Should AI Search Be a Channel in Your 2027 Marketing Plan?

For most B2B and professional services businesses, the answer is yes: AI search has earned its own line in your 2027 marketing plan, with its own goals, owner, and metrics. There's one condition where it isn't worth the effort yet: if your brand foundations aren't in place. If you can't clearly and consistently explain what you do, who you do it for, and why you're different, start there. AI can only recommend a business it can describe, and it can't describe a business that hasn't described itself.

It’s planning season. Right now, plenty of business owners and marketing leaders are sitting down with a spreadsheet, a strong coffee, and the best of intentions to map out next year. (I’ll confess that my own planning spreadsheet has more tabs than any reasonable person needs.)

In almost every planning conversation I’ve had with clients this month, the same question has come up: “Do we need to be doing something about AI search?”

My answer is yes, but probably not in the way you’d expect. This isn’t about chasing a shiny new tactic. It’s about making a deliberate, strategic decision about where AI search fits in your business, and then doing it properly.

If you’ve read Marketing Strategy for AI Search and How to Show Up in AI Search, you already know how to show up. This blog goes back to the question that comes first: does AI search belong in your plan, how big is it for your business, and what will it take?

Should We Add AI Search as a Marketing Channel?

For the majority of B2B and professional services businesses, yes. Here’s why 2027 is the year it moves from “interesting experiment” to a planned channel.

Australians are already using it. Telsyte’s Australian Artificial Intelligence Study 2026 found 17.4 million Australians now use AI, and 12% say an AI tool is their main way of finding information online, up from 5% a year earlier. YouGov’s 2026 report on how Australians search found 72% of Australian online searchers use an AI assistant at some point when they search, and more than a third start at least one search a day with one.

Your B2B buyers are there too. Research from Responsive found a quarter of B2B buyers now use generative AI more than traditional search when researching suppliers, and nearly two-thirds use it as much as or more than search.

Buyers still check the facts. This is the part I find most useful for planning. YouGov found only 15% of Australians stop at the AI answer. Instead, they tend to use AI to build a shortlist, then check websites, reviews and other sources before they decide. Global B2B research from TrustRadius tells the same story: 94% of buyers fact-check what AI tells them. So AI decides who makes the shortlist, and your website, reviews and reputation still do the convincing. You need both working together.

You can finally measure it. In 2026, Google added AI reporting to two free tools you probably already have access to: Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console. A channel you can measure is a channel you can plan, budget for and hold to account. (More on both below.)

A quick reality check, so we keep this in proportion: AI chatbots still send a small share of Australian website traffic compared with search engines. Statcounter puts it at under half a percent in May 2026, against around 90% for search. That’s no reason to ignore AI search. It’s the reason to plan for it now, while it’s growing and while plenty of your competitors are still sitting on the sidelines.

What Are Australian Businesses Doing About AI Search?

Plenty of Australian SMEs are using AI to create their marketing, but very few are planning how to be found by it.

Thryv’s 2025 Business Index and Consumer Report found 59% of Australian small and medium businesses already use AI tools. The same research uncovered a telling gap: 72% of Australian SMBs believe they have a strong online presence, but only 49% of Australian consumers agree.

That gap matters even more in an AI search world. AI tools pull together what your website, Google Business Profile, reviews and social profiles say about you. If those sources are thin, out of date or saying different things, AI is less likely to recommend you.

Why this is your opportunity

This is the part that gets me excited for my clients.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Gemini for a recommendation, they don’t get ten pages of results. They get a short answer that names a handful of businesses. There are far fewer spots on that list, and right now only a small number of businesses are competing for them in any planned way.

That creates a real opening, and businesses that think strategically about AI search in 2027 can lead their category, show up when buyers are building their shortlist, and turn that visibility into more (and better) leads, more sales conversations and stronger revenue growth.

For small and medium businesses, there’s a bonus. AI tools favour clarity and specificity over size. A focused Brisbane business with a clear message, strong reviews and genuinely helpful content can be recommended ahead of a much bigger competitor with a much bigger budget.

The catch is that there’s no shortcut to getting there, and the businesses that win will be the ones that build on solid foundations before they jump into activity.

Foundations First: There’s a Process Before the Activity

Here’s a pattern I’ve been noticing across my client work and in conversations with my wider business community this year, and it’s one I’ve been making plenty of notes about. A business owner reads about AI search, feels a little anxious (which is completely fair), and jumps straight into activity: a new tool, a burst of blog posts, a round of FAQ pages. Three months later nothing has moved, and AI search ends up in the “tried it, didn’t work” pile.

The problem is rarely the activity itself. More often, the activity started before the strategy was in place.

At Hunter Marketing Co., we believe most businesses don’t need more marketing; they need an expert to lead it. That’s why every channel, AI search included, goes through the same five-step process before anyone starts creating content:

• Audit and uncover: we assess your current marketing, your market and your competitors to find the gaps, the opportunities and the sharpest path to differentiation. For AI search, this includes checking how AI tools currently describe your business and your competitors.
• Workshop and strategise: we share the research insights and run a collaborative session to align on direction, so the strategy reflects your business rather than a generic playbook. This is where we decide whether AI search earns its place in your plan.
• Shape the plan: you see the draft plan, share your feedback, and we refine it into a smart, sustainable strategy that’s ready to put to work.
• Set the systems and guide implementation: we put the frameworks, tools and rhythms in place that make consistent marketing happen. We hold the standard while your team holds the work, or we help you build a team if you don’t have one yet.
• Guide and grow: a strategy is only as good as what follows it, so we stay alongside you, measure progress against your goals and sharpen the approach as you grow. This is where an ongoing partnership does its best work.

Getting the foundations right first is what makes AI search work. AI rewards clarity and consistency, and you can’t be consistent about a message you haven’t defined.

What Is an AI-Search-First Go-to-Market Strategy?

An AI-search-first go-to-market (GTM) strategy plans your positioning, content and proof around the questions buyers ask AI assistants, so your business makes the shortlist before a buyer ever reaches your website.

The big change is where the planning starts. Traditional SEO starts with keywords. AI search starts with real questions, typed in full sentences: “Who’s a good marketing strategy partner for a Brisbane manufacturer?” or “Should I hire a fractional CMO or an agency?”

My view for small and medium businesses is that you don’t need to go AI-search-first, but you do need to be AI-search-aware. For many of my clients, Google, referrals, email and LinkedIn are still doing the heavy lifting. The smart move is to give AI search its own line in the plan and let it work alongside those channels, rather than rebuilding everything around it.

How Do You Build a GTM Strategy Around AI Search and AI Assistants?

Once your foundations are in place, keep it to five moves:

• Collect the real questions: pull the questions buyers ask on sales calls, in enquiry emails and in proposals. These are the prompts they’re typing into AI tools.
• Match each question to a page: every important question deserves a clear, direct answer on your website, in a service page, blog post or FAQ.
• Make your proof easy to find: case studies with real numbers, named client testimonials and recent Google reviews give AI something credible to repeat.
• Say the same thing everywhere: your website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and social bios should describe your business in close to the same words.
• Measure monthly: track the numbers below and adjust your content each quarter.

If you’d like the detailed checklist, you’ll find it in How to Show Up in AI Search.

How to Size AI Search for Your Business

Before you decide how much time and budget AI search deserves, work out how big it is for your buyers. You can do this in an afternoon.

• Ask your recent clients: contact your last 10 to 20 new clients and ask one simple question: “Before you got in touch, did you use ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or another AI tool to research the problem or the providers?” The percentage who say yes is your working estimate of how many buyers ask an AI assistant before they search Google.
• Test your own visibility: type 10 of your buyers’ real questions into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot. Note whether your business is named, whether a competitor is named instead, and whether what the AI says about you is accurate.
• Check your AI traffic in GA4: see how many visits and enquiries AI assistants are already sending you.
• Check your AI visibility in Search Console: see how often Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are already showing your pages.

Then use your client survey number as a planning guide:

• Under 10% of buyers using AI: keep AI search light-touch and fold it into your existing SEO and content work.
• 10% to 30%: give it its own line in the plan, with quarterly goals and a named owner.
• Over 30%: treat it as a priority channel, with dedicated content, proof-building and monthly reporting to leadership.

What to Measure in GA4

In GA4, go to Reports, then Acquisition, then Traffic acquisition, and look for the AI Assistant row. Google added this channel in May 2026. Track two numbers each month: visits from AI assistants, and the enquiries, bookings or downloads those visits lead to.

There’s one caveat worth knowing, which is to treat this number as your floor, not your ceiling. GA4 only catches visits from AI tools it recognises, and clicks from Google’s own AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted as Organic Search instead. Your web or analytics specialist can set up a custom report to capture more of it.

The Free Tool You’re Probably Not Using: Google Search Console

Nearly every business owner I work with knows their way around GA4. Fewer have opened Google Search Console, and if that’s you, you’re in good company.

Search Console is Google’s free tool that shows how your website performs in Google search: which searches you appear for, how often, and which pages show up. If you don’t have access, ask your web developer to set it up or add you as a user. It takes about ten minutes.

Since mid-2026, Search Console has included a Generative AI performance report (you’ll find it under Performance). It shows how often your pages appeared in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, and which pages earned those appearances. In plain terms, it tells you which of your content Google’s AI trusts enough to draw on, and where the gaps are. For anyone planning AI search in 2027, it’s the single most useful report you’re probably not looking at yet.

What Does AI Search Cost Compared With Paid Search and Social?

The main cost of AI search is time, not media spend. Here’s how it compares with the two channels it most often competes with for budget:

The set-up covers an audit of how AI currently describes you, fixing any inconsistencies in your message across your profiles, and building your core question-and-answer pages.

After that, if AI search is a genuine focus for your business, plan on around eight hours a month to do it properly. That time covers reviewing your GA4 and Search Console data, researching blog topics from your buyers’ real questions, writing and reviewing the content, publishing and sharing it, and checking how it performed.

The good news is that much of that work builds on what you already have. Your case studies, testimonials, blog posts and Google reviews are the raw materials. It’s often more about organising and sharpening those assets than starting from scratch.

And no, AI search won’t replace paid search. Paid search is a tap you turn on when you need leads now. AI search is closer to an asset that builds value over time. A strong 2027 plan uses both and decides the balance based on your sizing numbers rather than just your gut feel.

How We Build AI Search Into a 12-Month Marketing Plan

At Hunter Marketing Co., AI search sits inside your marketing plan as a channel in its own right, with goals tied to your commercial targets. In the first quarter, we size it and get your foundations right: a clear brand message, consistent profiles, and a baseline in GA4 and Search Console. In the second quarter, we build content that answers your buyers’ real questions. The third quarter is all about proof: case studies, reviews, and the credibility signals AI looks for. The fourth quarter is measurement and refinement, so you head into your next plan with real data instead of guesswork. Throughout the year, someone senior owns the channel and reports on it in commercial terms, which is exactly the role a Fractional CMO or Fractional Marketing Officer plays. If you’d like this built into your 2027 plan, our 6-12 Month Marketing Strategy & Implementation Plan is designed to do exactly that.

Not Ready for a Full Strategy Yet?

Remember the one condition I mentioned at the start: if your foundations aren’t in place yet, a 12-month AI search plan isn’t the right place to begin, and a clear, written marketing plan is.

Marketing Plan in a Day & Brand Photos returns in February 2027, and it’s designed for exactly this moment. In one focused group day, you’ll nail your marketing foundations, create or refresh your offers, map out your 12-month marketing activity, and leave with a clear 90-day timeline to get moving. You’ll also walk away with fresh professional brand photos to use across your website, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, and every other marketing channel, plus the chance to connect with other growth-focused business owners in the room. A clear plan and consistent, professional images across every profile give you a strong foundation for AI search, and for every other channel too. If you’d like to start the year with momentum, now is the time to secure your place.

If you’d prefer to work one-on-one, my 1:1 Marketing Plan in a Day covers the same foundations, offers, 12-month activity plan, and 90-day timeline, tailored entirely to your business.

AI Search Planning FAQs

Will AI search replace Google?

AI search won’t replace Google in 2027. Google still delivers the bulk of search traffic for Australian businesses, and its own AI Overviews and AI Mode are part of AI search. Think of AI search as an extra layer on top of your existing search work, rather than a replacement for it.

Does AI search matter for local Brisbane businesses?

It does, particularly for considered purchases. Buyers ask AI tools for recommendations by location (“best marketing strategy consultants in Brisbane”), and AI pulls heavily from your Google Business Profile, reviews, and website to answer.

How long does AI search take to show results?

Plan for it to build over months rather than weeks, the same way SEO does. That’s why it belongs in a 12-month plan with quarterly checkpoints, rather than a one-off campaign.

Ready to Plan 2027 With AI Search in the Mix?

If you’re writing next year’s plan right now, this is the moment to decide where AI search fits, before the budget is locked in. Get it right, and you’ll be the business AI recommends while your competitors are still wondering where their leads went.

At Hunter Marketing Co., we’re Brisbane-based marketing strategy consultants working with growth-focused businesses Australia-wide as their marketing strategy partner, from planning right through to implementation support and accountability.

Explore our 6-12 Month Marketing Strategy & Implementation Plan, or book a discovery call, and let’s work out how big AI search is for your buyers and where it belongs in your 2027 marketing plan.