AI (artificial intelligence) is a hot topic right now.
It’s changing the way we work faster than ever expected, and this pace of change isn’t looking like it’ll slow down anytime soon.
Today, we’ll be looking at the ways that AI is changing SEO (search engine optimisation) marketing, touching on AI search engines and how they’ve changed the game overnight.
Your existing SEO strategy needs to change – here’s why
AI search engines have shifted the SEO marketing goalposts.
“Zero-click searches” are on the rise (these are searches where the user doesn’t click on any links, as the name suggests), with approximately 60% of Google searches ending without a click.
This doesn’t mean that traditional SEO is dead; it’s just different.
Historically, the main goal of SEO was to drive organic traffic to key landing pages and content (such as blogs). Google’s AI search engine changed this somewhat, thanks to Gemini (Google’s generative AI) creating an AI overview at the top of the search results.
Even if you’ve produced fantastic content and got yourself to position one on Google, you’ll still be outranked by the AI overview. Your target audience are searching for the keywords you’ve worked hard to rank for, and they’re getting their questions answered before they even reach your website.
Frustrating? Yes. The end of the world? No.
How can I work with AI search engines and still get value from SEO marketing?
When you’re planning your content or looking to make changes to your website, you need to change the way you’re handling keyword research.
Rather than focusing on search volume, we need to shift to looking at search intent and click-through rates. If a keyword has a high search volume, but a very low click-through rate, it’s probably not worth dedicating lots of time and resources to.
Instead, find the keywords with lower search volume, but significantly better intent – keywords that suggest people are closer to purchasing.
We recommend conducting site-wide conversion rate optimisation, checking what’s ranking, identifying what’s not working, and ensuring that your key pages are geared for conversion. With generative AI now on the scene, it’s more important than ever that once a user lands on your website, you do everything in your power to convert them.
Focus on conversion – make sure you capture the traffic that does land
We’re all going to see lower organic numbers – this is unavoidable. This means it’s essential that you focus on conversion at every opportunity.
To do this, you might:
- Create conversations that users will want to continue with you
- Use intelligent personalisation tokens to create a unique experience for every user
- Ensure your webpages are interactive and channel users towards key conversion points (contact forms, specifically)
You need a deep understanding of your unique customer journey. Your entire website should be designed around this. If you can create a spot-on experience for users when they do land on your page, you’re much more likely to convert them.
Conversion rate optimisation is no small task. At Catalyst, we work with SMEs and larger enterprises, working with internal teams to improve the user experience and dramatically improve conversion rates. If you’d like to start a conversation about improving your generative engine optimisation, get in touch today for a no-obligation chat about your ongoing SEO strategy.
How to use generative engine optimisation in your SEO marketing
Google and Bing are both extensively using generative AI (Gemini and ChatGPT respectively). As mentioned, this is making it significantly more difficult to be noticed organically.
Generative engine optimisation is, in part, designed to ensure that your sources are used by generative AI to create AI summaries on Google. Take a look at this example:
This is what we call Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO).
You want your content to be used as a reference for AI content (see the right-hand side of the above image). This will dramatically increase the click-through rate of your content. Also note – this is the search results BEFORE position one. Most questions will be answered by generative AI before your ranked content even gets a chance to be seen.
Being featured in AI answers, whether that’s on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or any of the myriad other tools, is essential. It establishes you as a trusted source.
This is why generative engine optimisation is so important. You need to start optimising for it as soon as possible to ensure you don’t fall behind.
6 Ways to improve generative engine optimisation
1. Use short, snappy sentences
AI likes short sentences. This means you should, too!
Shorter sentences are easier for both humans and AI alike. While it might be tempting to flex your creative muscles when planning your SEO strategy, we recommend that you don’t. Keep it short, focus on your keywords and ensure anyone can read your content.
Accessibility is the aim of the game. It’s not that AI can’t read complex wriitng, it just prefers things to be simple and to-the-point.
2. Keep your language basic and easily understood
In the same vein as tip number one, you should keep your language nice and simple.
This means that you should avoid overly technical terms where possible, and make sure your content can be read by anyone (we always write our content as if we’re writing for someone who speaks English as a second language). Obviously, if you’re writing about a technical aspect of your industry, don’t dumb it down; just ensure it’s as accessible as possible.
3. Ensure every sentence only has one concept
Overly complex sentences are far less valuable to generative AI.
Consider this sentence:
The cat was orange and white; he had never lived anywhere but the farm.
Two concepts in one sentence make it harder for AI to understand what your point is.
Instead, break it up:
The cat was orange and white. The cat had lived at the farm his whole life.
This is, of course, an overly simplified example, but the concept remains. In short: the easier your content is to understand, the more likely it’ll rank well. It’ll also be nice and easy for people to read, which is another big win when it comes to SEO marketing!
4. Use first-party data wherever possible
If you have data that you’ve gathered, use it! First-party data is incredibly important when it comes to modern SEO marketing. Google LOVES new data, and so, too, does Gemini. Conduct studies, publish your findings and create content around it.
This is great for SEO and great for your audience. A win-win, really.
5. Consider adding an AI summary at the top of your page before the rest of the content
For your blogs and other content, consider using AI to create an overview of your content. This provides visitors with a quick-and-easy reference, covering the key notes. It also provides AI with a summary that it can use to quickly decide whether your content is worthwhile.
Also, make sure to add an author to your work. This helps demonstrate subject matter expertise.
6. Ensure your content is as informative as possible
Last, but by no means least, you need to ensure that your content is providing value. AI isn’t going to cite your content if it’s drivel, clearly AI-produced or not suited to human readers.
At the end of the day, you need to be a trusted source, both for LLMs (large language models like ChatGPT) and for your end users.
To do this, write longer, in-depth content that covers the full extent of a topic. Use original insights, data and quotes where possible, and link to reputable sources to support your claims.
Don’t forget points 1 & 2 – you still need to keep things digestible, but going into as much detail as possible is for the best.
Finally, there is one thing that is becoming increasingly important to modern SEO…
Digital PR and its relationship with generative AI
Digital PR is becoming increasingly important as LLMs become more widely used. An LLM is a type of AI that uses machine learning to perform natural language processing tasks (such as creating AI overviews on search engines!).
If your business is referenced in or featured in different publications, you will be considered more trustworthy by LLMs.
Now, more than ever, you need to be investing in PR. PR is doing something that AI cannot yet replicate; it helps you build trust and brand awareness, all while ensuring AI tools trust your brand and your website.
This seems like a lot. Is it really worth the effort?
The SEO landscape is never going to go back to how it was. It’s up to us to adapt.
There is a lot that needs to change, and we understand that it’s frustrating (you may have only just established your SEO marketing strategy). However, it’s necessary if you want to continue seeing digital marketing returns.
At Catalyst, we’re embracing the changes that GEO brings. We create commercially focused digital and SEO marketing strategies. We’re experts in conversion rate optimisation and understand what needs to be done. If you’d like to speak to one of our AI search engine specialists, don’t hesitate to get in touch using the link below.
