As AI chatbots continue to take over, it will be important to pivot your SEO strategies to work with AI instead of against it. Since more internet users are asking AI for answers rather than search engines, your marketing strategies will need to adopt a more well-rounded approach that answers users’ questions without digging through your content.
Meeting search intent requires marketers and SEO experts to do more than just keyword research. Depending on what a user’s intent is, Google will show more relevant websites or utilize the AI summary to give a short answer at the top of search results. This blog will dive deeper into what search intent is and how you can adjust your SEO strategy to follow this trend.
What is Search Intent?
Search intent is the reason or purpose for a search query. This can be a number of things, including answers to questions, a specific website, or shopping for a product. Users have something in mind when asking a question, including where it comes from, how it is phrased, or the actual answer. Looking at the deeper intent rather than just the keyword or phrase they are searching for can help Google push your content.
Types of Intent
There are different types of intent that can help us better understand what our audiences are using search engines for. Breaking it down into these categories will help give you a clearer picture of what is behind a question. While these are still broad, they can help you find a starting point for creating content that AI summaries may feed to users.
- Informational Intent: Looking for information or an answer to specific questions
- Commercial Intent: Comparing products or services before making a purchase
- Transactional Intent: Searching with the intent to purchase. Research is done, and the user is ready to pay and take action
- Navigational Intent: Searching for a specific website
Adopt the Ranch Style
In contrast to a major pillar page, the Ranch Style adopts the idea that there are different sections in precise digestible pieces. In the more adopted Skyscraper style, content can be divided into headers and keyword-added content that meets the EEAT guidelines of Google. Expert testimonies and thorough research can be shown through long-form pages and blogs.
On the flip side, Ranch Style focuses on breaking these sections into fully fleshed-out pages. It prioritizes fresh and original content that the writer or business has tested out for themselves. What experts have to say on the subject, the benefits of it, and how you experienced it yourself will each be a shorter piece that interlinks.
The Ranch Style of SEO is becoming more helpful, as it is easier for all people to generate content with AI, even if it is of low quality. Google now prioritizes content that can easily be skimmed for answers and provides a better user experience. Since AI can generate content on well-established topics, more consensus content is going to be better than mass amounts of content.
Why Consumers Are Turning to AI for Answers
The simple answer: convenience. However, there are many other reasons AI and chatbots are starting to take over more aspects of the internet. It can often provide information faster and more precisely than a human can, which better meets search intent, especially when someone is ready to make a purchase or is looking for one singular answer.
Users may have to scroll through blogs or pillar content before getting an answer to their query, whereas AI can provide a concise answer in just a few sentences. Users can also adjust the prompt to get an answer that better fits their narrative.
Answering Questions Rather Than Ranking for Keywords
The best way to ensure that your content stays relevant and meets search intent is to start answering specific questions about a common topic. Putting questions in the headings or dedicating more short-form content to an industry-specific question will help Google AI pull your link into the AI summary at the top of search results.
If you want your website to continue to rank in the coming years, your content will need to answer frequently asked questions and provide valuable information to users. Marketers should think about what new information they can bring to the table to help beat out the competition.
Focusing on the outskirts of a topic can help you provide unique insights that users may turn to AI chatbots for. These niche topics can be hard to find information on by a user, so compiling the information in a few seconds is appealing. Writing content on a niche topic or an unpopular question may result in more clicks in the future as the topic becomes more relevant.
Marketing Help From PDM
If keeping up with changing SEO dynamics seems too overwhelming for you, our professionals can help take over your online marketing strategy for you. Performance Driven Marketing has been in the internet marketing industry for over a decade, helping businesses to see real results from Google search queries. Reach out to us to get started today!
