The AI Visibility Funnel: Why Traditional Marketing Funnels Don’t Work Anymore

 

If you’re not optimizing for AI search these days, your marketing strategy is stuck in an old funnel.

It’s simply not reflecting how customers find businesses today.
For the last two decades, the marketing funnel has held steady.

Here’s the old script…

You build awareness through ads, content, or SEO, casting a wide net.

Potential customers find your business. They visit your website. Then, they explore their options.

In this phase, they stack you against the competition, sizing up who’s the best fit. Some ultimately make the leap, either by reaching out or sealing the deal with a purchase.

This straightforward funnel has long shaped digital marketing. Websites focused on converting visitors in the consideration phase.

SEO aimed to conquer keywords, pulling in initial awareness. Content served as a trusty companion throughout the consideration stage.

Meanwhile, analytics meticulously tracked customer paths at every twist and turn.

Companies shared their stats. They showed traffic volume, bounce rates, and conversion rates.

Those days are numbered. This chronological funnel no longer fits the customer journey.

Let’s unravel what’s taking its place and why this shift is crucial for your marketing.

Why This Funnel No Longer Works

The traditional funnel is crumbling. It doesn’t align with how customers now discover businesses.

Over 60% of searches end in a clickless void.

Users now consult AI tools like ChatGPT for instant suggestions, receiving prompt recommendations.

These users often reach out to suggested businesses immediately, bypassing lengthy browsing.

Keywords and backlinks and blog articles aren’t the only priority.

The awareness-consideration-conversion sequence is evaporating.

Customers jump from a need directly to AI-generated referrals.

They skip the old consideration phase.

Decisions are forged before thoughts of website visits arise.

If you’re still focused on that linear funnel, you’re chasing clicks.

Many customers don’t take that path anymore. You are spending resources on ways to boost sales for traffic that is drying up.

The AI Visibility Funnel Explained

Dan Monaghan unveils the AI Visibility Funnel in “The AI Search Revolution.” This new framework mirrors the reality of customer acquisition today.

The AI Visibility Funnel showcases three stages, all occurring before customers even know you exist.

Stage One: Discovery

In the discovery stage, AI scrapes information about businesses from every corner of the web. This extends far beyond traditional search.

AI systems sift through your website, pulling insights from review platforms like Google Business Profile and Yelp. They scrutinize your social media posts, YouTube videos, and Reddit threads. They catalog your presence in forums and directories, noting articles that reference your business.

Every digital footprint counts.

Success in discovery isn’t about website visibility. It’s about whether AI can uncover rich, comprehensive details about your business across all platforms.

Businesses with limited visibility—just a website and Google profile—offer scant data. In contrast, those with robust, multi-platform presences provide a feast for AI to digest.

Stage Two: Synthesis

Next up, the synthesis stage. Here, AI systems process all gathered information to understand each business.

The AI deciphers your services and identifies your target audience. It evaluates credibility through signals like reviews and third-party mentions. It discerns what makes you stand out, spotlighting your unique traits.

The E-E-A-T framework—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—becomes pivotal here. AI judges your qualifications and grit, piecing together data into a coherent narrative.

Success in synthesis hinges on whether AI grasps your unique positioning. Businesses presenting generic information end up pigeonholed as average. Meanwhile, those that project clear differentiation are recognized as uniquely suited for specific scenarios.

Stage Three: Recommendation

Finally, in the recommendation stage, when someone poses a question, AI spins a response based on its synthesis.

AI selects businesses to spotlight based on how well their characteristics resonate with the inquiry. Those who excel in discovery and synthesis shine.

Conversely, businesses that lag, regardless of traditional rankings, remain in the shadows.

Success here is gauged by citation frequency. How often is your business referenced in relevant queries? How prominently does AI feature you? What characteristics does it spotlight when recommending you?

This marks a fundamental divergence from the traditional funnel. In that model, customers traversed awareness, consideration, and conversion with your guiding hand.

In the AI Visibility Funnel, AI navigates discovery, synthesis, and recommendation long before customers even know you exist.

If you excel, customers reach out already primed with interest. If you falter, you vanish from consideration altogether.

Why Traditional SEO Misses the Point

Most marketing firms remain tethered to optimizing the traditional funnel, unaware that it’s become increasingly irrelevant.

They focus on driving traffic to your site through search ranking and paid ads. Their aim is to transform visitors into leads. They diligently track metrics such as bounce rates and pages per session.

They report on your progression from awareness to conversion.

Yet, this approach targets a journey that’s waning. Most customers now lean on AI tools, seldom landing on your meticulously crafted website.

Recommendations land before any browsing occurs.

Your marketing team might boast steady or growing traffic stats, perhaps highlighting rising conversion rates.

The traditional metrics may present a rosy picture. But if your AI citation frequency is low, you’re failing to tap into a wave of potential customers relying on AI for their decisions.

How to Optimize for the AI Visibility Funnel

Optimizing for the AI Visibility Funnel demands fresh strategies, markedly different from traditional funnel tuning.

Discovery Stage Optimization

To thrive in discovery, establish a commanding presence across platforms AI taps into for information.

Create engaging YouTube content that showcases your expertise. Join Reddit discussions where prospective customers pose their queries. Actively participate in industry forums, generating buzz with news mentions or features. Bolster your review presence across various platforms.

The aim? Ensure that when AI discovers your business, they find a treasure trove of signals from multiple sources—not just your website.

Synthesis Stage Optimization

During synthesis, articulate what makes you unrivaled in catering to specific needs.

Implement schema markup to highlight your specialties and qualifications. Structure your content to clearly spotlight your differentiators. Maintain consistent messaging to ensure you stand out. Build E-E-A-T signals with authoritative mentions and a trustworthy online presence.

The goal is for AI to perceive you as the ideal fit for unique scenarios, not just another standard entry.

Recommendation Stage Optimization

To thrive in recommendations, regularly interrogate what AI systems relay about your business and refine accordingly.

Ask AI tools the questions your potential clients would pose. Investigate your business’s frequency of mention. Over time, track citation frequency to mark your progress. Pinpoint the traits that prompt citations, then amplify those signals. Measure against competitors to gauge your AI visibility.

The objective? Achieve a high citation frequency for inquiries from your ideal clientele.

The Fundamental Shift in Mindset

Shifting from traditional funnel thinking to embracing the AI Visibility Funnel demands a mindset revamp.

Traditional funnel optimization emphasizes ushering customers through stages you control. You direct them to your website, present engaging content, and fine-tune conversion points. You manipulate the journey.

AI Visibility Funnel optimization, however, redefines success. It’s about being discovered, understood, and recommended by AI systems that orchestrate the journey without your steering. You lose control, requiring success in discovery, synthesis, and recommendation processes.

This transition also reshapes your view of success. Forget about high website traffic or flattering conversion rates. Success now is about being that business AI confidently recommends when pertinent inquiries arise.

What This Means for Your Current Marketing

If your marketing firm is still focusing on traditional funnel metrics, they’re optimizing for a dwindling audience.

Challenge them on their strategies for the AI Visibility Funnel. How do they ensure comprehensive discovery across diverse platforms? What methods do they employ to help AI synthesize your distinctive value? How are they measuring and refining your citation frequency in AI recommendations?

If they can’t provide specific strategies and measurable results, they’re still entrenched in traditional funnel thinking while the market has surged ahead.

The Mader Marketing Approach

At Mader Marketing, we align our client engagement around the AI Visibility Funnel.

Our discovery efforts cultivate a robust multi-platform presence. Our synthesis strategies show your unique qualities. We use schema, content structure, and consistent messaging to do this. We do regular tests. This helps our recommendations match real AI citation results.

We watch AI Visibility Funnel metrics as key indicators of success. Metrics like citation frequency and AI visibility are key. They matter more than traffic and conversion rates. Client traits also stand out.

This doesn’t render traditional website optimization irrelevant. When customers arrive at your site, it should achieve a high conversion rate. Our main focus is on succeeding in the AI Visibility Funnel. Most customers now make their decisions here.

What You Should Do Next

Audit your marketing through the lens of the AI Visibility Funnel.

For discovery: Do you have a presence on YouTube? What about Reddit, industry forums, review sites, and news outlets? Or are you primarily visible through your website and Google Business Profile?

For synthesis: Does your online presence clearly convey your unique differentiation? Or do you come off as just another generic category example?

For recommendation: Challenge AI tools to see what they reveal about your business. Are you included? How often? What insights do AI systems share?

If you do well with the traditional funnel, that’s great. But if the AI Visibility Funnel is hard for you, you reach fewer people. You’re also missing a bigger one that’s growing.

You can schedule a complimentary AI Visibility Funnel assessment here: Scott’s Calendar Link

The customer journey has transformed, reshaping the marketing landscape. The pressing question is: has your strategy kept pace?

Your funnel isn’t just outdated; it’s upside down.