We are accustomed to predictable and linear marketing funnels. For the longest time, One channel is the one that involved SEO. A user would search on a topic, click on one of the listings, land on a page, and then move through all the phases of the sales funnel (awareness, consideration, and conversion) predictably.

This predictable linearity has been turned upside down because of AI. In fact, we have observed that AI search has completely changed the discovery journey entirely. They’re evolving into multi-directional customer pathways with AI search as the gateway, or hub, that fuels decision-making.

It’s not a bad thing, it’s just different. Understanding how things have changed will keep you a step ahead of your competition.

AI Search Has Now Become a Marketing Funnel Stage

Before AI, the marketing funnel was programmed for people to click on something that would lead them to your website, such as the search engines, social media, or another marketing channel. From there, the website would handle the aspects of moving the prospect through the funnel. In other words, the marketing funnel relied on people finding your website.

In the era of AI search, this is no longer the case. People are no searching for and gathering information differently. How?

  • They find answers to their questions directly from within the AI search results
  • AI engine pulls from multiple sources at once
  • They recommend products and services for you
  • AI engines even guide you through the decision pathways

This is all accomplished without a person visiting your website, which presents us with a new way of thinking about how information is arranged online

We Need to Shift the Way We Understand Visibility Online

In the old paradigm, the website was the hub of all activity for your marketing funnel. These days, it is not the hub. It is still important, but visibility no longer exclusively connects through the website. The website is just one item in a much longer list.

Here’s a look at what visibility in the era of AI search really means:

  • Citations present in AI summaries.
  • Mentions in.
  • Being perceived as a AI-driven comparisons true industry authority.
  • Achieving references as a trusted source.

Your website helps strengthen your brand in the eyes of AI, but that is not the only place where it draws its information from. These days, you need to maintain a strong brand presence online, and the stronger your brand is, the better your chances of being returned in AI search.

Adapting the New Mindset to Your Marketing Funnels

Because of the change precipitated by AI search, it has created a new environment where the website is no longer the hub of the marketing funnel. The whole ecosystem is the hub. This means that much of the customer journey occurs before people even find your website.

This means that we need to shift our thinking. Much of the marketing funnel is happening away from your website. This means that we need to consider some of the following points:

Content Creation

We need to balance creating content for both machines and humans. Content needs to be readable for AI to be part of its information-gathering process. It also needs to still be digestible to humans. Use a clean and simple structure with an authoritative tone and this will go a long way to pleasing both humans and machines. Also consider that certain types of content, like question-and-answer style pieces, should also be worked into the mix because this mirrors how people often search in the AI engines.

Brand Signals

Building a strong brand has always been important, but with AI in the equation, it is even more important than ever. Companies with the stronger brands are the ones who are being shown favor in the AI engines. This is because AI pulls from sources like your website, social media, articles off your website, third-party sites, citations, and more. The more places you are shown outside of your website, the stronger your brand is perceived.

Offsite Funnels

Have you given any thought to your offsite funnel experience? You may not have because there was a time we didn’t have to do that. Well, we need to consider it now. Buyers are evaluating your brand outside of your website, and this now needs to be considered as part of your funnel. Showing up in social profiles, directory websites, online communities, and thought leadership pieces on industry sites is now all part of the new marketing funnel.

AI search has redefined the marketing funnel. They are now multidirectional, not linear, and we need to account for this as we are setting up our marketing funnels for the future.

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