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By Kate Delaney, VP Marketing at Trustpilot:
AI is having a transformative impact on the ways we find and engage with products. More and more, consumers are using AI tools like ChatGPT to find products for them, or taking information from AI overviews in search engine responses. This has created a new ‘zero click’ reality for both consumers and businesses alike. Buyers can find exactly what they need without even having to click onto a website; businesses need to do everything in their power to be included in the AI answers to remain visible.
For businesses, this can feel like an existential threat. After all, how can they compete with larger businesses with deeper pockets and more resources, particularly when traditional organic search traffic is declining? Ultimately, for businesses, the answer is to get ahead of the curve and start exploring how to make this new search channel work for them. With this in mind, small businesses must master the three pillars of AI search: Relevance, Ranking, and Recency.
What are the three Rs?
These are the cornerstones of any strong AI search strategy, and if done effectively, can position small businesses alongside the heavyweights of their industry.
The first R is Relevance. This is all about making sure you’re answering the right questions – as AI search engines don’t just look for keywords, they look for answers. With this in mind, owned channels such as your website are incredibly powerful – but content must move beyond pure marketing content if it’s to be included. For example, rather than including lots of jargon, it’s crucial for content to have a clear, descriptive structure that leads with a concise answer to any immediate or obvious questions. Small businesses with niche expertise can excel here. Larger brands with wider customer audiences and more generic content may not offer content as relevant as a specialised provider.
Next, focus on Ranking. When it comes to AI search, this doesn’t just refer to where you appear on Google or other search engines, but is instead about how many credible sources ‘talk’ about you – and what they say. It’s worth remembering that AI models are trained on a variety of sources but some of the most cited are social media, industry forums, and online reviews*. What do these have in common? They’re all platforms where real human insight is king, as well as the sentiment they reveal.
With this in mind, it’s crucial for businesses to make sure they are where their customers are. Leveraging the high domain authority of these sites can be a great way to boost visibility and ensure information is more likely to be picked up by AI systems. For example, for B2B companies , LinkedIn or industry sites are key places to show up. For consumer products, a robust profile of reviews on an open platform such as Trustpilot or a talkative community in Reddit threads are ‘trust signals’ to AI that you’re a worthy recommendation.
Finally, but by no means least important is Recency. AI systems are trained to find the most up-to-date information, especially when conversations focus on more time-sensitive topics, for example current product availability or pricing. With constant real-time updates, it’s crucial for your content to remain as fresh as possible. If your content is stale, AI tools might cite a competitor with fresher content to offer instead. By updating your core pages regularly and making sure you’re one of the first to respond to any new developments in your industry, you can establish yourself as a credible source that AI can return to time and time again.
What does this mean for businesses?
Overall, this new ‘zero click’ era doesn’t have to be the end of business marketing, and can instead be a great opportunity for companies to position themselves alongside the giants of the sector. If you want to kick start an AI visibility strategy for your small business, remember to try and help these systems find what they need. Think of AI systems as a new audience, but one which ultimately is looking to answer the questions and needs of human users. When you become the most helpful, clear, and up to date voice in your sector, the AI won’t just find you, but will recommend you.
Also read: 9 Pillars of Business Writing
Image source: elements.envato.com
