OpenAI announced its long anticipated search product this month: SearchGPT. The product is still a temporary prototype that’s limited to just 10,000 users and publishers at launch, but we’ll likely see this concept carve a new path for AI-driven search and possibly gain traction as a widely used search engine.

Many people are already using ChatGPT like a search tool, asking it basic questions, and receiving responses from its knowledge based on trained data.

SearchGPT aims to combine OpenAI’s conversational models with relevant information and direct sources from the web.  You’ll be able to ask follow-up questions, like you would in a conversation with a person, as the algorithm builds shared context with each query.

In addition to launching the prototype, OpenAI is also working on launching ways for publishers to manage how they will appear in SearchGPT search results, which is something to keep an eye on as opportunities arise to optimize your site for AI-driven search engines, and the possibility of prioritized placements being offered within the platform.

SEO Best Practices for AI-Driven Search Engines:

If you haven’t already, it’s time to gear your SEO towards AI-driven search results. Here are a few ways to do so. You may already recognize these as proven, fundamental SEO strategies, but the following tactics will be particularly crucial in AI-Driven Search.

Structure your content for AI

Optimize your content for featured snippets. Featured Snippets are the short answers that appear on top of search results.

Use clear headings and subheadings, and include bulleted or numbered lists when appropriate. Keep your content concise and direct, and answer common questions and trending topics. You can use Google’s “people also ask” section to get an idea for what other common questions or phrases people are searching for related to your topic.

Take Advantage of Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are specific phrases that are longer and more detailed than traditional keywords. They tend to be more conversational and natural-sounding; therefore, people are more likely to use them when speaking to AI assistants like Siri or Alexa.

Voice search optimization involves creating content that’s optimized for the way people speak, rather than the way that they type. To find the best longtail keywords for your website, consider the questions that your target audience might ask when searching for your product.

For example, instead of using the keyword “restaurants near me” you might use the long-tail keyword “where can I find the best restaurants to eat at near me?”

In addition to being more conversational, long-tail keywords are also more targeted. Someone searching for “restaurants near me” could be searching for jobs at restaurants, or restaurants with delivery. Meanwhile, someone asking “where can I find the best restaurants to eat at near me?” is ready to dine at that location as a customer.

Create Thorough and Authoritative Content

Creating high-quality content is also an important aspect of SEO for AI search engines. Your content should be comprehensive and cover a topic thoroughly. You can use subheadings and bullets to break up content and make it easier to digest for the user.

Content should also be authoritative. Creating content that is well-researched, cites several sources, and provides accurate information will help AI to recognize it as a thorough and trustworthy source.

Use AI to AID your Writing Process, not write for you.

Although AI can write a blog post for you with as little as a prompt and a single click, it won’t necessarily be as properly sourced, optimized for search or relevant as it could be without uniquely human expertise. A high-quality and comprehensive article is still easily recognizable when placed side-by-side with a fully AI-written article.

Rather, use tools like ChatGPT to streamline your workflow and improve the effectiveness of your content.

Don’t be misleaded by the title of this article, because it’s unlikely Google will be going anywhere anytime soon. Google has built decades worth of infrastructure, and an unparalleled index of web pages. Not to mention, it has solidified its place as the default search engine for many and integrates well with a powerful array of tools and features like the Google Suite, Google Maps, YouTube, and other elements of the Google Search experience.

As Google continues to hold around 90% of the search-engine market share and faces antitrust trials, it will be interesting to see how SearchGPT could impact the narrative.