AI’s Impact on Search: What’s Changing, What It Means, and What’s Next
By Maks Dombrovskij, PPC Manager at December19
Search is at a turning point. As AI becomes the interface between people and information, the rules that governed discovery for decades are shifting. Instead of typing keywords and scanning links, people are asking questions and receiving conversational answers.
For brands, the risk is clear: fail to adapt and you may disappear from consideration. For those who evolve, AI offers a new way to be present at the moment of intent.
What’s Happening
Traditional search was built on keywords and rankings. Optimisation meant adjusting copy, bids, and metadata to capture clicks. AI-led search fulfils intent. Whether through Google’s Search Generative Experience, Microsoft Copilot, or platforms like Perplexity, the experience is shifting from lists of results to direct answers.
This is not the end of paid and organic search – but it is a transformation. Manual tweaks matter less; the quality of data, credible content, and integration into AI systems matter more.
What it Means for the Industry
For media agencies, this is a moment to lead. The old levers of performance – keyword lists, bid adjustments, and ad copy tests – are giving way to a focus on data quality, credible content, and orchestration across multiple surfaces. Clients will need guidance to navigate this complexity.
For media owners, AI integration is both an opportunity and a risk. Being cited in AI summaries can extend reach far beyond owned platforms. Direct traffic to websites is beginning to decline as answers appear within AI interfaces. The silver lining: traffic that does come through is often higher quality, as users arrive with clearer intent and greater readiness to engage.
For brands, the implication is clear: AI in search is not a side experiment. It is becoming the default way consumers find information. The question is no longer “are you searchable?” but “are you part of the answer?”
What we Need to do
Paid Search: From Keywords to Intent
Paid search is evolving from micromanaging exact-match keywords to orchestrating signals that AI can interpret.
Broad Match and Smart Bidding
Broad Match combined with Smart Bidding allows Google’s AI to connect ads with people based on intent signals, adjusting bids automatically to prioritise valuable prospects.Maximising Asset Diversity
Providing more creative variations – headlines, images, descriptions – gives the algorithm freedom to assemble the best-performing combinations.AI Campaign Types as Gateways
Formats such as Performance Max, and emerging AI-Max, are becoming the main route into AI-driven placements. These campaigns use keyword-free targeting, aligning with how generative search functions.Advertising in LLMs
Perplexity is testing ads within its model, Microsoft Copilot placements are live via Bing, and ChatGPT ads are expected by 2026. These formats will only work if they add value, offering relevant solutions at peak moments of user intent.
SEO and Media Strategy
Visibility is no longer about ranking on a search results page. AI can surface brand content in chats, voice assistants, and AR environments. Strategies must adapt:
Diversify Traffic Sources
Over-reliance on Google is risky. Expanding into high-visibility platforms such as YouTube, Meta, and retail media helps protect reach and keep costs predictable.Invest in Brand Visibility
Strong brands have an edge because recognition – when consumers and AI systems associate a name with credibility – increases inclusion in AI answers and builds trust in lower-funnel placements.Credible Content Matters
AI draws on trusted sources. Guides, FAQs, and expert commentary improve the likelihood of being cited in AI responses, often with more influence than a top-ranked link.Prioritise Presence Over Precision
Rather than chasing individual keywords, focus on being present in the right contexts with messages tailored to user mindset. AI serves results based on intent, not exact phrasing.Stay Agile
New ad formats and integrations are emerging quickly. Brands that test and learn early will be best placed to benefit when these solutions scale.
December19’s Approach
At December19, we see AI not as a disruptor to fear but as an accelerator for smarter, more integrated media. PPC will not disappear under AI Mode – it will evolve into intent orchestration, creative agility, and data-driven targeting. SEO will shift from chasing blue links to becoming the credible, trusted answer across multiple surfaces.
Our next steps:
Expand testing into AI-integrated ad formats across Google, Bing, and emerging LLM platforms.
Deepen partnerships with publishers and creators to strengthen brand credibility within AI ecosystems.
Build content and creative assets designed for both human and machine interpretation.
Maintain a diversified channel mix to protect reach and ROI as AI reshapes discovery.
AI will transform search forever, but the fundamentals remain: understand your audience, be present where it matters, and earn trust through consistent, relevant value. The brands that do this will not just survive the AI search shift – they will own it.
