In an exciting episode of the GrowCast, Edin from iGrow and Malte Landwehr (CMO of peec.ai, Ex-Idealo & Searchmetrics) talk about how SEO, B2B marketing, and sales funnels are changing – and what companies must do NOW to remain visible in the AI era.

The way people search for information has fundamentally changed in recent months. Classic SEO remains important, but generative AI search systems like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and SearchGPT are revolutionizing the search process.

This particularly affects B2B marketing: sales funnels are compressed, customers receive recommendations without classic click paths, and brands must learn to measure AI visibility instead of page views.

The transformation in B2B marketing opens up new opportunities: through the targeted use of AI technologies and AI search engines like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, companies can promote sustainable growth. These innovative tools change the buyer journey, optimize search behavior, and offer B2B companies the opportunity to strengthen their market position and reach new target groups.

In this article, we explain the key learnings from the GrowCast conversation with Malte Landwehr (CMO of peec ai) and Edin Cerimagic (igrow – Online Marketing Agency in Vienna) and show you how to realign your strategy for AI search in B2B marketing.

1. AI Search is Reality – SEO is Changing

AI Overviews and generative answers are no longer just gimmicks. Studies show that Google now includes AI overviews in more than 13% of desktop searches. Instead of a list of links, the user gets a summary generated from multiple sources that directly provides answers. Google processed over 5 trillion searches in 2024, while ChatGPT processes only 37.5 million prompts daily. Even though the majority of journeys still start via Google, these numbers show how quickly AI-driven search is growing.

The current shift in search behavior, driven by the integration of AI search, is fundamentally changing the digital landscape. For B2B marketers, this change means aligning their strategies and content specifically to the requirements and opportunities of AI-based search technologies to remain visible and competitive.

In the podcast, Malte Landwehr emphasizes that SEO is not dead, but it is changing: AI-based search systems lead to zero-click search results. In the US, UK, and India, Google is testing the AI Mode, which breaks questions down into subtopics, runs multiple searches in parallel, and delivers deeper content. The result: fewer and fewer users click on links – many already get all the information they need in the overview.

As a result, the traditional channel "Click → Landing Page → Funnel" can fail completely.

Practical Example

A user is looking for a "gravel bike." In the past, they would have taken a week to compare different websites. Today, the classic comparison of products or prices is increasingly being replaced by AI-based recommendations in AI Overviews. Thanks to Google AI Overviews, the same person conducted all of their research in an ongoing AI dialogue and made a purchasing decision after 45 minutes – without price comparison portals and without classic content loops. This example impressively shows how AI answers can radically shorten the buying process.

2. B2B Sales Funnels are Compressed – Fewer Clicks, Higher Conversions

In the B2B sector, buying decisions traditionally progress through multiple stages: from the search query to landing pages, whitepaper downloads, product comparisons, and finally booking a demo. More and more B2B buyers are using AI tools to conduct independent research and make informed decisions faster. AI tools like ChatGPT or Google AI Mode compress the funnel. Users ask a question, receive a single, personalized recommendation, and book a demo directly – without visiting other sources.

Malte illustrates this with a marketing automation software: instead of comparing three different providers, the searcher receives a clear recommendation in AI Mode. If they click on it, they often start the trial or demo directly. This means: the funnel still exists, but it becomes invisible. From a marketing perspective, this is positive because the conversion rate increases – however, classic tracking points are missing because the customer may never have visited your website.

New KPI: AI Visibility

Until now, marketers measured their success based on rankings, clicks, and sessions. In the AI era, different metrics are needed: new SEO metrics like the frequency of brand mentions in AI overviews and the analysis of performance in AI-supported search environments are becoming increasingly important for identifying targeted optimization potential and increasing the efficiency of measures. How often is your brand mentioned in AI overviews? Which prompts refer to you? Tools like peec.ai or Google Search Console can be used to monitor and tag your own prompt sets (e.g., by funnel stage or persona).

The AI Search Agency by iGrow emphasizes that visibility today is based on trust, context, and semantic relevance – no longer just on keywords. Anyone who implements an AI search strategy reaches leads "without a click" – the brand appears directly in the answer.

3. Measuring AI Visibility Instead of Just Page Views

While SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs remain useful, they are not enough to capture AI visibility. Monitoring is shifting to three areas:

1. Log file analysis: In server logs, you can see if user agents from ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Bing are crawling your website. With increasing crawls, the chance that you will be considered as a source grows.

2. Prompt monitoring: Create your own prompts for core questions of your target audience (e.g., "Best B2B marketing automation software for SMEs") and monitor whether AI systems cite your brand. Tag the prompts by persona and funnel stage and analyze which questions AI systems answer.

3. Source analysis: Many AI systems pull information from third-party sources like G2, OMR Reviews, or specialized portals. Check if these pages contain accurate and consistent information about you. Malte warns against pushing exclusively your own sources like blog posts or support pages – this quickly looks like spam and is ignored by LLMs.

To evaluate the effectiveness of your measures, you should also analyze the specific contribution of individual sources or activities to AI visibility.

4. Brand Consistency & Authority: How to Get Cited in AI Systems

LLMs learn from billions of texts and draw conclusions from the correlations between terms and entities. If your brand is described as "marketing automation software" in one place, as an "email marketing tool" in another, and again as a "smart marketing helper," an unclear brand image is created.

Malte therefore advises keeping all company descriptions consistent – from the website to press releases, LinkedIn profiles, Wikipedia entries, and Google My Business. A clear structure of the company description is crucial so that AI systems can capture and process the information correctly. Use structured data and W-questions ("What makes your software unique?") to provide AI systems with clear information.

Digital PR & Thought Leadership

AI systems prefer sources that are considered trustworthy. In addition to your own website, these include:

• Trade magazines, industry blogs, and news portals

• Wikipedia and Crunchbase entries

• Testimonials and reviews (e.g., on G2 or OMR)

• Social media platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube

Especially for companies in the industrial sector, thought leadership and digital PR are highly relevant for strengthening visibility and professional authority in the digital space.

Position yourself as an expert and invest in digital PR. If you regularly publish guest articles, speak at conferences, and distribute your content in different formats (blog, video, podcast), a complete brand story is created. The more often LLMs see your brand in trusted contexts, the higher the likelihood that they will cite you.

5. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Build a Geo-Ready Team

Many speak of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – both terms describe the optimization of content for generative search systems. In this context, generative AI and AI-SEO play a central role, as they enable the analysis, personalization, and continuous optimization of SEO strategies through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, thereby improving visibility in new search systems. The AI Search Agency of iGrow explains that GEO does not replace SEO, but extends it. The goal is to prepare your content so that ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek & Co. can use it as a source of answers.

What Does a Geo-Ready Team Need?

• SEO Expertise: On-page optimization, technical SEO, keyword research, and semantic clusters form the foundation. iGrow offers specialized SEO support with on-page optimization, keyword research, and local SEO. SEO teams in particular play a central role, as they must recognize and implement the strategic importance of GEO and AI search for visibility and decision-making within the company.

• Content Marketing: Storytelling, copywriting, and multimedia production are crucial for explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand way. It is about answering "W-questions" and linking entities meaningfully.

• PR & Digital Authority: The team needs to know how to orchestrate press work, guest posts, and reviews to be recognized as a source.

• Data & Prompt Monitoring: Data analysts or growth marketers should monitor prompts, evaluate log files, and measure AI visibility.

According to Malte, doing just SEO is not enough. "Geo" means understanding generative systems – how LLMs train, how they link entities, and which sources they draw upon. Training courses or a workshop with an AI search agency can help build the necessary expertise.

6. Tools & Tactics: From Classic SEO Tools to AI Optimization

Classic SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Sistrix remain relevant because they show you how users search, which keywords drive traffic, and where your website has technical weaknesses. However, they only cover "old" metrics.

For AI visibility, you need additional tools: AI models and AI agents play a central role in analyzing and optimizing content, as they can evaluate large amounts of data and be used specifically for content optimization.

1. Prompt monitoring tools like peec.ai: They help you track your own prompts and analyze how AI systems assemble answers. These tools can identify the source that ChatGPT used for its answer and show where your brand is mentioned.

2. Source monitoring: Use tools or manual checks to keep entries on G2, OMR Reviews, or Wikipedia up to date.

3. Structured Data Validator: Regularly check if your schema markups (FAQ, LocalBusiness, Product) are correctly implemented – generative search systems read structured data.

4. Review Management System: AI systems increasingly cite real reviews. Make sure your reviews are authentic, up-to-date, and rich in keywords.

AI tools support content optimization by specifically identifying and analyzing long tail keywords to better align content with specific search queries and user intent.

Malte points out that many companies try to push their own FAQ pages in AI systems. However, LLMs prefer independent sources. Therefore, you should generate external reviews and specialist articles in addition to your own content.

7. Local Authority & Reviews: The Underestimated Lever

AI search systems use business listings (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing) and online reviews as primary sources. If opening hours, categories, or location data are inconsistent, you will not be displayed – no matter how good your content is.

Perplexity and SearchGPT like to cite reviews. Positive reviews with relevant details increase the likelihood that your brand will appear as a recommended option. Therefore, check regularly:

• Is your Google My Business data (name, address, phone number) consistent?

• Do you regularly collect new reviews and respond to them?

• Have you maintained your listings in business directories?

For B2B companies operating locally (e.g., consulting firms or specialized service providers), Local SEO remains essential. The iGrow SEO Agency offers Local SEO and gets companies into the top 3 of Google local search. Combined with AI search, this increases your visibility for searchers asking for "consulting in [city]."

Especially in the European market and in international markets, it is crucial for B2B companies to be visible in different markets through targeted optimization and thus benefit from current market trends in the field of AI search.

8. AI-Max and its Impact on B2B Marketing

With the advent of AI-Max, B2B companies are experiencing a real quantum leap in the way they reach and engage their target audiences. AI-Max combines cutting-edge artificial intelligence with machine learning, enabling unprecedented precision in the analysis of search queries and user behavior. In the B2B sector, this means companies can tailor their SEO strategies specifically to the needs of their target groups and significantly increase the visibility of their content in search engines.

A particular benefit of AI-Max lies in its ability to deliver relevant content and products at exactly the right time. The technology detects patterns in search behavior and dynamically adjusts content delivery – ensuring that potential B2B marketing customers are met exactly where they are in their customer journey. The result: the search for solutions becomes more efficient for B2B customers, while companies increase their reach and relevance in search results.

In addition, AI-Max supports B2B marketers in creating personalized ads and content. Through the intelligent analysis of data, companies can place their messages in an even more targeted manner, thereby increasing conversion rates. For B2B companies, this opens up the opportunity to sustainably improve not only visibility but also the quality of leads. Those who adapt their SEO strategies to the potential of AI-Max early on gain a decisive competitive advantage.

9. AI-Overviews: How New Search Engine Results Pages are Changing the Customer Journey

AI Overviews mark a paradigm shift in the way information in the B2B sector is presented and consumed. Instead of classic lists of links, these AI-generated overviews provide structured information tailored to the respective search query – in a format that is immediately understandable to the user. For B2B companies, this means the customer journey is significantly shortened, as potential customers reach relevant content and solutions faster.

The integration of AI Overviews into search offers companies the opportunity to massively increase their visibility and reach. Those who manage to have their content featured in these AI-powered overviews benefit from increased awareness among their target audience – thereby generating more leads and ultimately more revenue. Especially in the B2B sector, where complex products and services often require explanation, AI Overviews can help convey the most important information at a glance and accelerate decision-making processes.

To benefit from AI Overviews, companies must align their SEO strategies and content specifically with the new requirements. This means content must be clearly structured, precisely formulated, and enriched with relevant keywords. At the same time, it is important to emphasize your own expertise and authority in the respective market segment to be selected as a trusted source by AI systems. Those who recognize this development early and align their content strategy accordingly secure a decisive competitive advantage in the age of AI-powered search.

8. Content Strategy for AI Search: From Thought Leadership to W-Question Clusters

Content remains the core of all search strategies – even in the AI world. However, the way content is created and structured is changing.

8.1 Semantic Topic Clusters Instead of Just Keywords

In the past, marketers optimized individual pages for isolated keywords. In AI search, context is what matters: LLMs analyze how topics are related and check whether you cover a topic comprehensively. In the B2B sector in particular, the targeted creation of semantic topic clusters is crucial for increasing visibility amidst the growing use of AI tools by companies and securing a competitive advantage.

A semantic topic cluster strategy works like this:

1. Determine the main topic: e.g., "AI Search in B2B Marketing" (our main keyword).

2. Identify subtopics: "B2B Sales Funnel," "Prompt Monitoring," "Generative Engine Optimization," "Local Authority," "Reviews" – each as its own subpage or section.

3. Internal linking: Link from subtopics back to the main topic and vice versa. This strengthens your relevance.

A combination of blog posts, guides, case studies, and videos is particularly effective. On iGrow Marketing, you will find specific offers for B2B SaaS marketing that apply this cluster method.

8.2 Answering W-Questions

AI overviews favor content that answers specific questions. In the B2B sector especially, gathering information through AI-supported systems like ChatGPT and Perplexity plays a central role in efficiently answering W-questions. Therefore, create FAQ sections for your services and products. Use structured data (Schema.org/FAQ) to make the questions readable for search engines. Examples of W-questions:

• "How does AI search work in B2B marketing?"

• "What role do reviews play in generative search systems?"

• "What is GEO and how does it differ from classic SEO?"

8.3 Content Repurposing

Malte and Edin recommend repurposing a single piece of content into multiple formats: blog article, LinkedIn post, podcast, video, infographic. It should be noted that not all content material is suitable for every platform or format – the selection should be targeted and strategic. This is how you reach different platforms and increase the likelihood of being recognized by AI systems. A structured blog article can serve as a script for a YouTube video, whose transcript is then analyzed by ChatGPT.

9. Practical Examples: How iGrow & Webgrow Use AI Search

The work of igrow shows how AI Search works in practice. In our AI Search Agency, we optimize companies so that they appear as sources in ChatGPT & Co. Customers from the real estate, moving, or bookkeeping industries are cited in Perplexity; ChatGPT names them as trusted providers.

The case study "webgrow – AI SEO Agency from Vienna" shows how iGrow and WebHouse built a new brand called Webgrow. The goal was to combine AI visibility, local authority, and paid search. Thanks to this strategy, they received their first customer inquiries even before the official launch. The website webgrow.at focuses on AI-supported SEO systems, Local AEO, and entity mapping, making it an ideal landing page if you want to learn more about GEO optimization.

Another example: iGrow helped Nautika 1780 (a boat license school) to become visible in Mali Lošinj through multilingualism and AI-optimized SEO – an indication of how combined local and international strategies work. The success stories that iGrow shares on its blog make it clear that AI search is not just a buzzword, but already leads to leads and revenue today.

10. Conclusion: Act Now – AI Search is the Future of B2B Marketing

AI search systems are not a passing hype. They are fundamentally changing the search process: information is compressed, recommendations are made, and classic click paths are eliminated. For B2B companies, this means: visibility is created directly in the answer, not just on your website.

The key to success lies in an AI search strategy that combines SEO, content marketing, PR, data analysis, and local authority. Companies like iGrow and Webgrow show that it is already possible today to become visible in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. However, when implementing AI search strategies in B2B marketing, various challenges must be overcome – in particular, technological, ethical, and strategic aspects that require continuous adjustment of SEO and content strategies. Now is the ideal time to prep your team for GEO readiness, structure your content, and communicate your brand message consistently.