Marketers shift focus to rank in AI-generated search results

Searches powered by artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview, may look similar to traditional search boxes — but the results are different. Instead of a list of links, users see conversational summaries drawn from multiple sources. 

Increasingly, marketing professionals are vying to appear in those summaries, or help their clients do so, in addition to appearing prominently in old-fashioned search results.  

“It’s becoming more of a conversation,” said Manny Gonzalez, senior director of web services for Priority Marketing in Fort Myers. “It’s becoming more of a part of the strategy.” 

Many consumers are skeptical of AI-generated answers, he adds, but they still often use them as a first source of information about where to eat, for example, or which contractor to call.  

Aside from paid advertisements, the standard set of marketing techniques used to earn a high ranking on Google’s list, Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is giving way to the AI version, Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO. Or perhaps more accurately, Generative Engine Optimization, as Gonzalez calls it.  

The fundamentals of digital marketing are as important as ever, as he sees it. In addition to SEO techniques such as key words or generating online reviews, that means in part creating content that speaks to four qualities he named: experience, expertise, authority and trust.  

At the same time, learning to speak AI’s language requires a shift in mindset that businesses have been preparing for and adapting to in recent years to help boost them into generative AI summaries.  

“A lot of people may stop there so it’s really important for companies to make sure they’re doing those things,” said Brian Basik, CEO of Polaris Marketing Solutions based in Fort Myers. “You should be working to make sure you understand those parameters that will get you noticed by AI technology and have material that will allow you to rank there.” 

AEO techniques that speak to AI are more like communicating with a person, said Michelle Abdow, president and CEO of Market Mentors, a marketing agency in Springfield, Massachusetts, and West Palm Beach. “AI really prefers well–written, straight-forward content without a lot of jargon.” 

When writing content for a promotional website, Abdow suggests envisioning what kind of questions a person might ask about their business.  

For example, if someone typed into a search box — “What’s the best auto repair shop in Fort Myers?” — an AI program might notice a website with copy that states something like, “If you’re looking for the best auto repair shop in Fort Myers, visit ABC Auto Repair.” 

Creating “content rich” websites with features such as up-to-date answers to frequently asked questions, useful information about the product or service and video content may also be part of an AEO strategy.  

“We really want to make it effortless for AI to understand and recommend our expertise,” Gonzalez said.