Article Summary: AI and LLMs are redefining the B2B buyer’s journey—moving discovery from search clicks to AI citations. Nearly all buyers now use GenAI tools before contacting vendors, making earned media, structured data, and credible content key to visibility. Marketers must pivot from SEO to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and prepare sales teams for AI-educated buyers who arrive later but more informed.
The way B2B buyers conduct research and evaluate vendors is in the midst of a dramatic transformation. As hyperbolic as that sounds, there’s considerable data to back it up, and it’s still early days. What does this mean for B2B marketers and how will your 2026 plans pivot to adapt to these rapidly changing behaviors?
First things first, you’re not behind. From prompts and queries, to content placement, media coverage and measurement, everyone is still figuring this out. But it’s critical to be experimenting, testing, measuring, and keeping tabs on industry data right now. Here’s your in-the-moment guide to what’s changing and how to adapt.
How is B2B buyer behavior changing with AI?
Large language models and AI-powered search tools have become primary research channels, reshaping the entire customer journey before prospects ever enter your sales funnel.
This represents a seismic shift in how brands reach potential customers. The old B2B buying process, dominated by Google search and blue link clicks that drove high-volume web traffic, is giving way to a new buyer research process, focused on LLMs and AI-enabled search platforms, resulting in lower volume but more highly-qualified direct traffic.
At the beginning of the year, Forrester surveyed B2B buyers, and nearly 95% said they expected to use genAI to support their decision and purchase process in the next 12 months. As we near year-end, it’s clear buyers have made good on that expectation.
As of July, 90% of B2B buyers were already conducting research before first contact, and almost two-thirds are already using GenAI tools as much as – or more than – traditional search.
-Inside the Buyer’s Mind: What Shapes B2B Decisions Today
Buyers are conducting extensive research through AI platforms, arriving at sales conversations later in the process, more informed, and with preconceived vendor rankings already formed. They’re shortlisting brands without visiting company websites or filling out forms. 61% of these buyers start the buying process with a preferred vendor, but nearly half say they’re open to switching.
Where should my brand show up? What AI Actually Reads
Given this change in buyer behavior, understanding what influences AI responses is crucial. Research from Muckrack shows that more than 95% of links cited by AI models come from unpaid media sources, and more than a quarter is journalistic content, reinforcing the power and value of earned media, and a multi-channel content distribution strategy.
Outlet authority also plays a powerful role in citation frequency. High-domain authority outlets like Reuters, Axios, and Financial Times appear frequently, though sources vary dramatically by industry.
For queries implying recency, journalism comprises 49% of AI citations. In finance and insurance specifically, journalistic content reaches 37% of citations compared to 28% overall. Muckrack says recency especially matters in OpenAI models, where fresh content on topical, opinion-based, or event-driven queries get prioritized.
Rethinking Demand Generation and the (Old) New Marketing Mix
The implications for B2B marketing strategy are real. Brands who are not starting to implement an Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) strategy will get buried in AI search results, while early adopters will dominate. Your website’s mandate should be evolving to feed accurate, structured data to AI agents first, because AI is likely to “read” your site before buyers ever see it.
This new demand generation playbook also favors building trust and authority across the entire digital ecosystem. But is that really new? Maybe it’s just becoming more important.
One brand leader said it best: “AI platforms are getting better at rewarding what should have mattered all along—genuine expertise that is authentically shared.”
We know that adopting an integrated marketing and PR strategy has always been a good idea, no matter how big your brand or marketing budget is. Now this approach will also contribute to building trust and authority (leading to more citations) with LLMs.
As a starting point, this includes:
- Prioritizing earned media in high-authority news sites, but also maintaining quality coverage over quantity, and keeping a niche focus on specific buyer segments
- Creating owned content that answers buyers’ questions in LLM-friendly language and formatting
- Un-gating content and converting PDFs to HTML.
- Integration of FAQs, schema markup, and transcripts for video content
- Consistently amplifying your news on social channels
The metrics that matter have changed too. Instead of focusing on cost-per-click and click-through rates, marketers are starting to track referral traffic from AI sources, share of AI citation, and share of voice in AI responses. While there are several martech and media monitoring companies aiming to serve this space, they too are still figuring things out. We’re testing and watching closely as these measurement models rapidly evolve and advance in the coming months.
Preparing Sales for AI-Educated Buyers
As marketing teams pivot their strategy, sales teams need to pivot too. Prospects are likely to be much more highly informed, having already evaluated options through AI platforms.
Contacts who have already shortlisted your brand are ready for more detailed, technical conversations – train your sales team to be ready too. Brands that recognize this shift and adapt their strategies accordingly will be the ones buyers discover, trust, and ultimately choose.
Ready to start experimenting? Reach out today to discuss how you might optimize your content for AI discovery, elevate your brand’s authority, and make sure when buyers ask the next big question, the answer they get is yours.
