Semantic Search: Now more than ever, it matters what people are saying about you online
Traditionally we were always told about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), using the right keywords and phrases for your business and industry, doing whatever it takes to make sure you showed up on the first page of Google Search results.
Now, with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the game has completely changed. The principle stays the same, but the execution and what you choose for Semantic Search [1] is different to make sure that you show up in the curated outputs of AI models instead of the traditional web browser search engine results.
So what is Semantic Search?
If you’ve used an AI model, you’ll be used to asking it a question or query and then having a full breakdown summary. This often might look like paragraphs with references woven through, which is a lot more descriptive than a list of URLs with brief overviews of what the page is about.
Now, AI models look at everything and read between the lines, so to speak. They don’t just look at the information that exists online for a business or its products and services, they scour through data, experiences, stories, reviews and recommendations and synthesise at all to be able to piece together a picture of what you’ve asked. With the rate of intelligence increasing, it is also used to compare multiple options.
Just last week I came across this post on LinkedIn, full credit to Conor Sim [2], where he was discussing how him and his partner asked an AI model to compare 3 brands of sun cream for their holiday shopping. To paraphrase him, ‘years of brand loyalty was gone in seconds’ as the AI model actually concluded a different brand was better than what he knew and had used before, coming out as the winner when analysed against reviews on its effectiveness in terms of UV protection, ease of use etc.
Now more than ever, it genuinely matters what people are saying about your brand online, because it’s all being used for training and responses of AI models and can influence the way it’s perceived in results summaries to people’s questions.
You could check out identically to other competitors in your market online, but the devil is in the detail in both what you and others say about you, and this could be the difference in your ideal client’s decision making.
What can you do to improve your Semantic Search results?
I recommend designing your content with semantic search in mind - thinking about how an AI model could investigate, compare and draw a conclusion about your brand. The same way as a human might do.
Here are some tips to make your business show up more effectively in AI models:
- This is existing advice, but be clear as crystal about who you are and what your business does (so that a robot is able to understand and recommend it) and make sure it is consistent
AI search will look for you anywhere you exist, not just on channels that you control. If your brand is not spoken about in the same way and for the same things it will rank as inconsistent and therefore untrustworthy
- Give clear and meaningful information and group related topics together where you can
Think about things like responses to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), blogs you can write, a guide to help someone understand your service and/or industry? Covering topics as comprehensively as possible moves you beyond basic keyword and term research (talk around the subject with stories and experience!)
- Clear SEO strategies still apply
Everything you’re doing already; naming pages, headings, content, adding alt text and providing meaningful links still help the model to understand what you’re all about. As a matter of fact, pages where the main heading answers the searcher’s query get cited 41% of the time in ChatGPT’s search results [3]
- Know where the robots are
ChatGPT now uses Bing [4] for example, so if you’ve only set up in Google Search Console but not Bing’s Webmaster Tools [5], go and set it up now! Also take this as your sign to create or update your Google Business profile [6] today for extra credibility, because they’re looking at that too
As with SEO, AI semantic search results will be a long game for your business that compounds more recommendations over time.
Invest the effort of optimising your website and online presence now, and see the results come through in queries over the long term.
Hopefully you find this useful in adapting your business for the evolving world with AI.
If you would like any help with optimising your online presence, take a look at our website design and build services: