Search engine optimization (SEO) has evolved with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).
With AI-powered search engines like the new Bing AI search and Google's upcoming AI search, a new process called artificial intelligence search optimization (AISEO) has emerged. In this blog post, we will delve into what AISEO is, why it is necessary, and how you can effectively implement it to enhance your web presence.
AISEO involves optimizing your online presence not only for traditional keyword-based searches but also for how AI chatbots perceive and mention your brand when answering queries. While traditional SEO focused on factors like website loading times and backlinks, AISEO adds another layer of complexity by considering the preferences and behaviors of AI algorithms.
Statistics reveal that a significant number of websites, around 91%, never receive traffic from search engines due to poor rankings. Even for those companies that do rank well, approximately three-quarters of the traffic gravitates toward the top few links. Therefore, AISEO is crucial for businesses seeking to improve their lead flow and stand out in the AI-powered search landscape.
Image Source: Backlinko
Entities play a pivotal role in AI-powered search engines. An entity refers to a well-defined and distinguishable thing or concept. Creating consistent entities is essential to ensure that search engines understand and connect the right information about your brand. For example, if your brand is referred to differently across platforms, such as "PRP Group" on Twitter and "PRP.Group" on LinkedIn, it may confuse AI algorithms. Align all your online profiles and descriptions with a consistent entity representation.
Analyze what AI chatbots are saying about your brand and industry. Interact with chatbots, ask questions about your company, leadership team, and industry, and document the responses. This process will help you identify any inaccuracies and understand the sources from which chatbots gather information. Outdated or incorrect information can be updated on various platforms like social profiles, review websites, and your own website.
To strengthen your brand's association with relevant entities, emphasize topical relatedness. Start by reviewing your own website and updating content to showcase expertise and credibility. Consider optimizing author bios by highlighting credentials and expertise. When authoritative sources frequently link two entities, such as a brand and a topic, it reinforces the connection within the AI's knowledge graph. Ensure that your website, social media, and directories accurately reflect these associations.
Structured data markup language is a powerful tool that allows search engines to better understand your web pages. By providing specific data about your business, such as contact information, open hours, awards, and reviews, you facilitate accurate information retrieval. Utilize schema.org fields to indicate relationships between entities and authorship of content.*
While AISEO involves technical optimizations, it is crucial to continue focusing on generating high-quality, relevant content. Building relationships between entities and ensuring accurate online representation play a significant role in this process. Seek opportunities to collaborate with authoritative sources and encourage them to mention your brand in a favorable light.
* Fun fact: you can ask ChatGPT to generate the code for you. I asked ChatGPT to write markup language for several pages on our website, including our team member profiles pages and the About Us page. I gave it instructions to include all the schema.org fields that would be most relevant, such as the awards we had won and our reviews. I ran the schema code that ChatGPT generated through Google’s validation tools, and when I found a couple of mistakes I’d made, I asked ChatGPT to correct them. Finally, my markup passed inspection, and I used HubSpot to paste it into the page header, and then checked the page again. Finally, I put it into Google Search Console and even resubmitted it for indexing.
Artificial intelligence search optimization (AISEO) has become essential in the evolving landscape of AI-powered search engines. We followed these steps to optimize our own website for AI-powered search. But did it work?
Find out how we did in Marketing to Machines Part III.
