When our team is chatting with clients, we get plenty of questions about the current trends when it comes to SEO, paid ads and strategy – and a question we’re getting a lot lately is how AI will affect businesses. With the rapid rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT transforming the way that people search online, as with any new piece of technology, it inevitably has wider-reaching impacts. While it can be incredibly useful for businesses in terms of streamlining communication and getting fresh inspiration, it’s also changing the way prospective customers can find you online – across both organic and paid results on the SERP.
If you’re wondering how it’ll impact you – we’ve got you covered. We’ll cover the key trends in user behaviour when it comes to ChatGPT, why and how they’re using it, and how you can update your strategy to keep ahead of the curve.
Key Usage Trends of LLMs
Whether you’re using ChatGPT for work or in your personal life, a few key reasons stand out across the board. When analysed, ChatGPT had two primary functions – research and task-based prompts.
When we look at the “doing” part, those include task-based prompts and make up around 40% of all usage. Typically, it’s most commonly used for things like content creation, customer support, automation, and data analysis. When you feed in a well-structured prompt or some data that you want summarised, ChatGPT can do a great job of pulling out the important parts and giving you tidy and functional results.
Where businesses are using ChatGPT for things like content, ad copy, emails and automations, everyday users utilise it in a slightly different way – which is where the “asking” element comes in, at a hefty 49% of all prompts. The most common function is to find information – whether that’s the best way to do something, or they want to know what features to look for when they’re researching something they want to purchase. That’s important to note for businesses – no matter whether you’re in lead generation or ecommerce.
Different Contexts and Personas
Depending on who’s using it, and which LLM we’re talking about, these content generation and research platforms can look very different. If you’re in marketing, these tools provide an efficient way to generate content, from blogs to product descriptions, which can then be optimised with SEO keywords and internal linking. For customer service teams, LLMs enhance interaction speed and accuracy, helping them to deliver the best possible support. And, for data analysts, using LLMs to process large datasets can help more easily and rapidly uncover insights for clients, and even generate reports or summaries.
When you’re using ChatGPT at home, it’s likely you’re using it more for general information, quick queries, or research purposes. For some, it’s also a conversational tool. Google is still a search engine giant and the key focus for businesses, with over 14 billion searches a day, and ChatGPT is growing rapidly owing to how well it handles more complex and long-form questions. While the figure is growing exponentially, ChatGPT currently receives around 37.5 million searches per day.
LLMs go beyond conventional search engines in terms of answer complexity. Due to their talent at aggregating information and the ease with which you can prompt and further refine the query you have, they’re incredibly well adapted at catering to a wide variety of needs.
What This Means for Organic and Paid Search
While Google, Yahoo, and Bing are still top of the list in terms of search functionality, staying ahead of the curve with shifting trends is the best way to keep your business momentum moving. With an increasing shift towards complex searches, LLMs are starting to influence organic and paid search. These models aren’t just generating content; instead, they’re becoming key factors in how search engines deliver results and how businesses structure their digital marketing strategies.
From Search Engines to LLM Interfaces
While ChatGPT, as a standalone LL,M is becoming increasingly popular, Google has also integrated AI answers into their SERP (search engine results page). This new generation of search engines aims to answer user queries directly in an intuitive, summary-based format rather than relying solely on static links, meaning that the overall number of clicks through to your actual website can be affected in the long term. People no longer need to click onto a page or read the “people also asked”, they’re already getting a lot of context in the Gemini summary at the top of the SERP.
As a result of this shift, businesses will need to adapt their content strategies to focus more on structured data and query-specific content that aligns with conversational search. The principles of EEAT (experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness) are as important as ever. Being able to directly answer questions with concise, factual, and well-organised content is essential – meaning that SEO isn’t going anywhere, it’s just adapting to a new environment with new goals and algorithms.
Impacts on SEO and Content Strategy
LLMs are not only reshaping search but are also revolutionising content strategies. Businesses will need to adopt a more AI-optimised content creation approach, with content that can easily address long-tail keywords and conversational search patterns. This is where things like blogs, guides, and FAQ sections are imperative to include across your website and product or service pages. As always, the emphasis is on content that satisfies user intent in a more comprehensive, natural manner – you need to appeal to human brains as much as you do an algorithm.
With LLMs interpreting search intent and delivering answers in real time, SEO strategies now need to incorporate ChatGPT optimisation. While keywords are still important, context, relevance, and engagement are now equally as relevant if you want to be listed as a source on Gemini or ChatGPT.
Advertising in the LLM Era
Back in the day, organic results were at the top of the page. Then, paid ads became the top results. Now, generative answers are the top result, followed by paid and organic. As a result, your paid strategy will need to adapt, almost as much as your SEO and content does.
As LLMs gain a deeper understanding of user behaviour and intent, advertisers have the potential to tap into more personalised targeting opportunities, delivering ads based on real-time conversations rather than pre-set keywords. This opens the door for more relevant, tailored advertising experiences that can improve user engagement and conversion rates.
Advertisers will need to consider how to integrate their messaging into AI interfaces seamlessly, ensuring that their ads align with the context of a user’s query. With that being said, we’re also anticipating a shopping function within many of the most popular LLMs, potentially expanding the potential reach of paid ads.
The Competitive Landscape: ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Mode
Along with the landscape of SERPs changing, there are plenty of AI platforms to choose from – each offering something a little different and unique. The key players in the LLM game include ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and AI Mode, the latest addition to the market.
Google Gemini vs ChatGPT
Google’s Gemini platform and OpenAI’s ChatGPT are two of the most well-known LLMs currently shaping the future of search. While both tools offer conversational AI capabilities, Gemini’s integration with Google’s search engine gives it an edge in terms of delivering contextually relevant responses based on Google’s vast data network. On the other hand, ChatGPT has made significant strides in conversational AI, with its ability to engage in more nuanced, human-like dialogue – though this is dependent on which model of ChatGPT you’re using.
The competition between these two platforms will define how businesses approach content creation, paid search strategies, and digital marketing overall. Marketers will need to closely monitor the unique features and strengths of each platform to determine how best to integrate them into their strategies.
AI Mode in Australia
AI Mode has officially launched in Australia as of October 2025. It’s anticipated to gain some serious traction, with local companies experimenting with its capabilities for both customer support and content generation – along with plenty of casual, at-home use as well. As more businesses adopt AI-powered tools, it’s expected that AI Mode will play a more prominent role in Australian digital marketing, helping businesses provide localised and more personal content and support at scale.
Strategic Recommendations for Businesses
With all of that being said, where to from here when it comes to your business? In order to truly thrive in this ever-changing landscape, you’ll need to start making a shift in your approach to content creation, SEO, and paid search. Here are some strategic recommendations for adapting to the new AI era:
Building an LLM-Ready Content Foundation
Copywriting will always be a fundamental part of your website – whether that’s category collection pages, product descriptions, guides, or informational pieces, content is essential. Focus on the keyword research, but make sure you also have a strong emphasis on conversational, contextually relevant pieces. Your content needs to be capable of answering specific user queries. And don’t forget, two to three solid, high-quality pieces of content a month – whatever that may be – is better than packing in repetitive, unoriginal or unuseful copy. Quality is the focus here.
Creating Content for the LLM Era
The nature of how you structure that content is also a little unique and may need some adjustment from what you’re currently doing. The key thing here is to create your content in a way that aligns with how LLMs process information.
In order to do that, you’ll want to have a more fluid approach to content creation, focusing on answering questions directly and engaging with users in a way that feels natural and helpful. These principles are all key pillars of AI SEO and creating content that Google’s algorithm loves – but that LLMs like ChatGPT can read through, too.
Experimenting With New Platforms and Formats
With LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini transforming how information is consumed, businesses should experiment with new content formats. Experimentation is a good idea – so long as you’re still keeping your core content and principles intact.
Consider things like interactive Q&A formats, chatbots, or more conversational landing pages. These formats will allow brands to create more engaging and personalised experiences for their audiences – whether that audience is found organically, or through ChatGPT.
Rethinking Measurement and KPIs
In the LLM era, you’ll also need to adjust and rethink how you measure success. Traditional metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and bounce rates may no longer be sufficient, and your click-through may even drop as people refer more to ChatGPT information and AI overviews rather than reading your content directly on your page.
Instead, we recommend refocusing on engagement metrics like the quality of user interactions and the effectiveness of personalised experiences in driving conversions. Your funnel may look a little different – but that’s OK, it’s all about being adaptable and changing with the new technology we have access to.
Challenges and Risks to Consider
As with any new technology, the rise of LLMs brings certain challenges and risks. Whether it’s privacy concerns from how information is shared and stored, or ethical considerations in AI-generated content, the potential for misuse are important things you’ll need to consider before incorporating more AI and LLM usage into your strategy.
One of the main concerns many business owners have is whether you’ll still stand out online. While LLMs are certainly changing the way we do things, the overall volume of searches every day is still heavily weighted towards Google – and we don’t see that changing any time soon.
The Future Outlook of LLMs
The future of LLMs is exciting, with ongoing advancements that promise to further transform the digital landscape. As they become more sophisticated, businesses will need to adapt their digital marketing strategies to stay competitive.
If you need a partner in the journey towards a more AI-focused approach, with a strategy that matches your business and goals, contact the team at Reform today. We can help you stay ahead of the curve and embrace the new opportunities to position yourself the right way as the online world goes through its latest transformation.
