Redefining Discovery: The New Search Journey in the U.K.

Search is no longer linear — and it's no longer confined to traditional engines. Brits are embracing AI tools, navigating multiple platforms, and relying on influencer content more than ever.

AI's direct answers and customised recommendations are rapidly replacing links. But while this shift is obvious, the path forward for U.K. brands is less so. What does this new search journey actually look like? And what does "discovery" mean in a world that is less about rankings and more about visibility?

To find out, Yext partnered with Researchscape to survey more than 2,200 people across the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany about how they use both traditional and AI search. What we found has real implications for brands working to stay visible and win customers in the U.K. market.

Let's dive in:

AI search is becoming mainstream in the United Kingdom:

• 40% of U.K. consumers* use AI search at least once a day

• 80% have increased their use of AI search over the past year

That shift signals growing confidence in AI — and rising expectations for fast, intelligent answers.

When it comes to everyday decisions:

• 50% still trust traditional search engines most

• 38% now trust AI tools — narrowing the gap

That trust difference shrinks even further for sensitive topics, where 38% of Brits say they'd rely on AI, compared to 54% for traditional sources.

For brands, that means AI isn't just a novelty; it's becoming a trusted source. But credibility, transparency, and content accuracy still matter.

Only 9% of consumers say they trust the first tool they use online to make a decision. Instead, 91% of Brits consult multiple sources:

• 54% often check several tools to verify results

• 37% check different platforms depending on the context

And social plays a central role:

• 55% of Brits use social media for reviews — the highest across all markets surveyed

• TikTok and Reddit are top discovery platforms

• Influencer recommendations carry particular weight with Gen Z and Millennials

The takeaway: Brand visibility can't stop at Google. It needs to extend across every platform customers use to search — even passively.

Yext's research uncovered two leading discovery patterns in the U.K.:

• Price Shoppers (27%) — goal-driven, comparison-focused, and decisive

• Traditionalists (22%) — loyal to familiar search engines and structured results

Overall, each persona has different intent signals and content expectations. Brands that meet each type of searcher wherever they are — with clarity, consistency, and context — will earn more trust and visibility.

U.K. consumers are clear: they want flexibility, accuracy, and relevance — whether they're searching with AI, on social, or in traditional engines.

To keep up in the age of AI search, brands should:

• Monitor brand visibility in AI search

• Structure information to appear clearly in AI and social search results Pay attention to emerging discovery platforms like TikTok and Reddit — and have correct and consistent information across publishers

• Build content strategies that support both active and passive discovery

Search in the U.K. is diversifying. Brands that show up wherever customers look (and scroll) will be best positioned to grow.

Want to dive into the full global data set? Click here. Ready to see how (or if!) your brand is appearing in AI search. Check out Yext Scout or request a demo.

*Survey details: The results in this report are from an online survey of 2,237 adults who made a purchase online within the past three months and used voice search (e.g., Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa) or conversational AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude) to find information online. The survey was conducted from March 20 to April 6, 2025, by Researchscape International on behalf of Yext. Results were weighted by country population, age, and gender. Respondents were from four countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. 396 respondents were from the U.K..