Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is transforming how we use the internet. From providing voice search and improving user experience to giving digital marketers innovative tools, AI is becoming a staple in how marketers can reach their target audience.
AI search, in particular, has significantly changed user behavior over the last few years. Digital marketing previously focused on users manually searching through search engines. Today, AI and voice-powered digital assistants can be used for searches. This has led to companies like Google, Bing, Meta and Apple revolutionizing their AI to improve user experience.
As a business owner, this begs the question: Is your website prepared for the changes AI searches will bring? To help answer this question, we’ll look at:
• What Is AI Search?
• What Are the Benefits of Future-Proofing Against AI Search?
• Future-Proofing Your Website: The Big Preparation
What Is AI Search?
AI search helps users find what they’re looking for more easily and quickly by understanding the meaning, context and intent of their search words. In contrast, most search engines work by matching your search keywords without context or semantics. Therefore, AI search helps user experience by finding relevant content and understanding what users really want.
For example, let’s say you type “best pizza places nearby” in a search engine. An AI search engine will analyze your words, understand you’re looking for good pizza restaurants near your location and show you relevant results based on that understanding. This is different from traditional search engines that match your words with websites that have used search engine optimization (SEO) to rank for relevant keywords.
What Are the Benefits of Future-Proofing Against AI Search?
Staying ahead of newer technology and AI algorithms means taking steps to future-proof your website. Here are some key benefits of adapting your website to AI search:
• Improved User Experience: AI-powered search engines can better understand user intent and queries, providing more accurate and relevant search results. This improves the user experience and makes them more likely to make a purchase.
• Relevant Traffic: By optimizing your website for AI search, you increase its visibility on relevant search engine results pages. This can lead to higher click-through rates and increased organic traffic from users specifically looking for your products and services.
• Better Analytics: AI search tools provide valuable insights into user behavior and search patterns, helping you identify trends and make data-driven decisions to optimize your website and content.
• Personalized AI Content Strategy: Personalization is one of the top features AI and machine learning technologies can deliver in 2024. By taking into account a user’s search context, browsing history and preferences, you provide what users are looking for.
• Optimize for Voice Search: With the growing popularity of voice-activated assistants like Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa website optimization for voice search helps you reach a wider audience and stay ahead of the competition.
• Conversion Rate Optimization: AI search can enhance conversion rate optimization by analyzing user behavior and preferences, allowing businesses to tailor search results and suggestions to individual customers. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, AI search can dynamically adjust search rankings and recommendations based on real-time data.
As search engines continue to evolve and incorporate more AI technologies, adapting your website to AI search will ensure you stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive edge.
Future-Proofing Your Website: The Big Preparation
These are some ways to stay ahead of the competition and ensure your website is optimized for AI algorithms and your SEO best practices optimized for both regular and AI searches.
Maintain Knowledge About Search Engine Algorithms
Some of the SEO best practices will soon include integrating AI and optimizing for AI search. Even if you optimize your website for AI now, it’s highly likely that the current AI algorithms will evolve – the same way search engines do now, such as the Google algorithm updates that change frequently.
The best way to adapt as needed is to stay informed about the latest practices and news about AI search. For instance, Google launched Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), where users can sign up and try Google’s Search AI. By staying updated about Google Search Generative Experience and other AI tech, you can better understand how AI adapts its results and adjust your website accordingly.
Optimize for Mobile
We’ve now reached the point where mobile devices have overtaken desktops in terms of internet access. Around 92.3% of users access the internet from smartphones, which is around 4.32 billion active users. This has an effect on search engines like Google, which prioritizes mobile indexing, potentially affecting its search AI algorithms on top of the Google algorithm updates.
What this means for your website is that optimizing for mobile users is now a must. Responsive web design ensures your website can adapt to any screen size and load within seconds. On the technical side, your website needs to be secure and safe, so implementing the best security practices can put you high on mobile search engine results pages (SERPs).
Applying an Entity-First Strategy
To avoid getting the wrong type of user, you need to write your content with an entity-first strategy in mind. Entity search refers to the process of search engines identifying relevant information related to a user’s query by analyzing and understanding the entities mentioned in it. AI algorithms are likely to recognize your content as relevant to user queries.
For example, if a user asks, “What is the capital of France?” AI search will identify “capital” and “France” as entities and provide information related to that, which is “Paris.” Or if a user searches for “Brand X running shoes size 10 for men”. In this case, the entity search will identify the following entities:
• Brand X: The brand of shoes.
• Running shoes: The type of product the user is interested in.
• Size 10: The size of the product.
• Men: The target audience for the product.
Based on these entities, the search will then provide a list of relevant results, such as Brand X running shoes of size 10 specifically designed for men. This helps users quickly find the specific products they are interested in purchasing, ultimately optimizing their shopping experience.
Content Optimization
If you’re currently writing high-quality, relevant content with the best SEO practices, you’re already taking the first steps towards future-proofing your website. Similar to search engines, AI search works with useful, engaging and user-oriented content. However, AI may prefer conversational language and content that concisely answers a question.
Additionally, your AI content strategy should extend to the technical side. Your website – particularly your content management system and website structure – should be optimized for easy content discovery.
Develop a Multichannel Approach
Adopting a multichannel approach builds your online presence and reduces your reliance on any single search algorithm. By expanding your reach beyond search engines and embracing social media, email marketing and other channels, you maintain visibility and engagement with your audience, regardless of any unexpected changes AI search can bring.
Additionally, a multichannel approach gives you the opportunity to collect data from different groups. This provides a more comprehensive understanding of customer behavior and preferences. This can improve your optimization efforts across all platforms.
Link Building Opportunities
Backlinks add credibility and authority to your website. If you have credible websites relevant to your industry pointing back to your website through links, it’s a sign to search engines and AI that your website has reliable information regarding a certain topic.
Acquire relevant and quality backlinks from credible websites with content that matches your industry. Link building through questionable websites may be cheaper and easier, but it could harm your credibility in the long run. Focus on creating quality content and use content outreach strategies to promote your content to credible websites.
Voice Search
Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant are here to stay, and more users are likely to rely on their convenient search features. Here are some tips for an effective AI content strategy:
• Use Conversational Language: When people search manually on search engines, they’ll type in keywords like “budget hotels in Arlington.” But, when they ask Siri or Alexa, it will be around the lines of “What are the best cheapest hotels in Arlington?”
• Target Long-Tail Keywords: Short-tail keywords have had more attention from SEO best practices of the past. However, as voice AI is becoming more popular, you should also pay attention to long-tail keywords that use conversational language and have user intent.
• Succinct Responses: Outdated SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing and fluffy text already have little effect on SEO best practices today. However, when voice assistants are designed to provide succinct answers, optimized content provides the answer directly to the point.
• Add a FAQ Page: If your target audience is likely to have questions, consider creating or optimizing a page for frequently asked questions. Since they’re likely to ask “who, what, when, where, how” questions, having these questions could optimize the search generative experience by getting voice AI to respond using your answers.
Future-Proof Your Online Presence With Thrive
Keeping a relevant online presence is crucial for reaching your target audiences and establishing your brand. With AI changing the online marketing landscape, it makes more sense to adapt to the changes than to wait for it to affect your visibility, traffic and conversions.
At Thrive, we understand what makes a successful digital marketing strategy. Through a combination of relevant content, SEO best practices, conversion rate optimization and staying on top of Google algorithm updates and new AI opportunities, we can help you maximize your online efforts to achieve your marketing goals.
Get in touch with Thrive today for more information about adapting your website to the best digital marketing practices.
