Hello,
Two weeks ago, I wrote that the buying decision was quietly moving off your website and into ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI answers, long before your analytics dashboard could tell you it happened.
On May 19, Google confirmed it.
Not with another algorithm update.
Not with another ad product.
They built the machine that automates it. Most missed the announcement. Most agencies haven't explained it yet. So let me.
Giphy
What Google actually announced
At its I/O conference, Google rolled out four updates to Search and called the new AI-powered search box its biggest upgrade in more than 25 years.
Here they are, plainly:
A reimagined search box - expandable, AI-powered, takes text, images, files, and even your open browser tabs.
Search agents - the one we need to talk about. More below.
Agentic coding in Search - Google builds you custom trackers and mini-apps on the fly, inside the results page.
Personal Intelligence - AI Mode now connects to your Gmail, Photos, and soon Calendar to personalize answers.
All four matter. But only one changes how customers discover your business.
One changes the game: Information Agents
Starting this summer, paid Google users (AI Pro and Ultra) can set up agents that monitor the web 24/7 on their behalf.
In Google's own words, your agent will "look across everything on the web, like blogs, news sites and social posts, plus our freshest data"; and notify you the moment something matches what you asked for.
Google's examples are consumer ones. Apartment hunting: describe exactly what you want, and the agent pings you when a listing appears. Sneaker drops: get alerted the instant a favorite athlete announces a collab so you don't miss out.
Read those examples again, but swap in your category.
The same technology that watches for an apartment listing can watch "which supplement brand has the fewest complaints," or "best project management tool for a 20-person team," or "most reliable [your product] under $200." (That's our read, not Google's claim, but the mechanism is identical.)
A prospective customer sets the criteria once. Then an agent scans continuously and hands them a recommendation: your brand, or your competitor's - before they ever type a search.
The decision doesn't just move off your website. It gets made before they open a browser at all.
What we're already seeing
Over the past few weeks, we've been testing AI recommendations across multiple industries.
The brands appearing most often aren't necessarily the biggest brands.
And they aren't always the brands spending the most money.
They're the brands with:
Consistent content
Strong reviews
Clear positioning
Frequent mentions across trusted websites
Authority signals for AI systems to feel confident recommending them
That's important because many companies still think AI visibility is an SEO problem.
It's not. It's a brand authority problem.
AI doesn't just rank websites.
It decides which businesses deserve to be mentioned.
The first rollout is limited to paid Google AI subscribers and adoption will take time.
Which is exactly why this matters now.
Marketing rarely gives us advance warning.
Usually, we discover the change after the numbers move.This is one of those rare moments where Google is telling us what's coming before it arrives.
The brands that get cited inside these AI answers won't be the ones who scramble in August. They'll be the ones whose content, reviews, and authority were already built when the agents started scanning.
Three questions for your week:
Where does your brand stand?
1. "If I ask Google's AI to recommend a brand in our category, are we named?" Run three real prompts a buyer would use. Note who shows up. Note who doesn't.
2. "What would an agent scanning the web find about us right now?" Recent reviews, fresh content, original data or a site that hasn't changed in a year?
3. "Who owns AI visibility for us, internally or at our agency?" If nobody can name a person, that's the gap.
Let's go deeper - Live, June 11
We're hosting a free live Q&A, and we'll walk through all four Google Search changes, show you how to test your own AI visibility, and discuss what businesses should be doing now, not six months from now.
Bring your questions.
Bring your category.
Bring the prompts you've tested.
This is a working session, not another webinar.
Or, if you'd like the full breakdown first:
Talk soon,
Iulia Vasciuc
CEO, ScaledOn
P.S. We've spent 18+ years inside Google search, since it was still AdWords. We've watched it change a dozen times. This is the biggest one yet. If someone on your team is still saying "AI search doesn't apply to us," forward this to them. June 11 will be worth 30 minutes of their week
🚀 More from ScaledOn:
💬 Your buyers search differently now. Your marketing should too. Book a 30-min call with a ScaledOn expert. We’ll audit your funnel, paid, SEO, or AI visibility and show you exactly where the leaks are.
🤖 Skip AI hype. Get AI results. Get the exact prompts, tools, and frameworks senior marketers use to work 40% smarter.
🔎 Invisible in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI? Most brands are. Get an AI Visibility Readiness Audit. See how often AI engines cite you and the exact fixes to get indexed.
🎙️ Got questions? Bring them live. Join our free Live Q&A. Our team answers your real marketing questions on the spot.
🤝 Know a founder who needs us? Refer them and earn up to $500. Easiest money you’ll make this quarter.
