Can Perplexity Kill Google? What an Apple Deal Could Mean for Search Marketing

A few months ago, most marketers hadn’t heard of Perplexity. Now it’s in investor decks, SEO reports, and Apple acquisition rumors. A Perplexity-Apple deal would not only introduce a new search engine but also reroute how users discover and interact with brands across devices.

Why This Conversation Matters

After noticing Perplexity traffic in citation reports, Jordan Brannon, Coalition Technologies’ president, says the conversation isn’t just about Perplexity versus Google. “It’s about where SEO is going next,” he says. “And how ecommerce brands stay visible as interfaces change.”

Marketers often mistake their own habits for consumer behavior. Brannon cautions that while AI use is growing among tech-savvy professionals, the general population still leans heavily on Google. “Social platforms are still dominant for Gen Z,” he adds. “And Google remains the default for billions of queries per day.”

Still, AI search is clearly the future. What matters now is preparing without overreacting.

Perplexity by the Numbers

Perplexity handled roughly 780 million queries in May 2025¹. That’s a rounding error compared to Google’s 13.7 billion daily queries², but it’s enough to matter.

Founded in August 2022 by AI researchers from Meta, OpenAI, and Google, Perplexity combines LLMs with live indexing to deliver direct, cited answers, not ten blue links. It’s positioned as a more transparent, trustworthy alternative to ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews.

What an Apple Deal Could Change

In June, Bloomberg³ and Forbes⁴ reported that Apple was in talks to acquire Perplexity for as much as $14 billion. The logic fits. Apple bought Siri, Beats, and Shazam instead of building from scratch. It also receives an estimated $20 billion annually⁵ from Google to remain the default engine on Safari.

If Apple replaces Google with Perplexity across Safari and Siri, the shift could reroute up to 3.7 billion daily queries or about 27% of Google’s total. Safari dominates mobile traffic, especially in the U.S. For most ecommerce brands, it’s the leading mobile browser.

Brannon expects Apple to follow a familiar rollout pattern: launch with the next iOS release, preload on new devices, and push updates to legacy ones. Based on past trends, 60% adoption in the first 12 months is realistic.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Perplexity really a threat to Google?
Not a direct threat yet, but with Apple potentially making it the default on Safari and Siri, it could quickly pull billions of daily queries from Google.

2. What makes Perplexity different from Google or ChatGPT?
Perplexity delivers direct, cited answers using live search data, unlike Google’s AI Overviews or ChatGPT’s closed models, which often blur or omit citations.

3. How can ecommerce brands optimize for Perplexity?
Focus on being quotable: add TLDRs, FAQs, schema markup, and get mentioned on trusted third-party sites that already appear in Perplexity’s answers.

4. Will Apple really replace Google with Perplexity?
It’s not confirmed, but Apple has a track record of acquiring interface tech (like Siri and Shazam), and reports suggest talks are active.

5. Should we shift SEO budgets to AI search now?
Not completely, but yes. Start allocating resources to AI search strategies and tracking LLM referral traffic to stay ahead as the space evolves.

What Makes Perplexity Different

Perplexity prioritizes citation and clarity. It highlights specific sources, unlike Google’s AI Overviews, which often blend citations into summaries. That means ecommerce marketers must think in terms of citation optimization, not just ranking.

“If you’re not quotable,” says Brannon, “you’re invisible.”

Tactics for Ecommerce Brands

Here’s what ecommerce teams should do now:

• Be quotable: Use 30–50 word TLDRs and FAQs on key pages. These are more likely to be cited.
  
• Structure your content: Use schema markup like FAQPage and Product. It helps LLMs parse information cleanly.
  
• Target trusted sources: Contribute to outlets already showing up in Perplexity citations such as Reddit, major news sites, or product review platforms.
  
• Reinforce phrasing: Repeat your brand name and target terms consistently. LLMs learn patterns.
  

Also, focus on review generation. Brannon points out that both product and brand reviews help train AI models on relevance and authority.

Don’t Fall for the Jargon

“GEO” or “AEO” are often just relabeled versions of old SEO best practices, says Brannon. Terms like “chunk-level retrieval” and “multi-modal content” basically mean: use structured pages, include media, and answer the prompt clearly. Anyone pushing lots of new and foreign sounding approaches is probably selling snake oil. 

Final Take: Can Perplexity Kill Google?

No, but it could compress Google’s dominance in real and measurable ways. If Apple moves even a fraction of mobile queries away from Google, billions in ad spend and visibility will follow. That’s enough to change how marketers allocate budgets, optimize content, and measure success.

Google still owns Android, Chrome, and Search Ads. But Perplexity, especially with Apple, could carve out a meaningful wedge.

The brands that take this seriously (i.e., not as a gimmick, but as an evolution of search) will be ahead of the curve.

Want help understanding how Perplexity, ChatGPT, and AI search are shaping your visibility? We are offering a custom analytics dashboard and prompt strategy session to help ecommerce brands track LLM traffic and optimize content for AI discovery. Contact us to learn more.

References

1. https://www.perplexity.ai/page/ceo-says-perplexity-hit-780m-q-dENgiYOuTfaMEpxLQc2bIQ 
2. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chatgpt-lags-far-behind-google-in-daily-search-volume/
3. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-20/apple-executives-have-held-internal-talks-about-buying-ai-startup-perplexity
4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/roomykhan/2025/07/03/apples-big-ai-bet-could-perplexity-be-a-game-changer/
5. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-01/google-s-payments-to-apple-reached-20-billion-in-2022-cue-says