While more and more people are using AI tools to start their research journeys when looking for a new product or service, very few stop there. According to a recent study from Yext, 43% of consumers have used AI for local search in the past month, which is a huge number.
However, while a lot of consumers are using AI to help with their buying decision, only 5% are moving directly from the AI answer to make a purchase. Users still make a handful of other stops along the way, with the biggest being a Google search and a visit to the company’s website. Here is the breakdown from Yext:
This means two big things:
First, you need to be showing up in AI conversations if you want to have a chance. If you aren’t recommended by AI, people will never take any of the subsequent steps because they won’t know that you exist.
Second, if you rely solely on AI you’re also in big trouble. Nearly half of users that find a company on AI then go to that company’s website to learn more. The website is often a big reason why the AI citation happened in the first place, and then it needs to back up what the customer learned from AI. If your site isn’t fast, clean, and clear, you’ll lose a customer that you had in the palm of your hand.
This also reinforces what I’ve been saying about attribution lying to you. Based on the data above, a user very likely will:
- Talk to AI and hear about you.
- Go to Google and search for your company.
- Visit your website and (hopefully!) make a purchase.
There is a data disconnect between the AI tool and the visit to your website. If a user does a separate Google search to find you, your data will show that they came from Google even though it was AI that got them to do it. There is no way to “fix” this data, and it’s something you simply need to be aware of.
I encourage you to check out the full report from Yext for more.
