From Google to GPT: How Search Actually Works in 2025

Discoverability isn’t “just SEO” anymore. It’s the entire customer journey.  

VML’s Chief Discoverability Officer, Heather Physioc, joins host Lacey Peace to unpack how AI search, LLM overviews, social media channels, and agentic assistants are rewriting how customers find, trust, and choose brands.

We cover: the rise of zero-click results and GEO (generative engine optimization), why trust + authority beat content volume, connecting your content supply chain, and where to invest next. Practical, human-centered—and way beyond keyword stuffing.

Key Moments

00:00 Meet Heather Physioc, VML’s Chief Discoverability Officer

7:33 What Is a Chief Discoverability Officer?

10:07 Discoverability’s Role in the Modern Customer Journey

13:00 The Biggest Gaps in Marketing and CX Today

17:00 From 10 Blue Links to AI Overviews: The Timeline of Discoverability

22:00 How AI Overviews Are Changing Search Behavior

23:45 Three Shifts Defining the AI Search Revolution

27:45 Is This the Death of the Website?

28:40 Can We Track What People Search on LLMs?

30:53 Does SEO Still Matter in an AI-First World?

33:17 What Platforms Actually Matter Most Right Now

37:00 Building Trust and Authority in the Age of AI Content

40:30 The Content Supply Chain: Why Brands Struggle to Connect the Dots

43:33 The New Metrics That Actually Matter for Discoverability

45:26 Ad Buying and Sponsored Content in LLM Search

48:05 The Next Challenges Every Brand Should Prepare For

50:00 AI Assistants and the Rise of the AI Buyer

54:25 The One Fundamental Truth About Human Search Behavior

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