Your buyers are asking AI about you. Are you in the answer?

Most marketing budgets haven't noticed. A growing share of buying now starts inside an AI assistant. In a recent buyer report, 94% of B2B buyers said they use large language models — ChatGPT, Gemini and the like — during their purchase journey. And most of that homework happens before anyone speaks to you: Forrester puts 70–80% of B2B buying research pre-contact. By the time a prospect reaches your website, the AI has often already decided who's worth a look.

That's what Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is about. Where SEO is about ranking on a results page, AEO is about being the answer the AI gives when someone asks, "Who's the best supplier for this?" or "Who can I trust near me?" Same goal — getting found by people ready to buy — different front door.

Two things make this worth your attention now, not next year.

First, it converts. HubSpot's own leads from AEO closed 3x better than its other sources. That tracks: someone arriving from a considered AI recommendation has already done their research, so they land warmer than a cold click.

Second, the field is wide open. Digiday's 2026 research found 27% of brands haven't changed their strategy for AI search at all, and 16% aren't even familiar with it. However you read that, a large chunk of your competitors aren't in the answer yet.

Where to start:

• Answer the real questions your buyers ask, in plain language. AI assistants quote clear, direct answers — not brochure copy.
• Make your proof easy to find — reviews, case studies, specifics. AI leans heavily on what other people say about you.
• Check what AI already says about you. Ask ChatGPT who's the best in your field in your town. If your name isn't in the answer, that's a customer going to whoever's is.

The buying behaviour has already shifted. Marketing follows the customer, not the other way round.

If your customers are time-poor and increasingly asking AI before they ask you, the real question is simple: do you turn up in the answer?

Have a productive day! Ian

Piqued your interest?

Sources

• 6sense 2025 Buyer Experience Report — 94% of B2B buyers use LLMs in the purchase journey (via Testimonial Star): https://testimonialstar.com/resources/b2b-buyer-journey-llms-2026/
• Forrester 2025 B2B Buying Study — 70–80% of research happens pre-contact (via Testimonial Star): https://testimonialstar.com/resources/b2b-buyer-journey-llms-2026/
• HubSpot — 3x better lead conversion from AEO: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/answer-engine-optimization-trends
• Digiday+ Research 2026 (n=142 brand/agency professionals) — 27% no strategy change, 16% unfamiliar with GEO/AEO: https://digiday.com/marketing/digiday-research-the-marketers-guide-to-ai-applications-agentic-ai-ai-search-and-geo-aeo-in-2026/