AI如何改变搜索：对客户、营销人员和品牌的意义

WE ACCELERATE DATA AND AI ADOPTIONTO POSITIVELY IMPACTPEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS.Artefact is a global leader in consulting services, specialized in data transformationand data & digital marketing, from strategy to the deployment of AI solutions.We are offering a unique combination of innovation (Art) and data science (Fact).1700EMPLOYEES+1000CLIENTSSTRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION | AI ACCELERATION | DATA FOUNDATIONS & BIIT & DATA PLATFORMS | MARKETING DATA & DIGITAL 25COUNTRIES 01TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction - What Is Happening To Search?!Early Foundations (1998–2015): The Matching And Ranking EraIt’s all clickable so navigate to wherever you please!A Timeline Of Search Innovation- AI And Beyond02The Neural Leap (2017–2019): The One Where Search Gets A BrainHow Large Language Models WorkAnd Their Impact On Search03Platform Diversification (2010–Now): Search Spreads Beyond Search EnginesThe Generative Shift (2022–2023): Search Starts To Talk BackThe AI-First SERP (2024–2025): Search Becomes A WorkspaceFrom Ranking to Reasoning In Google: How AI Overviews And AIMode Actually Work04AI Overviews: Composed Answers At ScaleAI Mode: A New System Of ReasoningAI Mode vs. AI Overviews: A Side-by-Side ComparisonWho Is Using AI Search (And Who Isn’t): Why Adoption Matters04aAI search Traffic Analysis: seoClarity Research StudySearch Usage In 2025: The Datos x SparkToro ReportWhen People Are Using AI Assistants, Which Are Being Used Most?Who Is Actually Using ChatGPT?What Do All These Stats Mean?The Retrieval Layer – Why Rankings Still Shape AI AnswersseoClarity Original Research InsightWhat Does AI In Search Mean For Marketers And Brands055.1 Deep Audience Research & Discovery — It’s All In The Data5.2 AI Visibility & Performance Measurement5.3 Tailoring Your Strategy To The Platform – Because Not All AI Search Is BuiltThe Same5.4 Brand Building & Digital PR – Fuel Awareness, Mentions & Authority In AI Search5.5 Reputation Management – Shaping Brand Perception In The Age Of AI5.6 Trust Signals – Earning Your Place In The AI Ecosystem5.7 Semantic Optimisation and Structured Data - Optimising Structure For Machines5.8 Multi-Modal and Multi-Platform Optimisation – Make All Your Content Accessible5.9 UX & Content Architecture – Designing For AI Discoverability At Scale5.10 Crawlability & AI Agent Access – Don’t Block The Bots That Matter5.11 Feedback Loops & Model Monitoring - Track, Test, Learn Across AI Ecosystems5.12 Agentic Interaction Readiness - Optimise for Decision-Making (Without Clicks) 413162032 There’s a lot of noise about how AI is going to change marketing — for agencies, consumers,and brands. Even working in SEO, and navigating updates day-to-day, I find the amount ofcontent being shared on this topic overwhelming. This piece is my attempt to distil that noiseinto something cohesive. A piece of research to help people understand what’s reallyhappening, how we got here — and, most importantly, what to do about it.I don’t believe we’re witnessing the death of SEO. We’re at a point of major change andentering another chapter in the evolution of search. The acronym might change. Our focusmight shift. We will likely enhance what we are doing and learn new skills. But thefoundations of what we are trying to help brands do and achieve remain intact, with our workstill representing a core pillar of digital marketing.As has always been the case, the brands and businesses that will win are those who havethe best products, do the best work, understand their customers, can adapt to a changingworld, are good at storytelling, and provide genuine value.So grab a cup of tea (or two) and settle in. This isn’t a short piece — but it’s long for a reason.There’s a lot to understand. And I hope this gives you a clear, grounded view of how we gothere — and where we go next.1. Introduction – What is happening to search?!Charlie KayHead of SEO and DEI Lead 2. A Timeline of Search Innovation – AI and BeyondSearch is always evolving — from how it looks, the way it works, and the features made available,to the way people search and the platforms they turn to. We’re undoubtedly at an inflection pointbut it’s been coming for along time. The moment we are in is part of a much longer timeline ofchange, shaped by new technologies, shifting behaviour, rising expectations, and growth.So before talking about how to adapt to these changes, I thought it’d be helpful to look back.This section explores the big things that have happened in search that brought us here — notjust in how search engines have changed, but also howsearch behaviourhas moved beyondthem.At the time, these were big updates. They targeted low-quality content, keyword stuffing,and suspect backlinks - marking a shift from rewarding more easy-to-manipulateoptimisation tactics torelevance-focused ranking. This is where Google began prioritisingthequality of contentand theintent of the userto provide the most relevant results.Pay particular attention to theitalicised terms— these fo