Organic search gets conversational: keeping your brand visible in the AI era

Consider 'car insurance' versus 'How much does car insurance for a 2022 Honda Accord cost?' We've seen a steady decline in simple keyword search in favour of more contextual search queries. Google is adapting by offering follow-up questions and, more recently, AI Overviews—AI-generated summaries positioned above the search results. According to SEranking, these AI Overviews feature in 26.56% of keywords in the Netherlands. The exact shape of this conversational search is still uncertain, even for Google. As Google's CEO Sundar Pichai relayed to The Verge, the landscape isn't a zero-sum game; TikTok's rise hasn't hindered YouTube's growth. Pichai predicts that even in five years, Google will continue to direct significant traffic despite the advent of AI Mode. 

AI Search's impact is undeniably greater than that anticipated with voice search via Alexa or Siri. While it was once believed traditional search might be half-overthrown by voice, the quality of AI Search is notably better, prompting actual use—albeit not universally. The AI's answers can sometimes falter, leading users back to manual search. In essence, the context dictates usage. Organic traffic might dip due to AI Search—estimated by BrightEdge at around 30%—but it's not vanishing entirely. 

The customer journey transforms, with users receiving answers efficiently without clicking through. Being mentioned in such responses becomes crucial. The question is: how can you ensure your visibility in AI Search?

AI scours traditional search engines independently: ChatGPT with Bing and Gemini with Google. Therefore, many best practices applicable to traditional SEO apply to GEO: structuring data, creating valuable EEAT-content (Google’s quality signals), and acquiring quality backlinks. However, the focus shifts from link building to brand building: ensuring your brand is cited by external sources AI relies on, like Reddit, Nu.nl, or Emerce. It's about fostering trust signals rather than mere links. A stronger brand implies increased branded searches and conversions. 

Your content must also be AI-friendly: indexable, understandable, and accessible. Moreover, completeness is essential: your content should address not only the main question but also related follow-up queries. This helps AI determine your content’s relevance to the user’s search query through query fan-out, as explained by Mike King of iPullRank.  

Unlike traditional SEO, GEO interprets and transforms your content. In Google's AI Overviews, this transformation is still general, but ChatGPT tailors responses in a hyper-personalized manner. Hence, cultivating a distinctive, valuable brand voice is crucial: be quoteworthy, much like Sundar Pichai and Mike King above. 

AI is gradually impacting the customer journey toward online purchases. Pose a product query and receive tailored responses. Google Shopping is experimenting with features like Try it on —uploading a photo to visualize clothing on oneself. ChatGPT plans to incorporate a Shopify checkout. Thus, product pages gain importance over category pages. Not every product or every journey will fit this AI paradigm: TikTok offers influencer reviews, while YouTube showcases comprehensive product comparisons. 

A potentially disruptive trend is AI agents, capable of autonomously executing tasks, planning, and searching. You might instruct, "Find the best running shoes at the best price," and receive a well-researched product recommendation after a short while. Retailers like Walmart are already gearing up for these AI Shopping Agents. 

Tracking GEO results is challenging. There's no Google Search Console to view impressions, clicks, and queries or to discern how your content is displayed in a personalized manner. A starting point could involve measuring referral traffic from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini on your website. Use Google Analytics to track clicks from AI Overviews, as detailed by Dana from KP Playbook. 

Furthermore, specific search volumes in AI Search aren't readily available. Manual testing is feasible: search pivotal questions related to your product and observe which brands are mentioned. Benchmarking becomes possible: is your site mentioned or your competitors'? Are genuine recommendations present? What sources does AI trust? Alternatively, consider incorporating conversational search into your site to understand the questions your visitors ask. 

The key takeaway? Keep testing and exploring what works and why. GEO isn't a substitute for SEO but an evolution that demands attention to maintain visibility.