110. AI Search In Australia: Google, ChatGPT & The New Rules Of Visibility w. Rocket Agency's Joe Alder

Episode Description:Is Google losing ground? How much traffic are tools like ChatGPT really driving? And what does visibility look like when answers increasingly happen inside AI platforms instead of on your website? In this episode, Host James Lawrence sits down with Rocket’s Head of SEO & GEO, Joe Alder, to unpack what’s actually happening inside AI search in Australia right now.

Drawing on Rocket’s latest GEO research across more than 150 Australian businesses and over one million data points, they explore how platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity are reshaping visibility, influence and digital measurement for brands, and what marketers should focus on next.

Watch our webinar: AI Search in Australia 2026 - How to Rank in ChatGPT & Google AI

Key Takeaways:Why Google search traffic is declining even while total search activity continues to growHow AI Overviews are impacting click-through rates for brands ranking in top Google positionsWhat Rocket’s research revealed about the overlap between Google rankings and ChatGPT visibilityWhy ChatGPT influences purchasing decisions far beyond the traffic it directly sends to websitesThe growing importance of brand perception inside large language modelsWhy AI search optimisation requires a different approach to traditional SEOThe technical website issues preventing many brands from appearing in AI search resultsWhat types of content are performing best inside large language modelsWhy authority, citations and off-site brand signals matter more than ever in AI searchThe metrics marketers should actually be tracking to measure AI search performance

Guest:Joe Alder is Rocket’s Head of SEO & GEO and one of Australia’s leading voices on the evolving AI search landscape. He has worked closely with Australian brands to help them navigate the shift from traditional search to AI-driven discovery, combining deep technical expertise with practical strategies for improving visibility across platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Gemini.

You can follow Joe on LinkedIn.

Find Us Online:James Lawrence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslawrenceoz/

Smarter Marketer Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/smarter-marketer-podcast

Rocket Agency Website: https://rocketagency.com.au/

Rocket Agency LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocket-agency-pty-ltd/

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