Is Your SEO Strategy Ready for the AI Search Engine Takeover? Act Now — or Risk Getting Left Behind. Discover the differences between traditional and AI search engines and four strategies for ranking in AI search engines.

As AI technology continues to grow in capability and popularity, the online search landscape and search optimization are rapidly changing. AI search engines, including Perplexity, Google's AI mode, ChatGPT Search, Gemini, Arc Search and others, are competing for their share of searches and are quickly catching up to traditional search engines.

In fact, one study projected that AI search engines may have more users than traditional search engines by 2028. These constantly changing search dynamics have many businesses wondering whether their current SEO strategy is sufficient or whether they need to adapt to stay relevant. While many SEO strategies can help businesses rank in both traditional and AI search engines, there are some key techniques businesses can implement to ensure that the evolution of AI search engines does not leave them behind.

Related: Want to Be Discovered in AI Search? These Are the Sources That Matter

The increasing popularity of AI search engines

AI search engines are generative AI platforms that create answers to queries entered by users. Rather than simply presenting results, like traditional search engines, AI search engines summarize and present information pulled from multiple sources. AI search engines are quickly becoming the first choice for many users.

Rather than using a traditional search engine, people prefer to use AI search engines for more specific, conversational queries. AI search engines consolidate and summarize information, which appeals to many users, particularly when they have a longer, more specific search query or are researching a new topic. Users can also utilize AI search engines to compare products or generate a list of multiple service providers without needing to visit various websites.

4 strategies for ranking in AI search engines

AI Search engines cite the websites they pull information from. Having your website cited as a source is an effective way to generate organic traffic and increase leads. Fortunately, many of the SEO strategies that are effective for ranking in traditional SERPs remain effective for ranking in AI search engines. Additionally, search engines pay attention to ranking positions when they select websites to pull information from and cite. However, for businesses looking to stay ahead of their competition, here are a few strategies that we implement at Outpace SEO to make sure our clients rank in AI search engines as well as traditional SERPs.

1. Audit your strategy

AI search engines prioritize credibility and relevancy. Before you begin, audit your current SEO strategy and identify its strengths and weaknesses. Who is your target audience, and are they likely to use AI search engines? Are you hoping to rank nationally or locally? Answering these questions can help you adapt your strategy for continued success.

2. Ensure visibility

It's essential to make sure that AI search engines can index your website and easily understand the context and relevance of your content. In-depth technical SEO is crucial to ensure that your website is visible to the relevant search engines. Some search engines have specific primary crawlers that need to be enabled in your robots.txt file. Make sure that your pages are indexed by Bing, not just Google. Your site should have a simple and easy-to-understand site architecture that allows AI engines to navigate it effectively. Other technical strategies include optimizing alt text, URLs, meta titles, page speed and internal linking to enhance your website's visibility.

Related: How AI Is Transforming the SEO Landscape — and Why You Need to Adapt

3. Create concise, organized content

AI search engines summarize information in conversational language. This means that they can more easily extract information from websites that provide clear and concise content. Answering questions clearly in a sentence or two increases the chance that AI search engines will cite your website in answers to search queries. Creating content that is clearly organized with header tags is an effective way to make sure that users and search engines can easily skim your content and identify its relevance. Using high-volume, long-tail keywords as titles and headers also increases the chance that AI search engines will use your content when they generate answers to popular questions. How you write your content can significantly increase your chances of ranking both in traditional search engines and AI search engines.

4. Build online authority

Both traditional search engines and AI search engines are more likely to rank your website if it has a strong online presence. AI search engines pay particular attention to websites with regularly updated content and a strong off-page authority. The type of brand mentions and backlinks you acquire is also significant; backlinks from websites in your industry with strong domain authority will do more to boost your website's profile than links that are irrelevant or appear untrustworthy. By consistently creating on-site and off-site content, you can establish authority and credibility within your industry, resulting in increased rankings, leads and traffic.

Final thoughts

As more people use AI search engines, it may not be enough for businesses to simply rank on SERPs. If your target audience is likely to use an AI search engine to find businesses, information and products, then it's essential to adapt your SEO strategies to rank in AI search engines as well as traditional search engine results pages. By creating content strategically, implementing technical optimizations on your website and developing your online authority, you can provide your business with a competitive edge and keep up with rapidly advancing AI technology.