Welcome back Rankers. This week we explore the evolving landscape of SEO as large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude become more prominent in everyday search behaviour. With traditional search engines like Google facing new challenges, businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to maintain visibility in the age of AI-powered search tools. Discover how SEO practices are changing, what businesses should focus on, and what the future holds for digital marketing. Uncover practical insights on optimising content for both LLMs and traditional search engines, as well as best practices for navigating this new era.
What I Learned
- How large language models are impacting traditional search engines like Google.
- The role of schema markup, alt tags, and other SEO best practices in LLM optimisation.
- The growing importance of user-generated content and reviews for search visibility.
- The future of SEO and the need for simpler, more efficient content structures.
Transcript
SEO and Large Language Models (LLMs) – A Changing Landscape
Hey, welcome back Rankers. How are you going? Thank you for all the interesting comments on last week’s show. If you didn’t see it, not many people did because it contained information that triggered a few YouTube filters, which impacted its distribution. But it was a fascinating discussion, and I won’t post that kind of content again on YouTube—maybe I’ll do it on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Evolution of Search: From Google to Generative AI
Last week, I showcased Google’s Notebook LM and a tool I’ve been building to query Google Search Trends. It’s been a fascinating journey, and it’s all centred around the topic I’m talking about today—how AI tools, specifically large language models (LLMs), are impacting SEO.
I recently spoke about this at the Dazed and Diffused meetup in Melbourne. It’s a great event, now being held in New Zealand, Sydney, and possibly Brisbane. If you’re interested in generative AI, it’s a must-attend, full of great presentations and interesting people. Last week, I was fortunate to speak on the topic of SEO for LLMs.
Are We Facing the Death of Google Search?
We’re all using these tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and maybe Gemini for things we used to rely on Google for. A great example is a Google Trends search for “Stack Overflow Python”—there’s a sharp drop-off in traffic in early 2023. This suggests that people are turning to AI tools for their coding queries instead of Stack Overflow.
Some in the digital marketing community claim that Google isn’t being affected, but it clearly is. A massive drop in Google traffic, especially in specific domains, means Google Ads revenue is also impacted. The digital landscape has shifted, and Google’s search business is being challenged in a way that no other search engine has before.
How Does This Impact Your Business?
If people are turning to LLMs instead of Google, you might wonder: Will these tools still help customers find my business? It’s a valid concern and one we’ll explore more in an upcoming webinar this October. We’re finding that many of the best practices we’ve followed for years in SEO still apply to LLMs, but with some exceptions.
In 2015, when RankBrain—Google’s first AI-powered algorithm—was introduced, we noticed it became harder to manipulate the search results using traditional SEO tricks. We began focusing more on delivering real value to our clients. The old tricks no longer worked, and even ranking for terms like “Outdoor Timbers Ceiling Fan with Remote Control” became more difficult. So, we shifted our approach, especially for e-commerce clients.
Bard’s Free Shipping Factor
One thing we’ve observed is that LLMs like Google’s Bard are doing things differently from traditional search. For example, I searched “Where’s the best place to buy wholesale paper bags in Australia?” Bard placed our client, QIS Packaging, at the bottom of the results—despite us ranking #1 for many relevant queries. Why? It turns out Bard prioritised businesses with the lowest free shipping threshold, something that Google Search has never really done for organic results.
This demonstrates how LLMs are considering factors like free shipping in ways traditional search engines never have. These differences are shaping the future of SEO.
Best Practices for SEO in the Age of LLMs
Many old-school SEO techniques still apply to LLMs, and schema markup is one of them. Schema helps LLMs understand the context of your content. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are likely using schema markup to format and organise the content they ingest. Alt tags and heading tags also remain important, both for SEO and for LLM comprehension.
Large language models can understand images, but using alt tags ensures they don’t need to waste compute power analysing images. It’s not just good for the models but also for accessibility. Keep your alt tags clear and concise.
The Problem with Long-Form Articles
Google’s results have deteriorated in recent years, with many people complaining about things like Reddit appearing at the top of the results. But what’s worse is the overabundance of long-form articles filled with ads and pop-ups. These articles used to survive on Google traffic, but users are now turning to AI tools for quicker, more direct answers.
This shift means Google and content publishers are missing out on revenue from AdSense. The days of scrolling through endless text for simple answers are behind us—LLMs have moved beyond that.
FAQs and User-Generated Content
FAQs are crucial—not only for Google but also for your users. If you’re unsure what questions to include in your FAQ section, talk to your sales and customer service teams. They know what your customers need answers to.
We’re also finding that more long-form questions are being asked of LLMs. While Google might deliver faster results, the quality often falls short, so I prefer putting more effort into crafting better prompts for AI tools. This results in much more useful responses.
User-generated content is becoming increasingly important too. Start thinking of LLMs as your search assistants. Reviews, for instance, are critical. Services like YotPo, Judge.Me, and TrustPilot are in a great position, but simply having clear-text reviews on your site can help.
Preparing for the Future
In summary, we are on the verge of a major shift in SEO and search marketing. As LLMs become more prominent, how we structure our websites and optimise our content will need to evolve. Things like reducing HTML size, improving document structure, and optimising user-generated content will be key to success in this new landscape.
We’ll be talking more about this in the upcoming webinar, so stay tuned. And remember, keep your SEO practices simple and effective. Hopefully, this show will get more views than the last one! Please follow me on Twitter (or X), LinkedIn, and other platforms. Like, share, and subscribe. Thanks for tuning in—see you next time!
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