AI & Search – Part 2 – Your Customers Search Differently

Continuing with the current series

• Part 1 – AI Search Has Gone Mainstream https://bit.ly/4mwgj5e

Welcome to Part 2 in this AI & Search series – Your customers all search differently. Your strategy should acknowledge that.

Key insight

There’s no such thing as an “average” AI searcher. Research uncovered six archetypes who search in different ways — and expect brands to meet them where they are. They are:

• The Creator: Uses AI for ideation and content generation.
• The Explorer: Relies on AI to go deep, discover, and expand.
• The Price Shopper: Seeks deals, comparisons, and quick decisions.
• The Social Proof Seeker: Prioritizes reviews and recommendations.
• The Traditionalist: Trusts conventional engines for structured, factual answers.
• The Accidental Searcher: Starts from social or passive browsing, then acts.

Why it matters

Not every customer wants the same thing from search. Understanding these mindsets lets you craft tailored content and data strategies for each type of searcher. This helps brands deliver what each person needs — when and where they want it.

What to do now

Build a search strategy that meets every customer. From detail-driven Explorers to value-focused Price Shoppers, every searcher has different needs — and meeting those needs requires more than showing up. It requires showing up strategically, with content and data tailored to each searcher’s intent and journey.

To illustrate with an example: The Explorer thrives on depth, discovery, and context. To win with this archetype, brands could focus on creating rich, informative content that helps the Explorer go deeper. Think interactive FAQs, detailed guides, explainer videos, or use-case-driven blog posts. 

The Social Proof seeker, on the other hand, relies on reviews, testimonials, and community consensus to make decisions. For this archetype, visibility in the right places isn’t enough; your brand needs to be endorsed by real voices. That means cultivating recent, high-quality reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and social media — and making sure those reviews are easy for AI tools to find and interpret. Just as importantly, reviews influence not only people but algorithms: AI models increasingly factor them into rankings and recommendations. 

How does your business move forward from here?

• Q&A
  • Is the above in place for your business success, as provided for internally and/or via external implementation partners?
    • If not, what are the risks to your business? 
    • If so, whether partially or in totality, what opportunities are there to sustain your business? And grow your business ? 
  • Implementation partners are in place, but is there strategic direction?
    • If not, how will the component parts collectively pursue and deliver on what is required by your business?
    • If so, who owns and who manages the strategy? Where does the understanding sit?

We are honest and transparent as to why we have put out this article. Yes it should be an asset to the industry and customers of our industry, but we also need to do business for many of the same reasons you do. So here is our ask.

Seeking one of multiple of a digital strategist, or digital strategy, web development company, a social media company, a digital marketing agency, a traditional marketing agency, an integrated agency or a service provider that can bring AI to your business at the current level needed whilst allowing for future changes?

Why you should consider 3G’s Branding Consulting Digital and Marketing Head Outsource

• All founders have been in marketing, branding, business management and digital online communication since the mid 1990’s
• Principals daily hands-on involvement
• Qualifications include
  • BComm. Marketing
  • Design Diplomas
  • Program in eCommerce
  • BTech Multimedia
  • IT Specific Project Management (Levels 1 -3)
  • Technology Qualifications
• Clients have included amongst others:
  • B2B 
  • B2C
  • Multi-Nationals
  • JSE listed companies
  • Government agencies
  • National Lottery South Africa
  • Gautrain
  • Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME)
  • One-man operations
  • Volunteer only operations

We As An Agency

• Are a specialist communication agency offering a complete consulting, design, implementation and management solution
• Have an experienced multi-faceted specialist team
• Leverage our organisational learnings to date
• Have substantial experience collaborating with third party vendors
• Have our proven processes and procedures
• Limit the risk of time, money, and client reputation
• Maximize synergies
• Leverage service and cost efficiencies
• Retain a high level of creativity, professionalism and quality outputs
• Have undertaken standalone projects as well as multifaceted projects that may or may not integrate to third party vendors offerings
• Have aided clients with operational improvements and increased productivity
• Are grateful to our clients, some of whom are still with as from the very beginning
• Have working relationships with of our clients, within the context of what 3G’s and MHO provides, going back to 2002.

Access testimonials

Well, that was Part 2. There will be more to follow. 

Access other series’ via our blog, as well as the balance of articles and posts access 3G’s other posts. Likewise you are welcome to reach out to us should you want to engage directly with us on this. 

And…….. Expect more from your communication

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Acknowledgements:

• Article extract from Yext Report: The Rise of AI Search Archetypes
• AI Search image sourced from Search Engine Journal
• Other images sourced from Yext Report: The Rise of AI Search Archetypes