How to optimise your website for AI-educated customers

51% of B2B buyers now begin their discovery process within an AI-powered platform, up from just 29% in 2025. Yet many organisations are still designing website experiences for users who arrive with little or no prior knowledge. 

In our latest Mediaworks Masterclass, COO David Norris sat down with UX Director Jonny to explore how AI-driven discovery is changing customer behaviour and what businesses need to do to convert growing levels of agentic intent into revenue. 

The conversation focused on an important issue we’re seeing: while much of the industry has concentrated on how AI is transforming search, another opportunity lies in what happens after someone reaches your website. 

As AI assistants, search overviews, and conversational interfaces increasingly answer questions before a user ever clicks, organisations need to rethink how they engage visitors who arrive informed, qualified, and ready to act. 

The Discovery Journey Has Moved Upstream 

For years, websites acted as the primary source of information during the buying process. Customers would arrive, browse content, compare options, and gradually build confidence in a brand. 

Today's users often conduct substantial research before visiting a website. AI-powered search experiences are summarising information, comparing solutions, and providing recommendations long before a customer reaches a brand's digital channels. 

Google still dominates search, accounting for over 93% of the UK search market, with around 3 billion searches taking place every month. However, the growth of AI-assisted discovery is impossible to ignore, with approximately 140 million AI prompts now being generated monthly in the UK. 

More importantly, Google's AI Overviews have grown from appearing in around 5% of searches at the start of 2025 to more than 60% today. 

As a result of this, customers are arriving with more context, greater confidence, and higher intent than ever before. 

"People are now getting a one-to-one response from search. The expectation is that when they click through, they're going to receive a similarly personalised experience." Jonny Pears, Mediaworks’ UX Director 

The New Conversion Challenge 

Higher intent should mean higher conversion rates, but only if the website experience matches the journey users have already been on. 

Many businesses are unknowingly creating what Mediaworks calls a ‘context gap’ - a disconnect between the detailed, conversational research users undertake before arriving and the generic experiences they're presented with once they land. 

Imagine spending ten minutes discussing a highly specific requirement with an AI assistant, only to arrive on a homepage that forces you to start your research from scratch. This creates more friction for the user, which remains the biggest conversion killer. 

Small moments of confusion, uncertainty, or unnecessary effort can cause highly qualified users to abandon their journey and look elsewhere. 

Why Traditional UX Assumptions No Longer Apply 

The priority isn’t simply making websites easier to use, but recognising that user behaviour itself is changing. 

Historically, businesses could categorise products and services using broad navigation structures and a handful of keywords. Today's users search differently because AI has trained them to be more specific. 

Rather than searching for generic terms such as "trainers" through search engines, users now search for: 

• White running trainers 

• Size 9 trainers for flat feet 

• Waterproof trail running shoes for winter 

The same behaviour is increasingly occurring on websites. 

If your internal search, navigation structure, or content architecture cannot accommodate these deeper levels of intent, users become frustrated. 

"People now expect instant gratification. If they can't immediately find what they're looking for, they'll simply go somewhere else." Jonny Pears, Mediaworks’ UX Director 

Five Areas Where Businesses Are Losing Conversions 

1. The Context Gap 

Customers are arriving after conducting highly detailed research but landing on generic pages that don't reflect their needs. 

The solution isn't to create thousands of bespoke pages. Instead, organisations should explore dynamic content and UX that adjust messaging, headlines, and supporting information based on user intent and entry points. 

2. Outdated On-Site Search 

Many website search functions remain built around old keyword models. 

AI-powered discovery is teaching users to ask detailed questions and provide richer context. On-site search needs to evolve accordingly. 

Product catalogues, service pages, and content libraries should be tagged and structured to accommodate longer, more conversational queries. 

3. Infinite Scroll Syndrome 

Too many websites still present users with overwhelming amounts of content and product options. 

When someone arrives with a highly specific need, they don't want to sift through 100 possibilities. They want the three most relevant options. 

Successful organisations are increasingly exploring ways to surface personalised recommendations and dynamically prioritise content based on likely user intent. 

4. Weak Trust Signals 

Trust now influences both discovery and conversion. AI platforms increasingly use reviews, ratings, forums, and community discussions to inform recommendations. This means trust can no longer live exclusively on your website. 

However, trust also needs to be visible throughout the user journey once visitors arrive. 

Rather than burying reassurance messages in footer content, businesses should surface trust indicators directly within key conversion points, including forms, checkout journeys, and enquiry processes. 

Examples include: 

• Security assurances 

• Customer review ratings 

• Privacy messaging 

• Industry accreditations 

• Response time commitments 

5. Form Fatigue 

The traditional lead generation form is becoming increasingly outdated. Many organisations still require users to complete lengthy forms containing information that could be gathered elsewhere through enrichment tools or follow-up interactions. 

Mediaworks highlighted examples where reducing forms from multiple fields to a single email address significantly increased lead volumes without reducing lead quality. 

From Information Delivery to Journey Acceleration 

Perhaps the most significant mindset shift is recognising that websites no longer need to provide every piece of information from the beginning. 

Instead, websites should focus on helping users progress confidently to the next stage in the user journey. 

That means: 

• Reducing duplication 

• Removing unnecessary steps 

• Providing contextual reassurance 

• Personalising journeys where appropriate 

• Helping users act faster 

Continuous Optimisation Wins 

One of the strongest themes throughout the discussion was the importance of testing. 

AI-driven discovery is changing customer behaviour rapidly. What works today may not work six months from now. Rather than pursuing radical redesigns, organisations should adopt a culture of continuous improvement. 

Small changes to navigation, content hierarchy, trust messaging, search functionality, and forms can collectively have a significant impact on conversion performance. 

"The world is changing rapidly. Behaviour shifts week by week. The organisations that succeed will be the ones constantly improving by one percent at a time." Jonny Pears, Mediaworks’ UX Director 

Three Actions to Take  

Audit Your Customer Journey 

Review your website through the lens of an AI-informed visitor. Where are users being forced to repeat steps they've likely already completed during their research? 

Map User Intent 

Understand the different journeys users take before reaching your website and identify where expectations may not align with the experiences you're providing. 

Build a Testing Framework 

Rather than rely on assumptions, test changes, measure outcomes, and continually refine experiences based on real user behaviour. 

The Future Belongs to Frictionless Experiences 

Organisations must focus less on information delivery and more on conversion enablement. This means removing friction, understanding intent, and creating digital experiences that feel like a natural continuation of the conversation customers have already started elsewhere. 

To help you take the next step, we’re offering a FREE Digital Performance Audit powered by MMeX. 
 
The audit benchmarks your organisation’s digital performance across five key areas: Brand, Reach, Authority, Technical and Engagement vs 5 of your key competitors. It identifies where you are leading, where competitors are gaining ground, and where underinvestment could create risk. 

You’ll receive a clear view of your current digital position, the gaps limiting growth, and the priority opportunities to improve visibility, engagement and commercial performance 

Book a Digital Performance Audit today