AI product search
AI product search describes the behavior of users who direct their purchase queries to an AI assistant rather than a traditional search engine. The AI aggregates and filters results according to its own criteria of relevance and reliability.
In practice
When a buyer asks an AI assistant 'what is the best SEO agency for a French SME,' the AI selects its sources based on perceived authority, consistency of mentions, and content freshness — not Google position. A company absent from public discussions, forums, and comparison sites cannot be cited even if it ranks first for its target query. AEO strategy is built precisely to establish presence in the sources that AI systems consult.