AI Search Is Reshaping How Buyers Find You. Here's How B.C. Marketers Can Respond
Buyers are skipping blue links and asking ChatGPT, Gemini and other assistants for direct answers. That shift is already sending traffic to brands-and it's set to become one of the biggest digital touchpoints for businesses in B.C.
"The customer journey is changing so much. For businesses, this is a challenge and opportunity because it's such a new thing," said Sebastian Rehaag, director of global digital marketing at Sophos. His take: invest in how, where and how often your brand is mentioned inside AI tools.
Why this matters
Half of consumers are using AI-powered search today. Analysts estimate 20-50% of traditional search traffic is at risk, with hundreds of billions in revenue shifting by 2028.
Agencies are seeing it on the ground. Rely Digital reports AI-assisted discovery as one of the fastest-growing traffic sources, including a 110% quarter-over-quarter lift for e-commerce clients. LLM-focused optimization requests are up nearly 4x year-over-year, according to managing director Mikie Basi.
How AI search behaves differently
People don't "browse"; they ask. Prompts are longer and more specific than keyword searches, which rewards clear, structured answers over generic copy.
AI assistants surface fewer results than a search engine page. If you're not among the handful of answers, you're invisible. "As a business, you have to be very close to how this channel is changing," said Rehaag.
Make your content AI-readable
Marketing professor Emily Baillie recommends building question-first content. "Creating a Frequently Asked Questions in their site or on their blog can be very helpful, because AI search loves to retrieve answers to questions that people may be asking."
- Mirror real prompts in FAQs: "What should I do in Vancouver this weekend?" "Best cybersecurity options for small clinics?"
- Write direct, skimmable answers in 2-4 sentences. Add one quick example or a mini checklist.
- Use plain language and avoid jargon. Assistants reward clarity.
Structure your data like an entity, not a brochure
LLMs pull heavily from structured, unambiguous information. Don't bury vital details in long paragraphs.
- Replace a one-paragraph "About" with four crisp lines: Name, Location, Services, Why choose us.
- Give every product/service a clean spec: audience, use cases, price range, availability, support hours.
- Mark up FAQs, products and organization info with schema where possible, and keep it consistent across pages.
Strengthen the signals AI trusts
"What are the citations? What are the other websites that are talking about you? Where can you control that information?" Basi asks. Treat off-site proof as part of your content strategy.
- Expand your digital footprint: authoritative directories, industry associations, comparison sites, credible reviews.
- Keep NAP (name, address, phone) and descriptions consistent across listings.
- Publish clear position pieces and data-backed posts that others can cite.
Who gets hit first
Basi sees heavier disruption for software, finance, investing and insurance-categories where answers and recommendations can be summarized quickly. Local services tied to proximity and reviews may see less near-term impact.
E-commerce is medium impact today, with "potentially massive disruption" if AI-driven purchasing becomes mainstream. A recent study found 43% of Canadian shoppers plan to use AI tools for their 2025 holiday purchases.
What you can do this quarter
- Weeks 1-2: Audit how assistants describe you. Ask top LLMs the questions your buyers ask. Note gaps, wrong details and missing mentions.
- Weeks 3-4: Ship an FAQ hub that mirrors your sales conversations. Rewrite core pages with clear fields (who it's for, benefits, proof, next step).
- Weeks 5-6: Standardize product/service specs across your site and third-party listings. Update bios and boilerplates for consistency.
- Weeks 7-8: Secure 5-10 credible citations: industry directories, partner pages, case studies, media mentions, conference profiles.
- Weeks 9-12: Publish two in-depth guides answering high-intent questions. Add a simple comparison page that assistants can quote.
Measurement without guesswork
- Add "How did you find us?" to lead forms with "AI assistant" as an option.
- Track mentions in third-party listings and set monthly alerts for brand + category questions.
- Create a living "LLM answer sheet" (facts, stats, descriptions) and keep it current across your channels.
Checklist: Be findable in AI
- Question-first FAQs for each product, service and location
- Concise company and product specs in bullet form
- Consistent entity data across your site and key listings
- Authoritative citations you can influence and monitor
- Content that answers, not teases-2-4 sentence summaries up top
- Lightweight process to review AI answers about your brand monthly
"This space is very immature," said Rehaag. That's the opening. The brands that invest in clarity, structure and credible signals will earn the few answer slots that matter.
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