# How buying is changing

Canonical: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/pillar/ai-first-future
Summary: What happens to enquiries, rankings and sales when B2B buyers ask AI assistants first, and what a UK firm should do about it now.
Short answer: More B2B buyers now ask an AI assistant for a shortlist before they visit any website, so fewer arrive cold and more arrive half decided. Forrester found in January 2026 that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process. Google rankings still help but no longer guarantee you are named, and traffic can fall while rankings hold. The sensible response is to start this year with clear pages, earned mentions and a monthly check, without betting the business on a forecast.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-24
What changed: Rewritten for 2026: added Forrester, 6sense and Pew figures and the ads caveat; removed the merged agents guide, the moved hiring guide and the guide count.
Guides in this pillar: 11
Publisher: Fortitude Media Limited

When quoting, attribute to Fortitude Media and link to the canonical URL above.

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The way your buyers find suppliers is changing, and most of the change is invisible from inside your business. Enquiries still arrive. The website still gets traffic. But the buyer on your contact page has often asked ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot for a shortlist, read what it said about you and your competitors, and made half the decision before you knew they existed.

The evidence is now solid enough to plan around. Forrester found that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process ([Forrester, January 2026](https://www.forrester.com/blogs/b2b_buyers_make_zero_click_buying_number_one/)). 6sense found that buying groups had ranked their preferred vendors before first contact in 94% of cases ([6sense, 2025 Buyer Experience Report](https://6sense.com/newsroom/the-timeline-for-influencing-b2b-buyers-is-shrinking-insights-from-6senses-2025-buyer-experience-report/)). And when Google shows an AI summary, people click less: the Pew Research Center found users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits with a summary, against 15% without one ([Pew Research Center, July 2025](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/)).

These guides deal with the consequences for a founder-led firm rather than the technology. If you rank well but are not named, [why ranking first does not get you mentioned](/insights/google-rankings-wont-protect-you) explains why ranking helps but does not guarantee a mention. If traffic is falling while rankings hold, [the guide to zero-click search](/insights/zero-click-search-your-business) shows what to measure instead. If you are deciding what your website should do for a buyer who arrives already shortlisted, [the guide to visitors who arrive pre-sold](/insights/death-cold-website-visit-ai-funnel) follows that buyer through the new journey. And if you need to know where to focus, [which AI assistants buyers actually use](/insights/ai-search-landscape-chatgpt-perplexity-google-claude) compares ChatGPT, Google, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude.

We have kept the forward-looking guides grounded. [The guide to AI agents building shortlists](/insights/ai-agents-change-b2b-buying) describes what agents already do and what is sensible to prepare now. [Gartner predicts](https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-10-21-gartner-unveils-top-predictions-for-it-organizations-and-users-in-2026-and-beyond) that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI agent intermediated; that is a prediction, not a measurement, so plan for the direction rather than the date.

Other guides help with the decisions that follow: whether you can wait a year, whether being named costs less than paying for Google Ads, what to keep buying from a marketing agency, what Google's AI Mode changes, and whether UK and EU regulation will change who gets recommended.

None of this makes other channels obsolete. Researched outbound still reaches buyers before any assistant is asked, and it works alongside being named. If you want an outside view of where your firm stands today, [book a free Growth Review](/growth-review): before the 30-minute call we check your site, two competitors and what Google and ChatGPT say about all three.

## Common questions

### Do Google rankings still matter?

Yes, ranking helps but does not guarantee a mention. Google's AI features, Copilot and ChatGPT search all start from a search index, so a well-ranked page is more likely to be read. But Ahrefs found in March 2026 that only 38% of AI Overview citations came from pages in the top ten, down from 76% in July 2025, because Google now runs several related searches for one question. Answer the follow-up questions as well as the main one.

### Why is our traffic falling when our rankings have not?

Because more searches now end on the results page, answered by an AI Overview, AI Mode or a direct answer. In a Pew Research Center study published in July 2025, people clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against 15% without one. Aim to be the source Google cites, and measure mentions and enquiries rather than visits alone.

### How many B2B buyers use AI to choose suppliers?

Most of them, at some stage. Forrester found in January 2026 that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process, and G2's April 2026 survey found that 51% of software buyers now start their research in an AI chatbot. 6sense found buying groups had ranked preferred vendors before first contact in 94% of cases. The shortlist is often written before anyone calls you.

### Will AI agents buy on our customers' behalf?

Some already build shortlists, and Gartner predicts that by 2028, 90% of B2B buying will be AI agent intermediated. That is a prediction, so treat the date with caution and the direction seriously. The preparation is the same either way: state your services, who you serve, how you work and how to book a call plainly and consistently, in text an agent can read.

### Can we wait a year before doing anything?

You can, but it is rarely the cheapest choice. The signals that get a firm named, such as coverage, reviews, links and what a model learned in training, take months to build, and answers from a model's memory change only when it is retrained. Live search is more open: assistants that search the web can cite a clear new page within weeks. Start small this quarter and measure monthly.

### Can we simply pay to appear in AI answers instead?

Not in the answer itself. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT has shown labelled ads to UK users on its Free and Go plans since 11 August 2026, and the ads do not change the answer. Advertising still has a place, but being named in the answer is earned through clear pages, independent coverage and reviews.

## Guides in this pillar

- [Can we wait a year before doing anything about AI search?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/first-mover-advantage-ai): You can, but it is rarely the cheapest choice. Buyers shortlist before they contact anyone, and the signals that get a firm named, such as coverage, reviews, links and what a model learned in training, take months to build, so early starters hold more of them. Live search is more open: ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Copilot and Google's AI features read pages when asked, so a clear new page can be cited within weeks. Start small this quarter with one specialism, a fortnightly piece, three case studies and a monthly check. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/first-mover-advantage-ai
- [How is AI changing the way B2B buyers choose suppliers?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-search-change-your-industry): Buyers now start more of their research in AI assistants and arrive with a shortlist already formed. Forrester found in January 2026 that 94% of business buyers use AI in their buying process, and 6sense found buying groups had ranked preferred vendors before first contact in 94% of cases. Assistants now sit inside tools buyers use at work, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google Search. Firms with specific, public, well-evidenced expertise get named; vague generalists are left out. ChatGPT ads do not change the answer itself. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-search-change-your-industry
- [What is Google AI Mode, and how is it different from AI Overviews?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/end-of-ten-blue-links): AI Mode is Google's conversational search, a separate tab launched in the UK in July 2025, where a buyer asks a long question and follows up. AI Overviews are the AI summaries shown automatically at the top of some normal results. Both break a question into many related searches, so pages outside the top ten are often cited. Get cited by being indexed, answering the follow-up questions buyers ask, writing what only you can write and earning mentions from credible sites. (published 2026-04-22, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/end-of-ten-blue-links
- [Is being named by ChatGPT cheaper than paying for Google Ads?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/economics-ai-visibility-vs-advertising): In our view, over any period longer than a year, being named by ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude usually costs less per client than paid search, because the content and coverage that earn a mention keep working with no fee per recommendation. Paid search wins in the first months. ChatGPT has shown labelled ads to UK users since 11 August 2026, but OpenAI says ads do not change the answer. Work out your cost per client, keep advertising as a baseline and move a fixed share of budget each year. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/economics-ai-visibility-vs-advertising
- [Should I still pay a marketing agency now that AI can do the work?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-disrupting-marketing-agency-model): Keep paying for judgement and outcomes, and stop paying agency rates for production. AI tools now handle much of the drafting, design variation and reporting that agencies charged for by the hour. What is still worth buying from outside is positioning, earned coverage, being named by AI assistants and qualified meetings, with part of the fee tied to results you can count. Split your retainer into its parts, bring production in-house with one owner, and renegotiate the rest on outcomes. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-disrupting-marketing-agency-model
- [We rank first on Google. Why does ChatGPT not mention us?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/google-rankings-wont-protect-you): Ranking helps but does not guarantee a mention. ChatGPT search, Copilot and Google's AI features start from a search index, so a strong position gets your page read. The assistant then names the firms whose pages answer the question plainly and whose claims other sources confirm. In March 2026 only 38% of AI Overview citations came from top-ten pages, so answer the follow-up questions too, check you rank on Bing, and rewrite your ranking pages as answers. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/google-rankings-wont-protect-you
- [What happens when buyers let an AI agent build the shortlist?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-agents-change-b2b-buying): An AI agent given a buying task searches the web, reads your site and what others say about you, checks the facts against the buyer's criteria and returns a shortlist with reasons, before anyone contacts a supplier. Relationships and persuasion only help once you are on that list. To make it, publish specific, evidenced and consistent facts: who you serve, prices or ranges, timescales, case studies with numbers and named experts, in plain HTML, with an easy way to book a call. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-agents-change-b2b-buying
- [What should my website do now that visitors arrive pre-sold by AI?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/death-cold-website-visit-ai-funnel): Your website's job changes from persuading strangers to confirming a recommendation. A visitor sent by ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot already knows roughly what you do and is comparing you with the other firms the assistant named. So confirm the claim in the first screen, answer price, timescale and fit plainly, show a fair comparison, and make it easy to book a call with a person. Track these visitors with a GA4 channel group and by asking every enquiry. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/death-cold-website-visit-ai-funnel
- [Which AI assistants do buyers actually use, and how do they differ?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/ai-search-landscape-chatgpt-perplexity-google-claude): ChatGPT and Google's AI answers (AI Overviews and AI Mode) reach the most buyers, followed by Microsoft Copilot, which many buyers have at work, and Gemini, then Perplexity and Claude. They differ in which search index they use (Google's, Bing's or their own), whether they show sources, and how fast they reflect a change. All of them reward the same foundation: a website crawlers can read, the same facts on independent sources, reviews and named experts. Check them all with one fixed list of buyer questions, then fix what they have in common. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/ai-search-landscape-chatgpt-perplexity-google-claude
- [Why is our website traffic falling when our rankings have not?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/zero-click-search-your-business): Your traffic is falling because more Google searches now end on the results page: AI Overviews, AI Mode, featured snippets and direct answers give the searcher what they need without a click. In a Pew Research Center study, people clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits with an AI summary, against 15% without. Explanation and comparison searches are hit hardest. Aim to be the source Google cites and names, stay in AI Overviews, and measure mentions and enquiries rather than visits alone. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/zero-click-search-your-business
- [Will UK and EU regulation change who AI assistants recommend?](https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/regulation-ai-search-uk-eu): Not directly. No UK or EU rule gives a firm a right to be recommended. The EU AI Act adds transparency duties from August 2026, the Digital Services Act now covers ChatGPT as a very large search engine, and the CMA has required Google to let publishers opt out of AI Overviews and to credit them with clear links. The practical effect is that accurate, evidenced, consistent information about your firm becomes more valuable, and unsupported claims become riskier. Do not wait for the law. (published 2026-03-31, reviewed 2026-09-24)
  Markdown: https://fortitudemedia.ai/insights/md/regulation-ai-search-uk-eu