increasingly part of how people evaluate vendors, partners and service providers. Many businesses haven’t even considered how they appear in Claude, which is exactly why it’s worth paying attention to now.
Why This Matters for Your Business
AI answers are short. A page of Google results might show ten businesses. An AI answer might mention two or three. There’s less room at the top than ever.
AI answers feel personal. When an assistant says, “Here are a few good options for you,” people tend to trust it. That trust transfers to whichever businesses are named.
AI can get you wrong. If the information about your business online is outdated or incomplete, AI tools may describe your hours, services or pricing incorrectly, or confuse you with someone else. Most business owners have never checked.
Your competitors may already be there. The businesses that show up consistently in AI answers today are building an advantage that compounds over time.
Each platform is different. Showing up well in Google doesn’t guarantee you’ll show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude. Each tool draws on information in its own way.
A Few Questions Worth Asking
You don’t need to be a technical expert to start thinking about this. Ask yourself:
- When someone asks AI about the type of work I do in my area, is my business mentioned?
- If it is, is the information accurate?
- Which of these four platforms are my customers most likely to use?
- Who is being recommended instead of me?
If you don’t know the answers, you’re not alone. Most of the business owners I talk with have never looked, and they’re often surprised by what they find.
The Same Goal, a New Playing Field
Here’s the encouraging part. The heart of good marketing hasn’t changed. Businesses that clearly communicate who they are, what they do and why customers trust them have always done well. That’s still true. As I wrote in 2026 SEO: What You Need to Know, the fundamentals still matter. They just have to work in more places now.
At Beyond Brand Collective, we’ve spent years helping businesses tell their stories clearly and consistently across the web. Today that story needs to come through not only on your website and in Google, but in every AI tool your customers are asking.
Let’s Find Out Where You Stand
AI search is moving quickly, and keeping up with it on top of running a business is a lot to ask. Our AI search service looks at how your business appears across Google, Perplexity, ChatGPT and Claude, and builds a plan to help you become part of the answer.
For businesses that want ongoing leadership, our fractional CMO services bring senior-level marketing strategy to your team without the cost of a full-time hire.
Curious what AI says about your business today? Let’s talk.