What if Google is replaced with ChatGPT?
It’s a huge question - and one we’re starting to discover the answer to.
Google is the go-to place for all answers about this life - and has been for years. Millennial parents are amazed as kids say 'older than Google' meaning 'ancient'.
It’s also the go-to place for startup growth. Running Google Ads, putting Google Analytics on your website, sticking around Keyword planner to figure your SEO keywords — startup founders and marketing managers can relate.
But, have you seen these on ChatGPT? Well…
Future of SaaS
This article discusses new information flows with the rise of large language models (LLMs), new AI-powered Google Search features, and how you can still use SEO in 2024.
Spoiler: it's AEO now, and it has a lot of potential even for small startups and blogs.
- How AI is entering the search market - and can it replace Google?
- How Google is responding to this
- Why it’s a major business model shift (and why you, as a founder, should care)
- The new optimization process for 2024: What’s AEO?
- The future of search with AI, and the results it can bring for advertising
How AI is entering the search market - and can it replace Google?
Remember when 'being good at Googling' was a thing? We had to translate our intentions into 'Google language'. (Keep that word "intentions" in mind.)
Back then, we'd sift through one or two pages of search results, clicking on short snippets to see if the information was useful. Search engines, like librarians, simply provided what was available, leaving us to navigate and find what we needed.
In contrast, LLMs are more like assistants trained to understand plain human language. Instead of offering a list of links, they synthesize answers to our questions directly.
Now, ChatGPT is actively used as a replacement for ‘Googling’. It allows for:
- Real-time voice search: GPT-4o can understand and respond to voice search queries, similar to how a human would respond in a conversation.
- Multimodal search and output: It can also understand a combination of text, image, and audio search queries and reply in the same combo of formats.
Another example of similar instruments is an AI search engine called Perplexity. They recently released a new feature that turns searches into shareable pages. Many people are turning to Perplexity as a replacement for Google.
Image source: TechCrunch
However, with this, LLMs raise concerns for the future of online media. Since they summarize information directly, users might not visit websites anymore. This could hurt content creators who rely on organic traffic and ad revenue.
But how many people are already using AI models instead of Google?
Users have been using voice search since the rise of Siri and Alexa. And now, ChatGPT offers three in one, including voice.
According to Tech Jury, 49% of users are now interested in AI-powered online search. But in reality, as of February 2024, only 23% of American adults have ever used ChatGPT. And in the beginning of the year, Google’s share of the search market was 90% vs. 2% for ChatGPT.
How Google is responding
Before ChatGPT became popular, Google created short summaries called “featured snippets” that you see under search results. These snippets give you a quick idea of a webpage, so you can decide if you want to visit it. As a content creator, you could optimize your article to try and get your article featured right at the top of the page within a snippet.
Image source: Google Search
Now, to be on par with the composed answers from LLMs, Google has worked to create their own answers.
Google has since introduced short AI summaries (or “AI overviews”) that appear at the top of search results to answer your question quickly and tailored to your request. They come from websites that Google thinks are relevant. You can see an example of this in the image below.
Image source: Google Search
In May 2023, Google also launched Search Labs, a program that allows users to experiment with early-stage Google Search experiences (including those powered by AI).
Why it’s a major business model shift (and why you, as a founder, should care)
Google needs to replace their advertising earnings, and they are doing two things:
- Competing with GPTs on creating answers, to keep their traffic.
- Finding new places for ads (clearly, those AI snippets can contain ads and links to products).
We have been Googling things for decades now. And the SEO industry was here to provide us with more relevant URLs, generating $68.1B in 2022.
Yet, with AI-summarized answers, it’s harder to get your article to rank higher in SERPs, and harder to justify paying for Google ads.
As a business owner and/or founder, paying more attention to Google and its advertising model is now vital.
Google could be replaced as the go-to instrument for search and advertising. So, to keep competitive, great steps are:
Diversifying your platforms: build a following on YouTube, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook
The focus now should be on building an organic marketing funnel, which includes SEO but isn't limited to it.
Investors want startups to have multiple channels to acquire customers organically (without relying solely on paid ads). This means having a strong SEO presence but also building a social media following, email list, or YouTube channel.
Will Whitham
Keeping pace with the new approach to SEO.
The rest of the article is all about new ways to grow your business with SEO in 2024…
The new optimization process for 2024: What’s AEO?
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is a new approach to SEO that considers how Google uses ML (machine learning) and NLP (natural language processing) to understand search intent.
How AEO differs from traditional SEO
AEO prioritizes creating content that directly answers users' questions (precisely and concisely), while traditional SEO might focus on ranking for specific keywords.
We MUST include the answer to each potential question of a user clearly within our articles or posts – better in the top or middle of the content. Google's algorithm is smart enough to identify answers and show these answers to people needing them.
Example: ‘product strategy’ is a very broad category keyword. Yet, the number three ranking belongs to a blog post because it answers the questions well.
AEO emphasizes content that showcases your expertise and topical relevance, but traditional SEO might focus on optimizing for specific keyword density.
AEO doesn't replace SEO entirely. They work together:
- Traditional SEO tactics are still important: Link building, technical SEO, and keyword research are all still important aspects of SEO. Though, the choice of keywords now should go through two stages: you choose them, then AI picks the most appropriate ones from the list.
- AEO builds authority and improves SEO: Creating high-quality content that addresses user intent can improve your website's authority and ranking in traditional SEO.
What's the future of search with AI, and the results it can bring for advertising
The future of search is changing in many ways. First, new Google algorithms are a new chance to be on top for those who master them first. It's like the times when stories were introduced on Instagram, then Reels, then YouTube Shorts.
Google Search Lab will pay a lot of attention to those AI snippets, and give the highest ranking to the pages that meet the search intents well. And the #1 position brings the highest amount of traffic for your product growth.
As AI is gaining momentum, look out for ways to promote your startup on the LLM powered products.
One solution: built in models in products (like Notion and LinkedIn). This could either be done with proprietary models or integration of ChatGPT solution via API into your app or website interface.
The other solution, that's actually easier to start with, is a branded GPT. ChatGPT already provides this opportunity via the GPT Store. It's like a marketplace of custom-made assistants, and anyone with a paid account can create their GPT.
Just by telling the GPT in plain words (no coding required!) you can assemble a tool for your or your customers' needs. A creative brainstorming wizard, an event schedule planner, or a SEO tool - many great tools for a marketer's toolbox.
As technology evolves, our tools will change – SEO may transform into AEO or something entirely new. But, it's crucial to remember the human element at the core of these changes. Ultimately, the effectiveness of any advertising tool relies on capturing human attention and encouraging meaningful interactions.
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