Introduction
Every few months, a new wave of AI predictions sweeps through the marketing world. The latest narrative: agentic AI — artificial intelligence that doesn't just answer questions but takes actions on your behalf — will replace search as the primary way consumers discover and purchase products. The implication is that SEO, paid search, and traditional digital marketing are on the way out.
Dell just weighed in with real data, and the answer is more nuanced than the hype suggests.
According to Search Engine Land's report on Dell's findings, Dell has seen increased visits from AI agents like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, but the company's Head of Global Consumer Revenue Programs, Breanna Fowler, described the growth as “not earth-shaking.” More significantly, she reported that agentic shopping has yet to deliver “meaningful results” in terms of actual conversions.
The headline finding: search still wins for purchase decisions. Agentic AI is growing as a top-of-funnel discovery channel, but when consumers are ready to buy, they still turn to search.
For small business owners who've been hearing that AI will make SEO obsolete, this is important grounding. We addressed the broader “Is SEO dead?” question in our post on whether SEO is dead in 2026, and the Dell data reinforces that answer: search isn't dying, but it is sharing the stage with new channels. The smart move isn't to pick one over the other — it's to prepare for both.
Key Takeaways
- Dell's data shows that agentic AI traffic is growing but hasn't delivered meaningful conversion results — search still drives purchases
- Agentic AI functions as a top-of-funnel discovery channel, similar to social media browsing, not as a replacement for search-driven buying
- Small businesses should maintain their SEO and AEO foundations while making their business data AI-agent-accessible
- Structured data, clean product/service feeds, and consistent business information across the web are the building blocks for both search and agent optimization
- The businesses that will win are those preparing for both channels — not abandoning one for the other
What Is Agentic AI and Why Is Everyone Talking About It?
To understand why the marketing world is buzzing about agentic AI, you need to understand the distinction between traditional AI tools and agents.
Traditional AI (like standard ChatGPT) is reactive. You ask a question, it generates an answer. You prompt it to write something, it writes. The AI responds to your input but doesn't take independent action. It's a powerful tool, but it's still fundamentally a tool — you direct every step.
Agentic AI goes further. An AI agent can receive a high-level goal — “find me the best laptop under $1,000 for video editing” — and then autonomously research options, compare specifications across multiple websites, read reviews, check prices, and present you with a recommendation or even initiate a purchase. We explored this concept in depth in our post on AI agents as autonomous workers.
The reason marketers care is obvious: if consumers start delegating purchase research to AI agents instead of searching Google, then the entire search marketing ecosystem — SEO, paid search, local listings — could lose its position as the primary channel for customer acquisition. That's the fear. But Dell's real-world data tells a more measured story.
What Dell's Data Actually Shows
Dell is one of the first major companies to publicly share data on how agentic AI is affecting their digital traffic and sales. Here's what they found:
- Agentic AI traffic is real but modest. Dell has seen increased visits from AI agents including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude browsing their product pages. But the growth is incremental, not transformative.
- Conversions from agentic AI are minimal. Fowler stated that agentic shopping has not delivered “meaningful results” in terms of actual purchases. The agents are browsing, but they're not buying — and neither are the humans who sent them.
- Agentic AI functions as an aggregation layer. Dell compares AI agent behavior to a new type of comparison shopping — gathering information from multiple sources and presenting it to the user. But the final purchase decision still routes through traditional channels.
- On-site search remains the primary purchase pathway. When Dell customers are ready to buy, they're using Dell's own search functionality or arriving via Google search. The conversion funnel still runs through search.
Why Does Search Still Win for Purchase Decisions?
Dell's findings align with what behavioral research has shown for years: the closer a consumer gets to a purchase decision, the more they rely on trusted, established channels. Here's why search maintains its advantage at the bottom of the funnel.
Trust and Verification
When someone is about to spend money, they want to verify the information themselves. An AI agent might tell you that a particular laptop is the best option, but most consumers will still Google it, read reviews on trusted sites, and check the manufacturer's page before committing. Search provides a verification layer that agentic AI hasn't earned yet.
Local Intent and the Last Mile
For local businesses especially, search handles the “last mile” of customer acquisition. When someone searches “HVAC repair near me” or “best Italian restaurant in Fort Wayne,” they're signaling immediate intent. They want to see reviews, check hours, compare options, and make a decision quickly. AI agents are not yet integrated into this local, time-sensitive decision flow in a meaningful way.
Transactional Completion
Even when AI agents do the research, the transaction still needs to happen somewhere. And right now, that somewhere is overwhelmingly a website that the consumer navigated to via search or direct visit. As Fowler described it, agentic AI is functioning as a “top-of-funnel channel, not a conversion engine.”
What Does This Mean for Your Small Business Marketing Strategy?
The Dell data gives small business owners something they rarely get in the AI hype cycle: a grounded, data-backed perspective. Here's how to translate it into action.
Continue Investing in SEO and AEO
If search still drives purchase decisions — and the data says it does — then SEO remains a core investment. But you should be layering in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) alongside traditional SEO. AEO ensures your content is structured to appear in AI-generated answers, whether those come from Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, or Perplexity.
We covered how AI changed everything in 2026 earlier this year, and the through-line is consistent: the businesses winning right now are those optimizing for both human searchers and AI systems simultaneously.
Make Your Business Data AI-Agent-Accessible
Even though agentic AI isn't driving conversions yet, the smart move is to prepare your data infrastructure now. Here's what that looks like:
| Action | What to Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Structured Data | Implement schema markup for your business, services, products, and reviews | Both search engines and AI agents use structured data to understand what your business offers |
| Consistent NAP | Ensure your name, address, and phone number are identical across every platform | AI agents cross-reference multiple sources; inconsistencies reduce your credibility in their recommendations |
| Clean Service/Product Feeds | Maintain clear, well-organized pages for each service or product you offer | Agents need parseable, specific information to make accurate comparisons and recommendations |
| LLMs.txt File | Create an LLMs.txt file that summarizes your business, services, and key differentiators | Provides AI systems with a structured overview of your business optimized for machine reading |
| Reviews and Citations | Actively build reviews on Google, industry directories, and relevant platforms | AI agents weigh third-party validation heavily when deciding which businesses to recommend |
Don't Build on Assumptions About AI Timelines
The biggest mistake a small business can make right now is over-investing in unproven channels while neglecting the channels that actually drive revenue. Agentic AI may become a significant purchasing channel in the future, but Dell's data — from one of the world's largest consumer technology companies — shows that we're not there yet. Build your strategy on what works today while preparing for what's coming tomorrow.
How Will AI Agents Actually Recommend Your Business?
Understanding how AI agents work behind the scenes helps you prepare for the channel, even while it remains in its early stages. Here's the process an AI agent typically follows when a user asks it to find a product or service.
The Agent's Research Process
- Query interpretation. The agent parses the user's request to understand intent, budget constraints, location preferences, and quality requirements.
- Multi-source data gathering. The agent crawls or queries multiple websites, directories, review platforms, and databases to build a comprehensive picture of available options.
- Comparison and ranking. Using its training data and real-time information, the agent scores options based on relevance, reviews, pricing, availability, and proximity. We analyzed how this works in the e-commerce context in our ChatGPT Shopping analysis.
- Recommendation generation. The agent presents the user with a shortlist, often with explanations for why each option was selected.
- Action initiation. In some cases, the agent can proceed to the next step — booking an appointment, adding to cart, or initiating a transaction — depending on the platform's capabilities.
What Makes You Recommendable
Based on how agents gather and evaluate information, the businesses most likely to be recommended are those that:
- Have clear, specific, and up-to-date information across multiple online platforms
- Use structured data that agents can parse without ambiguity
- Maintain strong review profiles with recent, authentic customer feedback
- Provide detailed service or product descriptions that address common comparison criteria
- Have a consistent digital presence that reinforces credibility across every touchpoint
The Balanced Play: Optimizing for Search and Agents Simultaneously
Rather than choosing between search and agentic AI, the most effective strategy is a tiered approach that prioritizes proven channels while building readiness for emerging ones.
Tier 1: Non-Negotiable (Do Now)
- Maintain and improve your SEO foundations — technical health, content quality, and link authority
- Implement AEO best practices — structured data, FAQ schema, and clear content organization
- Keep your Google Business Profile optimized and actively managed
- Ensure consistent business information across all directories and platforms
- Continue investing in content that serves both human readers and AI systems
Tier 2: Forward-Looking (Build Over Time)
- Create an LLMs.txt file for your website
- Build detailed, structured service/product pages that agents can parse
- Monitor your visibility in AI-powered search tools — we covered useful tools for this in our post on AI visibility tools for small business
- Develop a review strategy that builds third-party validation across multiple platforms
- Test how AI agents currently describe your business and identify gaps
Tier 3: Watch and Wait
- Agent-specific advertising platforms (not yet mature enough to justify spend for most small businesses)
- Agent commerce APIs and integrations (still in early development)
- Dedicated “agent landing pages” (premature until agent traffic becomes conversion-meaningful)
The Honest Take: Don't Panic, Do Prepare
Agentic AI is real. It's not vaporware, and it's not a fad. AI agents are already visiting business websites, aggregating product information, and presenting recommendations to users. The technology is advancing rapidly.
But it hasn't replaced search. Dell — a company with the resources and data to measure this accurately — reports that agentic AI has not delivered meaningful conversion results. Search still owns the purchase decision.
The smart strategy is dual-channel preparation. Invest in what works (SEO and AEO) while systematically building the data infrastructure that will make your business visible to AI agents as the channel matures. This isn't an either/or decision.
The businesses that will win are the ones that start preparing now without abandoning what works. If you're looking for help building a strategy that accounts for both search and the emerging AI agent landscape, our AI Solutions team works with businesses of all sizes to create practical, data-driven approaches.
Ready to Build a Strategy That Works for Search and AI?
Don't Choose Between Search and AI — Win at Both
The data is clear: search still drives purchases, but agentic AI is growing. We help businesses build marketing strategies that optimize for today's search landscape while preparing for tomorrow's AI-driven discovery. Explore our AI Solutions or schedule a strategy conversation to see how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is agentic AI and how is it different from ChatGPT?
- Standard AI tools like ChatGPT respond to prompts — you ask a question, they generate an answer. Agentic AI goes further by taking autonomous actions on your behalf. An AI agent can research products across multiple websites, compare prices, check reviews, and even initiate a purchase — all without you directing each step. Think of ChatGPT as a knowledgeable assistant who answers when spoken to, and agentic AI as a personal shopper who goes out and does the work for you.
- Is agentic AI going to replace Google Search?
- Not according to current data. Dell's Head of Global Consumer Revenue Programs reported that while agentic AI traffic to their site is growing, it has not delivered meaningful conversion results. Search still dominates when consumers are ready to make purchase decisions. Agentic AI is emerging as a discovery and research channel — similar to how social media drives awareness but not necessarily direct sales. The two channels will likely coexist for the foreseeable future.
- Should my small business worry about agentic AI right now?
- You should be aware of it, but not panicked. The practical impact on most small businesses today is minimal. The best approach is to strengthen your existing SEO and AEO foundations — structured data, consistent business information, quality content — because these same fundamentals make your business discoverable by both search engines and AI agents. You don't need a separate agentic AI strategy; you need a solid digital presence that works across all channels.
- How do I make my business visible to AI agents?
- AI agents gather information from the same sources that search engines use — your website, business directories, review platforms, and structured data. To be visible to agents, ensure your business information is consistent across the web (name, address, phone number), implement schema markup on your website, maintain a clean product or service feed, consider creating an LLMs.txt file that summarizes your business for AI systems, and build a strong review presence on platforms like Google Business Profile and industry-specific directories.
- Will AI agents replace local service searches like "plumber near me"?
- Not in the near term. Local service searches involve urgency, trust verification, and geographic specificity that agentic AI is not yet equipped to handle reliably. When someone needs a plumber at 10 PM, they are searching Google, checking reviews, and calling the first business that looks credible. AI agents may eventually assist with this process, but the trust and verification layer — reading reviews, checking credentials, confirming availability — still requires human judgment and established search patterns.
- What did Dell actually find about agentic AI vs. search?
- Dell reported increased traffic from AI agents like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude visiting their product pages. However, Dell's Head of Global Consumer Revenue Programs, Breanna Fowler, described the growth as "not earth-shaking" and stated that agentic shopping has yet to deliver "meaningful results" in actual conversions. The key takeaway: agentic AI is functioning as a top-of-funnel discovery channel, but search remains the dominant path for purchase decisions.
- How is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) related to preparing for agentic AI?
- AEO and agentic AI preparation share the same foundation. Answer Engine Optimization focuses on making your content understandable and quotable by AI systems — through structured data, clear content organization, and authoritative information. These same qualities make your business data accessible to AI agents. If you are already investing in AEO, you are simultaneously building the infrastructure that AI agents will use to find and recommend your business. The two strategies are complementary, not competing.