Marketers and content creators are looking to take advantage of the opportunities presented by more search engines in the digital landscape. Is the process of gaining visibility in an AI search vastly different than that of traditional search engines? The good news is that many of the same rules apply when you want to earn a mention in search results for either platform, even though their method of interaction with users is different. A few tweaks can make you AI-friendly.
Traditional search engines like Google serve up a buffet of links, driving users to websites they think will answer their questions best. AI platforms like ChatGPT skip the middleman, searching their dataset and delivering answers directly in their chat interface. This saves users from sifting through endless pages and further refining their search. Remember that AI thrives on long-tail, conversational queries—so think “chat with a friend,” not “robotic keywords.”
If you have ever optimized for featured snippets, you are already more than halfway there when optimizing for AI platforms. The structure in this type of formatting makes it easier for any search engine to locate and understand the content on your website.
I’ve whipped up a 10-step cheat sheet to get you started. Stuck on a step? Here’s a hack: fire up an AI platform like ChatGPT or Claude and a traditional search engine like Google or Bing. Ask them both to explain the step in detail. This little experiment will teach you how each one “thinks” and help you tweak your content to work seamlessly across the board—no matter what you’re writing about!
