Search has always been at the crux of how people find information, connect with businesses, and make purchasing decisions. From the early days of dial-up internet, to today’s AI-driven algorithms, the way we search is constantly evolving.
For business owners, these changes aren’t just interesting, they’re crucial to understand. The way search develops impacts how your customers find you and even how society interacts with information. In this blog, we’ll explore how the evolution of search impacts business growth.
How The Cost Of Search Impacts Business Growth
One of the most crucial ways in which search has evolved is the cost. In the early days of search engines, getting found online was as simple as having a website and making sure it was indexed. Today, search visibility comes at a price. Search is expensive, check out our podcast episode that takes a deep dive into the cost of search.
Whilst you’re here, lets break down how the cost of search can impact business growth…
- Paid search: PPC campaigns have grown increasingly expensive as more businesses enter the bidding wars. The cost-per-click in many industries has skyrocketed, particularly in competitive sectors.
- The hidden costs: When we talk about the cost of search, we don’t just mean the cost to the businesses, but also society, and the rest of the world even. There’s a broader societal cost to consider when it comes to search. As search engines monetise results pages with more ads, users must scroll further for organic results. More data = more money.
It is no secret that businesses need to be strategic with their search budgets. Investing in SEO may not bring overnight results, but it compounds over time, while PPC provides immediate but often costly visibility.
Head over to our podcast (Stories of Search, on all streaming platforms) to learn more about the ever growing cost of search and how this impacts the world.
How Mobile Search Impacts Business Growth
Mobile search has transformed our search behaviour. Smartphones have made search instant, local, and always available.
Over 60% of Google searches now come from mobile devices, and this number continues to grow. For businesses, this means a mobile-first approach is no longer optional, but essential.
Mobile search is closely tied to location. Queries like “near me” or “open now” have exploded in recent years, giving local businesses huge opportunities to attract customers further down the buyer journey.
Mobile search has heightened the focus on user experience – if your website isn’t responsiveness on mobile, users will bounce, and Google will notice. The shift to mobile has effectively put businesses in their customers’ pockets. This has created opportunities for growth, but also new challenges. To stay competitive, businesses need to meet the demand for quick and accessible search experiences.
How AI Impacts Business Growth
AI has, and continues to reshape search in ways that go far beyond algorithm updates. Thanks to AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, the way people seek and receive information is undergoing a seismic shift.
AI is on its way to making search engines more intuitive, understanding user intent rather than just matching keywords. This has changed the game for SEO, and business owners who are investing in these strategies. It means businesses need to focus on creating content that answers real questions, not just ticking SEO boxes.
Voice search is huge. In the UK, 29.2% of internet users aged 16-64 use voice assistants each week. With voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, search is becoming more conversational. Queries are longer, more natural, and more specific. Businesses need to optimise their website for these types of search terms!
Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience are beginning to provide answers directly within the search results, reducing the need for users to click through to websites. This opens opportunities for businesses to establish authority by being featured in AI-generated results.
The AI revolution in search is both exciting and daunting (depending on who you’re speaking to – Go to Dalley if you want to get excited about it…). Businesses really need to adapt quickly, as it isn’t going anywhere and seems to be rapidly evolving, impacting search and business growth. By producing high-quality, trustworthy content that AI deems valuable enough to surface, businesses have a better chance of growing during this evolutionary period of search.
How The Evolution of Search Impacts Business Growth
The evolution of search isn’t slowing down and businesses that fail to adapt risk being left behind. Here’s are some top tips on how you can stay ahead:
- Invest in long-term SEO – Don’t rely solely on paid ads. Build a strong foundation of optimised content that attracts organic traffic.
- Optimise for mobile – Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and tailored to your customer.
- Create intent-driven content – Think beyond keywords. Focus on answering your customers’ real questions.
- Prepare for AI in search – Adapt your content to be conversational, authoritative, and trustworthy enough for AI-search to recognise.
Getting On Top Of Business Growth With GrowTraffic
Search has evolved from a simple tool for finding information into one of the most powerful drivers of business growth. The rising cost of visibility, the dominance of mobile, and the disruptive force of AI are changing the rules but also creating new opportunities for businesses in the growth phase of their journey.
For business owners, the question isn’t whether search will continue to evolve, but whether your business is ready to evolve with it.
If you are ready to embrace this change, reach out – we can help!