AI search has already arrived, and here's how it's changing the way buyers find you

The numbers tell a clear story. According to 6sense, 94% of B2B buyers now use generative AI for research. Gartner predicts that traditional search volume will drop by 50% by 2028. And LinkedIn, have seen marketing sites with non-branded search traffic decline by up to 60%.

This isn't a future trend, it's happening right now.

What makes this shift so significant for B2B marketers is how it changes the buying process itself. Driven by faster AI-enabled research, the average B2B buying cycle compressed from 11.3 months in 2024 down to 10.1 months in 2025 (6sense, 2025). Buyers are accomplishing far more in less time, and they're doing it directly inside AI models.

Our users of Azpertilo are seeing the sales cycle shorten as well, but more on that in a bit.

Unsurprisingly, Forrester reports that AI search is now a top priority for 90% of B2B marketing and enterprise leaders. Yet, despite this urgency, only 34% of B2B tech marketers feel prepared to execute a strategy, with 51% citing limited internal knowledge as their primary barrier (eMarketer, 2026).

Here's the other thing the data tells us: LinkedIn is your strongest starting point. Profound's 2026 research confirmed that LinkedIn is the single most-cited domain for professional queries in AI search. On top of that, Meltwater's 2026 analysis found that 75% of LinkedIn citations came from individual member profiles, where follower count mattered far less than demonstrated expertise.

This is where Azpertilo becomes your critical partner. Getting cited by AI search isn't like hiring an SEO agency to blag your way onto page one of Google. AI isn't stupid, it can instantly detect fluff and poor-quality content. This is precisely why you need to up your game on LinkedIn.

You must move away from generic AI generation and random acts of social posting. Azpertilo anchors your strategy directly to your Value Proposition (VP) and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), eliminating content "waste" and keeping every asset tightly focused. We ground the platform on your case studies, website, SEO keywords, brand guidelines, and vertical market intelligence. The result? Tightly targeted, deeply educational content that prospects actually want to read, all while staying strictly within brand guardrails.

Furthermore, we ground the AI on each user's unique tone of voice by analyzing examples of their writing and their LinkedIn profile. Your sales reps and employees can finally speak authentically in their own natural voice without risking brand compliance.

The numbers tell a clear story: AI search is reshaping B2B buying, and authentic, highly targeted LinkedIn expertise is the single best way to capture that intent. By pairing your team's subject matter depth with structured brand grounding, you don't just adapt to this shift, you secure your place as the cited authority in your market.