How AI Search Is Revolutionizing Optimization | Brafton

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing everything about the way we live our lives and the entire basis of our economic system.

Or maybe it’s all hype from a bunch of tech companies hoping we don’t see through their boondoggle of an investment in a useless and environmentally destructive technology. 

Or maybe there’s actually a middle ground that’s more accurate than these two extreme points? 

However you feel about AI, what we can tell you is that AI advancements are changing how we search for things online. This changes how we view search results and how marketers must approach search engine optimization (SEO).

What Is AI Search Optimization?

AI search optimization can refer to the use of AI tools to optimize content for search. But the term can also refer to how we optimize content to appear more reliably in searches dominated by AI. For example, this can include how to factor into the AI overview atop a SERP or how to show up in searches generated by AI chatbots.

AI is changing SEO in two major ways: 

• How we search online.
• And how we optimize content for search engines.

You’ve likely noticed how AI has changed search results. Atop the search engine results page (SERP) on Google, Ecosia or another search engine, you might see an AI summary of your search query. 

At first, a lot of people made fun of these AI summaries because they were often wrong or silly. However, it seems these AI-generated responses are much better now, though they can still throw up the odd answer. But this is just the most visible way AI systems are changing how we search. AI crawlers determine what results to display, and generative AI is making content that shows up on SERPs.

How To Optimize Your Content Using AI Tools

Content optimization is still key to digital marketing. However, trying to rank on an AI search engine by using the same methods that succeeded with a traditional search engine may not work. To keep up with how SEO is evolving, it’s wise to see how AI can help you. Here are some AI-powered tools you can use to increase the SEO score of your content:

Keyword Research Tools

Delving into some market analytics is often a great first step for an SEO strategy. AI-powered tools are providing ways to advance the techniques of keyword research. For example, these tools are particularly useful for discovering long-tail keywords and trending phrases that manual research often misses. SEO assistance platforms such as Ahrefs and Semrush leverage AI to provide keyword difficulty scores and search trends.

Topic Ideation Tools

Now you know what keywords to use. But where will you use them? In a blog? 

Great, what’s the blog about? Hmm.

Brainstorming topic ideas with a colleague is an effective way to figure out what to write about. But if you don’t have an available colleague to bounce ideas off, try an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot. These generative AI tools are good at looking at what’s on the internet and giving you a list of similar ideas you can write about.

SEO Evaluation Tools

Let’s skip ahead — now you’ve finished your blog with your AI-assisted topic and keywords. But have you used all the right keywords? Have you used them enough? An SEO evaluation tool, such as MarketMuse, can give you an SEO score to assess your content optimization efforts.

Content Readability Tools

When deciding which results to feature prominently, AI crawlers consider readability. How well-written your piece is matters to the AI algorithm. Readability also matters to people — remember, the idea behind an SEO strategy is to rank high so actual human beings will read your content. 

AI technology can help with this, too. Tools such as Grammarly and ProWritingAid can evaluate your work as you write and flag punctuation, grammar and phrasing issues. 

Don’t Forget About Technical SEO

Using the tools mentioned above can help you craft high-quality content that ends up in front of more eyeballs. But if you only focus on what’s on the page, you’re overlooking an important facet of SEO. 

Technical SEO can be just as important as the words on the screen. This involves addressing the off-page factors that affect a piece’s SEO score. It’s critical to follow technical SEO best practices — such as using search-friendly URLs, optimizing page speed and implementing HTTPS encrypting — to succeed in this new world of search.

How AI Is Changing How We Search

How much of AI is hype, and how much is really going to change how we search for things online? The truth is, AI is already affecting how we look for information. AI is altering search in the following ways:

Offering Quicker, Condensed Information

Many people search for something and simply look at the AI answer at the top of the SERP. This can sometimes be dangerous, but for basic queries, the AI snippet can be pretty handy. 

Allowing for More Personalized Results

Today, we may be more likely to search for certain questions because we think we’ll get a reliable AI answer right away — at least, that’s what the tech companies are hoping. But we’re also asking search engines and AI chatbots more casual, personal questions.

Several years ago, you may have searched, “What’s a good anniversary gift?” But now, you might be more likely to search, “What should I get my gf for our anniversary?” 

Maybe this is because we’re getting used to asking AI chatbots conversational questions. Or maybe it’s because we know Big Tech has so much of our personal data that it can give us personal answers. Either way, we’re changing how we pose certain questions.

Enabling Different Avenues for Searching

Some searches don’t go through a search engine at all. Sometimes we search through an AI chatbot. This might be because we want the chatbot to produce a source for a previous answer or because it’s one of those more conversational questions. AI chatbots can also be good at finding specific sources for certain facts and quotes, accurate or otherwise.

For example, you could search, “Do people really swallow 8 spiders in their sleep every year?” on a search engine and find results telling you the answer. (It’s “no”, by the way.)

But with AI, you can ask why so many people think we swallow 8 spiders a year, and it will tell you the myth comes from an article in the 1990s that was actually meant to show how misinformation spreads. (Good job, I guess?)

AI and Paid Search Results

Just how AI might affect search engine advertising remains to be seen. If we start to see data that shows people are searching, looking at the AI overview and quickly navigating away, this could theoretically hurt demand for the paid search positions. 

This notion is far from settled. But it’s something to consider when debating your paid vs. organic search options.

AI Mode

Google has recently announced a brand new AI mode. Google describes its AI mode as a “new Search mode [that] expands what AI Overviews can do with more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities so you can get help with even your toughest questions.” Google AI aims to answer complex search journeys, such as “Plan a 3-day vegan trip to Portland under $5,000.” If people are regularly searching long-tail keywords such as this, that could make the job of an SEO specialist more complex. But maybe more fun, too.

Is This the Future of SEO?

Yes and no.

AI is undoubtedly changing SEO. But right now, AI is like a young athlete with amazing raw talent, but without the wisdom and IQ of a grizzled veteran. AI still needs humans to “coach it” to produce the best results. 

AI tools aren’t right for every search, but they’re definitely right for some. When crafting content, it’s crucial to use a human tone and understand context clues. While there are several challenges AI needs to overcome to achieve widespread adoption by people when they search. But it’s fair to say that AI has already left an indelible mark on how we search, so it only makes sense to adjust your SEO strategy accordingly.

Embrace the Future … Wisely

Nobody wants to be a Luddite. But it’s no good rushing to adopt technology before it has a proven use case.

Content marketing, even when it’s somewhat formulated by SEO, is a creative exercise. So be creative, play around with AI tools and see where you get. And if you don’t have the time or patience to tinker with various SEO tools and strategies, remember, there are always SEO marketing experts who would be happy to help you.