Traditional search engine usage is declining rapidly, leaving many businesses unprepared for the shift to AI-powered search assistants, according to Lane Houk's new book 'The SPARK Framework: The Blueprint for AI Search Dominance.' The book introduces Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), a new discipline focused on making businesses citable by AI assistants rather than merely rankable by search engines.
Research compiled in the book reveals startling data about the transformation of search behavior. ChatGPT grew from 400 million to 800 million weekly users in just eight months, while Google's general search market share dropped from 73% to 66.9% between February and August 2025. Currently, 43% of all searches begin with AI assistants instead of traditional search engines, with 34% of Gen Z users preferring AI chatbots over Google for information discovery.
"This isn't a trend. This is a complete transformation of how humans find information," Houk explains. "Most businesses have no idea it's happening until their traffic falls off a cliff." The problem stems from traditional SEO focusing on Google rankings while AI assistants cite sources rather than show rankings. Businesses not structured to be cited by AI become invisible to the 800 million weekly users of AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews.
The SPARK Framework provides a 12-month implementation system that has already generated 150-300% traffic increases from AI-driven search for early adopters. These businesses are achieving 50-100+ AI citations per month across platforms and seeing 300-500% ROI on AEO implementation compared to traditional SEO alone. The system breaks down into monthly phases including emergency protocol setup, semantic optimization, platform authority building, answer readiness implementation, and advanced technical optimization.
Houk emphasizes the urgency of adaptation, noting that businesses implementing AEO now are gaining 12-18 month competitive advantages. "AI assistants build authority based on consistent citations over time," he explains. "If your competitor gets cited 100 times over the next six months while you're 'studying' AEO, they've built an authority gap you can't close quickly." The book is designed for business owners watching traffic decline, marketing directors tasked with understanding AI search, SEO professionals needing skill updates, and agency owners looking to add AEO services.
More information about the framework can be found at https://thesparkframework.com. Houk warns that businesses waiting for AI search to mature before acting are already behind. "The businesses thriving in 2026 won't be the ones with the biggest budgets," he says. "They'll be the ones who moved in 2025."
