AI Search is Here—Is Your Site Ready?

Boost visibility on ChatGPT, Perplexity & more

Author

Cagri Sarigoz
November 05, 2024

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How to Optimize for and Measure AI Search Traffic

With AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Brave Search gaining traction, optimizing for non-Google traffic sources is becoming increasingly important. Here's what you need to know about capturing traffic from AI-powered search.

Key Insights About AI Search Engines

1. Different Crawling Patterns

Unlike Google, most AI search engines cannot crawl the entire web extensively. They rely on:

  • Partnerships with platforms

  • Select websites they have permission to crawl

  • Data from existing search engines (e.g., ChatGPT using Bing data)

2. Backlinks Might Matter Less

Traditional SEO metrics like backlinks could be less important in AI search algorithms. Instead, focus on:

  • Mentions and citations across various platforms

  • Social signals

  • Authority indicators

  • Allowing AI bots to crawl your site

3. Platform Coverage

AI search engines can access content from:

  • Reddit — Google AI Overviews

  • Twitter/X — xAI/Grok

  • Instagram — Meta AI

  • Snapchat

  • TikTok - ByteSpider crawling the web

  • LinkedIn (especially for ChatGPT due to Microsoft ownership)

  • Wikipedia — structured, community-maintained information

  • Major news/media sites

1. Focus on Multi-Platform Presence

Rather than just optimizing your website, ensure your brand has visibility across multiple platforms:

  • Create content native to each platform

  • Encourage authentic mentions and discussions

  • Build presence on platforms that AI engines frequently crawl and have partnership with

2. Prioritize Quality Mentions

Instead of chasing backlinks, focus on getting mentioned by authoritative sources.

High-Value Mention Example:

An industry authority mentioning your brand without a link > 50 links from low-authority sites

3. Wikipedia Optimization

  • Ensure your brand’s Wikipedia page is well-maintained

  • Add appropriate citations and references

  • Link from relevant Wikipedia articles to your brand’s Wikipedia article

  • Fix orphaned articles by connecting them to related topics

  • Don’t overpromote or give many links to your site

4. Platform-Specific Citations

Focus on getting citations and mentions on platforms that AI search engines commonly index:

  • LinkedIn posts and articles

  • Reddit discussions

  • Professional media coverage

  • Academic or research citations

  • Industry publications

Measuring AI Search Traffic

Tracking AI Search Sources

I've compiled a comprehensive list of over 70 search traffic sources and created a method to quickly identify traffic from these sources as "Organic Search" in Google Analytics using a custom channel group.

You can access the complete list and step-by-step instructions for setting up the custom channel group here: AI Search Traffic Sources & Analytics Setup Guide.

Some of the major search sources to track include:

  1. Google + AI Overviews

  2. ChatGPT

  3. Perplexity

  4. Bing + Yahoo (often use the same engine)

  5. DuckDuckGo

  6. Brave Search

  7. Plus 60+ more emerging sources

Remember: AI search is evolving rapidly. Stay flexible in your approach, and keep testing new strategies as these platforms develop.

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OpenHands on Daytona provides AI development by removing traditional barriers to autonomous coding. This platform offers immediate access through Cloud VS Code, enabling developers to start coding with AI assistance without complex setups.

InfiniGrow has launched "Journeys by InfiniGrow," a free Chrome add-on that provides visibility into customer journeys for valued accounts. This tool integrates with existing CRMs, allowing teams to track touchpoints across channels and campaigns, enhancing Account-Based Marketing efforts, and improving conversion rates.

Loopple has launched its AI Website Builder, enabling users to create websites in under 30 seconds without coding skills. This tool offers customizable options through simple prompts and responsive designs and includes AI-generated text and images. Here’s what I think about it:

📊 Marketing & Sales 🤑 

Influencer marketing is evolving into a crucial industry driven by the rise of AI and virtual influencers. While human influencers currently dominate earnings, virtual counterparts are rapidly gaining popularity, projected to reach a $37.8 billion market by 2030.

Using assertive language in social media can significantly boost audience engagement. Research shows that highlighting the gap between a consumer's current and desired state, with words like "should" and "wish," increases interaction rates.

🧑‍💻 Software Dev

GitHub Spark is an AI-driven tool that allows developers to create and share personalized micro apps without coding. It features an NL-based editor for real-time idea refinement, a managed runtime environment for easy deployment, and a PWA-enabled dashboard for app management.

xAI has launched its API to the public, offering developers $25 in free credits per month until year-end. This move aims to boost the adoption of its Grok language models amid fierce competition in the generative AI sector. The API supports "function calling" and is compatible with OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs, making it easier for developers to integrate.

🤖 AI

Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet update boosts document analysis by enabling the AI to interpret images, charts, and graphics in PDFs. Supporting documents up to 100 pages allows for detailed insights by reading text from images and describing graphics, making it a valuable tool for professionals in various fields. You can enable Visual PDFs by following this link.

Claude's Visual PDFs feature supports up to 100 pages.

Anthropic, reportedly, is working on a Customize Styles feature for Claude, allowing users to create and edit their own conversation prompts. This upgrade enhances user interaction by enabling personalized responses, including a file upload option for writing samples.

🏢 Business

Meta Platforms reported a 19% revenue increase in Q3 2024, driven by strong advertising metrics and the rise of its AI products. With Meta AI approaching 500 million monthly active users, the company is enhancing ad effectiveness and exploring new initiatives like an AI-powered search engine.

🎁 Miscellaneous

Indeed is developing AI-driven tools to support jobseekers, as CEO Chris Hyams announced at the FutureWorks conference. These personalized AI talent agents will analyze user backgrounds to uncover job opportunities that may be overlooked, aiming to streamline the job search process and enhance career advancement.

Google Maps is enhancing its functionality with Gemini AI, transforming the app into a more interactive tour guide. Users can now receive personalized suggestions, review summaries, and answers to specific location queries, streamlining their decision-making process. This integration will soon expand to Google's Search platform, further embedding AI into everyday digital interactions.

How I Can Help You

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Thanks for reading,

— Cagri Sarigoz

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