Online businesses are adopting SEO for AI searches

After spending decades learning how to get on Google’s good side, online businesses are now scrambling to please a new overlord: AI search results.

The issue: More internet search users are going straight to AI tools that do the digging for them, with search engines following suit and adding AI summaries that answer questions instantly—slashing clicks to some sites by as much as 60%.

The queries themselves are also in the midst of rapid change, going from a terse 4-6 words in a traditional Google search to a 40-60 word, in-depth question to an AI search engine.

Trying catch AI’s eye

A growing number of online companies are leaning into answer engine optimization (AEO), or tips and tricks to help their websites to rank well in AI tools like ChatGPT and search engine overviews.

Under this philosophy, online content should be easy for AI to grab, understand, and repeat across millions of users.

• In practice, that means a renewed focus on clean summaries, bullet points, and FAQs.
• Brands are also stacking related content like backlinks, expert bios, “training courses” to look like authorities on a certain topic, increasing their odds of getting picked up by AI searches.

Zoom out: Google still dominates the search world, with 8.9 billion daily queries, but AI is gaining ground fast. More than one-third of US consumers (37%) report starting online searches with AI, then double-checking info with traditional search engines.