Will AI Search Replace Google for Financial Advisors?

You’ve probably seen the headlines and hot takes like these:

“AI is killing search.”

“No one uses Google anymore.”

“If you aren’t showing up in ChatGPT, you won’t win clients anymore.”

I love a hot take as much as the next guy, but let’s put on the brakes a bit. The data doesn’t support this type of alarmist shouting.

Will AI Search Replace Google for Financial Advisors?

Let’s look at the facts. These stats are from recent research done by SparkToro.

• 21% of Americans are heavy AI users (10+ visits/month). BUT along with AI use growing, heavy traditional search use is also growing! It’s up from 84% to 87% of the Internet population. Pretty stunning given how old Google is that it’s still growing.

• AI adoption has slowed a bit. AI usage quintupled over the last 2.5 years, but hasn’t posted a 1.1X+ growth month since September 2024. With early adopters now bought in, the rest of the market seems to be entering cautiously.

• Search queries keep climbing. Average number of searches per person across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo are going up. People still crave information, and they’ve got years of muscle memory built in for where to go when they need to get it.

If you take nothing else away from this blog, remember this: AI isn’t replacing search.

Image via SparkToro

But—a caveat. While search isn’t being replaced, trends we’ve been seeing for years are accelerating. More people are getting answers they need without needing to click to a website. Plus, there are more options for finding answers than ever.

So what we’re seeing is that AI is expanding the ways people find answers. Which means there are more channels than ever for your brand to either show up or stay invisible.

Just because AI isn’t replacing traditional search yet doesn’t mean you can bury your head in the sand.

You’re at the precipice of an opportunity to strengthen your brand and position yourself for success 10 years from now.

Visibility Depends on Authority

If you’ve been invisible to Google, you won’t magically show up in ChatGPT. AI aggregates data, often from search engines, but it goes an extra step beyond just reporting the top 10 results.

That’s because AI doesn’t care about clever keyword tricks, it cares about authority.

AI wants to know:

• Do other people cite you?
• How do people talk about you?
• Do you consistently publish content that shows up in credible places?

That’s what machines are trained on and (spoiler alert) it’s what humans trust too.

How to Build Authority That Surfaces Everywhere

Brand bundling isn’t an overnight success story. But there are three foundational things you can do (today and everyday) to build your authority and establish yourself as a trusted discoverable source for your ideal clients.

1. Start with clarity. If your brand message isn’t simple and aimed directly at your ideal client, stop your marketing and fix it. I live by the adage “Confused buyers never buy.” Be clear.

2. Own your content. Publish original work on your website regularly. It’s your home base and your digital proof-of-existence. It needs to prove your worth.

3. Earn trust signals. Contribute to trusted industry publications, be a guest on podcasts, and set up a valid PR strategy so you show up in relevant places. AND make sure you focus on client testimonials and reviews, especially for your Google Business profile. These types of mentions aren’t vanity metrics, they’re the authority signals that Google and AI love to reference.

Do these three things consistently, and you’ll start surfacing in the right places for the right people.