Image source: Babajide Adesesan

At the recent eCom Leaders event at Google HQ in London, one takeaway stood out: AI search may be evolving fast, but it is not replacing the fundamentals of discovery and trust. For B2B tech brands, search engines and earned media remain the cornerstones of influence. Business buyers still turn to credible, verifiable sources to make high-stakes decisions, and that is where SEO and PR continue to do the heavy lifting.

For business buyers, decisions are too complex and too credibility-driven to be made on a single AI-generated answer. Despite the hype, search engines remain the backbone of B2B discovery, and earned media still defines trust.

B2B buyers are not consumers

The B2B buying journey is not a one-click transaction. It is a months-long process involving multiple stakeholders, budgets and reputational risk for both the company and its personnel if the wrong decision is made. According to industry insights, the average buying group for complex solutions includes over 8 decision makers, with 77 percent reading reviews and 54 percent speaking to users before engaging a vendor.

In contrast to B2C, where purchases are emotional and immediate, B2B buyers prioritise evidence and ROI. The majority of B2B purchases start with an online search, and those buyers need proof: case studies, analyst validation, and credible coverage.

AI search is not a substitute for depth

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity can summarise information, but they still lack depth and contextual understanding.

Large Language Models (LLMs) recognise patterns, not business nuance. For fintech or enterprise buyers comparing infrastructures or compliance frameworks, the difference between “good enough” and “mission critical” can be millions of dollars. They need verifiable insight, not surface-level summaries.

AI-generated results also depend on trusted sources. Forrester (2024) found that 89 percent of B2B buyers now use AI tools during research, but those tools still pull data from search engines and media ecosystems. AI does not create trust; it borrows it.

That is why SEO and PR are inseparable. Search drives discovery. Earned media builds credibility.

PR is the credibility engine

PR is now more than communications. It is the credibility engine of SEO. Third-party validation from trusted outlets builds both human trust and algorithmic authority.

When an LLM references TechCrunch, Finextra or Reuters, that coverage acts as proof of reliability. In B2B, where deals are complex and risk is high, those trust signals decide visibility.

What this means for B2B tech and fintech brands

The brands that will win in this new search landscape will:

  1. Create search-optimised content that answers complex buyer questions.
  2. Secure consistent earned media across credible industry outlets.
  3. Maintain a strong, content-rich website that search and AI crawlers can trust.

The platforms may change, but the path to influence has not. B2B buyers still start with search and validate through credible sources. AI may help them find you faster, but only if you have built a reputation they can trust.

AI search is accelerating discovery, not replacing it. For B2B brands, visibility still depends on strong SEO, authoritative PR and credible content. In a world where algorithms decide who gets heard, trust remains the ultimate ranking signal.