The Evolution of Search and Discovery
- Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): With AI Overviews becoming more frequent in search results, a new form of SEO is emerging. AEO focuses on creating concise, authoritative content that directly answers user questions, as this is the information AI models are trained to extract and present.
- Search Everywhere: Consumers are no longer just searching on Google. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are becoming primary search tools for younger generations, and YouTube remains the second-largest search engine. This necessitates a multi-platform content strategy.
Social as Search: Gen Z and Millennials, in particular, are using platforms like TikTok and Instagram as their primary search engines for product discovery, recipes, and local recommendations. They value the visual, authentic, and peer-to-peer nature of the content.
AI as an Information Hub: AI models like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are becoming the new go-to for conversational and explanatory queries. Users are asking complex, multi-part questions (e.g., “plan me a 5-day itinerary for Italy with budget tips”) and expecting a direct, synthesized answer, not a list of links.
- Google’s Shifting Role: While still dominant, Google’s share of general searches is declining. It remains the go-to for navigational (finding a specific website) and local searches (e.g., “coffee shop near me”), but is ceding ground to other platforms for different kinds of queries.
Zero-Click and AI Overviews: AI-powered search is designed to provide direct answers at the top of the search results page, often with a “zero-click” experience where the user doesn’t need to click through to a website. This emphasizes the need for content to be concise, authoritative, and structured in a way that AI models can easily extract and summarize it.
