In this episode of the Affiliate Marketing Podcast, Lee-Ann Johnstone sits down with search industry veteran Colin Jeavons to unpack one of the most significant shifts in digital commerce since Google's CPC revolution.
With 25% of global search queries now bypassing Google in favour of AI-powered answer engines, affiliate managers and publishers face a crossroads: adapt to emerging channels or risk becoming obsolete. Colin, whose career spans from the Yellow Pages era through to building semantic search technology for defence and intelligence, brings rare historical perspective on what's actually changing – and what isn't.
This episode is essential listening for affiliate managers questioning their channel strategy, publishers wondering if SEO is dead, and any e-commerce brand trying to understand where consumer discovery is headed.
Talking points include:
- From Yellow Pages to Answer Engines: How search has evolved from browser distribution monopolies to AI-driven discovery, and why Google's 2002 business model is facing its BlackBerry moment.
- The 75/25 Rule: Why traditional search still commands three-quarters of queries despite rapid AI adoption, and how to balance legacy channels with emerging opportunities.
- Beyond Traditional Affiliates: How CPA models are expanding into apps, creators, influencers, and AI search – creating entirely new verticals for performance marketing.
The Speed of Disruption: Why This Time Is Different
Colin draws a striking parallel between today's AI revolution and the quarter-century evolution of the internet itself. The internet took 25 years to reach its current form. ChatGPT and AI answer engines have captured 25% of search query volume in just 10 months. This acceleration matters because it's forcing decisions on affiliate managers who are still optimising for last decade's playbook. The traditional search funnel – where users clicked blue links, scrolled through ads, and navigated cluttered results pages – is being replaced by conversational interfaces that provide direct answers with integrated purchasing options. TikTok's ByteDance has generated more revenue than Meta in recent quarters, with 25% coming from commerce that didn't exist previously. The channel to search is changing, and with it, the entire discovery mechanism that underpins affiliate marketing.
Why Traditional Search Isn't Dead (And Won't Be for Years)
Despite the hype around AI disruption, Colin delivers a pragmatic reality check: change in consumer behaviour is rarely instantaneous. Even as AI answer engines capture market share, 75% of queries still flow through traditional search engines. Within a year, that figure may drop to 50% – but that still represents billions of searches and trillions of pounds in commerce. The mistake affiliate managers are making isn't investing in SEO; it's failing to simultaneously build competency in the two emerging channels that will define the next era: AI-powered answer engines and influencer-creator commerce. The businesses that win won't be those who abandon working strategies, but those who recognise the mathematics of change and allocate resources proportionally. Your top-performing SEO affiliates still deserve support and optimisation, but doubling down exclusively on that channel whilst ignoring where 25% (and growing) of your audience is searching would be equally shortsighted.
The Vertical Specialisation Imperative: Why You Can't Do It All
Perhaps the most actionable insight from Colin's decades in the space is this: the era of the generalist digital marketer is over. When search meant Google and affiliate meant content publishers, one team could manage it all. Today's ecosystem requires vertical expertise across traditional SEO, AI answer engines, influencer commerce, app-based shopping, creator content, programmatic shopping, and AI-generated video. Colin's Nomix Group deliberately structured itself with separate CEOs, CTOs, and marketing budgets for each vertical because trying to master all of them internally leads to mediocrity across the board. For affiliate managers, this translates to a clear mandate: partner with specialists. Work with agencies and technology providers who live and breathe specific channels rather than attempting to build in-house competency in every emerging vertical. The brands seeing success aren't those with the largest teams, but those willing to acknowledge the limits of internal expertise and bring in vertical specialists.
Listen to find out more about:
- How browser distribution, not search quality, created Google's monopoly—and why that same moat is now crumbling.
- The specific verticals where CPA commerce is experiencing explosive growth: apps, creators, influencers, and AI search.
- The “fail fast” philosophy that's kept Colin relevant through 25 years of continuous technological disruption.
Key segments of this podcast and where you can tune in to go direct:
[11:45] The case for not abandoning traditional search.
[13:57] The 10-month revolution: how AI answer engines captured 25% of search volume at unprecedented speed.
[29:13] Colin's advice for publishers and affiliate managers: always ask for help and don't fear failure.
Would you like to talk about sponsoring our podcast, or gaining a brand mention? Take a look here.
Never miss out on FREE insights and training! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Get Your Questions Answered by Lee-Ann!
Use this form to submit a question to Lee-Ann and get it answered on the Affiliate Marketing Podcast.
Want to learn more about elevating your affiliate program?
Subscribe to the Affiliate Marketing Podcast for weekly insights from industry leaders.
Advertise on our Podcast!
Gain EXPOSURE and Get RESULTS by advertising on the Affiliate Marketing Podcast!
For affiliate managers, podcast ads can be more than just another ad. They are a conversation. When a podcast host talks about a product or service, it feels more like a recommendation from a friend than a traditional advertisement. This level of trust and authenticity is hard to find elsewhere.
Rate, Review & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
“I love Affiverse’s Affiliate Marketing Podcast.” <– If that sounds like you, please give us a 5 Star rating here! Taking the time to do that, helps us support more people in our community to access digital and affiliate marketing insights, expert lead learnings and allows us to share the latest online marketing tactics that help Affiliate programs and businesses to grow.
Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”
