__Every once in a while there's a shift in the digital landscape that seems to unify the clients we work with in a kind of collective terror. __

And the thing we seem to be talking to all clients about right now is the drop off in traffic instigated by the shift to knowledge gathering with the Large Language Models (LLMs like Chat GPT, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini) and particularly since the launch of AI overview and AI mode in Google search. 

But frankly it’s a return to the olden days of the internet, when Search was first pioneered, and we were all collectively invited to 'Ask Jeeves'? The only problem being that people did exactly that: they asked questions. In natural language. And the internet, as was, wasn't able to answer their questions. Because that's not how it was built.

So along came Google, and retrained us with their beguiling simplicity. To not ask questions, but to use Boolean Operators and Keyword Strings. And so our content was optimised to capitalise on that new behaviour.  Keywords were stuffed. Links were backed. Authority was established. The Search algorithms adapted, and the content arms race escalated. And with it everyone consigned Jeeves as a comical footnote in Internet history.

But now, the technology has caught up and it turns out Jeeves was right all along. There is undeniably a fundamental change in the way people are finding their information because we’re human and we like asking questions. That’s how we always wanted to use the web.

So now we’re back there and the technology has caught up, your visibility now requires a new approach or maybe more pertinently a little bit of a new approach but with a whole heap of old practices thrown in.

Brands have to be present in the authoritative, structured, and trusted content that AI models use to build their responses. 

- AI-generated answers have become the dominant force in Google Search, __influencing 84% of all queries__ and reshaping how users receive information online(1).
- While overall site traffic may fall in the AI search era, the visitors who do arrive are far __more valuable__. Ahrefs data shows __AI search users convert 23 times better__ than traditional organic visitors(2).

## We believe there are 5 fundamental things you could be looking at now to ensure that your online brand presence is LLM ready:

### A quick online brand health check
How is your brand presence and sentiment doing online. It's all very well focussing on what you're saying on LinkedIn but what are others saying about you in places like Reddit and Glassdoor which are where LLMs will be looking to understand how your brand is perceived. Understanding where your brand is being mentioned and how is more important than ever.

### Is your content strategy LLM ready?
For example attributed research; deep topic led insight; and in depth FAQs. Authored thought leadership on your site, linked to fleshed-out LinkedIn pages and a range of editorial/ earned coverage will all help bolster credibility - which requires a strong proactive PR programme and coordinated spokesperson strategy to boot. 

### Employee advocacy is even more important
How ready are your colleagues to represent and bolster your brand's sentiment ratings online? What’s your employee communications strategy to help turn the dial? 

### Is your website LLM ready?
Is your site your crawlable? Is your metadata AI ready? How well optimised is your knowledge graph? 

### Are you measuring the right things?
Are you using tools such as WAIKAY or Similarweb's AI measurement framework to identify how well you’re performing in AI and identifying how you can do better in the topics you want to index for.

Collective terror is probably misplaced because Jeeves was right all along... but in order to ensure you can answer the questions users are asking, quick action is imperative to ensure you remain visible in the new knowledge gathering era. 

__If you fancy a chat about this email me on [cheath@teamspirit.co.uk](mailto:cheath@teamspirit.co.uk).__

---

1. https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/blog/google-sge-seo
2. https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-search-traffic-conversions-ahrefs/#conversions

Every once in a while there's a shift in the digital landscape that seems to unify the clients we work with in a kind of collective terror... read more on the importance of elevating your digital presence in a LLM dominated landscape.  

Come back Jeeves, all is forgiven

Creating personalised experiences is now a critical business necessity. 

Consumers expect brands to understand their needs, preferences and behaviours, rewarding those who do so with increased loyalty and engagement. Almost two thirds of customers now say they expect companies to adapt experiences to match their changing needs and preferences1 and more than half that they’d likely become repeat buyers after a personalised experience2. Businesses that don’t adapt will find themselves outpaced by competitors and at odds with regulatory mandates including Consumer Duty. 

Despite 80% of financial institutions seeing personalisation as essential to meet the expected and required standards3, many still underinvest and deprioritise this within marketing strategies. With fewer than one in four businesses having the required technology to deliver consistent personalised experiences across channels2, the risk is customer disengagement and shallow, transactional relationships.

__The importance of cross-channel__

AI-driven data processing is fast-tracking personalisation across all customer touchpoints, further raising expectations. Without an accurate, cross channel view, insights are limited. 63% of buyers say experiences fall short of what’s possible4 – the same percentage stated they’d stop purchasing following poorly executed personalisation5. Businesses must invest in the right tech and test rigorously sooner rather than later. 

Prioritising personalisation will boost revenue, strengthen brand loyalty and support meeting regulations. This means building targeted, impactful and well-executed personalisation strategies that evolve with customer needs, fostering trust and differentiation. Investing in these efforts will outweigh potential losses, positioning brands for success in an increasingly regulated, customer-centric landscape.

This blog comes from our recent insight paper ‘Signals’, which includes fourteen thought pieces from departmental experts at Teamspirit on emerging trends, opportunities - and how marketers can stay ahead of them. You can download the full ‘Signals’ report [here](https://downloads.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/6BG5pebjty67CF7a8VnEAk/fe62e6890db19c99797987852c736d94/TS_2025_Signals_Report.pdf).

### Sources
1. [https://www.salesforce.com/uk/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/](https://www.salesforce.com/uk/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customer/)
2. [https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/announcing-the-state-of-personalization-2021](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/announcing-the-state-of-personalization-2021)
3. [https://www.dynamicyield.com/personalization-maturity-report-for-finance-2023/](https://www.dynamicyield.com/personalization-maturity-report-for-finance-2023/)
4. [https://www.salesforce.com/blog/what-is-customer-experience/](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/what-is-customer-experience/)
5. [https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/web-personalisation/consumers-personalized-marketing-engagement/](https://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/web-personalisation/consumers-personalized-marketing-engagement/)

How can financial services best respond to customers’ growing expectations of personalised experiences?

The power of personalised experiences

Since the TV era was born, celebrities have played an integral part in building brand awareness and loyalty. 

Over the years, the financial services sector has also learnt to take advantage of celebrity stardust. Not only can a sprinkling of celebrity help build familiarity and trust, it can also help with cut-through in a noisy media landscape where media consumption habits evolve at speed. 

While some have relied heavily on the ‘national treasure status’ of celebrities, others have been the vehicle to put a celebrity right at the heart of British culture.

Over the last thirty years, these campaigns have typically fallen into four different groups:

__Campaign cut through__
1. [Big Zuu](https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/embed/video/2767205.html) / [Timmy Mallet](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-3020805/Video-Timmy-Malletts-nostalgia-gameshow-promote-pensions.html) / [GC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhefWZx26qs) – ABI/ PLSA ‘Pension Attention’
2. [Myleeen Klass](https://x.com/KlassMyleene/status/1816084462985244830) – Bupa Mental Health
3. [Dame Judi Dench](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKTPKlyEKpo) – MoneySuperMarket

__Familiarity through wit__
1. [Ant & Dec](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr_aHaq8Eno) – Santander
2. [Rowan Atkinson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RylTP_5fG0s) – Barclaycard
3. [John Cleese](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J50wR1KB17s) – Avalon

__Reassurance & expertise__
1. [George Clarke, Scarlette Douglas & Jason Fox](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02XMe4xUGN8) – AXA UK
2. [Michael Parkinson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMm00NaDvw) – Sun Life 
3. [Carol Vorderman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw7kezrUGIQ) – First Plus

__Building a national treasure__
1. [Sergei & the meerkat family](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI_J-MZ6fiY) – Compare the Market
2. [Churchill (the dog)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_eCLJglhy4) – Churchill Insurance
3. [Workie the pension monster](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1222999/Meet-pensions-monster-latest-government-ad-campaign.html) – Department of Work & Pensions, Workplace Pension campaign

With financial services providers especially reliant on establishing and growing long term relationships with customers, the transformative potential of these partnerships for a brand is significant.

But as culture continues to fragment, those brands looking for a ‘one size fits all’ celebrity may well struggle. While larger than life campaigns will still help build brand fame, it is those that are more tactical and bespoke to demographics that will likely bear the most fruit.

*Read our report, ‘[NoticeMe! Why financial services need fame](https://downloads.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3f5Ii0cJv8Dxd1x76biHyq/8f3217202291e6c5e2a6be8f395d2349/9988_TS_Notice_Me_Report_2025_RGB_UK_AW4_MO.pdf)’, to read our view on why financial services need to unashamedly chase fame; our definition of what we mean by fame; a host of noteworthy examples from within and outside the sector; and how to create it with behavioural science tips aka CHESS.*

With financial services providers reliant on establishing and growing long term relationships with customers, the role of celebrities to strengthen that bond continues to evolve.

Looking for a celeb in finance

Slowly but surely, the view of cryptocurrency as a fringe asset embraced only by a loyal, speculative few is changing. This switch in sentiment is being driven by several factors, with one of the most influential being the development of proper regulatory frameworks to support cryptocurrency. Whilst the average consumer might not be overly invested in the technical details of regulation, the knock on effects for the wider economy must be considered. Recent months and years have seen the UK’s two biggest trading partners, the US and EU surge ahead of them in the development of regulation that provides clarity, consumer protections and encourages investment. 

## What's been going on abroad?
Readers of the financial news and market analysts witnessed a big shake up in Crypto markets at the back end of last year. The re-election of former President Donald Trump sent markets soaring across the board with none benefitting more so than crypto markets. Bitcoin, the world’s most universally recognised digital currency, broke the $90,000 barrier, and the total global market value of Cryptocurrency climbed above $3 trillion for the first time in three years. This renewed enthusiasm was fueled by the expectation that the incoming President will continue his ‘pro-crypto’ stance, encouraging widespread adoption of the asset class by American businesses and streamlining compliance requirements. 

Meanwhile in Europe, the Markets in Crypto-Asset regulations (MiCA) have taken full effect across the EU, providing cryptocurrency firms, investors and consumers alike with a clearer set of rules and boundaries that are to be followed. Whilst some Crypto leaders, especially the less established players, will view much of the regulation as overly burdensome and as a drag on investment, having a clear framework dedicated to the asset class is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. A step that the UK has yet to emulate. 

## What’s going on at home? 
In short, not as much as our counterparts in Europe and America. Last year the FCA only regulated four new cryptocurrency firms in the UK, including a full 6-month patch where not a single new firm was authorised. As with any type of business regulation, there is of course a difficult balancing act to strike between ensuring consumer protection, preventing market abuse and encouraging innovation. But if the UK wants to continue living up to its moniker as one of the world's ‘Financial Capitals’ then one would think more has to be done in this space to prevent falling well behind our peers. 

Whilst not without its challenges, Crypto offers the potential for faster international transfers, greater transparency and lower transaction costs. These positives, coupled with recent research from the regulator revealing that 12% of UK adults now own a form of cryptocurrency, offers ample evidence that this growing sector of finance needs to be embraced.

## Steps in the right direction?
Despite the slow start, positive steps are being made in the right direction. The FCA recently regulated two significant players in the Cryptocurrency space, Coinbase and Bitpanda, with the former noting that the UK has quickly grown into their largest market outside of the US. Furthermore, the FCA also announced that their full cryptoasset regulatory regime is due to go live in 2026, providing standardised rules for Crypto firms operating in the UK and therefore bolstering market integrity. 

The UK has long been the home to innovative, world beating financial services companies, from high street giants like Barclays to emerging fintechs like Monzo. Moreover, the FCA itself has proven itself to be a pioneering innovator, with their fintech regulatory sandbox proving so successful it has been implemented by several other nations. If the right regulatory balance is struck, there is no reason why the UK cannot also be home to pre-eminent Cryptocurrency firms of the future.

## Key stats 
- Bitcoin - broke 90k dollars for the first time and global markets value topped 3 trillion usd for the first time in three years - [https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/hss/why-donald-trumps-election-win-fuelled-a-stock-market-surge.html](https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/hss/why-donald-trumps-election-win-fuelled-a-stock-market-surge.html)
- Criticism of MICA - [https://www.ulam.io/blog/mica-regulations-and-their-impact-on-the-crypto-industry](https://www.ulam.io/blog/mica-regulations-and-their-impact-on-the-crypto-industry)
- UK being sluggish on approvals - [https://www.cityam.com/the-uk-is-at-a-crypto-crossroads/](https://www.cityam.com/the-uk-is-at-a-crypto-crossroads/) 
- Coinbase approval and statistics - [https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/article/f632bdd5-6b46-48b1-b473-5cfee459c281](https://coinmarketcap.com/academy/article/f632bdd5-6b46-48b1-b473-5cfee459c281)
- Bitpanda approval - [https://www.cityam.com/bitpanda-shake-up-uk-crypto-market/](https://www.cityam.com/bitpanda-shake-up-uk-crypto-market/)

The view of cryptocurrency as a fringe asset embraced only by a loyal, speculative few is changing. Here’s what’s been going on and why the FCA may yet be a pioneering innovator in the space

Why the UK is playing catchup in the race for Cryptocurrency infrastructure

### __Think customers understand your website? Think again.__

Our research shows there's a gulf in understanding between mortgage providers and consumers when it comes to researching and buying mortgages online. 

__Download your free copy and discover:__
<ul class="tst-dsd">
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 Why only 42% of customers successfully complete a mortgage product search.
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 The key pain points customers find when looking for the right mortgage. 
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 How to tackle website navigation across devices.
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__Regulators and consumers alike say that buying financial services must be made simpler and easier to understand.__

Our latest web usability research gives invaluable insight into just how big the gap is between what providers say and what customers understand – and provides important lessons on how to improve user experience.

The report covers the 5 leading mutual mortgage providers and uses findings from 40 consumers. Combined with our extensive experience in this area, it makes for compelling reading.

Our research shows there's a gulf in understanding between mortgage providers and consumers when it comes to researching and buying mortgages online. 

Road to Nowhere

Think customers understand your website? Think again.

Related News

Sun 14 Sep 2025

Come back Jeeves, all is forgiven

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The power of personalised experiences

Tue 29 Jul 2025

Looking for a celeb in finance

Tue 4 Mar 2025

Why the UK is playing catchup in the race for Cryptocurrency infrastructure