The revolution in search habits is no longer a prediction, but an ongoing reality. This is concluded by a recent report published by McKinsey, which reveals that 50% of consumers already use search engines based on artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Claude. And 44% consider them their primary source of information, ahead of the 31% who still prefer traditional search engines.
By 2028, consumption through AI-based search engines will move $750 billion in the United States.
This trend is not limited to the youngest. Even among baby boomers, the majority have already adopted this type of tools, although they continue to rely more on classic search engines. McKinsey estimates that, by 2028, consumption through AI-based search engines will move $750 billion in the United States. However, only 16% of brands are actively monitoring their performance in these new environments.
The rise of GEO: when SEO is no longer enough
In this new panorama, organic positioning is no longer built only through traditional SEO. Generative AI, drawing from multiple sources (including third-party content, media, communities or user reviews), requires brands to take a broader and more adaptive approach: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
While SEO focuses on the brand’s own channels, GEO is based on understanding how and from where language models (LLMs) construct their responses. According to McKinsey, official brand sites only represent 5% to 10% of the sources that feed AI-generated results. The rest comes from affiliates, forums, media or content creators.
This means that even leading brands may not appear in AI results if they don’t optimize their presence beyond their own channels. So the implications of this change are profound. In sectors such as electronics, beauty or financial services, between 40% and 55% of consumers already make purchasing decisions based on AI searches. Compared to the multiple steps that previously involved searching, comparing, reading reviews and consulting websites, AI synthesizes the entire process into a single conversational interaction.
McKinsey estimates that between 20% and 50% of current organic traffic is at risk if brands do not adapt to this new model. Additionally, the value of the click changes: instead of capturing users at the beginning of the funnel, traditional search engines are sticking to those who have already made an informed decision thanks to AI.
Four steps to gain visibility in the GEO era
The McKinsey report proposes a roadmap to compete in this new paradigm:
- Robust Diagnostics: Assess current performance in AI search environments, identify key sources, and quantify value at risk
- Review the content strategy: integrate your own content, collaborations with third parties, appearances in the media and communities relevant to each category
- Optimize for LLMs: generate original, structured, contextually relevant content that resonates with the language model
- Invest in GEO as a strategic capability: create multidisciplinary teams, define specific KPIs and adapt technological infrastructures to the logic of generative AI
