Google is moving away from its traditional search model and more into the world of AI
Competitors like ChatGPT and Claude have taken a bite out of Google’s market share for the first time in years
The way customers find you using AI tools is different than a traditional Google search
Every year, Google hosts a large conference where they show off their new products called Google I/O. This year, one of the biggest announcements to marketers like myself was Google’s continued shift away from traditional Google Search. The company is increasingly pushing users toward its AI-powered search mode.
Google now has AI Overviews at the top of more and more of their searches. This essentially answers your questions without ever having to go to a website. Google has decided to go all in on this concept.
This pivot is coming as they have seen real competition for search for the first time in years from AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and many more.
We are now moving into an era where people interact with a chat bot for multiple queries before potentially visiting your website. The question is, are these chat bots recommending your business or service?
Since Google took over the internet years ago, an industry called SEO (Search Engine Optimization) emerged. It is the act of optimizing your business’s website so it’s a top result on Google when people search for products and services like yours.
For instance, if someone in Manahawkin, NJ searches for “pipe burst plumbing emergency,” we work to ensure our client HMG Plumbing appears as the first Google result so they can win that business.
With the advent of chat bots such as ChatGPT, Claude and others, we are entering a new era of search known as AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). Both refer to the practice of optimizing your online presence so your business is more likely to be found when people use AI chat bots to find a product or service.
This fundamental change in behavior is happening fast. Google boasts 1 billion users of their AI mode this year. OpenAi’s ChatGPT has gone from 100 million weekly users in 2023 to almost 900 million users a week today.
And Anthropic’s Claude has about 18.9 million users, but is focusing heavily on enterprise and business clients instead of the general population.
What’s more, as people use these AI tools, website traffic is starting to decline. But companies' revenue is potentially increasing with this change. Marketer Neil Patel has claimed that traffic from ChatGPT is worth 4.4x more than traffic from Google. He argues that when someone interacts with a chatbot over multiple queries and your business is recommended, they’ve often already made up their mind to work with you by the time they reach your website.
The Main Takeaway
The way people interact with the internet is fundamentally changing. Is your business ready?