Why 99% of Your Customers Still Use Google (And Why That Matters)

ChatGPT's killing Google search, right?

Wrong. Your customers are still on Google - 99% of them. Here's why that matters for your business.

The Numbers Don't Lie

According to recent research from SparkToro, here's what's happening:

• Google processes about 14 billion searches every single day
• ChatGPT? About 37.5 million search-like prompts daily
• That means Google handles 373 times more searches than ChatGPT

Put another way: ChatGPT has roughly 0.25% of the search market. Google? A whopping 93.57%.

So when people tell you AI search is taking over, they're about 99% wrong. Literally.

Let me put this in perspective. If all searches were people at a Premier League match, Google would be the 66,000 fans at Old Trafford. ChatGPT? About 170 people. That's not even enough to fill the away supporters' coach.

But Wait, There's More

That tiny 0.25%? It still represents millions of potential customers. And it's growing. Fast.

ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are all nibbling at Google's massive pie. Today, it's crumbs. This time next year? It could be a decent slice.

Plus, Google itself is changing. They're rolling out AI Overviews to billions of users, causing quite the shake-up in the SEO world. So, even traditional Google search is becoming more AI-driven.

Here's what's really happening: we're watching search evolve in real time. It's like when smartphones first appeared. Remember when everyone said, "Who needs internet on their phone?" Now look at us.

But here's the truth: when it comes to AI-generated search, we don't know what we don't know. It's all changing so rapidly that we have to hurry up and wait simultaneously. Prepare for everything while committing to nothing. Build for a future we can't quite see yet.

The Real Difference Between Google and AI Search

This is where it gets interesting. Google and ChatGPT users aren't looking for the same things.

Google searches are immediate and specific:

• "Plumber near me"
• "KickstartSEO reviews"
• "Best fish and chips Bedford"
• "iPhone 15 price UK"

AI searches are conversational and complex:

• "Help me plan a marketing strategy for my bakery"
• "What's the best way to improve my website's SEO if I only have £50 a month?"
• "Explain why my website isn't ranking well"

See the difference? Google's for finding. AI's for understanding.

However, here's the kicker - AI platforms are also getting better at those immediate searches. Ask ChatGPT for a plumber near you today, and it might struggle. Ask it next year? Different story.

What This Means for Your Business

Today's Reality:
Your customers are on Google right now, looking for businesses like yours. If you're not showing up there, you're basically invisible to 93% of people searching online.

Last week, I spoke to a florist in Luton. She has a lovely shop and has been there for 20 years. Online? Invisible. She was losing customers to a competitor who'd only been open for six months but dominated Google. That's the brutal reality of ignoring traditional search.

That's why our SEO services focus heavily on traditional search dominance. We make sure you're unmissable where it matters most - today. And yes, that includes building the kind of trust Google's E-E-A-T standards demand.

Tomorrow's Opportunity:
We're also preparing your content for AI platforms. But what does that mean?

It means structuring your information so AI can understand and trust it. When someone asks ChatGPT, "What's the best bakery in Bedford?" it knows to mention you. It means building comprehensive answers that AI systems want to reference.

Here's a practical example. Old-school SEO might have you write: "Best bakery Bedford. Fresh bread Bedford. Wedding cakes Bedford." (Awful, right?)

AI-ready content looks like this: "We've been baking fresh bread daily in Bedford since 1995, specialising in traditional sourdough and custom wedding cakes. Open Monday through Saturday, 7am-6 pm."

See how the second version answers real questions? That's what AI looks for.

And don't get me started on structured data - that hot topic at dinner parties everywhere. We're already adding these elements to our clients' sites, even though the full payoff isn't yet. It matters now for Google, and it'll matter even more for AI search in the future. But that's a blog for another day. (If you're really keen, ask me about schema markup over a coffee. I promise to keep it under an hour.)

The Mistakes Everyone's Making

Mistake #1: Ignoring Google for AI
I've met business owners who've gone all-in on "getting ready for AI" while their Google rankings tank. That's like training for the 2028 Olympics while missing the 2024 qualifiers. Daft.

Mistake #2: Ignoring AI Completely
The opposite problem. "AI's just a fad," they say. So was the internet, mate. So were mobile phones. How'd that work out?

Mistake #3: Trying to Game Both Systems
You can't trick Google anymore (those days are long gone). You definitely can't trick AI. The only strategy that works? Being helpful. Mad concept, right?

Our Dual Approach at KickstartSEO

This is precisely why we take a dual approach. We're not daft enough to ignore where 99% of searches happen. However, we're also not short-sighted enough to miss what's coming.

Think of it this way: we're training you to win today's marathon (Google) while preparing for new events in next year's Olympics (AI search).

Part of this approach is our KickstartSEO Integrated Toolkit (KIT). Our AI-powered tech makes changes to client websites (with their approval, of course). And here's the thing - even inside the castle, we're already building a better mousetrap. KIT has tools now that we expect to prepare our clients for the future. As we learn what works and what doesn't, we'll improve KIT, and KIT will improve client websites. It's evolution in action.

For Google Success Today:

• Rock-solid technical SEO that search engines love
• Content that answers real questions real people ask
• Local optimisation that puts you on the map (literally)
• Speed improvements because nobody waits for slow sites
• Mobile perfection because everyone's on their phones

For AI Success Tomorrow:

• Comprehensive, authoritative content that AI trusts
• Clear, structured information that's easy to parse
• Genuine expertise that stands out from generic content
• Regular updates because AI loves fresh, accurate data
• Genuine reviews and testimonials AI can verify

The beautiful thing? These strategies complement each other. Good SEO today naturally prepares you for AI tomorrow. Our Optimiser Premium service handles both aspects comprehensively.

Real Results from Our Dual Approach

Case Study 1: Divorce Without Lawyers

Talk about a specific search term! Our client wanted to rank for what they do: helping people get divorced without expensive lawyers.

Today? They're sitting pretty at #2 for "divorce without lawyers" on Google. But here's the clever bit - they're also referenced in Google's AI-generated answers when people ask questions like "Can I get a divorce without using a solicitor?"

We've structured their content to answer every possible DIY divorce question: costs, procedures, eligibility, the lot. So when Google's AI needs trusted information about self-representation divorce, guess whose content it pulls from?

That's the dual approach in action. Traditional SEO got them to #2. Strategic content structure means AI systems see them as a trusted authority on DIY divorce. They won't scramble to catch up when AI search grows from 0.25% to 5%. They're already positioned as the go-to resource.

Case Study 2: Maybrey Reliance

Maybrey.co.uk needed to own "UK Foundry" - not the sexiest search term, but crucial for their business. Industrial searches might seem straightforward, but here's the thing: B2B buyers are increasingly using AI tools to research suppliers.

We optimised their traditional SEO to dominate foundry-related searches. However, we also built comprehensive content about their capabilities, certifications, and processes. When a procurement manager asks ChatGPT, "Find me a reliable UK foundry for specialist castings," we want Maybrey to be the obvious answer.

Today, they're ranking well on Google. Tomorrow they'll be the foundry that AI recommends. That's playing the long game.

What You Can Do Right Now

1. Check your Google presence. Seriously, Google your business name right now. Are you happy with what you see? If not, we need to talk.

2. Ask ChatGPT about your business. What does it know? What does it get wrong? That's your starting point for AI optimisation.

3. Update your basic information everywhere. Make opening hours, services, and contact details crystal clear on your website. Don't forget about your Google Business Profile—both Google and AI need this.

4. Start thinking comprehensively. Instead of creating separate pages for every service, create comprehensive guides that answer multiple questions. Google likes this, and AI loves it.

5. Get your technical house in order. Is your site slow? Broken on mobile? Fixing these helps with both traditional and AI search. Our Optimiser AI service can handle this automatically.

The Bottom Line

Since I started in digital marketing in 1995 (yes, before Google existed), I've seen plenty of "next big things" come and go.

AltaVista was going to dethrone Yahoo, but Google ate them both. Facebook was going to replace Google, but that didn't happen. Voice search was going to change everything. We're still waiting.

But this AI shift? It feels different. Not because it'll replace Google (it won't, at least not soon), but because it's changing how we think about search entirely.

The Algorithm Rollercoaster I've Survived

Speaking of changes, let me share what I've weathered over the years:

In the good old days, I remember keyword stuffing and putting white text on a white background to "trick" search engines. What a time to be alive.

2011 - Panda: Suddenly, thin content was out. Websites everywhere panicked.

2012 - Penguin: Dodgy links? Say goodbye to your rankings. The "link farms" died overnight. But like zombies in Shaun of the Dead, they still shamble around selling this rubbish to unsuspecting business owners. (Meanwhile, legitimate SEOs went to the Winchester, had a nice cold pint, and waited for all this to blow over.)

2013 - Hummingbird: Google got smart about understanding questions, not just keywords.

2015 - RankBrain: AI entered the chat. Machine learning started running the show.

2019 - BERT: Google learned to understand context like a human. Sort of.

2022—Helpful Content Update: Google decided to reward actually helpful content. It's a revolutionary concept, right? We covered this in our guide to building website trust with E-E-A-T standards.

2024 - AI Overviews: And now Google's adding AI-generated answers to search results. The game's changing again. We broke down what AI Overviews mean for your rankings.

SEO "experts" ran around like headless chickens, declaring SEO dead each time. Each time, we adapted and maintained our clients' rankings.

"SEO is Dead!" (Sure, Friend)

Just this week at the Your Business Expo in Milton Keynes, I had a bloke swagger up to my stand with a knowing grin. "SEO is dead!" he announced. "AI killed it!"

I've heard this one before. I've listened to it about a hundred times since 1995.

"SEO was dead when Google killed Yahoo."
"SEO was dead when social media arrived."
"SEO was dead when mobile took over."
"SEO was dead when voice search launched."

And now we've got people trying to rebrand SEO as "GEO" - Generative Engine Optimisation. Same tactics, new acronym. It's like when dodgy SEOs rebranded link buying as "PBNs" and thought they'd invented something new. Mate, I was buying links before you were born. (And stopped when Google caught on, because I'm not daft.)

You know what? SEO's still here. Still getting businesses found. Still paying my mortgage.

I told him straight: "SEO's not dead, friend. It's evolving. Always has been."

Here's what I explained over the next 15 minutes (and yes, he stuck around):

AI isn't killing search—it's making it better, more intuitive, and more helpful. When someone asks ChatGPT for a local plumber, it still needs to get that information from somewhere. When Google's AI Overview answers complex questions, it pulls from websites that have done their SEO homework.

Better search is brilliant for consumers. They get answers faster and more accurately. But yes, it creates new challenges for businesses. The bar's higher. You can't just stuff keywords and hope for the best anymore.

But challenges? That's what we're here for. We'll rise to meet them, just like we have for decades.

By the end of our chat, his whole outlook had shifted. From "SEO is dead" to understanding how search is evolving.

Winning hearts and minds at trade shows. That's how I roll.

The Real Bottom Line

The winners will be those who excel at today's game while preparing for tomorrow's. That 0.25% will become 1%, then 5%, then who knows? When it does, you'll be ready.

Until then? We'll ensure you dominate where your customers are - on good old Google.

Because being prepared for the future is smart. But being invisible today while you wait for tomorrow? That's just bad business.

I could waffle on about search algorithms and AI models all day (occupational hazard after all these years in SEO). But here's what matters: your customers need to find you, whether using Google, ChatGPT, or whatever comes next.

That's what we do at KickstartSEO. We make sure you're unmissable today while getting you ready for tomorrow. No drama, just results.

Ready to get found where your customers are searching? Book your Website Fitness Evaluation and make sure you're unmissable on today's and tomorrow's search engines.

This time next year, you'll be dominating both. Trust me on that one.

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Sources:
- SparkToro: Google Search Grew 20%+ in 2024
- Search Engine Land: Google Search is 373x bigger than ChatGPT

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