AI & SEARCH OPTIMISATION
The narrative around AI replacing Google search requires significant nuance. According to SparkToro's rigorous March 2025 analysis, Google receives approximately 373 times more searches than ChatGPT—about 14 billion daily versus approximately 37.5 million search-like prompts on ChatGPT. Google's market share remains at 93.57% for traditional search. Critically, Google Search actually grew 21.64% in 2024.
ChatGPT has exploded to 800 million weekly active users—an eightfold increase since November 2023—fundamentally changing how people find information, create content, and conduct business. For UK B2B marketers, this shift demands immediate attention: 94% of B2B buyers now use large language models during their purchasing process, according to 6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report. While Google still dominates traditional search with 373 times more queries than ChatGPT, AI-referred traffic is growing at 778% year-over-year. The question for UK businesses isn't whether to adapt—it's how quickly.
Enterprise adoption has accelerated even faster. 92% of Fortune 500 companies now use ChatGPT, and OpenAI announced over one million business customers in November 2025. The company's revenue trajectory reflects this growth: £3 billion in 2024, reaching £8 billion in annualised recurring revenue by June 2025.
For UK B2B marketers, the workplace usage patterns are particularly significant. The top three uses during work hours are generating ideas (44%), looking up information (41%), and creating written content (39%). This means your potential customers are increasingly likely to encounter—or not encounter—your brand through AI-mediated research.
The ChatGPT of January 2026 bears little resemblance to the 2023 version. OpenAI has released a succession of increasingly capable models, each representing substantial capability improvements.
GPT-4o launched in May 2024 as the first truly "omni" model—natively processing text, images, and audio rather than treating them as separate pipelines. The o1 reasoning model followed in December 2024, trained to "think before responding" with particular strength in complex coding, mathematics, and scientific problems.
Most consequentially for search behaviour, ChatGPT Search launched on 31 October 2024 to Plus and Team users, expanding to all logged-in users by December 2024. Using a fine-tuned GPT-4o model integrated with Bing and other search engines, it provides real-time information with source citations. OpenAI secured partnerships with major publishers including the Associated Press, Reuters, Financial Times, and Wall Street Journal.
The impact on professional work spans content creation, customer service, and general productivity. HubSpot's 2024 State of Marketing found 66% of marketers globally use AI, with 85% believing generative AI will significantly impact content creation. Among marketers using AI for content, 56% report AI-assisted content performs better than content created without it.
However, quality concerns persist. 60% of marketers using generative AI for content worry it could harm brand reputation due to bias, plagiarism, or values misalignment. The key appears to be human editing—86% of marketers make edits before publishing AI-assisted content.
Customer service automation is accelerating rapidly. Gartner projects 80% of companies will use or adopt AI-powered chatbots by 2025, with some companies reporting £3.50 return for every £1 invested in AI customer service.
Productivity gains are measurable but still maturing. A Harvard/MIT study found consultants using GPT-4 completed tasks 12.2% faster with 40% higher quality work. UK SMEs using AI tools achieved productivity increases of 27-133% according to University of St Andrews research.
Search behaviour is shifting, however, AI traffic quality tells a different story. While Google's audience is 6.8 times larger than ChatGPT's and pushes three times more total clicks to external sites, ChatGPT is twice as likely to send traffic per visit (1.4 external links versus Google's 0.6). AI search traffic converts at 14.2% versus Google's 2.8%, and users referred from ChatGPT spend 15 minutes on site compared to 8 minutes for Google referrals.
| Metric | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily queries | ~14 billion | ~37.5 million |
| Conversion rate | 2.8% | 14.2% |
| Time on site (referred) | 8 minutes | 15 minutes |
| YoY traffic growth | +21.64% | +778% |
For B2B specifically, the shift is more pronounced. The 6sense B2B Buyer Experience Report 2025 found 94% of B2B buyers use LLMs during their buying process. B2B buying cycles have shortened from 11.3 months to 10.1 months, with buyers now contacting sellers 6-7 weeks earlier in the journey.
Zero-click searches present a parallel challenge: 58.5% of US Google searches result in zero clicks, with AI Overviews now appearing in 50% of US queries. When AI Overviews appear, organic click-through rates drop by 61%.
The SEO profession is evolving toward two complementary disciplines: Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). AEO focuses on optimising content so search platforms can directly provide answers. GEO, coined by Princeton University researchers in November 2023, refers to maximising content visibility within generative AI engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
The distinction from traditional SEO is significant: success is measured not by rankings and clicks, but by citations, mentions, and whether your content appears in AI-generated responses.
Research from the Princeton GEO study found that methods like citations, quotations, and statistics boosted source visibility by 40%+ across queries, whilst traditional keyword stuffing actually performs worse in generative engines. Sites with 350,000+ referring domains are five times more likely to be cited by ChatGPT.
Industry adoption is still early: 70% of marketers believe AEO will significantly impact digital strategy within 1-3 years, but only 20% have begun implementing it. The opportunity for forward-thinking businesses lies in this gap between recognition and action.
At Whitehat SEO, we've been helping UK businesses adapt to this shift. Our Answer Engine Optimisation services combine technical implementation with strategic content restructuring, ensuring your brand appears when AI answers questions in your industry.
UK business AI adoption has accelerated dramatically. AWS's "Unlocking the UK's AI Potential" 2025 report found 52% of UK businesses now use AI technologies—a 33% increase from the prior year. One UK business adopts AI approximately every 60 seconds.
UK startups lead large enterprises in adoption: 59% of UK startups have adopted AI versus 55% of large enterprises. The primary barriers remain lack of expertise (35%), high costs (30%), and uncertainty around ROI (25%). For marketers specifically, 64% of UK marketing agencies now rely on ChatGPT for copywriting, campaign ideation, or content briefs.
The regulatory environment differs substantially from the EU. The UK has adopted a principles-based approach focused on safety, transparency, fairness, accountability, and contestability—without comprehensive AI legislation. The first UK AI Bill is unlikely before the second half of 2026.
In contrast, the EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024, with prohibited AI practices taking effect on 2 February 2025. Penalties reach €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover. UK businesses serving EU customers must comply regardless of Brexit, creating compliance complexity for agencies with European clients.
The research reveals an inflection point rather than a completed transformation. ChatGPT's growth from 100 million to 800 million weekly users in two years demonstrates genuine behavioural change, yet Google still commands 373 times more search volume and actually grew 21% in 2024.
The opportunity lies in the quality differential—AI traffic converts five times better than Google traffic—and the B2B buyer reality that 94% now use LLMs in purchase research.
The companies winning in this environment combine AI-assisted efficiency with human judgement—the 86% of marketers editing AI content before publication, not the exceptions publishing raw output. For B2B marketers, the question is no longer whether AI changes communication, but how quickly to adapt strategies to a landscape where buyers expect AI-informed insights and search itself is being redefined.
ChatGPT has 800 million weekly active users as of October 2025, according to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. This represents a doubling from 400 million in February 2025. In the UK specifically, 16 million people use ChatGPT monthly, with 30% of Londoners having used the platform.
No—Google still processes 373 times more searches than ChatGPT and actually grew 21.64% in 2024. However, AI-referred traffic is growing at 778% year-over-year and converts at 5x the rate of Google traffic (14.2% vs 2.8%), making it increasingly important for B2B marketers to optimise for both.
94% of B2B buyers use large language models during their buying journey, according to 6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report. Buyers are now contacting sellers 6-7 weeks earlier than before, and buying cycles have shortened from 11.3 months to 10.1 months.
AEO is the practice of optimising content to appear in AI-generated responses from platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and Claude. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on rankings and clicks, AEO measures success through citations, brand mentions, and appearance in AI answers. Learn more about implementing AEO.
Start by auditing your current AI visibility using tools like HubSpot's free AEO Grader. Then restructure content to include direct answers, statistics with citations, and clear formatting that AI can easily extract. Whitehat SEO's AI consultancy services help UK businesses implement comprehensive AEO strategies integrated with HubSpot.
The shift toward AI-mediated search isn't coming—it's here. With 94% of B2B buyers already using LLMs in their research and AI traffic converting at 5x the rate of traditional search, the businesses that adapt now will capture disproportionate market share.
If you're ready to future-proof your marketing strategy, Whitehat SEO offers several ways to get started:
About Whitehat SEO: Whitehat SEO is a London-based HubSpot Diamond Solutions Partner and full-service inbound marketing agency. We run the world's largest HubSpot User Group and help UK businesses grow through ethical, results-driven marketing strategies.
Related reading: What Is AEO? How to Optimise Your Brand for AI Search Engines | SEO Services | Inbound Marketing Services