AI Search in 2025: Review what we predicted and what's coming next
Reflect on 2025's biggest AI search transformations, validate our predictions, and discover insights for what's coming in 2026
This webinar originally aired on December 10, 2025. Watch the full recording to learn how marketers are using AI Search to uncover market trends and drive real impact.
Description
2025 was a remarkable year for innovation. We saw major advancements in AI-powered search—from Google's new AI mode to updated ChatGPT models and even next-generation browsers from Perplexity and OpenAI. Meanwhile, classic search wasn't standing still. Multiple algorithms and spam updates, along with new SERP features, kept SEO teams adapting in real time.
In December 2024, we made a series of predictions about where search was heading in 2025. In this session, we look back at those forecasts and break down what we nailed, where we were close, and where we missed the mark. Then we share fresh predictions for 2026, grounded in real BrightEdge data and the shifts we're seeing across the market.
Why Watch:
Joined live by 500+ SEO leaders
Rated 4.37/5 for overall satisfaction and 4.2/5 for relevance
This session is the perfect way to review the year and get ahead of what's coming next.
What You'll Learn:
What milestones truly shaped innovation in 2025
Which changes had the biggest impact on search
What to expect in 2026 with data-driven insights from BrightEdge
Featured Speakers:
Having trouble with the form? Please try refreshing the page or contact us directly at support@brightedge.com
AI Search in 2025 Review what we predicted and what's coming Search Summit
Date: December 10, 2025
Time:8 AM PST | 11 AM ET
Description
2025 has been a remarkable year for innovation. We’ve seen major advancements in AI-powered search—from Google’s new AI mode to updated ChatGPT models and even next-generation browsers from Perplexity and OpenAI. Meanwhile, the classic search wasn’t standing still. Multiple algorithms and spam updates, along with new SERP features, keep SEO teams adapting in real time.
Last December, we made a series of predictions about where search was heading in 2025. In this session, we’ll look back at those forecasts and break down what we nailed, where we were close, and where we were way off. Then we’ll share fresh predictions for 2026, grounded in real BrightEdge data and the shifts we’re seeing across the market.
This session is the perfect way to wrap up the year—and get ahead of what’s coming next.
You'll learn:
What milestones truly shaped innovation in 2025
Which changes had the biggest impact on search
What to expect in 2026 with data-driven insights from BrightEdge
Speaker
How Query Intent Shapes Brand Competition Across AI Search Engines
Using BrightEdge AI Catalyst, we analyzed thousands of shopping queries to uncover how ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and AI Overviews represent brands and where visibility is most competitive across the AI-driven consumer journey.
Data Collected: Analyzed brand mention patterns across three AI search engines to understand:
Brand density variations by query intent
Platform-specific recommendation strategies
Journey stage impact on competitive landscapes
Citation patterns across informational, consideration, and transactional queries
Category-level variance in brand mentions
Key Finding: All three AI engines adapt brand recommendations based on query intent, with consideration queries showing 26% more brand competition than transactional queries. Google AI Mode peaks at 8.3 brands for consideration, while Google AIO mentions only 1.4 brands for informational queries despite appearing 30.3% of the time.
The Intent Framework
Query Classification
Informational: Educational queries where users learn about products ("What is OLED?")
Consideration: Research queries where users evaluate options ("best coffee maker")
Transactional: Purchase-ready queries with commercial intent ("Samsung TV Walmart")
Brand Mention Patterns by Intent
The Universal Pattern
Google AI Mode - Comprehensive Throughout
Informational: 6.6 brands per query
Consideration: 8.3 brands per query
Transactional: 6.6 brands per query
ChatGPT - Journey-Adaptive
Informational: 5.1 brands per query
Consideration: 6.5 brands per query
Transactional: 4.7 brands per query
Google AI Overviews - Selective Presence
Informational: 1.4 brands per query
Consideration: 3.9 brands per query
Transactional: 3.9 brands per query
Overall presence: 18.4% of queries
The Competition Landscape
Highest Competition: Consideration Stage
The 8.3 Brand Reality
AI Mode averages 8.3 brands for consideration queries
ChatGPT follows with 6.5 brands
Even Google AIO jumps to 3.9 brands
26% more competition than transactional stage
Hidden Opportunity: Informational on Google AIO
The 1.4 Brand Advantage
Google AIO appears for 30.3% of informational queries
Mentions only 1.4 brands on average
Lowest competition across all engines and intents
Prime opportunity for educational content
The Transactional Divide
Platform-Specific Strategies
ChatGPT drops to 4.7 brands (28% reduction from consideration)
Google AIO appears only 14.3% of the time
Google relies on shopping carousels for purchase intent
AI Mode maintains 6.6 brands consistently
Citation Patterns Tell Another Story
Authority Signals by Engine
Google AIO: 9-12 citations per query (highest)
AI Mode: 5-8 citations per query
ChatGPT: 4-6 citations per query
Google values source authority more heavily, particularly for informational content.
Google's Strategic Division of Labor
Where AI Overviews Appear
Informational: 30.3% presence (highest)
Transactional: 14.3% presence
Consideration: 13.8% presence
Why the Pattern Makes Sense
Google uses AI Overviews to enhance education and research, while relying on established commerce features (shopping carousels, product grids, merchant listings) for transactional queries. This explains both the low presence and low brand counts for purchase-intent searches.
Category-Level Insights
High Variance Categories
Categories like Furniture show massive swings:
AI Mode: 11.5 brands
ChatGPT: 5.8 brands
AI Overviews: 0.1 brands
Consistent Categories
Small Kitchen Appliances remain steady:
AI Mode: 6.5 brands
ChatGPT: 5.7 brands
AI Overviews: 5.2 brands (when present)
Strategic Implementation Framework
For Consideration Content
Your Biggest Battleground
Create comprehensive comparison guides
Build detailed feature tables
Develop use-case scenarios
Expect to compete with 8+ brands
For Informational Content
Your Best Opportunity
Target "how does X work" queries
Create "what is" educational guides
Build "difference between" content
Capitalize on low competition in Google AIO
For Transactional Content
The Reality Check
Google AIO rarely appears (14.3%)
Traditional SEO still dominates
Focus on shopping feed optimization
Product pages matter more than AI optimization
Platform-Specific Strategies
Google AI Mode Strategy
Consistently high brand mentions require differentiation
Focus on comprehensive content that stands out
36% of queries show 10+ brands
ChatGPT Strategy
Biggest journey adaptation (28% drop at transaction)
Optimize for middle-funnel content
Balance between information and recommendation
Google AIO Strategy
Appears selectively but cites heavily
Win with authoritative educational content
Remember: complements shopping results, doesn't replace them
Action Items for Implementation
Immediate Actions
Audit by Intent: Map your content to informational, consideration, and transactional buckets
Gap Analysis: Where are you missing content for each intent stage?
Competitive Assessment: Count how many competitors appear for your key queries
Transactional Optimization: Traditional SEO, shopping feeds, product pages
Technical Methodology
Data Source: BrightEdge AI Catalyst
Tens of thousands shopping-related queries analyzed
Brand mention counts per query
Citation analysis per result
Intent classification based on query patterns
Measurement Period: November 2024
Key Takeaways
The 26% Rule: Consideration queries see 26% more brand competition than transactional
The 8.3 Peak: AI Mode's consideration queries represent maximum brand density
The 1.4 Opportunity: Google AIO's informational queries offer minimal competition
The 18.4% Reality: Most queries still rely on traditional search results
The Journey Principle: All engines adapt to user intent, just differently
Industry Implications:
This research reveals that AI engines understand and respond to the shopping journey. They provide more options during research, streamline choices at purchase, and adapt their strategies to user needs. The implications are clear: one-size-fits-all optimization no longer works.
For brands preparing for the holiday season and beyond, success requires understanding not just what queries to target, but where in the journey those queries fall and how each AI engine will respond. The competitive landscape isn't just about keywords anymore—it's about intent, timing, and platform-specific behavior.
The principle remains: optimize once, win everywhere. But now you know exactly where the battles are being fought.
Download the Full Report
Download the full AI Search Report —How Query Intent Shapes Brand Competition Across AI Search Engines
As AI increasingly influences how businesses select digital agency partners, Overdrive Interactive needed to establish authoritative expertise in an evolving search landscape. With clients using AI to find and evaluate agencies, they faced competition from higher domain authority competitors. The agency needed to be discoverable and recommended by AI systems while strengthening E-E-A-T signals to win in both traditional search and AI-generated responses.
The BrightEdge Solution
Overdrive leveraged BrightEdge's AI-powered platform to launch "The Authority Project." Using BrightEdge Generative Parser for strategic insights, Data Cube X for keyword research, and Copilot for content optimization, they built comprehensive author profiles and targeted content. The team implemented programmatic author pages with Person schema markup and enhanced blog architecture to deepen topical authority across their digital marketing expertise.
Results
Within three months, Overdrive achieved a 710% increase in AI Overview mentions, successfully competing against brands with much higher domain authority. New content secured top rankings within hours - including #1 for "Top SEO trends 2025" and #4 for "OpenAI shopping," outranking TechCrunch and OpenAI itself. The November publications generated a 66% month-over-month click increase.
Download the case study to review the full results.
AI Shopping Skyrockets: BrightEdge Data Crowns 2025 The First AI-Driven Ecommerce Holiday Season
752% YoY surge in AI referrals signals major shift in how consumers discover products
San Mateo, Calif. — November 18, 2025 — BrightEdge, the global leader in AI-driven organic search, content, and digital marketing automation, today released new findings from BrightEdge AI Market Pulse, the industry’s leading resource for measuring AI-driven discovery trends. The data confirms that the 2025 holiday season is already at a turning point for ecommerce with direct referrals from AI engines such as ChatGPT and Perplexity to leading ecommerce brands exploding by 752% year-over-year. Now a mainstream driver of shopping behavior, AI is fundamentally redefining how consumers research and discover products.
Key Findings Across Ecommerce Verticals
As the platform trusted by over half of the Fortune 500, BrightEdge is uniquely positioned to reveal how AI features are surfacing across both traditional search (Google, Bing, etc.) and AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.) in major retail categories. The expanding footprint of AI, especially in the discovery phase, reflects a broader shift in consumer behavior and how people explore products and make decisions before ever reaching a brand’s website. For example, AI presence in Google search results has increased significantly year-over-year in the following ecommerce categories:
Grocery: This category saw the most dramatic shift, with a 900% increase in AI Overview presence. Consumers are turning to AI for recipe planning and pantry management, driving substantial volume growth for everyday essentials.
Furniture: AI is also simplifying decision paralysis for high-ticket items like large furnishings, driving a 375% increase in AI presence, as users leverage AI to configure complex layouts and style bundles before moving to purchase.
Electronics: AI search assistants are being utilized to compare complex specifications, with the category seeing 257% growth. This confirms that AI summaries are highly effective for evaluating feature parity and review analysis for major purchases.
Apparel: The fashion segment experienced 104% growth in AI presence. This initial growth points to rising consumer reliance on personalized styling and fit recommendations to make quick purchase decisions.
"Our latest analysis confirms consumers are increasingly using AI across different stages of the buying journey,” said Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge. “As AI improves and more people trust it to help them choose gifts for the holidays, the next steps, like assisting with big-ticket items or even managing the whole order from start to finish, aren’t far behind. This may be the first year where AI truly becomes part of the shopping experience, from inspiration to checkout.”
Google Still Dominates Digital Shopping
Despite this explosive year-over-year growth, referrals from AI engines still remain a small portion of the overall commerce landscape. BrightEdge’s analysis found that such referrals currently make up less than 1% of all organic ecommerce traffic. By comparison, Google still drives 87.6% of all organic search traffic to ecommerce brand websites.
Optimize Once, Win Everywhere
The emergence of AI as a major referral source in the holiday season creates renewed urgency for marketers to optimize across both traditional and AI search. While SEO remains the highest volume channel for success, the foundation for winning in AI is being built on existing high-quality, authoritative content. As AI traffic expands and fragments across multiple platforms like Google’s AI Overviews, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Perplexity, and more, marketers must maintain both traditional SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) strategies.
With the help of technology like BrightEdge’s fully unified platform, retailers have the ability to orchestrate every touchpoint in the shopper journey, from AI assistants to search engines to onsite experiences, driving discovery, conversions and revenue.
To stay tuned to month-by-month breakdowns of how search giants are competing, visit BrightEdge’s AI Market Pulse.
About BrightEdge BrightEdge is the global leader in Enterprise SEO and AI-powered content performance. For more than 18 years, BrightEdge has helped thousands of brands and digital marketers, including 57% of the Fortune 500, transform online opportunities into measurable business results. Its industry-first platform integrates the most comprehensive dataset in search, combining insights from traditional SEO, digital media, social, and content with cutting-edge generative AI capabilities, including its deep learning engine DataMind and AI Catalyst platform. Trusted by enterprises, mid-market companies, and leading digital agencies, BrightEdge continues to set the standard for innovation in search and AI, enabling brands to win by becoming an integral part of the digital experience.
Key Strategies for Planning for an AI-Powered Search Landscape in 2026
AI Overviews are reshaping discovery—learn 2026 strategies from BrightEdge and DLA Piper, and see how AI Catalyst lets teams optimize once and win everywhere.
This webinar originally aired on November 12, 2025. Watch the full recording to learn how marketers are using AI Search to uncover market trends and drive real impact.
AI Overviews and AI‑powered engines are changing how people discover, evaluate, and engage with organizations online—and they're doing it faster than traditional playbooks can adapt. This session unpacks what's shifting, how peers are preparing, and how to build trusted, measurable visibility as SEO becomes multi‑engine and AI‑driven.
What you'll learn:
How AI Overviews are reshaping discovery and engagement—and where this is heading in 2026.
How BrightEdge AI Catalyst helps large organizations quantify AI channels alongside classic search and turn insights into requirements.
A real‑world look at DLA Piper's audit and prioritization approach across 18K+ pages in a highly regulated, expertise‑driven industry.
Why watch
Rated 4.37/5 for relevance by attendees, practical, and immediately useful guidance for 2026 planning.
Learn which KPIs to elevate intent‑based engagement, visibility in AI answers, prompt‑level insights, and channel‑level comparisons across AI engines.
Steal DLA Piper's playbook: structure content into standalone passages, use schema at scale, and other practical tips.
Featured Speakers:
Having trouble with the form? Please try refreshing the page or contact us directly at support@brightedge.com
AI is transforming search—but what does that mean for your SEO strategy?
While AI reshapes the search landscape, digital marketing teams face critical questions: Do traditional SEO tactics still matter? What are top performers prioritizing? And where are they innovating?
This webinar originally aired on November 4, 2025. Watch the full recording to learn how marketers are using AI Search to uncover market trends and drive real impact.
While AI reshapes the search landscape, digital marketing teams face critical questions: Do traditional SEO tactics still matter? What are top performers prioritizing? And where are they innovating?
This on-demand webinar reveals what's actually working in today's evolving search environment.
What You'll Learn
How the most successful websites have adapted their strategies for both traditional and AI-powered search over recent years.
Which SEO tactics are losing relevance and where digital leaders are investing more resources.
Concrete steps to prepare your strategy for the future of search—both classic and AI-driven.
Mark Mitchell, Vice President, EMEA BrightEdge, delivers key analytics showing how AI Search is transforming data.
Why Watch
Attendees rated this webinar 4.5 out of 5, praising the actionable insights and industry trends revealed.
Get a clear plan to navigate AI-driven search while strengthening the SEO fundamentals that still drive performance.
Learn the content and data structures that surface in AI experiences without sacrificing traditional rankings.
Turn insights into action faster with connected analytics, and practical tactics that lift visibility.
Featured Speakers:
Having trouble with the form? Please try refreshing the page or contact us directly at support@brightedge.com
Google AI Overviews Holiday Citation Analysis: The YouTube Dominance That Changes Everything
YouTube earns nearly 3x more AI Overview citations than any other non-brand domain—reshaping who you're really competing with this holiday season.
Data Collected: Analyzed AI Overview citation patterns across major ecommerce categories to understand:
Domain citation frequency patterns
Category-specific citation preferences
Multi-source citation overlap patterns
Search volume correlation with citation sources
Query intent patterns by domain
Key Finding: YouTube dominates third-party citations with nearly 7% coverage of all AI Overviews, appearing alongside 70% of the other top 5 cited sources. The real opportunity isn't beating competitors—it's leveraging the validation ecosystem AI Overviews already trust.
The Citation Hierarchy
Coverage Distribution
YouTube: 6.9% of tracked keywords
Amazon: 2.9% of tracked keywords
Reddit: 2.4% of tracked keywords
Wikipedia: 1.9% of tracked keywords
Facebook: 1.2% of tracked keywords
The Overlap Pattern
Every AI Overview cites multiple sources (typically 3-5+), but the overlap patterns reveal YouTube's central role:
When Amazon gets cited:
72% also include YouTube
24% also include Reddit
9% also include Wikipedia
When Reddit gets cited:
72% also include YouTube
29% also include Amazon
8% also include Wikipedia
The Strategic Insight: YouTube acts as the validation hub—when Google cites other sources for credibility, YouTube provides the visual proof.
Category Domination Patterns
Electronics & TVs: YouTube's Kingdom
YouTube: 78% of category citations
Reddit: 17% of category citations
Others: 5% combined
Example queries: "best 65 inch tv", "samsung vs lg oled", "4k tv under 1000"
Identify YouTubers already reviewing your inventory
Create comparison content for Black Friday
Build resource pages featuring trusted reviews
Content Priorities:
"Best [product] for [use case]" content
Category comparison guides
Gift guides with video embeds
Product roundups with multiple sources
For OEMs
Immediate Actions:
Ensure every holiday SKU has video content
Partner with reviewers before Black Friday
Create embeddable specification widgets
Monitor Reddit for product feedback (intelligence only)
Content Priorities:
Official product demonstration videos
Feature explanation content
Comparison within product lines
Technical specification resources
The Code Freeze Advantage
Many brands face development freezes during the holidays, but these citation patterns reveal off-domain opportunities:
No Dev Resources Required:
Amplify existing YouTube reviews
Share creator content on social channels
Build partnerships with micro-influencers
Create curated review roundups
Engage with comparison content
Universal Patterns Across Verticals
Content That Wins Citations
Evaluation content ("best [product] for [use case]")
Comparison content ("X vs Y")
Educational content ("how to use")
Visual demonstrations
Authentic user discussions
Content That Doesn't Get Cited
Pure product pages
Promotional content
Price-focused pages
Single-brand content
Traditional ad copy
Technical Methodology
Data Source: AI Catalyst by BrightEdge
Analysis Period: October-November 2024
Coverage: Tens of thousands of ecommerce queries across all major categories
Tracking: Daily citation pattern monitoring and category-specific analysis
Key Takeaways
The 7% Rule: YouTube appears in nearly 7% of all tracked ecommerce queries, 3x more than any other non-brand domain
The 70% Overlap: When other sources get cited, YouTube appears alongside them 70% of the time
The Category Split: Electronics (78% YouTube) vs Grocery (55% Wikipedia) shows clear domain preferences
The Intent Filter: "Best" queries favor YouTube/Reddit, informational queries favor Wikipedia
The Multi-Source Standard: 50% of queries cite multiple sources—optimize for complementary citations
Industry Implications: This analysis reveals Google's multi-source validation strategy for AI Overviews. Rather than relying on single authorities, the system triangulates trust through different content types—video demonstrations (YouTube), authentic discussions (Reddit), specifications (Amazon), and education (Wikipedia).
For brands preparing for holiday shopping season, the message is clear: YouTube isn't optional—it's the backbone of AI Overview citations. The winners won't be those trying to dominate every platform, but those who understand their role in the citation ecosystem and align their content accordingly.
The opportunity is now: With most brands in code freeze, those who can leverage existing video content and amplify creator reviews will win the AI Overview visibility battle this holiday season.
Download the Full Report
Download the full AI Search Report —Google AI Overviews Holiday Citation Analysis: The YouTube Dominance That Changes Everything
_0.png)
_0.png)
