As majority of consumers see AI overviews as a single source of truth, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is becoming the new baseline for discoverability
NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A new report from Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC), reveals the changing consumer behaviors and attitudes around GenAI that are transforming Search marketing, and what steps brands must take to ensure discoverability in a marketing world where embracing Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – which impacts how AI perceives, process and prioritizes information – has become the new baseline for discoverability.
As the latest installation of OMG’s ongoing Future of Search exploration of the consumer and cultural forces that have transformed search marketing from a channel into a behavior, the new report – Generative Engine Optimization: The New Paradigm for Discovery in the GenAI Era – reveals a search landscape that has been radically transformed as consumers turn to GenAI for information, advice, comparison shopping and entertainment, engaging in full conversations without clicking click away to publisher – or brand – websites.
AI Overviews as the Single Source of Truth
According to new consumer research irevealed in the report, 65% of consumers now expect to get their ideal answers from AI overviews – a feature in Google search that uses GenAI to create a concise summary of a users’ query that appears at the top of the search results page – with 20% reporting that they rely exclusively on AI overviews, and 45%using a mix of AI overviews and traditional search results.
And while as of today consumers are still most likely to report they turn to AI in the early phases of the shopping journey – with getting familiar with products (46%), discovering options (39%), or simply looking for inspiration (27%) being the main phases of the purchase journey in which GenAI is currently helping shoppers – 33% of respondents said GenAI helps them in the “deciding” phase of the purchase process; and 17% of users now say they have purchased a product due to an AI recommendation.
“As GenAI is transforming the experience of finding and connecting with information, brands must adapt to a reality where users may rarely leave AI summaries or AI-infused SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) – where in fact, GenAI recommendations are the new word of mouth, ” says OMG North America Chief Intelligence Officer and lead study author Joanna O’Connell. “In this zero-click world, the new gold standard will be visibility, citations, and sentiment – and GEO becomes the primary means to ensure that when AI speaks, brands hold the key to influencing their presence and representation to consumers. Simply stated, GEO enables brands to market to AI to improve the likelihood of being featured in an AI prompt response.”
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