Michael Epps Utley {kind=image/jpg}
The B2B buyer journey is changing as generative AI becomes part of the research process. According to Gartner, 45% of B2B buyers surveyed said they used GenAI during a recent purchase, primarily to gather information about vendors and products. Instead of visiting multiple websites to piece together that information, buyers can now ask a chatbot a question and receive a synthesized answer that may include comparisons, recommendations, and an initial vendor shortlist. That changes where brands need to show up to be considered.
Why Are B2B Buyers Starting Their Research With AI?
One of the biggest advantages of AI-powered search is speed. Instead of opening multiple tabs and piecing together information from vendor websites, search results, reviews, and other sources, buyers can ask a conversational question and receive a synthesized response in seconds. They can then refine their questions, compare options, and ask follow-ups without restarting their research.
This ability to compress the early stages of research changes how quickly buyers can move from identifying a problem to evaluating possible solutions. A single conversation can help a buyer understand a category, compare approaches, and begin building a vendor shortlist before visiting any of those companies' websites.
What B2B Buyers Ask AI
Understanding the types of questions B2B buyers ask AI engines can help you determine what content you need to produce to meet their needs. Here are some common question types:
Category discovery queries
These questions happen at the beginning of the buying process. The B2B researcher doesn’t have a vendor list and is building one. If your brand does not appear in AI responses to these types of questions, you are less likely to make it into the buyer’s initial consideration set.
Examples include:
What types of automation are right for a 200-person medical practice?
What types of legal help should marketing firms get?
What are the best CRM platforms for a mid-sized B2B sales team?
While these questions may initially produce categorical responses like a customer relationship management system or an intellectual property lawyer, AI-generated answers can also include specific vendors or brands that fit the buyer’s criteria.
In this case, the answer can become the initial vendor list. For these types of queries, identify the questions B2B buyers may ask and answer them clearly in your copy, connecting those answers to the products and services you offer.
Comparison questions
These questions signal that the buyer has narrowed the field to two or three options and is evaluating them.
An example is “Which marketing software is better, HubSpot or Zoho CRM?”
AI engines can generate structured comparisons using criteria such as price, ease of use, integration capabilities, customer support, and best-fit company size. Publishing detailed comparison content — including honest assessments of where competitors are stronger and weaker — can give AI engines useful information to draw from when generating these answers.
Pricing questions
Buyers may ask AI about pricing before contacting sales. If your pricing isn’t clear, AI-generated answers may not include your brand or could note that pricing isn’t publicly available. For buyers trying to establish a budget or compare vendors, that can make evaluation more difficult.
Publishing clear, accurate pricing information where appropriate gives both buyers and AI engines more useful information to work with and can also help set expectations before a sales conversation begins.
Evaluation questions
These high-intent queries indicate that a buyer is getting closer to making a purchasing decision. AI platforms can generate structured evaluation frameworks in response. Examples include:
What should I look for when choosing a marketing automation platform?
How do I choose the right payroll provider for a growing business?
What should I consider when choosing an X-ray system for an orthopedic practice?
When a brand or its content is cited in these types of answers, it can gain credibility at an important point in the decision-making process. Appearing alongside the criteria buyers use to evaluate their options can also reinforce the brand’s relevance in the space.
The B2B Buyer Journey With an AI Research Phase
The traditional B2B buyer journey map is often represented as a progression from awareness to consideration, decision, and purchase. But as buyers increasingly turn to AI for information about products, services, and vendors, a new phase can begin before they ever visit a company’s website.
One way to think about the evolving journey is:
Traditional model: Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Purchase
AI-influenced model: AI Research → Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Purchase
During the AI research phase, the buyer comes up with questions, asks AI, gets answers, and builds an impression of the category and the vendors before they check a website or blog post, or speak to a salesperson.
For marketers, this means:
Initial brand impressions can now happen inside AI-generated answers before a buyer reaches your website.
Buyers may arrive at your website with opinions already influenced by AI citations.
Brands not cited in the AI research phase are at a disadvantage.
B2B buyers who have done AI research are more qualified and have shorter consideration cycles because they have already done significant evaluation work before interacting with you.
The Evolution of B2B Marketing
Here are three areas marketers should consider as the B2B buyer journey evolves.
1. Content must answer buyer queries, not just rank for keywords
SEO keyword strategy helps connect your content with the terms and topics buyers search for. AEO builds on that foundation by considering how content can answer the questions buyers ask AI.
Both strategies require content that is specific enough to be useful. Vague category overviews serve neither strategy well. Specific, detailed, original content serves both.
2. Transparency is central to success
Buyers seeking information on AI about things like pricing, implementation time, success rates, and company size will get answers featuring brands that publish this information. Brands that do not include this on their websites will likely not show up in AI-generated answers.
3. Thought leadership must be authoritative and genuinely helpful
Generic content like old-school listicles and top ten articles is less likely to earn AI citations if it doesn’t answer specific buyer questions. Clear, original thought leadership that addresses real questions with relevant data, useful information, and unique insights has a stronger chance of appearing in summaries and answers.
Tip: Evaluate content by asking whether a potential buyer reads it and gets an answer to a question they couldn’t easily find anywhere else. If the answer is yes, it has the potential to become a citation. If no, it likely won’t.
The Time to Gain a Competitive Advantage Is Now
Many B2B brands are still adapting their content strategies for AI search while continuing to rely heavily on traditional SEO approaches. Brands that begin developing content with AI visibility in mind — including topical depth, specific data, clear answers to buyer questions, and transparent information — may have an opportunity to strengthen their presence in AI-generated answers as buyer behavior continues to evolve.
The current period parallels the early days of content marketing, when brands that invested in useful, authoritative content built visibility before the practice became widespread. Similarly, brands that start strengthening their AI search presence now may be better positioned as more B2B buyers incorporate AI into the research process.
How to Prove Your Brand is Prominent in AI Search
AEO by GoEpps can help you find out whether your business is visible in B2B AI search. It is a uniquely powerful analytics and optimization service. It tracks how a brand ranks against four competitors across 43 metrics in AI search engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.
It shifts focus from traditional keyword ranking to getting a brand cited directly inside AI-generated answers and chat responses. It helps businesses get results through:
Direct answers: Optimizes content so AI tools extract single-sentence facts or summaries.
Multi-platform tracking: Monitors performance across engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Claude, and Grok.
Key features of AEO by GoEpps include:
AEO SuperScore: A 1 to 100 benchmark rating your website's AI visibility versus competitors (a great way to see if your formatting efforts are working).
Monthly Action Plan: A prioritized checklist detailing content or structural changes to improve AI rankings.
To learn more or view a sample dashboard, check out AEO by GoEpps.
