Love it or hate it, no matter how you feel about AI, the truth is that your customer and client base might be changing the way they use internet browsers because of it. With many users sticking with Google as their default browser, AI overviews are now a normal part of everyday web searches. While some of your client base may choose to avoid them, many people trying to do a quick search will rely on this brief summary to tell them what they need to know. 

So how do you ensure that, one, you’re not lost in the sea of information the AI overview is pulling, and, two, misinformation about your organization isn’t being accidentally spread? In this issue of the Pulse, we take a look.  

Focus on your content.  

As per Google’s own advice to site owners, AI overviews aren’t completely changing the principles of good search engine optimization (SEO). “The underpinnings of what Google has long advised carries across to these new experiences,” according to the internet giant’s blog update on the subject.  

Putting out unique, relevant content that your target audience may be searching for is still a great strategy for ranking high in Google’s search algorithms, as well as in its AI overview.  

Think about how people search. 

A lot of people are using Google like they might use ChatGPT. They are asking questions and expecting thorough answers, with links to the webpages to support those answers. Think of what questions your audience might be asking Google, and how you can craft content to help answer those inquiries, with Google’s AI overview as the bridge between you and them.  

This means relying on more than just keywords. Consider phrases, questions, semantics, and word association to help make the most clearly relevant content for AI to pull from your website.  

It’s not just Google searches.  

Beyond just a browser, many internet users rely on AI chatbots and tools like ChatGPT to find information. This can be problematic, leading to misinformation and incorrect results to user queries. However, for the chatbots and tools that share links and sources as a part of their responses, having answers that lead back to a website may lead more thorough, critical thinking users to do their own investigation.                                       

If you aren’t shifting your content to match these search trends, someone else will. 

Squarespace recently did a study that found that “46% of entrepreneurs believe AI could make or break their business in the next five years.” Some of that is going to depend on industry, but one thing most businesses have in common, these days, is reliance on the internet for marketing. Most businesses have some degree of SEO awareness, so much so, that focusing on AI SEO is already becoming its own niche skillset. If your business doesn’t gear its content to match this shift, you may find your competitors pulling ahead.