The world appears to be divided on its feelings about AI and the power it wields. For nearly 30 years, Google has been the dominant force in online marketing. If your site was Google-friendly, you were in a good spot. And with the help of SEO experts like the team at Digital 1 Group, you were set to enjoy great success. However, with the introduction of AI-powered search tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT, and others, businesses are seeing the traffic to their sites plummet as much as 64% according to recent studies. Website owners are now turning to the pros like D1 to understand why this is occurring and how to realign their digital strategy to restore their website’s success.
What Is Causing the Traffic Drop?
AI searches are eliminating the need for users to take the next step when asking a question of the World Wide Web and click on a site that has been determined to have the answer and be a reliable resource according to the search engine. Instead, AI is providing a short blurb that appears to answer the posed question and a litany of tip-ranked links to support the information it provided. The result for businesses is that the user never needs to click on a website to get more information. In essence, the AI source has cut out the middleman, or in this case, your website. The person who entered the question is now satisfied and does not need to explore further and visit your website.
Who Is Suffering the Most?
With the answers to queries being provided by AI, the sites that are suffering the most are those that offer how-to information. The answer supplied by AI makes the site obsolete. When polled, 6 of 10 searchers were satisfied with the information provided by the AI resource and did not explore further for the answer they sought. But this information might not be as damaging to your website as you would expect if you are operating a business site that offers more than how-to processes and videos.
What AI Is Doing for The Average Business Site
While you will see less traffic and clicks on your website because of the answers provided by AI, you can find solace in knowing that the traffic that does click into your site is a much higher quality than it was in the past. The typical click to your website is a potential customer or client who is ready to learn more than a high-level answer, and then they are prepared to take action. These people are going to make a purchase, contact your staff, or request a quote or service now that they have arrived at your website.
How To Take Advantage Of The New Search And AI Answer World Of Online Marketing
The new strategy for website success focuses on quality content. No longer are repetitive keywords going to gain the attention you need. To earn rankings from AI, your site needs to deliver answers and legitimate information. Other critical factors for the content include information written in a natural and easy-to-understand voice, the facts or opinions being well supported, and the content being written in a proper tone and context for the readers, meaning a native speaker writes it. Today’s most successful websites are serving as a reliable and trusted resource for those referring to them.
At Digital 1 Group, our focus and pledge to every customer is that a native-speaking person always writes the content we provide, it contains no AI-generated material, and the content is purpose-created for their business. The future in online marketing is quality, professional content like our team has been delivering since Day 1. Please reach out to D1 today to learn more about our services and how we can enhance your website with quality content and SEO services.