Oct 8, 2026 · 36 min · 9 segments
37% of consumers are now starting their searches on AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini instead of Google — and that number has doubled in less than a year. So what does that mean for your…
Krystal VivianHost
Shannon AllenHost
I was in Fort Wayne and I started to go into the AI conversation and there's so many different directions we can go.
I said, when I'm talking AI, I'm really talking about it as another form of search.
And then I kind of directed him back and said, I'm not talking about you using AI to modernize your kitchen.
AI answer overview, or you're actually asking for recommendations for what contractors should I look at for remodeling my kitchen? And you're asking that in cloud or chat GPT.
So we've talked last fourth quarter, we introduced our AI answer blogs to our clients.
The best way I explain it when I'm talking to a client is think about your frequently asked questions, but now we're making sure that content lives on your website so that you are part of that algorithm when you're being searched or if there's somebody on their chat GBT, you start to show up.
Like whenever we're sitting out talking to our friends, it's like, oh my gosh, you're not using it.
So what are you seeing that tells you that this isn't just hype anymore, that this is actually changing? how consumers find business.
And you're right that people are using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, all of these different tools more.
In fact, 37% of consumers are beginning their searches with an AI tool instead of going to Google, instead of going to DuckDuckGo or whatever search engine of choice that they have.
I was in Fort Wayne and I started to go into the AI conversation and there's so many different directions we can go.
I said, when I'm talking AI, I'm really talking about it as another form of search.
And then I kind of directed him back and said, I'm not talking about you using AI to modernize your kitchen.
AI answer overview, or you're actually asking for recommendations for what contractors should I look at for remodeling my kitchen? And you're asking that in cloud or chat GPT.
So we've talked last fourth quarter, we introduced our AI answer blogs to our clients.
The best way I explain it when I'm talking to a client is think about your frequently asked questions, but now we're making sure that content lives on your website so that you are part of that algorithm when you're being searched or if there's somebody on their chat GBT, you start to show up.
Like whenever we're sitting out talking to our friends, it's like, oh my gosh, you're not using it.
So what are you seeing that tells you that this isn't just hype anymore, that this is actually changing? how consumers find business.
And you're right that people are using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, all of these different tools more.
In fact, 37% of consumers are beginning their searches with an AI tool instead of going to Google, instead of going to DuckDuckGo or whatever search engine of choice that they have.
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