A No-BS Guide to How to Rank in AI Search Engines
People aren't using just Google anymore.
There's Perplexity, there's ChatGPT, the phones are coming out with their own solutions.
So how can you get your business to show up in all these new special search tools?
That's what I'm going to share with you now.?
The good news is, showing up in these new platforms isn't much different than what's considered traditional SEO.
What is needed?
That said, there is one thing that I think is slightly different.
In traditional SEO, it is recommended to target one topic per page. Because traditionally, Google is serving up A page, not a whole website.
What's different with AI search engines, is that because they synthesize a bunch of pages together to form the response, it's best to include possible tangents to a topic if you think your reader is going to ask it after they get their first question answered.?
And now that I've said that, it reminds me that even this is like traditional SEO as a tactic for creating content as it was to include information in your blog posts from the People Also Asked section on the Google Search results pages. Other things remain the same however.
Different engines are going to show different results.
Many are based, like Google is, on personalized results, your browsing history, location sometimes. Some engines allow you to customize your results.
Now let's talk about tracking.
How can we see if we're getting traffic from these new fangled search engines?
One way is with an SEO tool. There are some claiming to be able to tell you if you show up in AI search results.
One of them is actually free. ?It's ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools - however, I went to search for me and I couldn't validate this is actually correct.
It said I have 7 keywords showing up in results that come up in AI search engines. But when I went to type them into a couple of engines, I never saw my website.?This could be because of various factors… but I would have expected some kind of something at least.
I have it set up in my Google Analytics as a segment and a channel grouping so I can see the traffic there, and what page they landed on.
Two Octobers, a company I follow, has a post about how to set this up. ?
And Hubspot has this thing called an AI Search Grader.
“Uncover your brand visibility in generative AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Identify strengths and pinpoint opportunities to boost brand awareness and sentiment.”
I tried it. I didn't find this very useful for me. But you might.?
Please remember, don't get caught up in the hype of "new" SEO strategies.
Focus on diversifying your marketing efforts and creating truly valuable content.?
That's what works for all search engines – traditional or AI-powered and more importantly, your audience, which is what really matters.
And hey, if you’ve got any questions about how this all works, or you’re just feeling a little stuck, don't hesitate to reach out.
?
See you next week!
Barb
Website Marketing Consultant
?
?? THIS WEEK IN THE SMALL BUSINESS SWEET SPOT ?
Breaking Free from "Shoulds" - A Talk Around Procrastination (Bonus EP44)
My favorite snippet from Carly in this interview... "All the things that, really, truly inspire you get prioritized and procrastination is actually there to help you stay on priority. Which is hysterical because we judge it and we think that we're not supposed to be doing it, but it's taking you off and taking you away from low priority items."
Most entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders have, at some point, felt stuck. Maybe it’s a slowdown in business, an overwhelming to-do list, or just a nagging sense of frustration. Often, we think we’re procrastinating—but what if procrastination isn’t the problem? What if it’s actually a sign pointing us in the right direction?
I sat down with Human Behavior Specialist, Carly Pepin, to talk about procrastination, unrealistic expectations, and why we should stop beating ourselves up for what we’re not doing. Instead, she suggests, we should use procrastination as a tool to better understand what actually drives us.
?
?
?? TOOL OF THE WEEK ?
Thruuu
A tool that mass pulls info from Google search results pages. This can be helpful if you want to see things in bulk so help identify anything. Like all the page titles, or other things it pulls.?
*I am a tool geek. I love me a useful tool. I personally use, have used or review every tool I recommend. I am an affiliate of some and earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Did you enjoy this newsletter? I share even more (early insights, personal updates, and exclusive content) straight to my direct newsletter subscribers before it hits anywhere else.
Want in?
?? Join here
See you there!