Contents
- The Growing Role of AI in Search
- SearchGPT – OpenAI’s Leap into AI-Driven Search
- Google Gemini & AI Overviews – Google’s Answer to AI-Powered Search
- SearchGPT vs. Gemini Search Tools – How They Compare
- What This Means for Marketers
- Embracing the AI Search Revolution
- AI Search FAQs
The Growing Role of AI in Search
As businesses and digital marketers, we’re all navigating a rapidly changing world that’s increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence (AI). Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, AI has become a key player in areas such as customer service, content creation, and beyond. In fact, ChatGPT reached over 100 million users within two months of launch – a clear indication of how quickly AI adoption is growing in our daily lives.
AI isn’t just helping us write emails or brainstorm ideas – it’s fundamentally changing how we search for information online. OpenAI’s SearchGPT and Google’s Gemini are two cutting-edge tools designed to transform the search experience, by using AI to offer smarter, more human-like responses to our queries.
But what does this mean for us digital marketers and businesses – how will these tools impact search engine optimisation (SEO), website rankings and paid ads (PPC)?
SearchGPT – OpenAI’s Leap into AI-Driven Search
Launched in mid-2024, SearchGPT is OpenAI’s latest creation, blending its already famous ChatGPT functionality with AI-driven search capabilities. It takes the conversational tone and intelligence of ChatGPT and applies it to searching the web.
Instead of just getting a list of websites like a traditional search engine, SearchGPT tries to give you a more thoughtful, human-like answer by pulling real-time information from various sources and packaging it into one clear response.
SearchGPT was met with a huge wave of interest – the waitlist saw tens of thousands of sign-ups in just the first week, showing how eager people are to try new ways of searching for information. It’s designed to save time by summarising information and giving users exactly what they need, instead of leaving them to sift through multiple pages of search results.
The SearchGPT functionality was officially launched for Plus/Team users at the end of October 2024. The real-time information can now either be manually searched for using the search icon, or depending on your query, triggered automatically.
Google Gemini & AI Overviews – Google’s Answer to AI-Powered Search
Google, of course, wasn’t going to let OpenAI have all the fun. Their advanced AI model, Gemini, launched in late 2023, marking Google’s biggest move into AI. While Gemini is a powerful multimodal AI, one of its key integrations is within Google Search through AI Overviews.
AI Overviews: Changing How Search Works
AI Overviews make search results more intuitive by summarising key information instead of just listing links. This is particularly useful for complex or multi-step queries, helping users get answers faster while still providing links for further exploration.
Gemini’s Role in AI Search
Gemini is the AI model powering AI Overviews, but it also functions separately as a conversational AI – Google’s answer to ChatGPT.
A major advantage of Gemini is its ability to search the web in real time, pulling the latest data for topics like news, stock prices, and sports scores. Unlike traditional search, which relies on indexed pages, Gemini can fetch live web information, offering dynamic, up-to-date responses.
This hybrid approach makes Gemini both a chatbot and a real-time search assistant, blurring the lines between AI-driven search and conventional search engines.
The Challenges & Google’s Response
Gemini’s AI Overviews initially faced backlash for inaccurate responses, leading to concerns about reliability (glue in pizza, anyone?). Google has since refined Gemini, improving its accuracy and multimodal capabilities while ensuring AI-generated results remain transparent and trustworthy.
With continuous updates, Gemini is evolving into a smarter, more responsive AI assistant, shaping the future of AI-powered search.
SearchGPT vs. Gemini Search Tools – How They Compare
At their core, both SearchGPT and Google’s AI search tools aim to improve how we find information, but they take different approaches.
SearchGPT
SearchGPT is designed as an AI-powered search assistant, providing direct, human-like responses instead of just listing websites. It pulls information from various sources, summarising them into a single, clear answer, reducing the need to sift through multiple pages. SearchGPT feels more like a chat-based search engine, giving users insights in a natural conversation style.
Gemini
Gemini plays two roles in Google’s ecosystem:
- AI Overviews (integrated in Google Search): AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, designed to quickly answer user queries alongside traditional website listings.
- Gemini Chat (standalone AI assistant): A separate chatbot experience, similar to ChatGPT, that allows users to ask complex questions, generate content, or engage in an interactive AI conversation.
AI Overviews still follow Google’s search model by displaying links to websites, whereas Gemini Chat is a broader AI assistant that users interact with directly.
Key Differences
- SearchGPT provides direct, summarised responses from multiple sources.
- Gemini’s AI Overviews enhance traditional search by offering AI-generated summaries above normal search listings.
- Gemini Chat functions like ChatGPT, allowing users to engage in a broader AI conversation outside of Google Search.
- SearchGPT has no ads (yet), while Google still integrates paid ads into its AI-powered search results.
Public reaction to both tools has been mixed – some appreciate the convenience, while others worry about accuracy and AI dominance in search. With Google facing antitrust scrutiny, questions remain over how AI-driven search will shape the future of online visibility.
What This Means for Marketers
Here’s the part that matters most to us as marketers: how will AI-powered search impact our digital marketing strategies and the performance of marketing campaigns?
SEO: The Future of Organic Search
Google has said that AI will soon be used to organise the results page. Despite some early observations, the exact process of how AI ranks content isn’t yet fully clear.
However, Google has always made it clear that it’s algorithms aim to prioritise high-quality content. So, what we do know is that just like with traditional SEO, we’ll need to ensure our content is clear, informative, and trustworthy. Focusing on these aspects will help businesses stand out in AI-generated responses and potentially benefit from AI influenced search results pages.
Here’s what marketers should focus on in these early days:
- Content Quality: More than ever, AI will favour well-written, comprehensive, and accurate content. Make sure your content answers the right questions and is valuable to the reader.
- Structure: AI tools need to easily understand your content, so make use of headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it scannable.
- Authority: Getting backlinks from credible sources is still going to matter. AI models are likely to value content that’s linked from authoritative, trusted websites.
- Structured Data: Using things like schema markup (essentially data that helps search engines understand the structure of your content) will help AI better recognise what your content is about.
Web Development & SEO for AI-Powered Search
An often-overlooked aspect of SEO in the context of AI-driven search engines is web development. Having a technically sound, high-performing website can significantly improve your visibility in AI-generated search results.
Here’s why web development is key:
- Speed and Performance: AI-powered search engines prioritise fast-loading websites. Slow sites not only frustrate users but can also lead to lower rankings in AI-driven search results. Ensure your website is optimised for performance by regularly testing its load speed and improving areas like image compression, server response times, and script management.
- Mobile Optimisation: Since most users search on mobile devices, AI tools like Gemini and SearchGPT will likely prioritise mobile-friendly websites. Ensure your website is responsive, meaning it works well on both mobile and desktop, to improve your chances of being highly ranked in search results.
- Clear Site Structure: A well-organised site with logical navigation is crucial. AI models need to easily understand your site’s hierarchy and content. Clear URLs, effective use of headers, and an intuitive site structure make it easier for AI to crawl and rank your pages.
- Metadata: Implementing metadata allows AI systems to understand your website’s content better and present your website accurately in search results.
- Security: Having a secure website is critical for AI rankings. Sites with SSL certificates (indicated by the “https” in the URL) are seen as more trustworthy and secure, making them more likely to rank higher in search results.
- User Experience (UX): Search engines prioritise content that delivers a seamless and engaging user experience. Ensure your website is clean, easy to navigate, and provides a positive user journey. AI tools will favour websites with optimised user interfaces and strong calls-to-action.
PPC: A New Era for Ads
When it comes to paid ads, Google’s Gemini is likely to push ads further down the results page as AI-generated answers take the spotlight. This could mean a few things for PPC:
- Increased Competition: With ads potentially showing up later in search results, marketers may face higher costs to secure premium ad placements.
- Smarter Ad Placement: AI might help with more precise targeting, but we’ll need to keep a close eye on how AI-driven search evolves. For now, SearchGPT doesn’t feature ads, but that may change as these tools develop.
However, early findings from Tinuiti’s latest Digital Ads Benchmark Report shows that ad spend rose 11% year on year in 2024 vs 2023 – this trend could show that advertisers are adapting their strategies and still see PPC as an effective use of marketing budget.
Embracing the AI Search Revolution
AI-powered search engines like SearchGPT and Gemini mark a significant shift in how we search for information, and they’ll undoubtedly influence how we, as marketers, operate.
With AI becoming more prevalent, it’s critical to stay on top of trends and continuously refine our strategies for both SEO and PPC. Other big platforms, like Meta and Microsoft Copilot, have also been investing in AI search technology, showing that this isn’t just a trend – it’s the future of search.
At Atelier, we understand the importance of evolving with these changes. Whether you need help optimising your current digital marketing efforts or preparing for the next wave of AI-driven search, we’re here to guide you.
Get in touch for help with future-proofing your website and digital marketing in an AI-driven future.
AI in Search FAQs
What are SearchGPT and Gemini?
SearchGPT is OpenAI’s AI-powered search assistant, providing direct, conversational answers. Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot, which also powers AI Overviews in search results.
How do they differ from traditional search engines?
SearchGPT delivers direct answers instead of listing links. Gemini’s AI Overviews summarise key information at the top of search results, while Gemini Chat functions as a standalone AI assistant similar to ChatGPT.
How will AI search impact SEO?
AI search prioritises high-quality, well-structured content. Websites that are fast, mobile-friendly, and use structured data will rank higher.
Why is web development important for AI search?
AI search engines favour websites that load quickly, are optimised for mobile, and have a secure, well-structured design.
How will AI affect PPC?
AI Overviews may push ads further down the page, increasing competition for top placements.
How can I future-proof my SEO?
Creating high-quality content, improving site speed, and using structured data will help websites stay visible in AI-powered search results. Staying updated on AI search developments is also crucial.
Will AI change how users search?
Yes, users will expect faster, more direct answers rather than clicking through multiple links.
Does mobile optimisation matter more with AI search?
Yes, AI-powered search engines prioritise mobile-friendly websites as most searches happen on mobile devices.
What is structured data, and why is it important?
Structured data helps AI understand and categorise content, improving the chances of appearing in AI-generated search results.
How will AI affect the search experience?
AI will provide quicker, more relevant answers, reducing the need to scroll through traditional search results.