The iconic scene in Taxi Driver where Robert De Niro’s character, Travis Bickle, stares at his reflection and asks, “You talkin’ to me?” reflects the shift that conversational search has brought to the customer experience.
Traditional keyword-based search is like Travis talking to himself—a one-sided, often frustrating monologue. The user types a query, and the search engine returns a list of links, forcing the user to sift through them to find what they need. The interaction is impersonal and lacks context.
Squiz Co-Founder and CEO, John-Paul Syriatowicz, comments, “Traditional keyword search acts like a research assistant, surfacing links that users can explore, but often requiring them to dig through multiple pages to find what they need. Even when great traditional search tools make this process easier with filters, the onus is still on the person to do most of the research”.
“Conversational search flips that. It is more like an expert who already knows a company’s content inside-out. Users can simply ask a question in their own words and immediately get a clear, contextual answer. This means they don’t have to do extended research (unless they want to)”.
It can efficiently handle a large volume of common, repetitive queries often found on FAQs pages. This not only provides users with instant, accurate answers without having to wait in a support queue but also frees up human agents to focus on more complex, high-value cases.
“This new way of searching removes friction, reduces time spent navigating menus or pages, and allows organisations to meet user intent with precision. People may spend less time navigating through your website to find what they need, but the time they do spend is more meaningful. That’s a powerful shift”, says Syriatowicz.
Understanding user Intent
Traditional search was a game of keywords. Conversational search, however, goes beyond a simple string of words to understand the user’s intent, context, and even sentiment. A user might type ‘best Italian restaurants’, but a conversational AI can understand the intent is to find a good dining experience and can use previous interactions or data (like location or dietary preferences) to offer a truly personalised recommendation.
Syriatowicz highlighta the following scenario for a government agency, “A user might want to know, Am I eligible for small business grants? With traditional search, they’d likely have to browse through multiple pages and interpret policy documents. They may give up. With conversational search, they ask that question and get a direct answer: Yes, if you meet these criteria, XYZ along with links to apply. This creates a faster, clearer, and more citizen-friendly experience, reducing frustration while improving access to critical services”.
Contextual dialogue:
Unlike a static list of links, conversational search can maintain context across multiple turns of a conversation. It remembers what was said and can ask clarifying questions to refine the results. This feels like a real conversation with a knowledgeable assistant, whether it’s helping a customer troubleshoot a technical issue, find a specific product on an e-commerce site, or book a flight. This ongoing dialogue builds trust and makes the user feel genuinely understood.
A shift from searching to discovering
Conversational search is less about actively searching for something and more about a guided discovery. It can proactively suggest products, provide tailored recommendations, and guide the user through a decision-making process. This shifts the experience from a laborious task to a smooth, frictionless, and even enjoyable interaction, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
Your smart first responder
Conversational search is a powerful initial point of contact for customer queries, acting like a smart first responder for your brand. It can handle a large volume of repetitive and straightforward questions—the exact
“For your support team, it reduces the volume of common queries, freeing agents to focus on more complex cases. And because the answers are generated from verified, organisation-owned content, there’s consistency and confidence across every channel. For your audience, this means instant, accurate answers without having to navigate complex menus or wait in a support queue. They get what they need quickly and in their own words, which builds satisfaction and trust.”, says Syriatowicz.
The psychological impact – building trust and confidence
Beyond just getting a faster answer, conversational search offers significant emotional and psychological benefits. The ability to ask questions naturally and receive clear, meaningful responses makes users feel understood by the technology. According to Syriatowicz, this creates a sense of ease and confidence, which is particularly crucial on large or complex websites where information can feel buried and overwhelming. By reducing this friction, conversational search empowers people to find what they need without the stress of second-guessing themselves.
Moreover, a well-designed conversational search system builds trust. When a system can verify answers from trusted, company-owned content, users feel confident in the accuracy of the information provided. This trust extends beyond the tool itself to the entire organisation.
Preparing your content for an AI-powered future
The rise of conversational search isn’t just about building your own chatbot; it’s a call to prepare your entire content ecosystem for a future dominated by generative AI. The principles that make your content effective for your own conversational tools are the very same ones that will determine how well it performs on external platforms like ChatGPT and Google’s conversational search.
“Your content needs to be structured, current, and accessible. At Squiz, we work with organisations to audit and optimise their content so it’s easy for AI systems to understand, retrieve, and use accurately. This is part of the shift we’re seeing towards Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), or Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), as some call it.
- Structure and coherence: Generative AI models thrive on well-structured, coherent content. This goes beyond simple formatting. Your information needs to be logically organised, with clear headings, consistent terminology, and a natural flow. When your content is structured like a conversation—with clear questions and answers—it becomes a powerful asset for both your internal search tools and external AI.
- Accuracy and authority: In the AI age, the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” is more relevant than ever. AI models learn from the data they’re fed. If your content is outdated, inconsistent, or inaccurate, the AI will generate flawed responses. By maintaining a single source of truth and regularly updating your information, you ensure that any AI tool—yours or a third-party’s—provides correct and reliable answers.
- Accessibility and discoverability: Content must be easily accessible and discoverable, not just by humans, but by AI as well. This involves making sure your content isn’t buried behind complex navigation menus or hidden in difficult-to-parse formats like PDFs. The easier it is for an AI to crawl, read, and understand your content, the more likely it is to be surfaced in a conversational query, regardless of the platform.
Conversational search is experiencing rapid growth, fundamentally changing how people find information. By some estimates, it could make up half of all online queries by 2026. This shift is part of a larger trend, with the overall conversational AI market projected to grow to over $61 billion by 2032. Recent research shows this isn’t just a future prediction—it’s happening now. A significant 35% of traditional searches have already shifted to conversational formats.
