With the recent confirmation of Google’s chatGPT Bard and the sneak peek at the Bing chatGPT version of their search, there is a lot of concern for publishers of content about the future requirement for users to actually click links to websites.
From what we have seen, Google did not appear to show any links in the results while Bing did, but as part of the answer to a question.
If these examples are how search is expected to move forward with the roll out of AI then the entire search engine marketing landscape is about to change quite DRAMITCALLY.
Right now a search in Google or Bing will deliver a list of the most suitable WEBSITES which would be the most relevant to the initial search. These results are positioned as a result of Search Engine Optimisation, which is a result of a number of different on-page and off-page factors applied to a website to help it rank.
Although SEO has changed a lot since the early days, successful SEO has always resulted in a good level of traffic to a website for the most relevant keyword searches when websites appeared in the top results.
Another thing we have noticed when looking at the Bing examples is that the answers and ‘links’ do not replicate those showing in the natural search.
Yusuf Mehdi the head marketing office for Bing said that the links at the end of the results are supposed to help people click through to the relevant resources but Wired said that “Microsoft declined to share information about how many early testers were clicking through those citation links to visit the information’s source”.
All of this is concerning for marketers and website publishers, and until we know exactly how it will function and look, we will not be able to fully adapt strategies. One thing is for sure, to still be part of the AI ‘answers; to questions and queries, you will still need some form of SEO.
Another thing that is also a must is to ensure you have an all rounded online strategy so you are prominent on Social Media as well as Search. We have been recommending our clients do not simply rely on search as it has always been subject to fluctuations as a result of algorithm updates.
Are you prepared for the AI powered search?
Maybe it is time to review your entire online strategy and use more than just search marketing for your visibility.