Why You Need an AI Search Optimization Program
How businesses get found online is changing. While traditional SEO is still important, AI-driven search is fundamentally changing the game. To find the information they are looking for, buyers are turning to AI-driven search results, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews, rather than using traditional search methods.
What Is AI Search and Why Optimize for It?
What is AI-driven search? Instead of scrolling through lists of links, users now rely on AI Overviews generated by search engines and ask questions of chatbots like ChatGPT. Using these tools, they can ask specific, detailed questions and get direct, curated answers. These results are often summarized in charts, sidebars, or answer boxes, frequently with links to supporting material.
Increasingly, buyers trust this content enough that they don’t feel the need to go further—or click through any other links.
The “60% Problem” for Marketers
This has created a real challenge for marketers. Forbes has called this the “60% problem”: 60% of people are so satisfied with AI-generated answers that they never click through to traditional search results. What’s more, between 30% and 41% of people trust AI more than they trust other people.
This is putting a real hurt on the search industry. According to Similarweb, Google’s traffic is down 2%, Yahoo’s is down 11%, and Bing’s is down 18%.
Why Being Found by AI Matters
Because of the 60% problem, if your company is not represented in these curated AI summaries, you risk being invisible to customers. ChatGPT alone accounts for more than one billion searches per day, and its share of overall search volume has grown 740% year over year.
Optimizing your website for AI search increases the chances that your company is recognized, cited, and discovered in this new world of search.
How Do You Get Found by AI?
AI platforms prioritize content that is structured, clear, and authoritative. That means:
· AI-optimized FAQs that directly answer customer questions.
· Internal links that signal expertise and authority.
· Clear website structure that prioritizes the information AI is looking for.
· JSON schemas that help AI platforms identify and prioritize your content.
All of these things don’t happen by accident. They require effort and intentionality. This means having a AI optimization strategy that gives your company the best chance at gaining the visibility it needs to thrive in the era of AI-driven search.
How far along are you in that journey?
