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In this lesson, we will understand how AI search engines work.
This is a very important lesson in SEO because we’re no longer doing SEO just for Google, Bing, and traditional search engines.
We should also be doing SEO for AI-based web search engines like Perplexity, ChatGPT Research, and Gemini.
All AI chatbots now have web search options, so it’s crucial to understand the differences between traditional and AI search.
Traditional Search vs AI Search
How Traditional Search Works
In traditional search, when you search for something, you see a set of ranked web pages.
You get a title, meta description, and link to each page.
Depending on the search engine, you might see extra features like local maps, images, or videos.
The most typical way is seeing a list of ranking web pages.
How AI Search Works
With AI search, when you search, it doesn’t just give you top-ranking pages.
Instead, it creates an AI-powered answer based on:
- Your intent
- Understanding your question
- Your personality
- Analysis of all ranking information from web pages
It crafts a personal recommendation or compilation from all pages.
Only in its sources or citations will it provide links to web pages.
Key Differences
Processing Method
Traditional search works by matching words or keywords (though there are complex processes behind it with machine learning, semantic LSI, etc.).
AI search understands natural questions and human talking patterns through LLM training, getting more intelligent day by day.
Result Format
Traditional: List of links with information
AI Search: Direct AI answer with sources and citation links
Traffic Generation
Traditional: Users see ranking web pages and click through to websites
AI Search: Users get personalized answers first, may click source links only if they want more information
User Experience
Traditional Search:
- Users must open multiple web pages
- Scan through each for information
- May open several pages at once
AI Search:
- Users get information before visiting any webpage
- Only visit source websites if they want to learn more
Why This Matters
This understanding is crucial because AI search engines are getting more traffic every day.
You want to rank your business, service, or website in all AI search engines too.
This knowledge will be very useful for future SEO strategies.
Conclusion
Understanding both traditional and AI search engines is essential for modern SEO.
This lesson clearly explains the fundamental differences between both types of search.
The next lesson will cover how social media search engines work.
If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to ask in the comments for further explanation.