Search Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Changing the Rules (Again)

At a recent tech event, someone asked Michael Maher if search is dead because of AI overviews. Nope. Search isn’t dead, it’s mutating. 

What’s Changing on Amazon

• Rufus on the horizon: Amazon’s AI assistant isn’t fully baked into search yet, but the signs are there. 

• Sponsored results showing up in Rufus: Although brands aren’t targeting Rufus directly (as there’s no option for that yet), we’re already seeing Rufus-sponsored results, which show where this is headed.

Why It Matters for Brands

• Content has to evolve. Rufus isn’t fully shaping search today, but it’s moving that way. If your listings don’t start adapting to the kinds of questions shoppers (and AI) are asking, you could become invisible over time.

• Testing is non-negotiable. Brands that experiment now will own visibility when Rufus goes mainstream.

Search isn’t static, and it never has been. First it was SEO, then ads, now AI-assisted discovery. The only brands that win are the ones that adapt faster than everyone else.

Want the full breakdown? Catch the replay of the From East to West AMA where Brett Bohannon and Michael Maher dig into new Amazon features here.