The Changes in User Behaviour for Search

How AI Has Shaped Search Behaviour

For more than 20 years, Google has dictated how people discover information online. But that behaviour is changing fast. AI (overviews, large language models (LLMs), and conversational tools) are redefining how people ask questions, interpret answers, and make decisions.

Google still dominates discovery, but the way users engage with it is evolving. People are finding answers faster, clicking less, and trusting AI to do the filtering for them.

That shift is already measurable, and the brands adapting now will be the ones users see, trust, and choose next.

From Searching to Asking

AI Overviews now appear in around 50% of Google searches and nearly 90% of informational queries. They summarise results directly above the standard listings, giving users an instant answer drawn from multiple sources.

When an Overview appears, the top organic result loses around 34% of its clicks. For news sites, that drop can reach 55%. Even Wikipedia, cited in 11% of all Overviews, has lost 8% of its traffic since launch.

This highlights the shift in user behaviour as they aren’t browsing, they’re asking. They expect a single, confident answer, not a list of possibilities.

What it means for brands

Ranking first is no longer enough. If your content isn’t being cited within the AI Overview, you’re not part of the primary visibility. And if it isn’t part of LLM’s like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity’s answers, then you aren’t visible at all.

Brands now need to think beyond SEO placement and focus on how their expertise is represented inside AI-generated summaries. That means structuring content for clarity, factual accuracy, and sourceability, the traits AI models prioritise when choosing citations.

From Browsing to Trusting

People are increasingly treating AI answers as credible, not just convenient.
When a model references a brand, users perceive that inclusion as a form of endorsement. Even without a click, that mention influences trust and awareness.

Yet only 28% of AI responses currently display visible citations. That means most answers shape perception invisibly. This means brands may be influencing conversations without receiving credit.

This new layer of algorithmic trust is changing how credibility is earned. Users trust what’s surfaced, not necessarily what’s ranked.

What it means for brands

Visibility must now include reputation tracking across AI results. If your brand is cited, you gain trust. If it’s omitted or misrepresented, you risk losing it.

Brands should monitor both presence and accuracy in AI environments to protect authority and ensure consistency across systems.

From Discovery to Decision

The rise of LLMs is changing how users move from awareness to action. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are now part of the discovery phase, influencing early purchase decisions.

A recent study found that, although referral traffic from ChatGPT converts lower than any other source (except paid social), both conversion rates and revenue per session are improving. This indicates that users are buying more frequently, albeit at lower order values. This is a sign of growing comfort with AI recommendations, and these numbers will likely increase over the coming months.

Meanwhile, although sessions are still less than 1%, ChatGPT’s new shopping feature already converts at almost 16%, compared to just 1.8% for organic search.

What it means for brands

AI tools are becoming part of the purchase journey, not just research. That means product data, schema, and conversational clarity now play a direct role in whether your brand appears in AI shopping cards or comparison results. Brands that treat AI visibility as a top-funnel awareness and mid-funnel persuasion channel will stay ahead as these features expand.

From Query to Conversation

Search has become a dialogue, not a command.

People used to type short, functional phrases, “best mortgage rates” or “kitchen handles supplier near me.” Now they ask complete questions, follow up with clarifiers, and expect the system to understand context like a conversation.

This shift is measurable. “People Also Ask” results (the expandable question boxes that appear under many Google searches, showing related queries and answers) have nearly doubled in the past three months. At the same time, Google’s latest voice updates interpret tone, intent, and nuance far more naturally.

Users are moving from fragmented keyword searches to fluid exchanges that evolve over several prompts. AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini have accelerated that shift. They’ve trained users to expect dialogue, one that adapts to their thinking, not just their typing.

That behavioural change is subtle but significant. The first question no longer stands alone; it starts a thread. Each follow-up adds context, deepening trust in the responses. For brands, this means if you’re not visible at the start of that conversation, you may never appear in the answers that follow.

What it means for brands

Conversational search rewards brands that speak with clarity and context. Your content needs to mirror how people actually talk and how AI interprets language.

What This Means for Brands

User behaviour is changing fast. People are building trust earlier, acting faster, and often completing their journey before reaching a website.

Google remains dominant, but AI-assisted search is rising fast and the time to prepare is now. Visibility will increasingly depend on whether a brand is represented within AI answers, not just ranked on a results page.

To stay seen and trusted:

• Track where your brand appears in AI Overviews and LLM responses.
• Align on-site content and metadata with how AI systems extract facts.
• Measure both search rankings and AI citations.
• Optimise for confidence, not clicks.

The brands that move first will define how AI perceives authority. Those who wait risk being left out of the conversation entirely.

The Answer Is Prism

Prism by Fingo was built for this shift. It tracks how your brand appears across AI Overviews, voice search, and large language models, highlighting where you’re cited and where competitors are being chosen instead.

Prism helps you see what AI sees, measure trust at an algorithmic level, and safeguard visibility as user behaviour continues to evolve.

Contact us at hello@fingo.uk to see how your brand is represented in the new search era.