If you haven’t noticed, the SEO world is undergoing a significant shakeup with the integration of AI into search engines. Google released AI Overviews (AIO) last May; Microsoft launched their generative AI search engine, Copilot, in July; other AI platforms, like Perplexity, entered the space along the way; and, most recently, OpenAI released the beta version of SearchGPT to its Plus and Teams users.
In a world where Google has dominated search for the past few decades, an industry-wide change is on the horizon, where new leaders may emerge and erode Google’s market share. Anecdotally, I’ve observed over the years that over 90% of organic search traffic to law firm websites comes from Google. As a digital marketer, it’s exciting to see potential changes to Google’s control of this marketing channel.
The integration of generative AI into search engines marks a major shift in how users interact with information online. Traditionally, search engines operated by indexing web pages and retrieving a list of links in response to user queries. This method, while effective, often requires users to sift through multiple sources to find precise answers.
The motivation behind this shift to leverage generative AI technology is to enhance the user experience by providing more direct, comprehensive and contextually relevant answers. Generative AI enables search engines to understand the nuances of user queries better and deliver information that is not only accurate but also tailored to the user’s intent. This transformation aims to reduce the time users spend navigating through multiple links, thereby streamlining the information retrieval process.
For law firms, this evolution presents both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, it allows firms to reach potential clients more effectively by aligning their content with the conversational nature of AI-driven search results. On the other hand, it necessitates a re-evaluation of SEO strategies to ensure visibility in a landscape where traditional ranking factors may be supplemented by AI-driven content generation and interpretation.
What’s the difference between a “regular” Google search and the new generative AI search engines?
Basically, a generative AI search experience has more substance than the traditional search experience because it returns more than a list of links (and ads) in response to user queries. In addition to such aesthetic differences, results in generative search are more detailed and take a conversational tone. Also, users can interact more easily with AI-enhanced search engines by following up with prompts to further glean and refine information in an interactive dialogue.
Here’s a promotional email I received from Perplexity:
Depending on the question being asked, generative search may be a better option than a regular Google search. For instance, when searching for a technical topic that requires analysis of lots of information, Generative AI does a great job at summarizing and comparing content. For quick searches, though, like looking for an attorney bio page or a firm office address, users are probably going to stick with Google (or Bing).
Pros and cons of generative AI search engines
Let’s start with the pros:
- Information in the results is more detailed versus a regular Google search that provides short snippets and links.
- Searchers can ask follow-up questions and drill down to find deeper answers to their questions.
- It’s an ad-free experience (for now), which eliminates the pay-to-play results in Google that may or may not be relevant to the query. The uncluttered experience is incredibly refreshing (but don’t get used to it, because this is likely to change).
- Information can be exported from generative search platforms in various formats, including spreadsheets, tables, lists, maps, images, videos, audios, charts, diagrams and multimodal outputs.
And the cons:
- The information provided can be dead wrong, also known as “hallucinations.” AI models have a hard time understanding nonsensical queries and satirical content, so information gathered online can be misinterpreted. For example, there was the fiasco with Google’s AI Overviews telling people to put glue on pizza to help make the cheese stick, and the fictitious legal research from ChatGPT that lawyers submitted in federal court.
- Links are less prevalent in the generative search user interface, and responses to queries are more substantive than a regular organic search. This means users might not click on the links provided in results.
- AI language models, like SearchGPT, Perplexity and Claude, can’t access content behind a paywall, including articles on Law.com and Law360.
- The user interface on most of these platforms is a bit clunky: Every query thread is saved in the sidebar of most web-based platforms and can only be deleted one at a time.
Despite the long list of cons, we can be sure that the train has already left the station, and generative search is going to be part of our future. What should legal marketers do to set up their content marketing and SEO strategy for success?
How can law firms optimize their content for generative AI search engines?
Based on what we know today, SEO and digital marketing professionals in all industries are in general agreement that many of the best practices used to optimize for traditional organic search visibility hold true for generative AI platforms. (I tried asking SearchGPT and Perplexity about their search algorithms, but was told that information is confidential.) Here are a few best practices that legal marketers should continue to follow.
- Use natural language and incorporate conversational phrases into your content.
- Be relevant. Understand what your user intent is and provide actual answers to their questions.
- Ensure your content is well-researched, informative, specific and substantive.
- Keep content fresh.
- Use structured data so search engines understand what type of content is on your web pages.
- Optimize for local SEO by keeping your Google Business Profile (GBP) and Bing Places listing up to date.
- Ensure technical SEO compliance by maintaining a user-friendly website with fast load times and mobile responsiveness. A well-structured site enhances user experience, which is likely to have an impact on a website’s chances of appearing in search results.
Understanding the trajectory of generative AI in search engines is crucial for law firms aiming to maintain a competitive edge in digital marketing. By adapting to these technological advancements, firms can enhance their online presence and become better at meeting the evolving expectations of users in the digital age.
My final advice for marketers: Create content that follows these best practices, but don’t have all your eggs in one content marketing basket. Instead, use a multi-channel, integrated marketing strategy that includes public relations, speaking engagements, email marketing, social media, etc.
If you’d like to share your thoughts about the future of SEO and digital marketing, reach out to Melanie Trudeau at mtrudeau@jaffepr.com.