For decades, traditional search engines, such as Google and Bing, have provided ever faster and more accurate results to their users. But since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in 2022, the way people search for information online has changed. As new AI-driven search tools appear almost every day, it’s clear we are in the midst of a paradigm shift. This begs the question: Will AI search replace traditional search engines? And what as a business should you do about it?
In this article, we examine the difference between AI and traditional search, the pros and cons of each, and explain how you can prepare yourself in this evolving search landscape.
What’s the Difference Between AI Search and Traditional Search?
Traditional search engines use bots to crawl websites, index the information, and rank the web pages for various search queries, using factors such as relevance and authority. When a user enters a search term, it calls on this algorithm to provide a list of search results and displays them in a descending list.
AI search takes an altogether different approach. AI-powered tools process and synthesise information from a range of sources and use natural language processing to organise and communicate a conversational response. Instead of receiving a list of links, the user is offered a textual summary of the information, from which they can ask further questions should they require.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Traditional Search?
Pros:
- Reliable and Transparent: When using a traditional search engine, users are guided to the original source, providing transparency.
- Comprehensive: The range of sources search engines offer can provide a balanced and varied view on a topic.
- Diverse Content: Users can access blog posts, videos, images, and forums all in one place.
Cons:
- Can be overwhelming: Search engines return thousands of results, so the breadth of information can be overwhelming.
- SEO Manipulation: As much as search engines try to crack down on malpractice, websites may game the system with keyword stuffing and backlink schemes to appear higher in the results.
- Ads and Sponsored Content: Paid placements can sometimes overshadow organic search results, and although it’s clearly labelled, some users complain of the paid results being mingled with the organic.
What Are the Pros and Cons of AI Search?
Pros:
- Instant, Direct Answers: Offering a summarised response, AI search eliminates the need to click through and digest multiple links and sources
- Conversational and Contextual: AI understands nuance in questions and can refine answers based on intent.
Cons:
- Lack of Source Transparency: It’s not always clear which sources the AI is using, which makes it difficult to verify information.
- Potential Bias: AI models are trained on datasets that may contain biases; arguably in some cases, the AI models themselves are biased.
- Risk of Inaccuracies: AI can generate misleading or incorrect information, sometimes referred to as “hallucinations.”
Will AI Search Replace Search Engines?
While AI search increasingly inserts itself into users’ habits, it’s unlikely to entirely replace traditional search, at least in the short term. Users still value reviewing ‘original source material’, whether that be for a research paper or when seeking out the products or services of local businesses. Partly this is due to a lack of trust in AI as well as the limitations of AI itself in delivering comprehensive, balanced answers.
That said, search engines are already integrating AI to improve search experiences. Google, for instance, offers AI-powered summaries alongside search results, allowing users to scan answers quickly before delving into the links. For now, AI search may work as a complement to traditional search, as the two converge into a single user interface.
5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for AI Search
It’s prudent to prepare for AI search so your business can take advantage, whether that be in the near future or the long run.
- Optimise for AI search: While it’s not always entirely clear how AI search models select what they present to users, clearly structuring your content in a logical manner, will help AI models understand and use your information.
- Focus on Authoritative Content: AI search prioritises credible sources. Businesses should establish authority by producing high-quality, well-researched content – with citations where appropriate.
- Leverage Conversational SEO: Since AI search understands natural language, businesses should optimise for question-based queries and long-tail keywords as well as their core service or product keywords.
- Maintain Traditional SEO Strategies: SEO is still a highly relevant pillar of your digital marketing strategy so don’t neglect it to chase the promises of AI search.
- Monitor AI search Trends: Stay informed about AI developments by following well-known AI blogs, such as Paperspace.
Conclusion
AI search is revolutionising the way we find and digest information online, offering quick, summarised results in an engaging and conversational tone. However, traditional search engines remain valuable for in-depth research and the review of transparent sources.
Businesses should stay ahead of these changes by optimising for both AI and traditional search to remain competitive in this ever-changing digital landscape.
