When customers receive a response directly from ChatGPT, Google, and other AI services, it might be natural to ask whether the website still has any value. According to David Aleksandersen at Spring Agency The answer is a clear yes. But the role of the website is about to change: It should not only generate traffic, but also document expertise, build trust and make it easy to make a decision.
The way we search for information is rapidly changing. Previously, many customer journeys started with a search on Google, followed by visits to several websites. Now, more and more of the research is done in a chatbot or an AI-based search.
In the webinar Is the website still relevant when there is so much AI?, which is part of Aggrators Briefly, the series, ," explains David Aleksandersen, Chief Revenue Officer and growth advisor at Spring Agency, what this development means for businesses that will be found, evaluated, and selected.
His main message is clear: The website is still crucial. But it has taken on a different role in the customer journey.
The customer journey begins somewhere else
AI services increasingly provide the user with a ready-made answer. Thus, the user does not necessarily need to click their way to a website to obtain basic information. This is often referred to as «zero-click»: The user receives the answer directly in the search results or the AI tool. For businesses, this can mean less traffic from traditional searches.
But less traffic does not automatically mean that the website has become less important.
Alexandersen describes a customer journey where the user first asks an AI service about current suppliers. Then the user explores some of the options that come up through Google, LinkedIn, and the suppliers’ own websites.
The website thus does not necessarily become the first point of contact. It becomes the place where the customer checks whether the recommendation from the AI tool is actually correct.
Those who visit the website can therefore be further along in the buying process than before. They are not just looking for general information; they are assessing whether the business is trustworthy, relevant, and capable of delivering.
The website has become the place where trust is decided
Aleksandersen warns against interpreting the development as a reason to reduce the website to a minimum. On the contrary, he believes that businesses should have a solid website with relevant and up-to-date content. He describes the website as a proof archive: a place that documents that the business can actually deliver what it promises, or what an AI service claims it can deliver.
This means that the website must contain more than general descriptions of products and services. It should provide potential customers with concrete reasons to trust the business.
It could be:
- Case studies and documented results
- References and statements from customers
- Clear information about products and services
- Prices or indicative «from-prices»
- Demonstrations and ordering options
- Calculators or other tools that make the value visible
- Easy-to-access contact information
- Clear next step
In other words, the website’s primary task shifts from traffic to decision-making. It is intended to help an interested visitor feel confident enough to book an appointment, request a demonstration, make contact, or complete a purchase.
SEO is not going away, but it is being replaced by GEO
Traditional search engine optimization remains important. According to Aleksandersen, many of the same principles apply when businesses want to be visible in generative search engines and AI services.
This is often referred to as GEO: Generative Engine Optimization.
Businesses still need to:
- Building authority
- Demonstrate relevant expertise
- Publishing content that the target audience actually needs
- Keep the content up to date
- Make the information easy to find and understand
The difference is that the content must not only be understood by humans and traditional search engines; it must also be correctly interpreted by AI services.
Therefore, the technical structure becomes even more important. Products, services, people, articles, and other information should be labeled and organized in a clear way. Aleksandersen highlights structured data and schema markup as tools that can help machines understand what the content is about.
Businesses should also ensure that technical settings do not unintentionally prevent AI bots or search engines from finding the content. For example, a misconfigured robots.txt file can limit what is read and indexed.
It’s not enough to be visible on your own website
AI models do not necessarily only consider what the company says about itself. Aleksandersen emphasizes the importance of third-party sources: places where others review, evaluate, or discuss the company, its products, or the field of study.
It could be:
- LinkedIn profiles and posts
- discussions in professional circles and forums
- product reviews and user reviews
- industry websites
- media coverage
- customer's own experiences and recommendations
Such sources can help confirm that an entity actually possesses the expertise and position it claims to have.
This makes visibility a larger ecosystem. The website is the core, but it must be supported by professional activity and credible reviews elsewhere.
The website is still relevant. It has gone from being a digital brochure and traffic destination to becoming the company’s most important source of documentation, trust, and conversions.
The article is based on the transcribed material. The webinar.