Only 11% of Marketers Expect Google Search to Be Their Customers' Main Starting Point in Two Years

ACCESS Newswire’s live HubSpot UNBOUND survey shows marketers rapidly funding AI search visibility while traditional search remains in use.

Rhea-AI Summary

ACCESS Newswire (ACCS) released survey findings from 35 senior marketers at HubSpot UNBOUND 2026 indicating a sharp shift toward AI assistants as discovery channels by 2028, with 71% expecting AI assistants to be their customers' primary starting point and only 11% citing Google search. 80% plan to start or increase budgets for AI search visibility next year, and 29% are reallocating spend away from paid media into earned and content. 69% regularly check whether AI answers cite their company, while just 6% have never checked. 43% have tools to measure AI answer visibility and 46% do so manually, yet 43% identify proving return on investment as their top concern for the coming year. The sample was predominantly brand-side marketers, most from companies with 51 to 1,000 employees.

Market Context

-4.55% was ACCS's 24-hour reaction after the Aug 31 marketplace expansion added a partner offering A...

Analysis

-4.55% was ACCS's 24-hour reaction after the Aug 31 marketplace expansion added a partner offering AI-assistant and search-engine citation placements, directly related to this survey's AI-visibility findings.

Key Figures

AI assistants as primary discovery channel: 71% Google search as primary discovery channel: 11% AI search visibility budget increases or starts: 80% +4 more

AI assistants as primary discovery channel

71%

Marketer expectations for 2028

Google search as primary discovery channel

11%

Marketer expectations for 2028

AI search visibility budget increases or starts

80%

Plans for next year

Paid media budget reallocation

29%

Respondents moving dollars to AI-related visibility efforts

Roles changed

91%

Changes during the past 12 months

Organic traffic decline

10% to 25%

Reported by 43% of respondents this year

Survey respondents

35 marketers

Live survey at HubSpot UNBOUND 2026

Historical Context

1 past event · Latest: Aug 31

1 event

1. Aug 31

   Marketplace expansion

   24h Move

   -4.5%

   Added partners offering broadcast monitoring and AI-citation visibility services

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

answer engine optimization, AI search visibility

2 terms

answer engine optimization technical

"split between AI search and answer engine optimization (49%)"

Answer engine optimization is the practice of writing and structuring content so search engines and voice assistants can pull a short, direct answer and show it at the top of results. For investors, it matters because press releases or filings that are surfaced as instant answers reach more readers quickly, shape the first impression of news, and can influence market attention and trading activity much like a prominent headline on a news ticker.

AI search visibility technical

"increasing or starting a budget for AI search visibility next year"

AI search visibility is how likely content—such as press releases, regulatory filings, or company web pages—is to be found, indexed, and surfaced by artificial-intelligence powered search tools and models. Think of it as a storefront’s location in a digital mall: higher visibility means AI systems are more likely to show or summarize that content for users, which affects how easily investors, analysts, and the public can discover and rely on the information.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google Not now

RALEIGH, NC / ACCESS Newswire / September 18, 2026 / Ask a room of marketers where their customers will start looking for them two years from now, and Google search finishes a distant second. In research released today by ACCESS Newswire, gathered live from marketers at HubSpot UNBOUND 2026, 71% named AI assistants as their customers' primary discovery channel by 2028. Just 11% named the search engine that has defined their discipline for a generation.

The number matters because the money is already following it. 80% of respondents are increasing or starting a budget for AI search visibility next year, and 29% are moving dollars out of paid media to fund it. For any company whose customers still arrive through search, the survey is an early read on where competitors are spending next - and how quickly they intend to get there.

The reallocation is showing up in the job itself. 91% of respondents say their role changed in the past 12 months, and two thirds took on new artificial intelligence responsibilities inside their existing remit rather than waiting for a reorganization to create them.

ACCESS Newswire participated in HubSpot UNBOUND 2026 as a sponsor, and the findings were collected during "Getting Cited: How PR and Marketing Earn Visibility," a session led by Charlie Terenzio, SVP of Product at ACCESS Newswire, on September 16th in Boston.

HubSpot UNBOUND 2026 drew one of the most senior marketing and communications audiences of the year, and the composition of the room is part of what gives the data its weight: 83% of respondents were brand-side marketers, and 63% work at companies of 51 to 1,000 employees - practitioners with direct responsibility for the budgets and channels they were asked about. The conference itself set the agenda they answered against, with AI dominating hallway conversation for 80% of respondents, split between AI search and answer engine optimization (49%) and AI agents (31%).

A New Habit Has Already Formed

A task that did not exist three years ago is now routine. 69% of marketers say they regularly check whether AI answers cite their company. Only 6% have never looked.

That habit was formed by the same forces filling the conference agenda, and the room reflected it back: attendees arrived already comparing notes on how their own brands surface in AI answers.

The Budget Is Already Moving

Marketers are not waiting for the category to mature before funding it. 80% are increasing or starting a budget for AI search visibility next year. 29% are moving money out of paid media and into earned and content, and 31% of all respondents are raising that spend while cutting or shifting paid in the same twelve months.

The shift is gradual rather than abrupt. 43% saw organic traffic ease by 10% to 25% this year, and no respondent reported a steeper decline, giving teams room to build the new channel while the existing one still performs.

Measurement Is the Next Thing to Build

Conviction has run ahead of instrumentation, and marketers know it. 43% can measure their brand's visibility in AI answers using tools today. Another 46% do it manually, prompt by prompt - a clear signal of demand for the category that is now forming around it.

That is why 43% name proving return on investment as their priority concern for the coming year, the most common answer in the survey. The appetite is established; the evidence layer is what teams are building next.

What It Means for the Next Two Years

"Eleven percent. That is how many marketers think Google search will still be the front door in two years," said Charlie Terenzio, SVP of Product at ACCESS Newswire. "You can argue with the timeline, but you cannot argue with where these teams are putting next year's budget. They have made the call already."

"The opportunity over the next two years belongs to teams that treat a citation in an AI answer the way they always treated a front-page placement: something you earn, and something you can prove you earned," Terenzio added. "Credit to HubSpot for convening the audience that could answer this honestly. These were practitioners describing their own budgets and their own jobs, not forecasters."

In Their Words

Marketers were asked, in their own words, what is changing. Three responses:

	"We need to optimize landing pages for agents, even if the new practices go against decades of industry best practices."
	"As long as revenue is up, organic search dips don't matter."
	"Many partners influence AI messaging, but one leader needs to own it."

Methodology

35 marketers were surveyed live during the "Getting Cited" session at HubSpot UNBOUND 2026 in Boston on September 16, 2026. The instrument comprised single-select questions plus two open-response questions. 83% of respondents were brand-side marketers and 63% worked at companies of 51 to 1,000 employees.

Assets Available to Media

• Presentation slides - "Getting Cited: How PR and Marketing Earn Visibility," HubSpot UNBOUND 2026

About ACCESS Newswire

We are ACCESS Newswire, a globally trusted Public Relations (PR) and Investor Relations (IR) solutions provider. With a focus on innovation, customer service, and value-driven offerings, ACCESS Newswire empowers brands to connect with their audiences where it matters most. From startups and scale-ups to multi-billion-dollar global brands, we ensure your most important moments make an impact and resonate with your audiences. To learn more visit www.accessnewswire.com.

Media Contact

Jennifer Hammers
EVP Sales and Marketing, ACCESS Newswire
jenniferh@accessnewswire.com
888.808.2227

SOURCE: ACCESS Newswire Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

Who participated in the ACCESS Newswire survey and where was it conducted?

The survey captured responses from 35 marketers during the “Getting Cited: How PR and Marketing Earn Visibility” session at HubSpot UNBOUND 2026 in Boston on September 16, 2026. 83% of respondents were brand-side marketers and 63% worked at companies with 51 to 1,000 employees.

How are marketers’ roles changing in relation to artificial intelligence?

91% of respondents say their role changed in the past 12 months, and about two thirds reported taking on new AI-related responsibilities within their existing remit rather than waiting for a formal reorganization.

What traffic trends are marketers seeing from organic search?

43% of marketers reported organic traffic easing by 10% to 25% this year, and no respondent reported a larger decline. This gives teams time to build AI-focused channels while traditional search still contributes traffic.

How are marketers currently measuring visibility in AI-generated answers?

43% of respondents can measure their brand’s visibility in AI answers using tools today, while another 46% do it manually, prompt by prompt. This gap is why 43% name proving return on investment as their top concern for the coming year.

What new habits have marketers formed around AI answer visibility?

69% of marketers say they regularly check whether AI answers cite their company, and only 6% have never checked. Attendees were already comparing how their own brands surface in AI answers before and during the conference session.

What concerns and priorities did marketers express in their own words?

Open-ended responses included the need to optimize landing pages for agents even when that conflicts with past best practices, the view that organic search dips matter less if revenue is up, and the belief that while many partners influence AI messaging, one leader needs to own it.