NEW SEARCH, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
AI is officially mainstream and is changing the way we search.
Imagine you are meeting with some friends in Rome. You want to eat somewhere out, but everyone has different requirements — one is vegan, another is bringing their dog, and one has a toddler. Selecting a restaurant could have been challenging before when you had to search for specific queries and read through blogs, reviews, and websites. Generative search engines now recommend places that match all your criteria and provide an overview with the information you need. No time wasted.
Now, as promised, what does this mean for businesses?
Equal discovery opportunities
Google is a great traffic source, but only if your business website is on page one for a relevant search. But being on Google’s first page requires your website to have authority. And let’s be honest, how many small businesses can make it there?
On the other hand, relevance is what matters most to generative search engines. So, if your business meets all the criteria set in a search query, you will have an equal opportunity to get featured in the overview, just like any big website. This generative engine feature will create significant discovery opportunities for many small businesses.
In my view, generative engines match customers with businesses in ways that traditional engines never did.
Content is finally king.
Traditional search engines like Google and Bing have always encouraged website owners to create high-quality content that the reader would enjoy. In reality, great content alone has rarely been enough to rank on their first pages. The art of optimizing your websites for traditional search engines is known as SEO, which involves on-page, off-page, and technical aspects. There is still plenty to learn about the newly emerged optimization for generative search engines, known as GEO.
What we do know, however, is that generative search engines are powered by large language models (LLMs). Which means they can better understand both the searcher’s intent and the content on your website — and they don’t rely on keywords to do that.
For the first time, I truly agree with the advice that focusing on high-quality, engaging content that meets your readers’ needs should be your primary goal. We’re just beginning to understand how to optimize our content for generative search engines.
However, I’m excited and optimistic about the future of search and how generative search engines could empower business growth.
VICTORIA ALEXANDROVA
Hi! I’m Victoria, co-founder of the digital marketing agency Izivizi. I’m passionate about sharing insights and ideas in the ever-evolving world of digital marketing. I’d love to connect and exchange thoughts on marketing strategies or industry trends. Feel free to check out my LinkedIn profile here!