Now that we are in an era where purchasing decisions are made by AI, what strategies should marketers develop to respond to this change?
The <2026 B2B Marketing Strategy Seminar>, held on December 10th, was buzzing with enthusiasm from those seeking answers to these questions. Despite it being a tiring Wednesday evening, about 50 marketers and CEOs filled the venue even after work, and it was a focused session dedicated to learning marketing strategies to respond to the changes brought about by AI.
In this seminar, we were able to get a comprehensive overview of the changes in the search environment driven by AI in 2025, global and domestic GEO success stories, and the roadmap for 2026.
In Part 1, CEO Kim Ye-ji of Elifunt summarized the major trends in AI change for 2025. This was followed by Team Leader Park Kyung-guk of HSAD sharing global GEO strategies and insights, and CEO Kim Ye-ji introducing domestic GEO success stories. In Part 2, which proceeded immediately after the Q&A, they went into more detail regarding the practical GEO strategies and execution principles that brands must prepare for in 2026.
In this post, based on the content shared on this day, I will provide an easy yet in-depth summary of key insights from each session and strategies that can be immediately applied to your work. First, let's take a look at the content of Part 1 together!
What changes will AI bring to us in 2025?
AI Becomes the Central Channel of the Customer Journey
In 2025, the global Gen AI market saw an explosive increase in AI users, with monthly average visits reaching 7 billion. In particular, the proportion of users aged 34 and older increased in 2025 compared to 2024, proving that AI has become deeply integrated into our daily lives.
Just a year or two ago, AI was regarded merely as an auxiliary tool for search, but it has now 'central channel of the customer journey.' Users are completing almost the entire journey—from discovery/awareness to review/consideration and purchase decision—within AI.
AI is no longer just a simple search engine, but a key touchpoint that deeply intervenes in decision-making. It participates in every decision-making process, from the customer's 'first question' right up until the moment of purchase.
Customers No Longer Click – The Zero Click Phenomenon
💡Zero-Click:
A phenomenon where users obtain information by viewing only the answers provided by AI, without clicking on search results.
The most distinct change in the global search environment entering 2025 is the acceleration of Zero-Click.
In particular, with the spread of AI Overviews that display summarized answers immediately at the top of search results, a trend has strengthened where the actual click-through rate of our content decreases significantly, even if it is frequently exposed in search results.
And these changes are naturally leading to a decrease in traditional organic traffic. This is because users no longer browse by clicking through multiple links, and can now make sufficient decisions using only the condensed information provided by AI.
That is precisely why AI traffic that generates high-quality leads is becoming increasingly important. Users acquired via AI have clear context and intent in their inquiries, making them much more likely to convert compared to traditional organic acquisitions. Due to these characteristics, the new KPI, AI Qualified Click, is emerging as a key metric.
Content Strategy: Now, the Entire On- and Off-Site System Must Be Redesigned
In the era of AI, the four traditional SEO intents (information seeking, navigation, commercial, and conversion) are insufficient. User questions have become closer to natural language, and intents are expanding to be much more diverse, as follows.
- Practical Guide
- Research and Analysis
- Creation · Creative
- Scenarios by Industry
- Personalized problem solving
The pages cited by the AI also consider information from all external channels, including not only websites but also blogs, communities, news, social media, and reviews. In particular, the types of pages cited vary depending on the user's diverse intentions and contexts!
Therefore, we target various intentions and contexts tailored to our product and service categories. We need to establish a content strategy that encompasses all of the brand's on-site and off-site channels, and each piece of content must be structured in a way that AI can understand.
Global GEO Insights Responding to the Zero-Click Environment in the AI Era
Now that we've looked at the changes in the search environment in the AI era, we need to know how to respond, right?
Team Leader Park Kyung-guk of HSAD shared insights gained from various global data sources.
Can Generative AI Overwhelm Search Engines?
Although AI search is growing explosively, it currently accounts for only a very small share of total search traffic in 2025. While various predictions are emerging regarding the outlook for LLMs vs. search engine traffic in 2030, this is the point they all commonly emphasize.
👉 LLM-based search will come to account for a significant portion that can never be ignored in the future.
In particular, Team Leader Park predicted a realistic scenario in which it “grows to a share of about 10–20%,” and emphasized that each company must prepare for this change starting now
Furthermore, with the rapid increase in shopping-related questions input into AI this year, a trend is emerging where AI is deeply involved in stages ranging from information search to product comparison, recommendation, and purchase decision-making. Customers are now exhibiting a pattern of making choices by directly asking AI questions rather than searching for options.
Furthermore, the click-through rate of links provided by AI within the answers is steadily rising, clearly demonstrating that AI is not merely a Q&A tool but is also playing the role of a new purchasing portal
Changes in Search in the AI Era Seen Through Real Data
It is clear from actual data how AI is changing the search environment.
First, Organic Search traffic is decreasing, while AI traffic is rapidly increasing.
While traditional organic inflows continue to show a moderate decline globally, AI-based inflows are showing a sharp upward trend starting from the second quarter of 2025.
In other words, the way customers search for information has begun to shift in earnest to an 'AI-centric' model! And this change is observed equally in both B2B and B2C.
Second, the zero-click phenomenon is becoming even stronger.
A prominent pattern is emerging where search exposure has increased, but click-through rates have actually declined. The reason for the decrease in clicks, even as average rankings improve, is clear: customers no longer navigate by clicking through multiple links, but instead solve most of their problems using only the summary responses provided by AI.
Third, despite this, sales and leads based on Organic Search are increasing.
Although the volume of incoming traffic has decreased, conversion efficiency is being maintained as the 'purchase intent' of users has become clearer. However, the important point is that the growth in revenue and leads generated by generative AI is significantly outpacing organic traffic. In other words, while AI-driven traffic is still small in scale, it is growing into much 'higher-quality traffic.'.
In an era where SEO alone is insufficient, the standards for strategy have changed
In an AI-centric search environment, it has become difficult to attract customers with SEO alone. With the rise of zero-click search, the key now is whether AI cites our brand within its responses; to achieve this, we must proactively prepare AEO and GEO strategies alongside SEO.
Furthermore, the influx from generative AI is mostly 'intentional traffic' from customers who have already finished exploring and comparing. In fact, the first page AI connects users to is often a Product Detail Page (PDP), and customers are ready to make a decision immediately upon arrival. Therefore, for today's dot-coms, providing basic information as well as designing a structure that enables immediate conversion upon arrival and implementing CEJ (Conversion, Consumer, and Journey)have become essential.
The era has truly begun where AI brings in customers, and dot-coms convert those customers.
AI Response, Short-term and Mid-to-long-term Roadmap
As the AI-centric search environment takes off, brands must now establish clear response roadmaps from both short-term and long-term perspectives. The key lies in two pillars: making content AI-readable (AI Readability) and strengthening it to become a brand trusted by AI (AI Empowerment).
First of all, securing AI readability is important in the short term.
First, you need to ensure that your brand content on your own channels is easily read, learned from, and cited by AI. This is the stage where you shift your focus from search engines to optimization for AI.
In addition, we must strengthen AI empowerment in the mid-to-long term.
Next, we must ensure that AI perceives our brand as a 'trusted source' through brand mentions on external channels, expert content, and consistent brand entity management. Through this, we can build industry-leading leadership and innovate the customer experience in the long term.
Finally, in line with these changes, KPIs must also expand from an SEO-centric approach to a GEO-centric one.
While performance was previously evaluated based on metrics such as impressions, clicks, and average ranking, indicators like AI Visibility, AI Mention, AI Citation, and AI Share of Voice are now becoming key performance indicators.
Strategies That Work in the AI Era, and Domestic Cases That Actually Proved
Now that we have looked at global insights, shall we turn our attention to the domestic market? CEO Yeji Kim of Elifunt shared practical marketing principles for the AI era and domestic GEO success stories.
How to Survive in an AI-Centric Environment: 4 Practical Principles
RULE 1. Providing content that is easy for AI to read
For AI to cite our brand, it must not only have content that is good for humans, but also a structure that is easy for AI to read and interpret. Since AI makes decisions based on concepts and relationships within the text, you must provide structured data, schema markup, clear and specific headings, and summaries.
RULE 2. Structuring the Site with AI Language
The screen seen by the customer is completely different from the screen seen by the AI. AI reads only text and structure, not design. Therefore, the better the page type, key sentences, and relationships are defined, the more accurately the AI recognizes that "this page contains this information.".
RULE 3. Creating Content by Purpose
Now, you need content that AI will cite, not just content for top rankings. Elifunt broadly categorizes content into the following three types:
- AI-Cited Content: We cover a comprehensive range of topics our target audience might be curious about, providing in-depth insights and delivering our unique perspective.
- Conversion Content: Specifically explain the reasons to choose our service and persuade them that we can solve the problem situation.
- Core Content: Strengthens brand credibility by powerfully demonstrating the brand's expertise.
This is how we create a structure where AI brings in customers and content persuades them.
RULE 4. Designing a Structure That Creates Transitions
Customers brought in by AI have already sufficiently learned information, so they are often right on the verge of purchasing the moment they enter the site. Therefore, the website must be structured to generate conversions. The key is a flow that leads from AI referral → site entry → inquiry/purchase.
📊 In fact, the conversion rate of users acquired via AI was on average 1.4 times higher than the overall conversion rate, and up to 4.3 times higher at its peak!
With the rise in AI traffic, SEO and GEO must work together for brands to grow . If SEO establishes the foundation for discovery, GEO is an extended strategy built upon that foundation to enable AI to understand and cite our brand. In fact, we are seeing a trend where both organic and AI traffic grow more rapidly when these two strategies are implemented in parallel
Brand growth now depends not on search engines, but on how much AI chooses us!
GEO Growth Cases of Domestic Companies Created by Elifunt
Companies that have adapted most rapidly to the changes of the AI era share a common characteristic: they have created structures that AI can understand and built content that accurately addresses the intent of questions. The three cases below are representative success stories where Elifunt directly formulated and executed strategies, leading to actual growth through the GEO strategy.
Machine Vision AI Sage
💡 Online lead growth for offline sales-focused B2B: All you need is AI-readable structures and conversion-oriented content!
Sage was in the early stages of its business, focused on offline sales, and sought to acquire leads through online channels. Therefore, we completely restructured the existing website and built conversion-oriented and AI-cited content that understood industry regulations and technological backgrounds. We also applied AI-readable structures, such as schema markup, throughout the site. As a result, the offline-centric brand quickly got on an online growth trajectory, and AI traffic increased by 1,309% in just six months.
Self-employed store management solution, Hanwha Vision Keeper
💡 Even in a highly competitive market, AI-quoted content that preempts customer questions becomes a breakthrough for new acquisition!
Keeper's goal was to secure brand awareness and new traffic in a market already dominated by strong competitors. To this end, Elifunt focused on website redesign to secure organic traffic, the creation of conversion-oriented content tailored to specific industries and situations, and the production of AI-cited guide content to anticipate questions from users searching for startup information. Through this approach, the AI conversion rate increased 5.3 times, enabling Keeper to establish a breakthrough in a market previously dominated by big players.
IT Asset Management Service, Simply
💡 A content structure tailored to brand entities and the buying funnel grows both organic and AI conversions!
Simply was growing rapidly, but lacked a proper understanding of potential customers' problems and solutions. To address this, we clearly defined the brand entity, aligned content with the actual customer purchase funnel, and strengthened AI-inspired content that addressed specific needs, thereby establishing a content structure based on a GEO perspective. As a result, both organic traffic and AI-driven conversions increased significantly, making it a case study of distinct growth in brand awareness and lead acquisition.
So, what strategy should we formulate for next year?
In Part 1, we examined the current status of 2025, where AI has become the new standard for the search and purchase journey, as well as successful domestic and international case studies that have produced tangible results. You have likely realized that the goal of marketing has shifted from simply achieving top search rankings to becoming a brand "chosen by AI." To ride this wave and grow rapidly, now the time to reorganize your brand's content and structure to meet the standards of AI.
So, what should our brands prepare for the upcoming year 2026, and how? In the upcoming Part 2 review, we will summarize the 2026 marketing roadmap, featuring more specific implementation principles, along with the content of the passionate Q&A session. We have prepared a practical guide that working marketers must keep in mind, rather than vague theories, so don't miss the next post!
