Whether you like it or not, AI is changing the way businesses operate online. So, if you’re not all over AI now, you’re already lagging behind the competition. The fact of the matter is, web users are clicking less everywhere they go, which leaves businesses with a lot of work to do to capture and keep searchers.

The Key Differences

There is a difference between AI and organic searches, and users primarily report finding more direct answers in the AI overview as compared to a ranked list of links for a user to click through until they find the answer. Likewise, AI relies on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to quickly synthesise information, while organic relies on more traditional SEO rankings. With no need to click, users can gain the answer to their query without visiting your website.

Why We Still Need Traditional SEO

What many businesses are learning, though, is that Google prioritises the top organic sources on the search engine recommendation page (SERP) to feed the AI Overview’s response. So, if you want accurate information about your business online and in search results, you still need to utilise traditional SEO methods to maintain your ranking. One study shows that your chances of being cited in an AI Overview drop four times if you aren’t on the first page of organic search results.

Balanced Results

AJ Cochrane & Sons, Master Painters in Perth, utilised a digital marketing firm to focus on shaping their website’s SEO. By focusing on key search terms, they climbed into the top five organic search results, guaranteeing pride of place in an AI overview for users looking for painters in Perth.

An AI search shifts the information gathering point to the search engine, providing the answer based on the information provided by the top ten organic search results. The goal now is to utilise traditional SEO to maximise your organic search results to ensure you’re cited in the AI overview. AI searches account for just 1% of referral traffic, but convert at rates 23 times higher.

Ultimately, using Digital Marketing Companies bridges the gap to ensure that every business has the best opportunity to capture an audience. A marketing team can help ensure the AI overview produces accurate information while still ticking traditional SEO boxes to capture organic searchers as well.

Many users are happy to accept the AI Overview as fact, so businesses must ensure an AI search produces all the relevant information to ensure potential customers and clients can find your business without ever visiting your website.