AI Search Is Fragmenting but Conversion Is Surging
Due to the rapidly changing environment of AI related content, we are choosing to post often. This means that we are not reviewing and editing content as we usually would. We are choosing quantity because there is SO MUCH to learn, and we hope you find this content useful. You may also find information that is dated, again, because it is changing SO FAST. This is an exciting time and we would love to hear from you!
AI search is no longer a channel, it’s a system of systems.
Today’s updates confirm that generative platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Mode are reshaping how users discover and act. While Google remains the dominant starting point, AI summaries are intercepting intent and reducing clicks. This “great decoupling” between impressions and traffic is forcing marketers to rethink visibility, trust, and conversion.
Google’s AI Mode is now live in 180+ countries, and it’s changing the layout of search.
Instead of links, users get full-topic overviews in a separate tab. Publishers are seeing impressions rise but clicks fall. The implication? Marketers must optimize for inclusion in AI-generated answers, not just rankings. Structured content and answer-ready formats are now essential.
ChatGPT is quietly sourcing answers from Google, not just Bing.
Despite OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft, ChatGPT Plus is pulling some of its results from Google. This reinforces Google’s pivotal role in SEO. Even as AI platforms reshape how content is surfaced, marketers must ensure their content is both Google-optimized and AI-parseable.
Magnetic North is seeing higher conversions from AI search, despite fewer clicks.
In our internal review, we’re shifting toward long-tail, topic-optimized pages and structured video content. EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trust) and author authority are now critical for visibility. We’re also seeing that AI-referred traffic converts better, because users trust the summary, not just the source.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Timm
Matt’s the founder of this thing we call Magnetic North. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, and spent over 20 years in industry in a variety of Sr./Executive leadership roles. This is his 3rd startup and his favorite. Matt says "It’s an awesome place to work where we challenge each other as we continuously strive to grow our clients’ businesses. I feel great about the fact that we’ve collectively built exactly the culture I’ve always wanted to have in a workplace without any corporate bobble-heads telling me what we cannot do. We work really hard, we get results, we goof off, we’re transparent and we trust each other."