Startups race to help brands navigate AI-powered search: WSJ

A wave of new startups is betting on the decline of traditional Google searches as AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Perplexity reshape how people find information. At least a dozen companies are building tools to help businesses influence how AI models gather and present brand information, a next-generation form of search engine optimization, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Businesses have spent decades optimizing for Google’s search results, but that landscape is changing fast, Andrew Yan, co-founder of Athena, a startup focused on AI visibility, told the Journal.

Yan, a former Google employee, launched Athena last month with $2.2 million in funding to help brands understand how different AI models source information and recommend ways to improve their online presence.

Athena already has more than 100 customers, including Paperless Post, while other startups in the space are drawing investor attention. Profound, for example, has raised more than $20 million to track how AI chatbots relay brand-related details, counting large companies like Chime among its clients.

The shift comes as Google itself evolves, rolling out AI-driven features like AI Overviews and conversational search that reduce the number of traditional website links users see. Analysts say AI models pull information from a variety of sources. Some rely on company websites, while others lean on third-party reviews or other data.

‘Zero-click internet’

Some in the marketing industry believe AI will lead to a “zero-click internet,” where bots, not humans, become the primary visitors to websites. Marketers are eager for tools that shed light on how AI systems influence brand visibility, though much of the technology is still experimental.

Scrunch AI, another startup in the space, has raised $4 million and is working with more than 25 clients to help them adapt their websites for AI-driven search. One of its customers, Clerk, reported a 9% increase in sign-ups from AI sources this year, the Journal reported.

Though the AI search optimization market is still small compared to the $90 billion traditional SEO industry, experts say demand is accelerating. Some consultants predict that AI visibility will soon account for a significant portion of their work.

Still, many of these tools remain in early stages, with marketers testing their effectiveness as AI models continue to evolve.

Websites aren’t going away, Scrunch co-founder Chris Andrew told the Journal, adding that soon, most traffic will come from bots.