At a recent conference in Sydney, AANA’s CEO, Josh Faulks, predicted that ChatGPT would outpace Google Search within the next four years, signaling a potential shift in the search engine landscape. Taylor Fielding, CEO of TFM Digital, shares this sentiment, suggesting that the transition may happen sooner than anticipated.
In late 2024, Google’s long-standing dominance in the search engine market began to show signs of weakening, with its market share dipping below 90% for the first time in a decade. This shift is not insignificant, as even a 1% decrease translates to billions of searches, indicating a gradual erosion of Google’s stronghold.
On a global scale, Google’s desktop market share stands at 79% as of March 2025, with Bing making significant gains and capturing 12% of the market. The emergence of alternative search engines, powered by technologies like Open AI, is challenging Google’s supremacy and diversifying user search habits.
Customer behavior has evolved, shaping modern customer journeys that encompass streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping. The rise of Social Commerce has prompted a shift in where consumers initiate their searches, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook becoming popular starting points for online exploration.
Younger demographics, in particular, are showing a preference for social media platforms over traditional search engines, with a significant portion of Gen Z users favoring TikTok for search queries. Trust in influencers and online recommendations is also on the rise, influencing consumer decision-making and search patterns.
The integration of AI-powered tools is poised to revolutionize the search landscape, with projections suggesting a 25% reduction in traditional search engine usage by the end of the next year. Platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity AI are at the forefront of this transformation, offering adaptive search capabilities that streamline information retrieval.
Google’s emphasis on Performance Max (PMax) campaigns has raised concerns among advertisers, with critics pointing out inefficiencies in the one-stop advertising solution. While Google continues to promote its suite of advertising platforms, questions linger about the evolution of its search advertising business in light of emerging AI competitors.
Despite the shifting dynamics in the search engine ecosystem, Google’s search rankings retain value, with AI platforms relying on Google’s indexing for content relevance. Marketers are advised to maintain a balance between traditional search strategies and emerging AI technologies to optimize their online presence.
As the industry moves towards agile media planning and behavior-focused strategies, the role of search engines in connecting brands with consumers continues to evolve. While alternatives to Google Search are gaining traction, the SEO landscape remains integral to digital marketing efforts, emphasizing the need for continual adaptation and innovation.