If you have recently been googling, you may have been greeted by an AI summary answering your query. AI is driving the largest growth in search and Google has been playing catch up in the artificial intelligence game to OpenAI and friends. Their new AI Overviews product is contributing to a noticeable shift in user habits, bringing extra considerations for organisations, including safeguarding reputations and ensuring that key messages are included in these summaries.

The phenomenon of using AI engines, such as ChatGPT, is slowly rising, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that 5.6% of US search traffic on desktop in June went to AI LLMs (Large Language Models), doubling from last year. AI search as a user choice (rather than an outcome of Google's changes) is not at a level for wholesale shifts in digital strategies, but something to watch.

But what does this rise in Google’s AI summaries mean? It has put external links in the backseat; AI summaries push down top-ranked websites to the bottom half of the screen and has led to a reduction in click-through searches. Research has also found that Google users are more likely to end their browsing session entirely if they visit a search page with an AI summary. This has reduced search web traffic to sites, having knock on effects for organisations that position their business plan around website clicks, such as media publishers.

The shift in the rules of search by tech companies has increased the prominence of GEO, or generative engine optimisation, a technique of optimising content flows and increasing the chance of being used as a source by LLMs and summaries.

What audience habits have been changed by AI search and why does it matter?

These changes have shifted search habits, and this has implications for how organisations are discovered and what kind of content will appear. Users are gradually becoming more colloquial in their searches; questions are being increasingly used in queries, and these types of searches are more likely to provide an AI summary, reducing the probability of a further click beyond the initial result.

Summaries pull from data across the web, with some early stage research by Pew Research finding that the three most frequently cited results are Wikipedia, YouTube and Reddit, in Google AI overviews. However, it is not an exact science, information is being crawled across the web, meaning that organisations need a holistic and aligned digital presence.  

By contrast, searches of organisations by just their name are unlikely to trigger a summary, therefore directing users to websites and media coverage. Therefore, an organisation’s website still needs to rank highly in search via SEO to capture this audience. This means that an integrated approach of media coverage, digital amplification and keywords are still incredibly relevant to an effective communications strategy.

Either way, organisations can dictate, influence and inform their online profile. By smartly managing your digital strategy, you can actively tell your organisation’s story, rather than passively allowing the internet to do so for you.

How can I optimise my organisation’s content via GEO?

Primarily, the main determinant of GEO is strong visibility in search in general, as most LLMs and summaries are built from search engines such as Google and Bing. So, if you are not showing up in traditional search, you will not turn up in AI. GEO is just a natural progression from SEO, so organisations must have a comprehensive digital strategy, comprising keywords, optimised websites, consistent content and multimedia.

Here are some simple ways to brush up from a GEO perspective:

• Answer questions that searchers often ask about your organisation in content that you share, AI queries tend to be asked colloquially, so you should tailor your language accordingly.

• Provide clear answers that don’t use jargon and are properly sourced.

• Present the content in a clear format, broken up by headings.

• Use techniques such as lists and bullet points to allow pages to be easily crawled.

Overall, changes can make some difference, but without an integrated approach you are missing your most powerful comms tool. There are three levels of platforms to impact, which in turn will benefit your GEO profile:

• Plan for your owned voice: Use your platforms, such as websites, social channels and other content such as Substacks or newsletters to align your messaging.

• Amplify your earned content: Ensure that your media engagements are properly amplified through your socials or website to increase the reach of your content.

• Influence third-party platforms: Ensure that websites such as Wikipedia, Reddit and Google Business, are accurate and work to grow your profile.

Search habits are shifting, and AI is at the forefront of this, but if your existing digital presence is strong, it is likely that you will rank well. Small shifts can make a difference: sharing news about via a press release PDF on your website? Why not make a specific page for it, adding in FAQs that journalists are most likely to ask, increasing the crawlability of your content? Clicks on news media sites are dropping due to numerous digital factors (see here), so the need for an integrated strategy to tell your own story has never been stronger.

Looking to grow your digital voice and presence? Reach out to digital@cardewgroup.com