By Kate Wilson, Head of Membership & Community
Search is changing faster than ever.
Customers are no longer relying solely on Google to discover products, services and suppliers. Increasingly, they're turning to AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to research businesses, compare providers and answer questions before they ever visit a website.
For marketing leaders, founders and commercial teams, this raises some important questions. Should businesses still be investing in SEO? Are Google Ads delivering the same return? And what does it actually take to remain visible in an AI-first world?
To help members navigate this rapidly evolving landscape, Manchester Digital brought together marketing leaders, founders and digital specialists for our latest Member Knowledge Share, led by Jack Turner, Founder of etta.
The session explored how search behaviour is changing, what businesses should prioritise today and the practical steps organisations can take to remain visible as AI increasingly influences how customers discover products, services and suppliers.
AI is changing search—not replacing it
One of the biggest takeaways from the discussion was that AI isn't replacing traditional search; it is changing how customers research and make decisions.
Google remains hugely important, but AI assistants are increasingly becoming another starting point for buyers looking for products, services and suppliers.
The challenge for businesses is no longer simply ranking highly on Google, but becoming a trusted source that AI platforms choose to reference.
Authority is becoming your competitive advantage
The discussion highlighted that AI rewards expertise over volume.
Rather than producing large amounts of content, organisations should focus on creating genuinely useful, authoritative content that demonstrates experience and answers customers' questions.
Members discussed the importance of:
- Building topical authority within your specialist area
- Publishing high-quality thought leadership
- Keeping content regularly updated
- Using clear structure and FAQs to make information easier to understand
- Building credibility beyond their own website through industry publications and trusted communities
The conversation reinforced that trust and expertise are becoming increasingly valuable assets in digital marketing.
Visibility extends beyond your own website
One particularly interesting discussion centred on where businesses should be publishing content.
As AI increasingly references information from trusted external sources, businesses should think beyond their own website and consider how they build authority across wider industry platforms.
For Manchester Digital members, this creates further opportunities to raise their profile through community blogs, webinars, speaking opportunities and thought leadership activities.
AI needs strategy - not experimentation
The group also explored how organisations are adopting AI internally.
While many businesses are encouraging employees to use AI tools, Jack emphasised the importance of having a clear strategy, governance and ownership rather than simply encouraging experimentation.
As AI continues to evolve, businesses that approach adoption strategically are likely to gain the greatest long-term advantage.
Member Question
One of the strengths of the session was the opportunity for members to ask practical questions based on the challenges they're facing within their own organisations.
A question that resonated with many in the room focused on the relationship between traditional SEO and the emerging discipline of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO).
"Is there any potential for conflict between optimising a website for traditional SEO versus the newer GEO?" – Manchester Digital member
Jack acknowledged there can be tension between the two approaches, but explained they should be viewed as complementary rather than competing strategies.
"The goal isn't necessarily just ranking number one anymore—it's becoming the answer that AI chooses to quote." – Jack Turner, Founder, etta
Rather than choosing one over the other, businesses should continue investing in SEO while ensuring their content is also structured in a way that AI models can understand, trust and reference. The discussion also touched on emerging tools that are helping organisations measure AI visibility and the opportunities for smaller businesses to compete through specialist expertise and authentic content.
What this means for businesses
For organisations reviewing their marketing strategy, the message was clear: SEO remains an essential part of the mix, but businesses also need to think about how they're cited, referenced and discovered across an increasingly AI-driven digital landscape.
The organisations that succeed won't necessarily be those producing the most content—they'll be the ones consistently demonstrating expertise, building authority and creating genuinely valuable resources that customers and AI platforms trust.
Technology is evolving too quickly for any one organisation to have all the answers.
Manchester Digital brings together the people solving the challenges shaping our sector, creating opportunities to learn, collaborate and grow through shared experience.
That's what our Member Knowledge Share series is all about, giving members direct access to practical insight from the people tackling these challenges every day.
Interested in sharing your expertise or suggesting a future topic? We'd love to hear from you.
Kate Wilson
Head of Membership
