For years, search engines have been the primary gateway to the internet. People typed in keywords, scanned results, and clicked through to find what they needed. That was the “search and click” era.
Today, we’re entering a new phase shaped by large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Users simply ask a question and get a synthesized, conversational answer. No scrolling through blue links. No comparing ten open tabs. Just… ask and get.
This shift is changing how people discover information and how brands must think about being found.
In the search and click model, visibility depends on keyword targeting so your content matches the phrases people type. On-page optimization also matters, with strong titles, headings, meta descriptions, and image alt text helping search engines understand your pages.
Authority plays a role too. Credible sites linking back to yours signal trust. Technical SEO, like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and schema markup, ensures your site is accessible and easy to index. And content needs to stay fresh to keep pace with changing search trends.
In the ask and get model, the journey is different. An LLM pulls information from its training data and sometimes from live sources. It blends these into a single, conversational answer and may or may not include a link to your brand.
Here, the goal is to be included in that generated answer. This means creating clear, factually accurate content in an authoritative voice. It also means structuring explanations so they are easy for AI to understand and consistently publishing on topics where you want to be seen as a trusted source.
Search engines rank pages and reward those that best match intent and authority. LLMs generate answers in real time, drawing from multiple sources and rewriting them into one narrative.
With search, the goal is to earn the click. With LLMs, the goal is to be in the answer, whether or not a click happens. This difference shifts the focus from keyword-heavy tactics to clarity, credibility, and brand recognition.
The fundamentals still matter in both worlds. Authority is key. Clear, structured writing makes your content easier to process, whether by a search algorithm or a language model. And depth counts — surface-level answers are less likely to earn trust in either environment.
The winning strategy is to create content that works in both contexts. That means writing for people first, while ensuring your content is structured in a way both search engines and LLMs can use.
We are already seeing more answer-without-click moments, where people get the information they need instantly without visiting the original source. In 2024, nearly 60% of Google searches ended without a click, according to Search Engine Land. That’s a clear signal that visibility is no longer only about driving traffic, but also about making sure your brand is remembered in the moment the answer is delivered.
As LLMs continue to evolve, citation policies, source transparency, and monetization models will likely emerge. The brands preparing now will have an advantage when that happens.
