Only 2% of SEOs Are Optimising for AI Search (and Why That’s a BIG Mistake)

Picture this: you’re standing in a room with 300 of the sharpest SEO minds in the industry — Technical SEOs, Content Strategists, Marketing Directors, and Heads of Growth who’ve been perfecting their craft for years, if not decades. These aren’t beginners fumbling around with basic keyword research. They’re the experts who attend sold-out conferences like MozCon London 2025.

Now imagine discovering that only 2% of them are actively optimising for AI Search.

That’s exactly what Charlie Marchant, CEO of Exposure Ninja, uncovered during his presentation at MozCon London this week. The findings were so striking that they reveal what might be the biggest missed opportunity in digital marketing right now.

Executive Summary

Charlie’s polling of 300 industry experts at MozCon London revealed a surprising reality:

• 25-30% are working on AI Overviews (those AI-generated summaries at the top of Google results)
• Only 2% are actively optimising for AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
• Even fewer are targeting AI Mode — Google’s newest AI-powered search experience

This represents a massive strategic blind spot. AI Search isn’t some distant future concept — it’s happening now, and the businesses that master it early will establish an insurmountable advantage over competitors still fixated solely on traditional SEO.

The opportunity is enormous:

• ChatGPT alone has 2.5 billion users compared to Google’s 8.5 billion daily visits
• AI search platforms are growing exponentially
• They offer a compressed buying funnel that makes purchasing decisions faster and more seamless than ever before

What the MozCon Data Reveals About AI Search Adoption

Charlie’s audience at MozCon London wasn’t your average marketing crowd. These were 300 of the industry’s best — people who live and breathe SEO, who’ve built their careers on staying ahead of search trends.

Yet when Charlie asked for a show of hands about AI Search Optimisation, the results were eye-opening:

• 25-30% were working on AI Overviews — those AI-generated summaries appearing at the top of Google results
• Only 8-10 people (roughly 2%) were optimising for AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
• Even fewer were targeting AI Mode — Google’s newest AI-powered search experience

“I was quite surprised we weren’t seeing more,” Charlie admitted. But the implications go far beyond surprise — they reveal a strategic gap that forward-thinking marketers can exploit.

Consider the context: AI Overviews now appear on approximately 10% of search results, predominantly for informational queries. That’s one in ten searches where traditional SEO alone won’t secure you the prime real estate above the fold.

Why Most SEOs Are Avoiding AI Search Optimisation

The hesitation isn’t entirely unreasonable. Charlie identified several compelling arguments from industry experts about why many are holding back:

The Sophistication Argument

Tom Capper, one of Moz’s leading search scientists, argues that AI Mode isn’t sophisticated enough yet to warrant immediate investment. His view? The technology will change significantly before becoming a default, and until then, people won’t adopt it because it doesn’t feel like the finished product.

There’s truth here. Habits are incredibly hard to break, especially search habits we’ve developed over decades. Many users, particularly millennials and boomers, aren’t ready to abandon the familiar “10 blue links” format they’ve used since Google’s early days.

The Traffic Concern

Many SEOs worry about the “impression without clicks” problem. If AI Overviews answer questions directly, users might not click through to websites. Why invest effort in getting featured if it doesn’t drive traffic?

This concern mirrors early debates about featured snippets — and history offers a valuable perspective here.

Learning from the Featured Snippets Transition

Charlie shared compelling data from STAT Search Analytics (Moz’s enterprise analytics tool) showing how AI Overviews have essentially replaced featured snippets. In January 2025, featured snippets appeared on 4-5% of search results, while AI Overviews were virtually non-existent. By July 2025, AI Overviews had exploded to 10% of results, while featured snippets began their decline.

“We would never, as SEOs prior to AI Overviews, have decided to ignore 10% of informational keywords relevant to our business,” Charlie pointed out. “I don’t really see why we would start doing that now.”

The parallel is clear: those who optimised for featured snippets gained valuable brand visibility and positioned themselves as trusted knowledge sources. Now AI Overviews offer the same opportunity — but with even greater potential reach.

What AI Search Optimisation Actually Involves

Here’s where it gets interesting: AI Search Optimisation isn’t completely foreign territory. If you can do SEO, you can absolutely optimise for AI Search. But there are crucial nuances that separate winners from those left behind.

Beyond Traditional SEO Fundamentals

Traditional SEO focuses heavily on technical elements like do-follow links, specific anchor texts, and ranking factors. AI Search operates differently.

Charlie explains: “AI is not concerned about do-follow, no-follow links. It’s just concerned about your business’s name, the mention, and the context that’s written around it.”

This means:

• Unlinked mentions matter as much as traditional backlinks
• Context and sentiment around your brand become critical
• How you’re described matters more than where you’re linked from

The Integration Challenge

AI Search Optimisation requires thinking more broadly about brand and PR work. LLMs can read and amalgamate context from hundreds, if not thousands, of search results. They understand whether your business offers premium products or better value compared to competitors — and they factor this into their recommendations.

This integration challenge explains why many SEOs hesitate. It’s no longer just about optimising individual pages; it’s about orchestrating your entire digital presence.

Brand Mentions and Sentiment Tracking

Charlie emphasised the importance of tracking how often your brand appears across the web and what sentiment surrounds those mentions. Unlike traditional SEO metrics focused on backlink quantity and domain authority, AI Search success depends on:

• Frequency of brand mentions across authoritative sources
• Consistency of messaging about your products or services
• Context quality surrounding your brand discussions
• Sentiment analysis of how you’re described

Where the Biggest Opportunities Lie Right Now

The competitive landscape for AI Search is wide open. While ChatGPT’s 2.5 billion users might seem modest compared to Google’s 8.5 billion daily visits, the growth trajectory tells a different story.

Platform-Specific Advantages

Each AI platform offers unique opportunities:

ChatGPT is building an advertising network and partnering with Shopify for seamless purchasing experiences. Users can complete transactions without leaving the ChatGPT ecosystem.

AI Mode integrates shopping functionality directly into search responses. Charlie shared examples where users researching lawn care or iPad cases could move from initial query to purchase in a single session.

Perplexity and Gemini offer similar compressed buying funnels, allowing users to research, compare, and decide faster than traditional search methods.

The Compressed Buying Funnel

This is perhaps the most compelling argument for AI search optimisation. Traditional search often requires multiple queries: users might search for “lawn problems,” then “types of weeds,” then “best weed killer,” then specific product comparisons.

AI Search compresses this journey. A user can ask: “How do I get a pristine lawn? I need to deal with these weeds and ugly fungus.” The AI provides research, identifies solutions, and can direct users straight to product pages for purchase.

As Charlie put it: “That buying funnel is compressed. Someone can do that in one go rather than having to go away, think about it, then make 5, 6, 7 searches before they realise what they need to actually make a purchase.”

Shopping Integration Across Platforms

Don’t fall for the misconception that AI search eliminates purchasing opportunities. Google makes money from people buying through Google — their goal isn’t to answer everything and eliminate commerce.

Charlie observed: “Google wants people making purchases of products and they want people being able to purchase through ads, which is the biggest source of Google’s revenue. They are trying to figure out how best to put ads into AI Mode.”

The evidence is already visible. AI Mode responses for commercial queries include product pages, shopping integrations, and direct paths to checkout — similar to how shopping ads work in traditional search results.

When AI Search Will Dominate Traditional Results

The timeline isn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” Google has publicly stated that it’s integrating more AI Mode features into default search results — the traditional “10 blue links” format we’ve known for decades.

Current Growth Trajectories

The data Charlie presented during the episode (which you can watch above, or on YouTube) shows rapid adoption curves typical of transformative technologies. Just as Instagram started with a passionate core group before achieving global dominance, AI search platforms are following similar patterns.

ChatGPT reached 2.5 billion users in roughly two years — an incredibly fast adoption rate for any technology. Yet this likely represents just the beginning of a longer growth curve.

Google’s Revenue Motivations

Understanding Google’s business model reveals why AI integration is inevitable. Google needs to compete with ChatGPT and other LLMs to avoid losing market share, while maintaining and growing its advertising revenue.

This creates a clear path: more AI features integrated into standard search results, combined with sophisticated ad placement within AI responses.

The Inevitable Shift Timeline

Charlie predicts we’ll see similar disruption patterns to what happened with featured snippets. AI Overviews have already largely replaced featured snippets. The next logical step? AI Mode replacing traditional AI Overviews.

“I can’t wait until hopefully MozCon this time next year I’ll be looking at a graph of AI Overviews versus AI Mode 2025 to 2026, and I’m expecting we’re gonna see a very similar trend,” Charlie noted.

How to Start Optimising for AI Search Today

The good news? You don’t need to abandon everything you know about SEO. AI Search Optimisation builds on solid SEO fundamentals whilst expanding into new territories.

Building the Foundational Requirements

Start with what you know:

• Technical SEO excellence — fast-loading websites with clear user journeys
• Strong content strategy — comprehensive coverage of topics relevant to your audience
• Clear brand positioning — consistent messaging about what you offer and why you’re different
• Conversion optimisation — whether you’re driving sales, leads, or phone calls

These fundamentals remain crucial because AI platforms often reference the same high-quality sources that rank well in traditional search.

Developing Integrated Brand and PR Strategies

This is where AI Search Optimisation diverges from traditional SEO. You need to think beyond your own website:

• Monitor brand mentions across the web — track frequency, context, and sentiment
• Develop relationships with publications that AI platforms frequently reference
• Create newsworthy content that naturally attracts coverage and mentions
• Engage in industry discussions on platforms like Reddit, industry forums, and professional networks

Measuring Success with New Metrics

Traditional SEO metrics like backlink counts and domain authority become less relevant. Focus instead on:

• Brand mention frequency across authoritative sources
• Context quality surrounding your brand discussions
• Sentiment analysis of how you’re described online
• Citation appearances in AI platform responses
• Compressed funnel conversions from AI platform traffic

Next Steps

Ready to get ahead of the 98% who aren’t optimising for AI search yet? Here’s your action plan:

1. Audit your current brand visibility — search for your brand and products across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Mode to see where you currently appear
2. Establish baseline measurements — track brand mentions, sentiment, and context quality across the web
3. Strengthen your SEO foundations — ensure your website provides excellent user experience and comprehensive topic coverage
4. Develop integrated PR strategies — build relationships with publications and platforms that AI systems frequently reference
5. Start small with pilot programs — choose one or two AI platforms to focus on initially rather than trying to tackle everything at once
6. Monitor and adjust — AI platforms evolve rapidly, so maintain flexibility in your approach

Resources Mentioned

• MozCon London 2025 — Moz’s first UK event featuring industry-leading speakers
• STAT Analytics — An Enterprise analytics tool owned by Moz for tracking search results
• Whiteboard Fridays — Moz’s educational video series
• Tom Capper — Leading search scientist at Moz

In Conclusion

The data from MozCon London reveals both a massive opportunity and a critical warning. While 98% of SEO experts aren’t yet optimising for AI search, the platforms are growing exponentially and fundamentally changing how people discover and purchase products.

The businesses that master AI Search Optimisation now — while the competitive landscape remains wide open — will establish advantages that become increasingly difficult for competitors to overcome.

Charlie’s research and client case studies prove this isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s happening now, with real businesses seeing real results from AI search optimisation strategies.

The question isn’t whether AI Search will become dominant. The question is whether you’ll be ready when it does — or whether you’ll be scrambling to catch up while your competitors have already secured the high ground.

Don’t be part of the 98% who wait too long. The early adopters are already winning, and the gap is widening every day.

Watch This Next

One of the highest priority AI Search platforms you need to know how to feature your business within is Google’s AI Mode.

We’ve put together a complete explainer on guide on how to do that, which will teach you everything you need to know about how to rank your business in Google’s AI Mode.

You can watch it below, or you can listen to it as a podcast instead here: How To Rank in Google’s AI Mode (with Examples)