LLM Optimisation
The New Face of Search: Why Generative Intent Changes Everything
New data from a dataset of tens of millions of real ChatGPT prompts reveals something fundamental: we’ve entered the generative era of search. And it’s already rewriting the rules for content, commerce, and brand discovery.
30 June 2025
10 min read
According to research by Profound, generative intent is now the dominant search type
37.5% of all prompts aren’t questions or navigations—they’re instructions to create.
“Write a job ad.” “Generate a meal plan.” “Draft an Amazon return email.”
This is a new job to be done. One where the AI produces the asset, not just helps you find where to make it. Google’s scrambling to catch up with “AI Mode”, but the shift is already well underway.
Navigational intent has collapsed
Just 2% of prompts are navigational in AI search—compared to 32% in traditional search.
We’re not asking “where is…” anymore. We’re asking “do this for me.”
Informational queries are becoming… performative
Yes, 32.7% of prompts are still informational (“what is X”), but they’re being asked differently:
“Explain it in a way a 10-year-old would get.”
“Break it down like Steve Jobs.”
This is not classic SEO—it’s brand voice meets expert authority, tuned to how humans want answers.
Transactional intent is small—but growing fast
Only 6% of prompts are transactional—but that’s 9x higher than Google’s benchmark.
“Order me this.”
“Cancel that.”
As LLMs gain plugins and agency, brands will need to re-think how they show up when the model does the buying.
The ‘no intent’ layer matters more than you think
12% of prompts don’t have an obvious intent.
“Please.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
They’re the connective tissue of an LLM conversation and may subtly shape what gets recommended later in a session.
It’s early, but this is a space to watch.
37.5% of all prompts aren’t questions or navigations—they’re instructions to create.
“Write a job ad.” “Generate a meal plan.” “Draft an Amazon return email.”
This is a new job to be done. One where the AI produces the asset, not just helps you find where to make it. Google’s scrambling to catch up with “AI Mode”, but the shift is already well underway.
Navigational intent has collapsed
Just 2% of prompts are navigational in AI search—compared to 32% in traditional search.
We’re not asking “where is…” anymore. We’re asking “do this for me.”
Informational queries are becoming… performative
Yes, 32.7% of prompts are still informational (“what is X”), but they’re being asked differently:
“Explain it in a way a 10-year-old would get.”
“Break it down like Steve Jobs.”
This is not classic SEO—it’s brand voice meets expert authority, tuned to how humans want answers.
Transactional intent is small—but growing fast
Only 6% of prompts are transactional—but that’s 9x higher than Google’s benchmark.
“Order me this.”
“Cancel that.”
As LLMs gain plugins and agency, brands will need to re-think how they show up when the model does the buying.
The ‘no intent’ layer matters more than you think
12% of prompts don’t have an obvious intent.
“Please.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
They’re the connective tissue of an LLM conversation and may subtly shape what gets recommended later in a session.
It’s early, but this is a space to watch.