In an exciting episode of GrowCast, Edin from iGrow and Malte Landwehr (CMO of peec.ai, formerly Idealo & Searchmetrics) discuss how SEO, B2B marketing, and sales funnels are transforming – and what businesses MUST do NOW to stay visible in the AI era. You can find the entire episode in video format here:

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

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

The transformation in B2B marketing opens up new opportunities: By strategically using AI technologies and AI search engines like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, companies can sustainably drive their growth. These innovative tools transform the buyer journey, optimize search behavior, and offer B2B companies the opportunity to strengthen their market position and reach new target audiences.

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

1. AI Search is Reality – SEO is Evolving

AI overviews and generative answers are no longer trivial. Studies show that Google now provides AI overviews in over 13% of desktop search queries. Instead of a list of links, users receive a summary generated from multiple sources that delivers direct answers. Google processed over 5 trillion search queries in 2024, while ChatGPT handles only 37.5 million prompts daily. Even though most journeys still begin with Google, these numbers showcase how quickly AI-driven search is growing.

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

In the podcast, Malte Landwehr emphasizes that SEO is not dead, but evolving: AI-based search systems lead to zero-click search results. In the USA, UK, and India, Google is testing the AI Mode, which breaks questions into subtopics, executes multiple searches in parallel, and generates in-depth content. The result: Fewer users click on links – many already receive all the information in the overview.

Thus, the traditional channel "Click → Landing Page → Funnel" can completely disappear.

Practical Example

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

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

In the B2B sector, purchasing decisions traditionally go through several stages: from the search query through landing pages, whitepaper downloads, product comparisons to demo bookings. More and more B2B buyers are using AI tools to research independently and make informed decisions faster. AI tools like ChatGPT or Google's AI Mode compress the funnel. Users ask a question, receive a single, personalized recommendation, and book a demo directly – without visiting additional sources.

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

New KPI: AI Visibility

Until now, marketers measured success based on rankings, clicks, and sessions. In the AI era, new metrics are needed: New SEO metrics, such as the frequency of brand mentions in AI overviews and analyzing performance in AI-assisted search environments, become increasingly important for recognizing optimization potentials and enhancing the efficiency of measures. How often is your brand mentioned in AI overviews? Which prompts reference you? Tools like peec.ai or the 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 of iGrow emphasizes that visibility today hinges on trust, context, and semantic relevance – no longer just keywords. Implementing an AI search strategy lets you achieve leads "without clicks" – the brand appears directly in the response.

3. Measuring AI Visibility Instead of Just Pageviews

While SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs remain useful, they are not sufficient to capture AI visibility. Monitoring shifts into three areas:

1. Logfile Analysis: In server logs, you can identify whether user agents from ChatGPT, Perplexity or Bing are fetching your website. Increasing crawls increase the likelihood of being considered a source.

2. Prompt Monitoring: Create your own prompts for core questions of your target audience (e.g. "Best B2B Marketing Automation Software for SMEs") and observe if 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 draw information from third-party sources like G2, OMR Reviews, or specialized portals. Ensure these sites contain accurate and consistent information about you. Malte warns against pushing only proprietary sources like blog posts or support pages – this quickly appears as spam and is ignored by LLMs.

To assess 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 Be Cited in AI Systems

LLMs learn from billions of texts, drawing conclusions from the correlations between terms and entities. If your brand is described somewhere as a "marketing automation software," elsewhere as an "email marketing tool," and again as a "smart marketing helper," an unclear brand image emerges.

Malte suggests ensuring all company representations are consistent – from the website to press releases, LinkedIn profiles to Wikipedia entries, and Google My Business. A clear structure of the company's portrayal is crucial for AI systems to correctly capture and process the information. 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 deemed trustworthy. Apart from your own website, these include:

• Professional journals, industry blogs, and news portals

• Wikipedia and Crunchbase entries

• Experiences 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 particularly relevant for strengthening visibility and expert authority in the digital space.

Position yourself as an expert and invest in digital PR. Regularly publishing guest articles, speaking at conferences, and distributing your content in various formats (blog, video, podcast) create a complete brand story. The more often LLMs encounter your brand in trusted contexts, the greater the likelihood of you being cited.

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. Generative AI and AI-SEO play a central role in this since they allow the analysis, personalization, and continuous optimization of SEO strategies using artificial intelligence and machine learning, thus improving visibility in new search systems. The AI Search Agency of iGrow explains that GEO does not replace SEO, but expands it. The goal is to prepare your content so that ChatGPT, Perplexity, DeepSeek & Co. use it as a source.

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. Especially SEO teams play a central role as they recognize and implement the strategic importance of GEO and AI Search for visibility and decision-making in the company.

• Content Marketing: Storytelling, copywriting, and multimedia production are crucial for explaining complex topics clearly. It's about answering "W questions" and sensibly linking entities.

• PR & Digital Authority: The team must know how to orchestrate press work, guest articles, and reviews to be perceived as a source.

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

According to Malte, it's not sufficient to conduct SEO alone. "Geo" means understanding generative systems – how LLMs train, how they link entities, and which sources they use. Training or a workshop with an AI Search Agency helps build the necessary know-how.

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

Classic SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Sistrix remain relevant as they show how users search, what 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 content analysis and optimization, as they evaluate large data sets and can be specifically used for content optimization.

1. Prompt Monitoring Tools like peec.ai: They help you track and analyze your prompts, understanding how AI systems compile answers. These tools can identify the source ChatGPT used for its response 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 whether your schema markups (FAQ, LocalBusiness, Product) are correctly implemented – generative search systems read structured data.

4. Review Management System: AI systems increasingly cite genuine reviews. Ensure your reviews are authentic, up-to-date, and keyword-rich.

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

Malte points out that many companies try to push their own FAQ pages into AI systems. But LLMs prefer independent sources. Thus, besides own content, you should also generate external reviews and expert articles.

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 of your brand appearing as a recommended option. Regularly check:

• Are 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 industry 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 helps companies secure a top 3 spot in Google's local search. Combined with AI Search, this increases your visibility to searchers looking for "consulting in [city]."

Especially in the European market and 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 AI Search.

8. AI-Max and Its Impact on B2B Marketing

With the advent of AI-Max, B2B companies experience a real quantum leap in how they reach and engage their target audiences. AI-Max combines state-of-the-art artificial intelligence with machine learning, enabling unprecedented precision in analyzing search queries and user behavior. In the B2B realm, this means companies can tailor their SEO strategies precisely to the needs of their target audiences and significantly increase the visibility of their content in search engines.

A particular advantage of AI-Max is the ability to deliver relevant content and products at exactly the right time. The technology recognizes patterns in search behavior and dynamically adjusts the delivery of content – so potential B2B customers are reached 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.

Furthermore, AI-Max supports B2B marketers in creating personalized ads and content. Through intelligent data analysis, companies can place their messages even more precisely and raise conversion rates. For B2B companies, this opens up the possibility of not only improving visibility but also enhancing lead quality sustainably. Those who adapt their SEO strategies early to the potentials of AI-Max gain a decisive edge in competition.

9. AI-Overviews: How New Search Result Pages Alter the Customer Journey

AI-Overviews mark a paradigm shift in how information in the B2B sector is presented and consumed. Instead of classic link lists, these overviews generated by artificial intelligence provide structured, search query-specific information – and in a form readily understandable by users. For B2B companies, this means: The customer journey is significantly shortened since potential customers quickly reach the content and solutions relevant to them.

The integration of AI-Overviews into search offers companies the chance to massively increase their visibility and reach. Those who manage to be present with their content in these AI-assisted overviews benefit from increased awareness among the target group – 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 to 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 underscore their own expertise and authority in the respective market segment to be selected by AI systems as a trustworthy source. Those who recognize this development early and align their content strategy accordingly secure a competitive advantage in the era of AI-powered search.

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

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

10.1 Semantic Topic Clusters Instead of Just Keywords

Previously, marketers optimized individual pages for isolated keywords. In AI search, context counts: LLMs analyze how topics are interconnected and examine whether you cover a topic comprehensively. In the B2B sector, the targeted formation of semantic topic clusters is crucial to increase visibility with the growing use of AI tools by companies and secure a competitive advantage.

A semantic topic cluster strategy works as follows:

1. Determine 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 sub-page or section.

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

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

10.2 Answering W Questions

AI overviews favor content that answers specific questions. Particularly in the B2B sector, information gathering through AI-powered 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?"

10.3 Content Repurposing

Malte and Edin recommend transforming a single content piece into multiple formats: Blog article, LinkedIn post, podcast, video, infographic. When repurposing content, it's essential to consider that not every piece is suitable for every platform or format – selection should be strategic and targeted. This way, you reach different platforms and increase the chances of being recognized by AI systems. A structured blog article can serve as a script for a YouTube video, whose transcript can then be evaluated by ChatGPT.

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

iGrow's work demonstrates 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 accounting sectors are cited in Perplexity; ChatGPT references 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 initial customer inquiries even before the official launch. The website webgrow.at focuses on AI-supported SEO systems, local AEO, and entity mapping and is an ideal landing page if you want to learn more about GEO optimization.

Another example: By leveraging multilingualism and AI-optimized SEO, iGrow helped Nautika 1780 (a boat license school) become visible in Mali Lošinj – an indication of how locally and internationally combined strategies work. The success stories iGrow shares on the blog demonstrate that AI Search is not just a buzzword but already leading to leads and revenue today.

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

AI search systems are not a passing hype. They fundamentally change the search process: Information is compressed, recommendations are made, and classical click paths are eliminated. For B2B companies, this means: Visibility arises directly in the response, 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 demonstrate that it is already possible to be visible in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. When implementing AI search strategies in B2B marketing, however, various challenges need to be overcome – especially technological, ethical, and strategic aspects that require continuous adaptation of SEO and content strategies. Now is the ideal time to prepare your team for GEO readiness, structure your content, and consistently communicate your brand message.