Gen Z and Millennials are increasingly skipping Google entirely. They ask ChatGPT, search TikTok, or query Perplexity. If your business only optimises for traditional search, you are already invisible to a growing segment of your market.
In 2025, Google's share of the "search" market dropped below 90% for the first time in over a decade. Not because people stopped searching — because they started searching differently. AI chatbots, social platforms, and voice assistants are capturing the queries that used to belong to Google.
What This Means for Sydney Businesses
If you run a restaurant, a trades business, or a professional service in Sydney, your potential customers are now finding businesses through multiple channels simultaneously. A 25-year-old looking for a plumber might ask ChatGPT. A 30-year-old searching for a brunch spot will check TikTok. A 45-year-old still Googles — but reads AI-generated summaries instead of clicking through to websites.
The Shift in Numbers
According to recent industry data, 40% of Gen Z now use TikTok or Instagram as their primary search engine for local businesses. Meanwhile, AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's own AI Overviews are answering queries that used to drive website clicks — reducing organic click-through rates by up to 25%.
How Smart Businesses Are Adapting
The winners in this new landscape are not abandoning SEO — they are expanding beyond it. They are creating content that AI systems want to cite, building presence on social search platforms, and ensuring their business information is consistent across every channel where customers might discover them.
This is not a future trend. It is happening right now, and the businesses that adapt first will capture the customers that their competitors are still waiting for on page one of Google.
Read the Full Article →
