What 17M Search Responses Reveal About the Future of Discovery, And How We’re Adapting at Setsail | Conductor's Latest Report

When AI referral traffic first appeared in our dashboards, it barely crossed 1%. Most teams ignored it.

That was a mistake.

Conductor’s latest AEO / GEO Benchmarks report analyzed 17 million AI generated responses and over 100 million citations. The headline number? AI referral traffic accounts for just 1.08% of total website visits. That sounded insignificant.

In reality, it’s the early structural shift in how brand discovery works. Because the game isn’t about traffic anymore. It’s about visibility inside the answer. And that changes the whole concept.

1 | The 1% Everyone Is Misreading

AI referral traffic represents just over 1% of total web visits, growing about 1% month over month.

Most marketers see that and think:

“We’ll worry about it later.”

But here’s what that 1% actually represents:

• High intent users
  
  
• Pre qualified discovery
  
  
• Brand credibility inside AI systems
  
  
• Influence before the click
  
  

Users coming from LLMs and AI search engines convert at significantly higher rates than traditional traffic. That means AI search visibility isn’t a volume channel. It’s a leverage. And it is growing.

We’re now living in what the report calls a “parallel surface of visibility.”

Your website is no longer the first touchpoint. AI answers are.

If your brand isn’t cited, mentioned, or referenced in those answers, you’re invisible before the buyer even considers you.

That’s not a traffic problem.

That’s a positioning problem.

2 | SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s Expanding

Let’s clear something up.

Traditional SEO still drives the majority of traffic across industries. Organic search remains a core pillar especially in sectors like healthcare, communications, and industrial services.

But search is evolving.

AI Overviews now appear in roughly 25% of Google queries. In healthcare, that number jumps to nearly 49%.

Think about that.

Almost half of healthcare searches are influenced by AI generated summaries before a user scrolls.

We’ve seen this firsthand when working with clients in sensitive verticals like healthcare and public institutions. In these sectors, trust signals, structured content, and authoritative positioning aren’t optional, they determine whether you’re surfaced inside AI answers or ignored.

The future isn’t SEO vs AEO.

It’s SEO + Answer Engine Optimization.

3 | Authority Is the Real Algorithm

One of the most interesting findings from the benchmarks report?

Across industries, AI systems consistently cite:

• YouTube
  
  
• Reddit
  
  
• Amazon
  
  
• NerdWallet
  
  
• Mayo Clinic
  
  
• Deloitte
  
  
• Google
  
  

These aren’t “growth hack” brands. They are authority ecosystems.

We’ve applied the same principle inside our own campaigns.

When scaling Pear Tree Schools to over $1.2M in tuition leads through performance marketing, the breakthrough wasn’t just better ads.

It was clear.

• Structured messaging.
• Strong positioning.
• Content alignment across funnel stages.

AI systems reward the same clarity that humans convert on.

Authority is the multiplier.

4 | Industry Specific Shifts We’re Watching Closely

The benchmarks revealed interesting vertical trends:

Utilities & Infrastructure

AI Overviews appear frequently in utilities. AI engines prioritize highly technical, data rich sources.

When partnering with BC Hydro on strategic content and video production, we saw how critical structured, trustworthy communication is in regulated sectors. AI visibility here isn’t about clever copy, it's about institutional credibility.

Financial Services

Educational publishers like NerdWallet are winning AI citations over traditional banks.

Why?

Because AI models favor structured, explanatory, long form content.

For clients in analytics and financial technology, we’ve leaned into educational authority rather than pure product promotion. When you control the narrative around complex topics, you earn visibility across search surfaces.

E-Commerce

Consumer staples and retail brands like Amazon dominate AI citations.

If you’re competing in eCommerce like we have with brands such as Dost eBikes and EBike BC you can’t win by listing products alone.

You win with:

• Category authority
  
  
• Buyer guides
  
  
• Structured comparisons
  
  
• Educational depth
  
  

AI systems cite clarity, not catalogs.

5 | ChatGPT Dominates, But Don’t Chase Platforms

The report found that 87% of AI referral traffic currently comes from ChatGPT.

That doesn’t mean you optimize for ChatGPT specifically.

It means you build authority once and it compounds across platforms.

We don’t build separate strategies for every LLM.

We build structured ecosystems:

• Clear topical clusters
  
  
• High conversion landing architecture
  
  
• Authoritative long form content
  
  
• Video distribution
  
  
• Brand signals
  
  

That strategy benefits:

• Traditional SEO
  
  
• AI Overviews
  
  
• ChatGPT
  
  
• Perplexity
  
  
• Gemini
  
  
• Whatever comes next
  
  

Future proofing beats chasing trends.

6 | What We’ve Changed at Setsail

We didn’t wait for AI traffic to hit 10% before adapting.

Here’s what shifted internally:

1. We now evaluate AI visibility alongside organic performance.
Traffic alone is no longer the KPI.

2. We prioritize structured, high authority content builds.
Not filler blogs strategic clusters.

3. We align landing page messaging tightly to offer clarity.
Because if AI sends high intent traffic, conversion matters more than ever.

4. We integrate video more aggressively.
YouTube remains one of the most cited domains across AI search.

5. We treat authority as infrastructure.
Backlinks, brand mentions, content depth all compounding signals.

The result?

• Higher quality inbound.
• Stronger positioning.
• Shorter sales cycles.

Across clients in education, utilities, eCommerce, and B2B services, the common thread is simple:

Clarity + Authority + Execution wins.

7 | The 10 Minute Executive Summary

• AI referral traffic is small but strategically powerful.
  
  
• AI Overviews now influence roughly 1 in 4 searches.
  
  
• Healthcare, finance, and utilities see even higher AI presence.
  
  
• Authority ecosystems dominate AI citations.
  
  
• Structured content beats surface level marketing.
  
  
• SEO isn’t dying, it's expanding into generative search optimization.
  
  
• Brands that adapt now will control visibility before the click.
  
  

The future of search isn’t about ranking #1.

It’s about being the brand AI trusts enough to cite.

Ready to Strengthen Your AI Visibility?

If your strategy still revolves around rankings and monthly reports, you’re optimizing for yesterday.

At Setsail, we build:

• Revenue first SEO strategies
  
  
• Conversion driven landing ecosystems
  
  
• Structured authority frameworks
  
  
• AI ready visibility systems
  
  

We don’t just drive traffic.

We position brands across every discovery surface.

Book a strategy session and we’ll assess:

• Where you stand in AI search visibility
  
  
• How your content ecosystem compares to competitors
  
  
• What structural gaps are holding you back
  
  

If we don’t believe we can strengthen your positioning, we’ll tell you straight.

Because confident marketing isn’t about chasing trends.

It’s about building authority that compounds whether the click happens or not.

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