AI Search Engines and the New Era of SEO

Open AI has recently announced SearchGPT - an AI search engine that has the potential to change the way we search forever. SearchGPT feels like the first time in over a decade Google’s market share could be threatened. We’re discussing below all we know so far, the implications of AI-powered search, and what the future could look like for SEO.

Understanding AI Search Engines

So what is AI search? AI powered search engines’ aim is to use language models and machine learning to better understand the user query intent, to in theory deliver more relevant search results. Google is probably the most famous example - they have been using AI in search results officially since 2023, with their infamous AI Overviews, which were hailed to provide a top level summary of the top search results, to give users the best answer. In reality, some of these AI Overviews were providing less-than-accurate results, and these went viral in the SEO industry. 

While results like these are funny, there were some dangerous results, such as telling people to use glue to stick cheese on pizza, and worse. Our hope for the development of SearchGPT is that these results are more accurate, less dangerous, and ultimately the best, most relevant result for the user. While Search-GPT is currently just a prototype, it has already collaborated with publishers such as the Wall Street Journal, to “help users connect with publishers by prominently citing and linking to them in searches”.  

Impact of AI on SEO

AI evaluates and prioritises content relevance and user intent, whereas in the past we have focused on keywords, backlinks, among other on-page and off-page elements. New, advanced AI models have a much better understanding of intent and context, which means that our content now needs to answer the user’s query in the best possible way, instead of just matching the right keywords.  

AI can personalise search results based on the user’s preferences, interests and previous history, all with the aim of more tailored and relevant results. AI uses advanced machine learning in order to create predictive models based upon previous online behaviour such as browsing history, the device used, and demographic and location. These predictive models enable the search engine to leverage search results better suited to your unique needs and intent. The implications of these more relevant search results could be beneficial, with an increase in conversion rate and customers, due to reaching a narrow audience with an inclination to your offering. However, if your content isn’t aligned with your users and their preferences, the likelihood of your content being shown decreases significantly. 

Voice Search has been ear-marked as the ‘death of SEO’ for years now, but with recent AI advancements dramatically increasing the accuracy of voice search results, this could truly move the goalposts in search. When people use voice search, the queries are much more conversational, therefore to perform well in results your content needs to answer these queries in the same way. FAQs and content that can predict follow-up questions are consequently performing well. Local SEO becomes much more important, as it's easier to find close-by places when using voice search for ‘near me’ queries. Ensuring that all business information is up to date and correct across all platforms can assist in bettering visibility in local voice search.  

Adapting SEO Strategies for AI Search Engines

In order to perform well in AI driven search engine results, content creation needs to be overhauled. While keyword research and traditional SEO optimisation of content is still important, writers need to ensure that the content is meeting AI’s standards for quality and relevance. They can do this by clearly answering the user’s intent, with up-to-date, high quality content. Semantic search has been talked about in the SEO-sphere for quite some time now, and is much more paramount now with AI search. It is key to understand the user’s intent before you embark upon content creation, from informational to transactional, then tailor your content to match this, which further enhances user experience. 

If you haven’t already been including structured data and schema markup in your SEO strategies, now is the time! They help search engines understand your content, and this can strengthen how your pages appear in search results. 

Technical SEO, as always, should be dominant in your SEO strategies for AI search. All of the elements that we have been optimising for, such as site speed and mobile-friendliness, should be top of your list as recommendations.  

Future Trends and Predictions

AI will continue to evolve in the search engine landscape. With Google already seeing a dip in stock since the announcement of Search-GPT by Open AI, according to this CNBC report, we should expect to see Google react to this with a rush to update their AI search capabilities. With Google’s AI Overviews not being received well, it will be interesting to see how they work to improve upon their AI search offering. 

Preparing for the future in SEO is never easy, there is always another Core Update or AI advancement on the horizon, however by ensuring we are adapting our strategies in recognition of these changes, we can do our best to stay ahead in the evolving SEO environment we find ourselves in. 

To summarise, we don’t know much about Search-GPT so far, but with the information we have currently available around AI powered search engines, there is a case to review our SEO strategies to negate the impact, and ensure we are aligned with how search is set to change in the next few years. 

Buckle in my fellow SEOs, we are in for an AI-powered ride!