Funnels aren’t dead — but the way we build them has changed. In a world where customers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity for recommendations instead of scrolling through ten Google links, funnels need to start with intent-driven conversations and end with structured, credible content.
Why Traditional Funnels Are Breaking
The classic funnel is something every marketer can recite in their sleep: awareness → interest → consideration → purchase.
In the old days, you might run Facebook ads to create awareness, drive traffic to a landing page, and nurture leads through email sequences. For direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, this might mean retargeting site visitors with a discount code. For B2B, it often meant gated whitepapers, webinars, and long sales cycles.
But here’s the problem: AI assistants are collapsing these stages.
When a customer asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best budget-friendly coffee machine for small apartments?”, they might jump straight from awareness to purchase — bypassing your ad funnel entirely. If you’re not present in that conversation, you never even enter their decision process.
Funnels in the Age of AI
Instead of thinking about funnels as linear, we now need to think about them as contextual ecosystems. That means:
- Start with conversational intent: What real problems are people asking AI assistants to solve?
- Provide structured credibility: FAQs, comparison tables, and clear use cases that LLMs can surface as answers.
- Ensure content consistency across platforms: Your PDP, your blog, Reddit mentions, Amazon Q&A — they all feed into AI models.
Think of it this way: in traditional marketing, the funnel was a path you pushed people through. In AI marketing, the funnel is a network you need to be discoverable in.
Example: DTC Brand
Let’s say you sell mattresses.
- Old funnel: Run Google Ads → capture clicks → nurture with retargeting → convert on PDP.
- New funnel: Be the answer when someone asks Perplexity: “What’s the best mattress for new parents who wake up multiple times a night?”
To do that, your funnel needs:
- A PDP structured with FAQs like “Which mattress helps parents sleep better?”
- Blog posts comparing your product with common alternatives.
- Customer testimonials woven into content networks (social, forums, Amazon Q&A).
Result? Instead of paying for every click, you’re recommended as the contextual solution.
Example: B2B Company
Now imagine you sell compliance software.
- Old funnel: LinkedIn Ads → gated whitepaper → email nurture → SDR call → demo.
- New funnel: Your case study shows up when ChatGPT is asked: “Which software helps mid-sized Swiss manufacturers cut ESG reporting costs?”
To get there, you need to:
- Repurpose sales decks into FAQs and structured comparison tables.
- Publish blog posts that explain “How mid-sized firms in Switzerland solved ESG compliance in 3 months.”
- Align your landing pages so they answer the exact conversational queries decision-makers ask.
Suddenly, you’re not just one of many vendors on a list — you’re the vendor the assistant recommends.
Comparison: Old vs. New Funnel
| Stage | Traditional Funnel | AI-Driven Funnel |
| Awareness | Ads, social campaigns | Being the surfaced answer in AI assistants |
| Consideration | Gated whitepapers, remarketing | Use cases, FAQs, comparison tables (structured content) |
| Decision | Sales calls, discounts | Direct recommendation by LLM (high trust) |
| Post-purchase | Reviews, loyalty campaigns | Ongoing signals feeding back into AI networks |
How to Build Your AI-Ready Funnel
- Audit your current assets
→ Which blogs, FAQs, PDPs, or case studies can be repurposed? - Map intent-driven queries
→ What questions would a customer ask an AI to discover your product? - Create structured content
→ Build comparison tables, BLUF summaries, FAQs. - Connect the ecosystem
→ Ensure your content isn’t siloed. PDPs link to blogs, blogs to social, FAQs repurposed on forums. - Measure what matters
→ Stop measuring only clicks. Track mentions, AI visibility, and conversational queries.
FAQ
Q: Do we still need ads at all?
A: Absolutely. Ads still drive awareness. But without AI-ready funnels, you’ll pay more per click and lose long-term discoverability.
Q: How fast can an AI-optimized funnel work?
A: Many brands see visibility shifts in 8–12 weeks once structured content starts circulating.
Q: Is this more work for my team?
A: Not necessarily. Often it’s about repurposing what you already have — sales decks, FAQs, case studies — and restructuring them.
Conclusion
Funnels aren’t dead. They’ve just evolved.
In the AI age, the funnel isn’t about pushing people through a linear path — it’s about making sure your brand is discoverable in the conversations that matter.
The companies that adapt will become the default recommendations in ChatGPT and Gemini. The rest? They’ll keep running ads for ever-higher CPCs, wondering why they’re invisible in AI.
