The impact of AI Search on search behavior
episode
Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast
39 min
2 speakers
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast? I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth, and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit IHear Everything.com. Welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts? Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.
What does the 53% drop‑off in Google AI mode reveal about user behavior?
According to Quickstream research from iPol Rank, 53% of users do not return to Google AI mode after the initial attempt. So while the industry keeps acting like AI search has already taken over, the real story is a lot messier. The hype is loud, the behavior is still evolving, and for marketers, the challenge is figuring out what actually matters before you waste budget chasing the wrong thing. I'm Jordan Cooney and joining me today is Garrett Sussman, Director of Marketing at iPole Rank. Today, Garrett and I are gonna talk about what AI search behavior actually looks like, why conversational search is changing how people discover information, and how marketers can separate real opportunity from industry noise.
Garrett, welcome to the Voice of Search podcast.
Jordan, what's up, dude? I am ready for this. You you and I are killer killer podcast, sir. Let's let's do this thing.
I'm pumped. I'm so pumped for this uh in a lot of different ways because well first of all it we we share a lot of positive energy together about not just the industry but like the ways of of of approaching the conversation and I think uh more more people in our industry need to hear uh the way that you are are are voicing and sharing your perspective, um also the the information that you have access to. Right? All of you at iPole rank are are producing great insights and educating as much as you are doing anything else. And I think that's what's what's largely critical in in this in this time of transition. Before we dive into a bunch of these questions, t tell our audience a little bit more about yourself.
I really want to also hear your story. Tell your story about how you got into this SEO, GEO, AEO, whatever three letters you want to put together. into this acronym uh industry.
Dude, it is it is it is so weird. Everyone's story is so weird.
How did Garrett Sussman’s career path lead him to AI search marketing?
I think if we learned anything from like COVID and the pandemic is like you have no idea. where people come from unless they share it with you, unless they're open about it. I grew up in North East. I'm I'm a Jersey kid, uh central Jersey, it exists. Um Big after college, I was a teacher for like third graders in New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna date myself here a little bit.
I love that. I love that.
Year two, Hurricane Katrina. So I'm living in New Orleans. I've got this like hideous purple leather couch and my guitar and a dog and I'm teaching forty-five minutes northwest in in rural Louisiana. I head up there and my house gets flooded. The purple couch has like, you know, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Code of mold. It is like disgusting. So I do I do the Teaching thing for a minute. Then I got into like live streaming because I'm like isolated this is like two thousand five. And there was like a little live stream, think of Twitch before Twitch. And so that's kind of where I got involved in everything digital. Um did that for a minute and next thing you know, I I wanted to go out to San Francisco.
I was like, startup world, there's so many cool things happening. So Two thousand nine, that's how I got into marketing. 'Cause I went to school for like English and psychology, like most marketers, right? Um
Exactly
We just need to
do that survey and we'll we'll we'll confirm that fact.
I guarantee it. It's like the Marie Haynes. I was not a veterinarian. I was just your boring old like English teacher. And so I end up I do I do these the SAS thing.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:52
2
What does the 53% drop‑off in Google AI mode reveal about user behavior?
0:52–2:39
3
How did Garrett Sussman’s career path lead him to AI search marketing?
2:39–4:53
4
Why is AI search hype considered noisy, and what should marketers focus on?
4:53–11:12
5
What is iPullRank’s three‑tier measurement framework for AI search?
11:12–19:59
6
How do the five pillars of relevance engineering guide AI search optimization?
19:59–28:50
7
Why is audience segmentation critical for personalized AI search results?
28:50–38:50
8
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities as SEO shifts toward a brand‑awareness channel?
38:50–39:31