AI has convinced a lot of companies that their website suddenly matters less. Fewer visits, fewer clicks, and we get why it looks that way.
The findings
First, the uncomfortable part. Here’s what’s actually happening out there:
By 2028
$750B
in US revenue will flow through AI-powered search instead of the old kind
5–10%
of what AI says about your brand comes from your own site, the rest is everyone else
50%
of buyers already use AI-powered search to decide what to buy
Sources: McKinsey and Pew Research Center.
It’s tempting to read all of that as “your website matters less.” We read it the opposite way. “Your website used to be the first impression. Now it’s the background check, not the first thing people see, but what they check after they’ve already decided.”
That doesn’t make it less important. It makes it less forgiving. It’s the one moment in the whole journey that’s still completely yours.
So, the only question that matters is: Are you passing it or failing it?
And that question is bigger than it looks, because the ground under it keeps moving.
This isn’t the first time it has happened:
- Mobile web broke the old rules. Social media broke them again. AI’s doing it now.
- SEO budgets are already bleeding into media and experimentation.
- There is no definitive playbook yet, just a lot of trial and error across mobile, social, and Google search.
- A shift this size doesn’t just tweak how you market. It changes it.
That’s the conversation we want to have.
Not in a webinar, not with a panel reciting talking points, but with just a few people who’ve actually done the work.
If that’s a room you want to be in, drop your details, and we’ll be in touch.
Know more about the team you’re going to interact with:
Hosting the conversation from Synoptek are Mark Emery, Practice Lead, CX and Will Payman, Senior Director, CX, whose team also picked up a recent Gold Stevie and US CX Award. They’re moderating, not pitching; think of them as two people just as curious about the answers as you are.