Search, as we know it, is changing. Quickly. Incumbents are being challenged by disruptors in the market and governments in court. The likes of ChatGPT and Perplexity are paving the way to a new era. The playing field is changing. The Information Age is evolving with more focus than ever on attention. Is this the end of search engines and the beginning of answer engines?
How have we got to this point? What does this all mean? And how will it impact businesses and consumers?
How has it come to this?
Search has been dominated by Google for years. There have been other players along the way but Google has become the verb we’re all so used to, leaving throwbacks like Ask Jeeves for dust. Google has defined the frameworks for businesses to follow in terms of SEO rankings for years with a focus on keywords, high-quality content, on-page optimisation, back-linking, UX and technical back-end factors like site speed and mobile friendliness. SEO accounts for a sizeable percentage of business’ marketing budget, especially for e-commerce sites that need a strong digital presence.
Make no mistake about it, Google has defined the search engine industry for decades. Businesses cracking the code with their online presence and SEO have made the big time. Amazon optimised for a wide array of keywords across millions of search terms which ultimately helped it become the go-to online marketplace globally. Airbnb used SEO to expand beyond traditional hotel bookings by creating localised landing pages targeting popular destinations (“holiday rentals in [city]”), providing user-generated content (like reviews) and integrating high-ranking keywords to become highly visible in organic search results. Hubspot used SEO strategies to build a content empire.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
Google has often been accused of anti-competitive behaviour and there’s no doubt they have wielded their power to disrupt businesses, markets and entire industries. In 2017, Google was fined €2.42bn by the European Commission for abusing its market dominance to unfairly promote its own comparison shopping service over competitors. Earlier this year, Google released a new Site Reputation Abuse Policy which wiped out many news sites’ coupon directories from SERPs (search engine result pages) and shook a stable revenue line with roots tracing back decades overnight. It’s been reported that lost traffic is cumulatively worth more than $7.5m and has hit the likes of Forbes, CNN and Time hard.
Change started at a regulatory level.
Back in February this year, the EU introduced the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which qualifies companies like Google and Apple as 'gatekeepers' meaning they must follow specific regulations. People now have the choice of which search engine or browser to use rather than being presented with the default; this is one of the ways that the DMA is looking to create a fairer internet. This opens the door to alternative engines like Bing, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia to build user bases and a foothold in the market. It puts people first, with the ability to choose an engine based on personal values and preferences. It has encouraged more choice and collaboration between other players. Just this week, European search engine providers, Ecosia and Qwant, announced that they are teaming up on a new joint venture called the European Search Perspective. The goal: to take on Big Tech by building better search technology whilst helping the planet (Ecosia reinvests all of its profits into the planet).
Search engines are mood boards
We’ve turned to search engines for answers over the years; they are essentially a global mood board of our thoughts, wants, ramblings and curiosities. Google Trends shows the popularity of certain words or terms by geography and timeframe. In recent years, shifts in search term popularity for health and wellness, hybrid work, online shopping and environmental issues have reflected broader changes in lifestyle, technology, and cultural trends. On the flip side, terms like brick-and-mortar shopping and traditional office supplies have decreased in popularity.
So we know that search engines are in a state of flux and we know about these different consumer trends, but what’s causing the switch from search to answer engines?
This is where we’re seeing an evolution of the Information Age where it’s now, more than ever, about attention and how information is delivered. Information isn't always to do with informing us about things. Rather, it puts things in formation. The shift from traditional search engines to AI-powered answer engines is down to:
Efficiency and direct answers: people prefer quick, specific answers without sifting through links. AI engines provide summarised responses that reduce the need for extended browsing.
Conversational interaction: AI engines offer a more natural, conversational search experience, appealing to people seeking clarity and context for complex queries.
Personalisation and contextual understanding: AI models can analyse past interactions for personalised responses, aligning more closely with individual preferences.
Privacy and ad-free environment: Many users are attracted to the less ad-saturated, privacy-oriented environment that AI tools offer compared to traditional search engines.
These trends reflect a desire for a more efficient, context-aware, and user-centred search experience.
AI-powered engines don’t rely on traditional SEO metrics like backlinks or keyword density, they achieve relevance through deep language understanding, real-time retrieval capabilities, and ranking systems that draw on NLP advances. This helps them deliver more conversational, context-aware answers, shifting away from pure keyword matching to meaning and intent.
Answer engines in the Attention Age: What next?
Despite the groundbreaking tech behind AI-powered engines, there are many similarities with other large-scale information networks in the past. There are many snippets on this from historian and philosopher, Yuval Noah Harari, in his book titled Nexus. Past information networks have also relied on data input which is open to bias. Mythmakers and bureaucrats still play a large part as they have done in years gone by. Output is still very much down to the receiver of the information; remaining open to individual interpretation. And, after all, the delivery of information only gets you so far; it's how this information is used and relayed that is often the most important part. The clear example here, close to our work at Earthmark, is that ‘acknowledging the reality of climate change does not tell us what to do about it. We always have options, and choosing between them is a question of desire, not truth.’
People are turning to this new model for more conversational, contextual asks that may be more open-ended initially but offer a more-rounded view. This is in contrast to having to think about the keywords to enter in a search and then browse through various links for the best response. The average Google search is 2-3 words vs 6-8 words for ChatGPT.
We’re seeing a move away from so much focus on keywords, SEO and ranking to a model which looks more at long form text and images. As engines become more sophisticated, factors such as relevance, accuracy, and online reputation become even more critical. Google’s recent emphasis on sustainability in its ranking algorithms is a prime example. Consumers are increasingly searching for brands that align with their values, especially around eco-friendly practices, and search engines are adjusting to meet that demand.
AI-powered engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bard and Claude are piling in on this transition. So far, it seems to be less about becoming the go-to engine and more of an understanding that each have their own strengths and weaknesses i.e. ChatGPT for personal assistance tasks, Claude for more sensitive topics and Perplexity for academic searches.
We’re likely to see more partnerships, tie-ups and regulations.
Governments have shown that they are willing to regulate the flow of value between content producers and content aggregators. This is compelling some platforms to pay certain media organisations for displaying their content, such as in news snippets or knowledge panels, as we've seen with OpenAI and News Corp as well as Perplexity and Time. This is the beginning of a new state of ‘content bargaining’ as organisations start working towards a smart, fair reward system that doesn’t just create another monopoly for AI search. Cracking this will determine to what extent governments need to get involved and impose frameworks and regulation. Lots of insights on this from Benjamin Brooks from MIT Technology Review.
How to get in on the action
Ironically, this transition leaves businesses with lots of questions that are difficult to answer (regardless of how good the prompt is). History isn’t always an indicator of the future but it often gives us a good starting point so keeping past lessons from the rollout of large-scale information networks in mind, as well as the journey that search engines have been on in the last few years is key.
Who will reap the rewards of AI-powered answer engines and be the Amazon, Airbnb or Hubspot of this new age?
Here are a few pointers that will stand businesses in good stead, helping to build consumer trust, boost visibility and retain a strong digital presence:
Create conversational, answer-focused content: Develop clear, helpful responses to common customer questions to ensure AI tools accurately reference your brands' expertise and relevance.
Emphasise structured data and clear markup: Add structured tags like product details, FAQs, and reviews to make your content AI-accessible and easily retrievable.
Prioritise credible insights: Focus on building credible, expert-backed content, especially on topics that consumers care most about, like sustainability.
Engage with user-generated content: Encourage customer reviews and Q&A on your pages, adding depth to your brand's authenticity and making it easier for AI to pull real-world feedback.
Optimise for visual and multimedia content: Support your product pages with high-quality visuals and videos, as AI increasingly references multimedia in answer-based recommendations.
As we enter this new era of search, brands that invest in building authentic connections and aligning with consumer-driven trends will be the ones that rise to the top. It's no longer just about being seen; it’s about being trusted and relevant in the conversations consumers care about.
To find out how Earthmark can help your brand, reach out.
