Will SearchGPT find your content?

Marketing survival tips for generative search

Hey friends,?

Last week, OpenAI unveiled an early version of its new web search engine, SearchGPT.

Is this new tech coming to decimate Google? Is this the end of search as we know it?

We don’t think so. Not today, at least. (SearchGPT is still in the prototype phase, after all.) Still, the search world will keep diversifying at a faster and faster clip.?

Since Google Search will stick around for a while – amid its antitrust woes –?we think now is a good time to start thinking about a multipolar world of search.?

That is to say: you’re going to have to optimize for search engines other than Google, too.

?? ?Search is becoming multipolar

Up until now, Google Search has been a singular force. (Sorry, Bing!) But, from here on out, content marketing might bend less and less to the whims of that one tool.? ?

A multipolar world includes generative AI tools like SearchGPT and Google’s own AI Overviews. Bing may also emerge with renewed influence (!) due to Microsoft’s heavy investment in AI and the possibility that it will power some of ChatGPT's indexing. And who knows what else is out there?

???? ?How do you prepare for this shift in content marketing?

Earlier this summer, an academic paper pitched ideas about optimizing content for generative search engines. Here’s the basic idea: AI tools like Gemini and Perplexity are getting better and better at answering search queries. Content creation needs to account for those tools and how they process information.?

At its core, SEO is all about making quality content visible and accessible for a targeted audience in search.?That strategy still applies to generative AI search.

The authors of that academic paper cited a few specific examples:

• Credibility. Generative search engines could be much more effective at assessing a page’s authority. The inclusion of statistical data, and proper citations, will be crucial.
• Clarity. Written content needs to be data rich, structurally sound, and easy to read.
• Related queries. Tools like AI Overviews are trying to anticipate follow-up questions when they provide search responses. Marketers might start integrating those related questions into the content they create.

?? ?Generative search is a work in progress?

Keep in mind: a lot of the finer points have yet to be determined. We’re still in the early stages of this shift to a multipolar search world.

For example: the "related queries" issue mentioned above. We’re still not sure how to best address it. Do we anticipate follow-up questions by writing longer blog posts? Or will AI search optimization require a larger catalog of smaller, more pointed pieces???

Time will tell.?

For now, we’ll keep an eye on those developments while staying focused on the creation of distinct, valuable, and accessible content for a targeted audience.

The technical optimization side of content marketing is forever changing, but the fundamental importance of quality writing never will.

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