Search everywhere: What place marketers can do in the age of AI
The era of opening browsers, typing keywords and starting the online experience on Google is disappearing. It is happening slower than most headlines might indicate, as ChatGPT still sees a fraction of searches compared to traditional Google, but it is happening nonetheless.
Online search has evolved into something far more sophisticated and, frankly, more challenging for place branding and marketing organisations trying to get noticed. Today's search experience is conversational, contextual, and happening just about everywhere, from traditional search and LLMs to chat forums and across social media.
This requires places to investigate new strategies for remaining visible and relevant to executives, talent, and buyers. Actionable steps to take include:
Structuring content for AI consumption with updated, well-sourced information.
Continuing to target high-intent keywords strategically.
Adding comprehensive FAQ sections to your website.
Focusing on updating exsiting content over always creating new material.
Enging in community discussions.
We break it down below.
How search is changing
It is no longer just about matching keywords to content. AI now interprets intent, delivers personalised results, and increasingly provides answers without requiring users to visit websites at all.
Zero-click searches are one of the biggest challenges, resulting in lost website traffic. Depending on the data source and timeframe, estimates show anywhere from one quarter to as much as 60% of search queries resulting in no clicks to Google’s blue links.
When a potential investor searches for "best locations for tech startups," or a software engineer researches "cities with best work-life balance," they might get their answer from an AI overview that summarises multiple sources, or from a LinkedIn discussion thread, or from a Reddit discussion, all without ever visiting your carefully optimized website.
Paid search faces similar disruption, with estimates showing click-through rates falling by 8%-10% due to AI Overviews pushing traditional ads out of the way. This creates a double challenge: increased competition for fewer visible ad spots (driving up costs) and audience fragmentation as search spreads across multiple platforms.
The response isn't to abandon paid advertising, but to be smarter about where and how you deploy it. For place marketing organisations, this often means expanding beyond Google Ads to include LinkedIn's sophisticated targeting capabilities, exploring Reddit's community-driven discussions, and even venturing onto emerging platforms where business decision-makers and international talent are increasingly active.
Search optimisation in the AI-era
To stay relevant, place marketing organisations need to think beyond traditional SEO and embrace complementary strategies. One of those is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), the practice of formatting your content so that AI tools and search engines can easily understand and cite it when answering questions. The goal is to have your information featured as a trusted source in AI-generated responses.
Another is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which aims to establish your organisation as a go-to expert for AI-generated content. This involves producing thorough, credible, and well-documented resources that AI systems will consistently reference as authoritative.
Regardless of which XEO term you use, it is important to note that achieving top search rankings with traditional SEO often lays the foundation for AEO and GEO success. Content that earns high organic positions is already well-optimised for quality, relevance, and authority, the same factors that AI-driven answer engines prioritise when citing and summarising information.
In other words, if you’re excelling at SEO, you are better positioned to have your content excerpted in answer boxes, featured snippets, and AI-generated responses. This is one reason why large brands are coming back to SEO (and seeing it more broadly) after the initial enthusiasm over AEO/GEO.
Practical steps for place marketing teams
Making the transition to “search everywhere marketing” doesn't require a complete overhaul of your existing strategy. As we’ve just noted, many of the best practices that worked before are fundamentally still driving results now. However, taking the next step requires some focused adjustments.
Structure content for AI consumption with updated, well-sourced information. Use clear headers, bullet points, trusted original sources, and Q&A formats that AI tools can easily parse and reference. When creating content about your location's advantages, think about how an AI would summarise your key points.
Continuing to target high-intent keywords strategically. While AI increasingly handles “discovery” searches that used to be done on Google, people still use traditional search when they're ready to take action. Keywords like "invest in [location]," "relocate to [city]," or "[industry] incentives [region]" remain valuable as they capture users in transaction mode rather than research phase. Is your place ranking near the top for those? The trend should be reduced traffic, but higher conversion rates once people arrive.
Adding comprehensive FAQ sections to your website. FAQ formats are naturally AI-friendly, providing direct question-and-answer pairs that AI tools can easily reference. Structure these around common questions from both investors and international talent, covering practical concerns like visa processes, tax incentives, cost of living, and quality of life factors.
Focus on updating existing content over always creating new material. Trust signals are incredibly important in the AI era. Outdated information makes your organisation appear behind the times, reducing both AI citation likelihood and user confidence. Regular content refreshes often deliver better results than constantly producing new material, as updated pages maintain their SEO authority while gaining fresh relevance.
Engaging in community discussions. Rather than just broadcasting your message, participate in conversations where investment and relocation decisions are actually being discussed. Answering relevant questions on Reddit or Quora might not get stakeholders talking like the marquee billboard ad, but they could provide tremendous value to anyone seeking more information about business expansion and talent mobility both now and for years to come.
The place marketing industry can sometimes be about showing up in the right place at the right time. In the AI era, that means being present not just when your audience searches, but where they search as well.
Need help with place marketing?
C Studios is the marketing agency for places. We can help raise visibility, establish credibility and reach international audiences.
