Introduction

The world of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) doesn’t stand still for too long. 

With the emergence of artificial intelligence, the change rate has accelerated and resulted in more significant shifts. While it wouldn’t be right to say that the SEO rulebook has been completely rewritten, the integration of AI models into the most popular search engines brings about some notable changes.

In this article, we take a closer look at Google Bard and Bing Chat and outline how they may impact the future of SEO. We’ll also offer some tips for website owners to ensure their search engine rankings continue to thrive.

Intro to Google Bard

Google Bard is a conversational AI chat service developed by Google.

Google Bard operates on the Pathways Language Model 2 (PaLM 2). PaLM 2 is a large language model trained on an extensive text and code dataset introduced during Google I/O 2023.

Bard can write text, translate language, craft various forms of creative content, and provide informative responses to queries. 

Though it is still a work in progress, Bard has learned to accomplish a multitude of tasks, including:

• Executing instructions and fulfilling requests in a thoughtful manner.

• Providing comprehensive and insightful answers to questions, even those that are open-ended, complex, or peculiar.

• Creating various text formats for creative content, such as poems, code, scripts, musical compositions, emails, letters, etc.

• Summarising factual subjects or weaving stories.

• Translating between languages.

• Coding.

It's important to note that Bard is still under development, and its performance may not always be precise or reliable. Nonetheless, it is a formidable tool capable of serving various purposes. Bard is currently available in English, Japanese, and Korean.

Here are some ways you can use Google Bard:

• Ask questions about the world.

• Seek assistance with your writing.

• Use it for language translation.

• Get help with coding.

• Generate various forms of creative text.

• Summarise factual subjects.

• Create stories.

To use Google Bard, you must be 18 years old or older. Additionally, you need to have either a personal Google Account or a Google Workspace account. Your administrator must enable the Bard access for your Google Workspace account.

You can access Bard via its dedicated website or Google Search bar.

Intro to Bing Chat

Microsoft’s search engine Bing has long struggled to keep up with Google’s innovation. 

Some may argue that changed in February 2023, when the company announced that Bing, and the browser Edge, would feature ChatGPT integration moving forward. 

Bing Chat is a fresh addition to Microsoft's Bing search engine, utilising OpenAI's GPT-4 language model to deliver conversational responses to users' inquiries. Presently in open preview, it can be accessed via the Bing app, the Edge browser, and the SwiftKey keyboard.

The search feature functions as a chat. Microsoft calls it: “Chat.” 

The results appear in a conversation box, where users can ask further questions for better results. If you’ve used ChatGPT, then the feature will look familiar. It’s basically the same model — you could say it’s an even better model since it uses GPT-4, the newer, more advanced version of ChatGPT. 

While Bing ChatGPT mirrors ChatGPT, it offers several notable benefits. Primarily, its internet access enables it to supply more current answers. Additionally, it can reference its sources, enhancing its reliability. Lastly, its integration with Bing grants it full use of Bing's search engine capabilities.

To use Bing ChatGPT, simply type a question into the Bing search bar and select the "Chat" button. Bing ChatGPT will then respond conversationally to your question, including relevant website links and citing its sources.

Here are a few things you can do with Bing Chat:

• Ask questions about current events, history, facts etc.

• Seek assistance with research tasks.

• Discover recipes or DIY project guidelines.

• Generate creative writing ideas.

It’s still in its early days, and Microsoft is eager to get people to use it. The more people give feedback; the better the search results will become. Though use is relatively limited since it’s only available to Edge users, it’s expected to become a big player in the search engine world in the coming months once it expands to other operating systems.

The Shift to Intent-based Optimisation

To most web users, these search engine updates just help to provide better results and a new and novel way to get search results. 

But what does this mean for website owners who want to maintain and enhance their SEO credentials? 

Understanding the shift to intent-based optimisation is key to keeping pace with search engine developments. In fact, it’s become so important that digital marketers who don’t prioritise search intent will feel the effects. 

Search intent focuses on why someone has made a particular search, outlining what they’re looking for. Google — and others — aim to show users results that really get to the bottom of what they’re looking for. It’s a more nuanced, sophisticated development on keywords that don’t always guarantee informational quality. 

Google has led the way with intent-based optimisation, and other search engines have followed suit. Aiming to provide the best user experience, Google has prioritised search intent to deliver the best results possible. 

The only way to ensure your content is intent-focused is to provide high-quality, well-written, genuinely useful information to your audience. Both Google’s Bard and Bing ChatGPT are based on language models, so they’re better at looking for quality content written in a human voice.

Enhanced Content Relevance and Context

Creating high-quality, meticulously researched, and credible content that adheres to Google's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), guidelines continues to be a reliable method for achieving strong performance in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). 

This holds true particularly as user interactions with these results may change substantially.

In the old days, you could fill a page with keywords and appear towards the top of search result pages even if those pages had little to do with the search queries. But that’s no longer possible thanks to Google Bart and Bing’s ChatGPT, which both prioritise content relevance. This determines how relevant your page is to the searcher’s query. 

Let’s take Google as an example. When Google scans your page, it’s not looking solely for keywords. Google scans the whole page, including alt-text, images, and other key on-page signals to understand the page’s entire context. 

Google aims to show its users the best content that accurately matches their search query. If your whole page meets that goal, you have a better chance that Google will rank you and show it to the user. 

Some key things to focus on to ensure relevance include:

• Text: It’s more than just keywords. It’s also the words that surround those keywords.

• Images: Photos relevant/related to the search are essential.

• Meta Tags: These provide greater clarity as to the page's purpose. 

Voice Search and Conversational SEO

People have been doing voice searches for years, but it’s only in the past couple of years that its popularity has really taken off. 

Web users are more comfortable than ever speaking into their devices to search, and that’s something the marketing industry expects to see more of in the coming years. 

With the rise of voice search and AI assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, users are increasingly asking questions in a conversational manner rather than typing specific keywords into a search bar.

How does this influence SEO? 

Well, these AIs were designed, in part, with voice searches in mind. They’re Natural Language Processors; no language is more natural than the spoken word. 

Website owners can optimise their sites for voice search by using natural human language. This shouldn’t be too hard — we’re all human! 

If you’re looking for a way to make your content more suitable for voice SEO, consider structuring it as if you were having a conversation with someone. Include the questions people may ask, and then provide the answers to those questions.

AI integration into search results and the increasing usage of voice search will, of course, mean big changes for the world of conversational SEO.

When Google’s launched Bard, the screenshots of the voice search that were shared created some controversy in the SEO world. It appeared that the AI-generated auto answer did not contain any attribution as to whom had actually created the content that the answer was taken from.

This has driven fears of an increasing move towards a Zero-Click results page.

A Zero-Click search occurs when a search engine results page (SERP) shows the answer to a user's query at the top of the page and does not lead to a click. This has potentially catastrophic effects on the website’s CTRs and organic traffic.

In light of these developments, there is increased buzz around the concept of  Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is a type of SEO that focuses specifically on optimising content to provide direct answers to queries posed by users. 

AEO strategies involve crafting content that directly answers these user questions, aiming to be the featured snippet or answer box on a SERP.

The goal is to ensure that a website's content answers a user's query more accurately and comprehensively than any other site, leading to a higher likelihood of being selected by the search engine as the top result.

The process might involve researching common questions in the website's industry, category or field, structuring content in a way that directly answers these questions, and using schema markup to help search engines understand the content.

While traditional SEO has focused on improving website visibility and rankings through keywords and backlinks, AEO is more concerned with the relevancy and quality of the content in relation to the user's question. 

AEO is a shift from keyword-centric SEO to more context and relevance-based SEO and is becoming more prominent with the growth of voice searches and AI digital assistants.

How might Google Bard and Bing Chat impact SEO? 

These developments are clearly changing how the SERPs look and how they work. Here are a few potential impacts.

Fewer searches

Google has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing search efficiency. Previously, when searching for information, you might have needed multiple to perform multiple searches to get the information you need.

However, with generative AI, all the information can now be compiled much faster.

Moreover, generative AI allows for follow-up queries within the AI-generated results, keeping users on the same page and using the same sources. Consequently, longtail queries, which typically result in multiple clicks and follow-ups for specific niche results, may be absorbed by generative AI.

Increased Zero-Click Searches

Building on the previous point, as AI-generated answers are directly available within the search results, the prevalence of zero-click results is likely to increase.

Although this has been a concern for some time, proper accreditation and follow-up links might partially alleviate it. 

Nonetheless, the content creators should understandably and correctly receive proper recognition and attribution for creating valuable content that contributes to generating the answers the search engines are referencing and using.

Content Marketing will still be king

The guiding principle here is clear: quality content is king.

With the emergence of generative AI, content marketing remains as crucial as ever.

To form their answers, Google and Bing rely on high-quality content. As we become more skilled at creating content that truly serves users' needs, the line between traditional SEO and high-quality content creation will continue to blur.

Adaptation of SEO Metrics

In light of these changes, SEO metrics and measures of success will need to evolve.

Overall, website traffic is likely to decline, but this doesn’t necessarily have to mean panic, as it will affect all websites.

Relying solely on website traffic as a metric for assessing SEO performance is already an arbitrary approach lacking nuance.

The shift in user behaviour on SERPs will necessitate the development of new key performance indicators (KPIs) for all stakeholders, prompting changes in SEO measurement and reporting practices.

For instance, eCommerce sites may experience a decline in overall traffic due to users being able to make transactions directly within the search results. However, this might not necessarily equate to a decline in sales if their products are well-promoted within the SERP-generated results.

SEO strategies will need to adapt, as they always have, but the significance of quality content and gaining strong rankings will be more critical than ever before, not less.

The Future of SEO

So, what does the future of SEO hold?

We’re still in the early days of Google Bard and Bing Chat, and their influence on SEO is becoming increasingly apparent. 

Drastic changes may not be necessary for website owners who already enjoy high search engine rankings. Nonetheless, staying abreast of evolving demands is crucial, especially as AI search tools are becoming more common and sophisticated.

These AI models, engineered to interpret and analyse human language in unprecedented detail, signify a shift in SEO strategy.

No longer can we rely solely on keywords and backlinks; instead, our attention must shift towards intent-based optimisation and enhancing content relevance. High-quality content that answers user queries precisely and comprehensively is the currency of SEO.

As we move forward, we anticipate the continued evolution of SEO practices. Digital marketers must remember that these changes aren't geared towards making their jobs harder. On the contrary, they provide an opportunity to improve the user experience by delivering more relevant, high-quality content.

Google Bard and Bing Chat can provide website owners and SEO professionals with a more precise understanding of how users interact with their content, ultimately leading to improved content creation and strategy. The integration of these AI models into SEO strategies allows for a more user-centric approach, focusing on the needs and intents of users rather than simply targeting certain keywords.

Voice searches and conversational SEO are already influencing the landscape, thanks to the rise of AI assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa. With the growing popularity of voice-enabled devices, this trend is likely to continue, putting a premium on natural, conversational language within website content.

Simultaneously, the rise of Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) signals another shift in focus from keywords to direct answers. As a result, content creators need to put more thought into how their content answers user queries, bringing a more human touch to SEO.

In the future, we anticipate a continuation of these trends, with an increased focus on localised SEO, video content, and demonstrating expertise and trustworthiness. 

The journey towards fully AI-integrated SEO is beginning, and it's an exciting ride we should all be ready for. SEO is not dying but rather evolving, as it always has, and SEO professionals must keep pace with its evolution.

Thanks for reading.

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