AI trends. Google transcends.

 approx 5 minute read

Early research shows AI tools aren’t pushing Google off the map.

Instead, they’re changing how we use it.

Google isn’t done

Rumours of Google’s demise? Slightly premature.

According to a SparkToro study, about 20% of Americans use AI tools ten or more times each month.

That’s a notable adoption rate, but it has not come at Google’s expense.

Traditional search traffic has not declined in parallel.

Instead, AI seems to sit alongside search engines, not in place of them.

AI may be setting the trends. But Google transcends.

Because it is not just where people go for inspiration.

It is where they go for action.

From booking a table to finding a tradesperson, Google remains the step that moves curiosity into commitment.

AI as triage, Google as treatment

AI chat tools excel at presenting ideas, summarising, debating, and narrowing down.

They are the triage nurse of search.

A user asks: what sort of kitchen styles work well in small spaces?

The AI provides a broad overview.

But when it comes time to look for “kitchen designer Athlone” or “small galley kitchen layouts Ireland,” Google is still the tool of choice.

Instead of top-funnel queries like “modern kitchen ideas,” they may refine to “accessible kitchen fitter Dublin with Neff appliances.”

This two-step process changes the search funnel.

AI may handle the vague, curiosity-driven queries. Google takes over when intent is stronger.

If AI tools make users better informed, by the time they reach Google, they are searching with more precision.

In other words, the searches that reach Google are often closer to decision-making moments.

That represents higher commercial intent and a shorter path to purchase.

Takeaway: Businesses still need to rank on Google for the commercial and location-driven searches that AI cannot fulfil.

Focus content strategies not only on broad educational guides but also on landing pages that meet specific, ready-to-buy intent.

Local searches also remain Google’s stronghold

Local intent continues to be Google’s territory.

Approximately 46% of Google searches include local intent.

That covers everything from “coffee shop near me” to “electrician open Sunday.”

No one is asking ChatGPT which petrol station is open at midnight. They are opening Google Maps.

That dominance is reinforced by the accuracy of Google’s local pack, reviews, and navigation tools.

Businesses that neglect local optimisation miss out on this persistent and profitable stream of traffic.

A well-maintained Google Business Profile with up-to-date hours, photos, and recent reviews is still one of the most effective visibility tools for local operators.

Takeaway: Keep your profile accurate, encourage customer reviews, and add posts or updates regularly. Google rewards freshness and reliability.

Mobile vs desktop

There are also early signs that device use affects whether people head to ChatGPT or to Google.

AI referrals are largely generated from desktop devices.

More than 90% of AI-powered search referral traffic comes from desktop, even though mobile dominates overall web traffic.

Mobile users lean toward quick, local queries. Think “urgent plumber near me” or “pizza open now.” Shorter queries, voice inputs, or map-based actions dominate.

Desktop users are more likely to use ChatGPT or Perplexity to do deeper research, run comparisons, and browse multiple perspectives.

In practice this means: if you are on your phone, you want fast answers and reliable local info.

On desktop, you may use chat for summaries or Google for multi-tab exploration.

Action for businesses: Optimise both sides. Mobile users need speed, clarity, and trust signals like reviews.

Desktop users need depth, authority, and well-structured content that can feed AI summaries.

Does it just start with a conversation?

As mentioned, we often use ChatGPT these days to do what used to take ten Google tabs: find info, summarise it, and speed through the groundwork.

That used to mean query after query, filtering, and reading snippets until we found what we needed.

Now with “chat first”, we can skip straight to a summary, then go to Google if I need the specifics or to act.

That pattern matters.

Because ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) are only as good as the content they were trained on.

We know their training data includes large web-scraped data such as Common Crawl, Reddit, Wiki, books and various other public texts.

So where does much of that content originate? Google’s index, Reddit conversations, and websites optimised for search.

What does this mean for SEO?

If your content is not present in the places that feed into LLM training, then your business might be less visible in summary or “chatty” outputs.

Good SEO is not only about ranking in Google.

It is also about making sure your content is part of the knowledge base that fuels AI tools.

(But ultimately never forget that it’s primarily there to serve your human prospects and customers!)

And so SEO remains in demand

Predictions of SEO’s decline have surfaced many times in the past two decades. Each time, search behaviour has adapted but never disappeared.

The evidence points in the opposite direction for 2024–2025. Demand for SEO services is growing.

This fits with another finding.

Data from Backlinko shows that searches for “SEO services” have grown steadily over the last year.

Rather than reducing the role of SEO, AI adoption may actually be raising the value of appearing in those precise, bottom-funnel searches.

More businesses recognise that being visible in search is critical, especially as AI tools change how people reach the point of intent.

Effective SEO is no longer about keyword density. It covers:

• Technical health, like site speed and mobile usability
• Structured data to help Google understand content
• Local signals, such as Business Profiles and reviews
• Content strategies that match real user intent
• Reputation management across web properties
• Backlink development to help demonstrate authority 

Takeaway: SEO is about ongoing reliability and authority. Businesses that invest now secure compounding visibility.

AI has changed things. But much remains

AI has changed how people approach search, but it has not erased the role of traditional search engines.

If anything, it has made the moments when people turn to Google even more commercially valuable.

AI helps us phrase better questions. Google is still where we go for the answers that matter.

For businesses the message is clear. SEO is not optional.

It has evolved into a sharper, intent-driven tool that remains essential for visibility and growth.

At Nettl we help businesses adjust their strategy to this new landscape.

If you want to know how your search presence stacks up, talk to us about an SEO audit or campaign.