AI Search.. The #1 Contender
Author: Eric Katrenicz
SEO Isn't dead… but it's taking a few shots to the body…
AI search is the undisputed #1 contender, and it is looking a lot like a young Mike Tyson.
For more than 5000 years humans relied on horse and buggy as the main mode of transportation, yet it took only 2 decades after the advent of the automobile for them to become obsolete. Take a moment to really think about that. An entire industry, completely wiped out by technology that when first introduced to the marketplace was viewed as a theme ride, or a novelty.
How old were you when you got your first computer?
What did you use it for?
Are you old enough to remember when schools had only one or two computers in the entire building? They had to be signed out and moved from classroom to classroom demonstrating their capabilities on a big TV screen for the kids to see. At the time they were no more useful than a giant calculator, having to move the cursor a few places at a time by typing in commands such as R2 and D3 to move a blinking arrow right two spaces or down three.
Today e-commerce makes up more than $1.3 trillion USD sales in the US annually. That’s almost 20% of all consumer sales. The introduction of the internet completely changed consumer behavior forever. What was once seen as a luxury, going to the mall to pick out clothes, is now viewed as an inconvenience by many, in a world where a click on your phone can have a Chanelle purse delivered to your doorstep the very next day.
AI search is changing the world, it’s the next evolution to consumer behavior, business practices, personal health care and more. Picking up the trail of its ancestors, AI will continue on the path set by the personal computer, the internet and the smartphone to completely change our lives. And it won't take anywhere near 2 decades to do it. Take a moment to consider that ChatGPT surpassed 100 million users in 2 months after launching.
Just as physical storefronts made way for websites, traditional internet search engines are making way for AI search. Business owners and decision makers who respond to this trend have the opportunity to take advantage of the biggest consumer behavior shift since the introduction of the internet to the masses.
Today, many business owners view AI search as a supplemental tool, assuming search behavior will remain unchanged. History suggests otherwise. Just like the skeptical blacksmiths of the 1800's who's primary source of income was bending steel to fit horse feet adapted to molding parts for automobiles. Business owners today need to innovate to stay relevant.
AI search has already changed how consumers find information on the internet. Where traditional search engines provide a wide range of options for consumers to choose from. AI models provide solutions, essentially eliminating consumer choice.
Take a moment to Google search the following:
1. Pizza shops in Paris
Now choose your favorite Artificial Intelligence LLM (Large Language Model) and ask.
2. What is the best Pizza shop in Paris?
Did AI make a clear recommendation and choose a location for you? That's the difference.
Where Google will provide you with a list of pizza shops. AI will provide you with a clear recommendation.
AI increasingly narrows consumer choice through recommendations rather then presenting dozens of options.
What happens to all the other businesses that AI doesn't recommend? Furthermore, what impact will AI backed voice search have? Think of a busy mom trying to figure out what to make for dinner on her way to pick up the kids from school.
Hey Siri order pizza and have it delivered tonight
Hey Chat my back hurts, can you book me a massage?
Here's the thing… It's already happening.
Businesses that cannot be easily found by AI risk becoming invisible to one of the fastest growing consumer search behaviors in modern time.
Business owners have rightfully spent the better part of the past 20 years jockeying to be ranked top 5 by search engines. Early adopters of search engine optimization (SEO) took advantage of favorable search results on the battlefield of the coveted first page ranking. Consumers would choose between the top 5 options, make a choice and purchase.
Just like SEO frontrunners, those that evolve to be AI search compatible will reap the most immediate and largest reward.
Not sure if your business is AI search compatible?
Take a look at your website and ask yourself:
Does AI accurately describe your company?
Can AI clearly identify your products and expertise?
Does your website answer the questions customers are asking AI?
Do you have content that clearly answers questions that your customers may ask AI?
Every major technological shift creates winners and losers. The winners are usually the fastest to adapt. Retailers didn't believe consumers would buy products online any more than horse breeders believed the automobile was anything more than a fad. Traditional search is not dead, rather we've entered a period of time where SEO tactics combined with AI search compatibility will yield results for the businesses who are quick to respond.
