If you’ve worked in marketing for more than five minutes, you’ve heard “SEO is dead.” Spoiler: it’s not. But how people search is changing fast, and HigherVisibility’s “How People Search” study shows how quickly. They surveyed 1,500 US adults in February 2025 and again in August 2025, and the six months between the two waves tell the story.
Google’s Grip Is Loosening
Google still wears the crown, but it isn’t sitting as securely as it used to. In February, 73% of people said they turned to Google first for general information. By August, that number had slipped to 66.9%. That’s a big drop for such a short window.
Where did those searches go? Mostly to AI. Daily AI use jumped from 14% to 29.2% over the same period. ChatGPT alone went from 4.1% to 12.5% of general information searches. That isn’t fringe behavior anymore. It’s mainstream.
The Rise of Multi-Platform Search
It’s not just “Google vs. AI.” People are bouncing between platforms more than ever. The share of people switching platforms rose from 27.7% to 34.8%, so about a third of searchers don’t stick with one tool. They’ll Google something, hop to TikTok, check ChatGPT, then maybe ask Yelp.
Shopping shows the shift clearly: Amazon is still where people buy, Google is still strong for research, social media is creeping into discovery, and AI tools are carving out space in recommendations.
Local search is moving too. Google still dominates local business searches, but its share slipped from 75% to 67.8%. Yelp and social each sit around 10%, and AI tools doubled their footprint to about 10% of local business lookups. That’s a big deal for small businesses and community organizations that have long been told “Google Business Profile or bust.”
Generational Differences
Not surprisingly, Gen Z is leading the way. They’re the quickest to drop the Google-first habit and regularly mix TikTok and Instagram into how they discover products. Millennials are blending AI into their routines while still using Google for practical searches. Gen X is experimenting more cautiously, and even Boomers, the slowest to switch, report high satisfaction when they do try AI. The “never used AI” group shrank from 28.5% to 16.3% in six months.
What Marketers Should Do Now
So what’s the play? A few things stand out.
Think multi-platform, not single-platform. You can’t optimize for Google alone and call it a day, because your audience is looking everywhere.
Test your AI presence. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini about your organization and the questions your audience asks. If you’re not showing up, you’re invisible to a growing slice of searchers. Our guide on how to optimize content for AI search engines walks through what to change.
Treat social as search. TikTok and Instagram aren’t just entertainment, they’re where people actively look for things, especially younger audiences.
Keep local diversified. Google still matters most, but Yelp, social, and AI tools are all part of local discovery now. Don’t neglect those profiles.
SEO isn’t dead. It’s spreading out. The organizations that win will be the ones that treat search as an ecosystem instead of a single platform. If you want to be found, you have to meet people where they’re searching, and that means everywhere. If you’d like help with that, our SEO services cover traditional and AI search.
