Generative AI to Have Massive Impact on Search  

Artificial Intelligence is on the cusp of drastically changing how we access information and the industry behind it. Since the launch of Google in the mid-90s, when people needed to ask a question or find information they jumped to a search engine. While we have come a long way from the original 10 blue links, the search industry has not seen such a watershed moment in its lifespan, as it does now.   

Search Engines Won’t Die, They Will Evolve  

This immense opportunity is at the top of executive’s minds across the biggest tech companies.   

Microsoft, in partnership with OpenAI, was the most aggressive in pursuing Generative AI to improve user experience. The partnership created Prometheus. This technology combines Bing’s Index, rankings and search results with OpenAI’s GPT models. The additional layer of creative reasoning from OpenAI aims to provide better, more relevant responses from ChatGPT.   

At the time of this writing, OpenAI was rumored to be releasing an AI-backed search offering. We’re keeping close tabs on it, but do not expect to see an immediate change in the search landscape as so far they haven’t announced a search offering, and if they eventually do, it can take time to establish a new offering. 

Google is also placing big bets on Generative AI. With their new efforts in Google SGE, they plan to help users ‘be able to understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more easily’.   

According to Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet, Google has utilized AI since the introduction of featured snippets in mobile results. SERPs (search engine results pages) have gone through significant transformation over their lifespan but will now go through their biggest evolution yet.   

New technology and new destinations have already shown users are willing to use a specific tool to find information. As mentioned above, Amazon dominates the product search category. Over the final months of 2023, Amazon averaged anywhere from 2.3-2.7 billion visitors per month. We have also seen companies like Zillow and Realtor.com take ownership of the housing search market. Search on social platforms like TikTok and Reddit also continue to rise.   

The combination of Generative AI and the experience across these search engines, social networks and destinations creates an extremely exciting time for marketers.   

How Will This Make Users Experience Better?   

The infusion of this technology will allow search engines to better understand more complex question and provide more in-depth, accurate answers. Previously, you may need to perform multiple searches and piece together multiple answers to ultimately satisfy your needs. Now, users will be able to ask their complete question, no matter how complex, and receive an answer powered by Generative AI.   

When users ask questions to an LLM or search engines, they expect quality results. The promise of AI is that it will help better understand the context around the questions being asked and provide optimal results. Previous behavior within the platform, whether on Google or Gemini, can and has been used to provide a more personalized result. The more the LLMs learn, the more customized and relevant the results will become. 

What Does This Mean for the Pharmaceutical Industry and Brands?   

While the integration of Generative AI into search will allow users to answer more complex questions, both Google and Microsoft are committed to sending traffic to websites and continue to serve ads. Over 56% of Google’s revenue comes from ads.   

Will brands still need SEO? Ultimately, yes. But your SEO strategies will evolve, just like they always have. It may make sense to even be calling it something different such as LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization) or AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization). But the underlying effort in which we optimize your content for the end user will evolve.  

With any change, opportunity presents itself for brands who are innovators and first movers. The search industry has always been something that has been ever-changing but one thing will always remain: as long as there are search engines that are interested in holistically supplying users with information, there will always be an opportunity to optimize your digital assets to receive the best results. As the strategies get comfortable, the algorithms change and the advent of search engines embracing LLMs to provide tailored answers to user queries is just that: the next phase of our channel. The goal is still to ensure that search engines can understand your digital content as easily as possible, so that they can connect users with valuable information. CMI will continue to find ways to make content more relatable, make experiences more accessible and will continue to be the conduit for connecting searching users with the answers they are looking for.  

And speaking of answers, one of the strongest ways to embrace some of the changes that are occurring in search is to understand the concept of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). This specific type of optimization focuses on being able to answer your user’s questions directly with your content in an easily discoverable format. This will allow you to influence an LLM result, which in turn will cite your content as its source. The citation creates brand recognizability and awareness which will leave a lasting impression on your audience. To put it simply, you teach LLMs by providing them with the answers they need and they pass those answers on to your users and mention you as the source of support. Without a digital content source, like a website, you’re going to be missing out on a lot of connections.  

No matter how search engines or LLMs evolve, there will always be a way to learn how they operate and use those learning to improve their favorability for your digital assets. SEO and AEO may look a lot different as technology becomes more advanced but its core will always be built on the idea that we can help improve your brand’s ability to connect with and educate your audience. Now is the time to count on your content optimization for more than just keyword rankings. Your SEO and content partners should be talking with your audience profile, your wider search presence and how to leverage AEO to your advantage. Those concepts are going to be what help you meet your search-based business goals.