Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) content marketing has been a mainstay of digital strategy, creating awareness through blog posts, social media updates, and other forms of engaging content. But as AI rapidly evolves, it’s reshaping how users (and non-human agents) discover and interact with online information. In fact, recent Google Analytics data (see image below) shows a notable increase in AI-driven and agent-based traffic that isn’t captured under traditional “organic” or “search” channels. This shift poses a critical question: What happens when it’s not a person clicking a link, but an AI agent completing a task on a user’s behalf?
The Rise of AI in TOFU Marketing
Traditionally, TOFU marketing has relied on high-volume content to capture attention and drive initial awareness. Yet, AI-powered tools (from chatbots to automated content generators), are now automating and optimising the entire process. Here’s how AI is transforming TOFU:
- Automated Creation: AI can generate articles, social media posts, and even video scripts quickly and cost-effectively.
- Personalisation at Scale: AI analyses user (and agent) behaviour to tailor content, delivering hyper-relevant recommendations.
- Faster Feedback Loops: Real-time analytics allow for immediate adjustments in content distribution and optimisation.
As a result, brands can maintain a continuous flow of targeted content without being limited by manual production processes.
Evolving Beyond Traditional Search Marketing
The Google Analytics snapshot shows something intriguing: traffic labelled as “chatgpt.com / none” or “chatgpt.com / referral.” These visits aren’t recognised as organic or paid search; instead, they’re routed from AI-driven sources. This reveals:
- A New Channel of Discovery: People (and AI agents) are bypassing conventional search engine results pages, going straight to content via AI interactions.
- “Frequently Started Conversations” vs. FAQs: Where we once focused on user-queried FAQs, we now see AI initiating the conversation, pulling information without a direct user prompt.
The Challenge: Our standard metrics: impressions, clicks, time on page, are built around human engagement. What does it mean to “optimise” content when the consumer might be an AI agent that simply extracts information and displays it to a user elsewhere?
Where Is Our ‘AI Search Console’?
A significant frustration in the industry is the absence of a dedicated analytics platform for AI-driven search. We have Google Search Console for understanding human search queries and impressions, but nothing equivalent for AI-based interactions. Without such a tool, it’s difficult to:
- Measure Visibility: How often does an AI assistant surface your content?
- Optimise Effectively: Which pieces of content are most “agent-friendly,” and how can we improve them?
- Track Performance: Is AI skipping your site entirely, or referencing only snippets of your content?
In an agentic world, the user might never see your website. The AI could be pulling data and presenting it in a summarised form. For marketers, that’s a huge blind spot.
From Clicks to Conversations: The Future of Content Strategy
As AI increasingly makes decisions on behalf of users, content strategy must evolve. Consider:
- Conversation-Ready Content: Think beyond the FAQ, focus on “frequently started conversations.” These are topics AI might use to answer broad or nuanced queries.
- Structured Data & Markup: Ensure content is easily digestible by AI. Rich snippets and structured data can help AI agents identify and parse key information.
- Human-AI Hybrid Approach: While AI-driven tools can scale content production, human creativity and authenticity remain vital to stand out in an increasingly automated landscape.
- Reason to Click: Even if an AI agent retrieves content, give users a compelling reason to visit your site, whether it’s deeper context, interactive elements, or exclusive offers.
Looking Ahead: Agentic Search and the Roadblocks
At this stage, we’re still in a transitional phase where AI-driven traffic coexists with traditional search. But the future is rapidly approaching, a world where:
- AI Agents Handle Routine Tasks: Users might simply delegate tasks to AI, never manually searching at all.
- Content is Summarised Off-Site: The AI might present your content’s key points without the user needing to click.
- Brand Visibility Shifts: Instead of competing for top rankings on a search engine results page, you’re competing for AI “recommendations” and “extractions.”
The question is, how do we measure success when engagement is no longer user-driven? We urgently need new tools like an “AI Search Console” to monitor how, when, and why AI agents are surfacing our content.
Embracing the Agentic Marketing Future
AI is redefining the rules of TOFU marketing, blurring the lines between traditional organic search and AI-driven discovery. For marketers and content creators, the next wave involves preparing content that both satisfies human curiosity and caters to AI efficiency. It’s not just about being found by a person, it’s about being recognised, parsed, and recommended by an algorithmic agent.
So, what’s next for you? Are you ready to adapt your content strategy for an era where the agent, not the user, makes the decisions? Let’s keep the conversation going. How are you preparing for this shift?