Generate visibility and traffic with citations and links in conversational chatbots like Bing Copilot, Google SGE, Google Gemini (formerly Bard), ChatGPT Plus, Perplexity, and more.

If you’ve been following the Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) storyline for as long as we have, you’ve seen the continuing saga of how and when SGE will be rolled-out of its current experimental status. The latest news about SGE testing IRL continues to cloud the full-launch time frame. This uncertain timeline might lull some SEO-ers into taking a wait-and-see approach to determine the best course of action or reaction to the live version when finally launched.

But the reality is conversational AI chatbots like Bing Copilot, ChatGPT Plus, and Perplexity are:

1. already live;
2. already stealing traditional SEO visibility;
3. and already driving clicks via citations and links to what they deem trustworthy content sources.

So, in the immortal words of Rocky’s manager, “What are we waiting for!?” Now is the time to protect your investment in organic search marketing by adding Search AI Optimization (SAIO, pronounced “say-oh”) to your traditional SEO strategy.

Here’s an Executive Summary of why SAIO is important and how you can approach these AI platforms as an opportunity rather than a threat to your organic search traffic:

• Simply put, a SAIO strategy focuses on optimizing websites to show up in searches—with link attribution—on conversational chatbots like Bing Copilot, Google SGE, ChatGPT Plus, and Perplexity.
• SAIO and SEO are not mutually exclusive strategies. In fact, they are both rooted in technical, content, and authority signals that address the EEAT and “helpful content” search quality standards for achieving search rankings and visibility.
• Successful implementation of a SAIO strategy requires shifting your SEO mindset. Your approach to keywords, website content delivery, and how you leverage social media for authority signals is different with SAIO.
• You should be thinking about how to integrate SAIO now, even if tools for monitoring and measuring “chat-tribution” haven’t fully emerged yet.

Now let’s dig deeper into SAIO by sharing some of the questions our clients are asking about this new strategy.

Who should be thinking about a SAIO strategy now?

Reports estimate Google SGE’s potential negative impact on search traffic could range from 17% on the low end to 76% on the extreme high end, depending on industry (more details on AI chatbot ads here). Regardless of your industry, you should be thinking about SAIO if:

• You are already leveraging traditional SEO tactics to bring significant volumes of relevant and “convert-able” organic search visitors to your website and/or
• You want to protect your brand’s competitive visibility in these new search environments.

Can you further explain why you need different types of content for SEO and SAIO?

One of the biggest adjustments when approaching SAIO vs. SEO is how you approach page architecture and content. For example, one of today’s popular SEO strategies utilizes a “pillar” approach with a primary page optimized for a topic that is supported by and linked with a series of sub-topic pages optimized for related keywords.

SAIO also takes a topical approach but, rather than separating sub-topics into separate pages, you can cover the supporting concepts on the topic page. However, the content on this single page needs to be more structured in formatting. This helps the AI learning models “see” the relevance of the content to the variety of intentions of potential user queries. Content formats we’ve found to have led to citations in AI chatbots responses include:

We’ve also seen the AI chatbots display and link to image graphics and videos that follow these structured approaches to content.

How should you approach links and social signals for SAIO?

Similar to the traditional search bots, the AI chatbots are looking for signs of authority and trust that support citing your content as relevant and reliable. To that end, we are seeing LinkedIn and YouTube as particularly attractive vehicles for supporting citations. LinkedIn is considered more credible than X or Facebook as its user base is composed of identifiable brands and professionals with demonstrated expertise and experience in their fields. YouTube channels with dedicated content around key topics similarly connote the EEAT values that work for both SEO and SAIO.

Final thoughts on SAIO

Those involved with SEO from the early days understand organic search is an ever-evolving, never-gonna-die part of an integrated digital marketing strategy. The introduction of conversational, generative AI chatbots like Google SGE and Bing Copilot are just another advancement in how people find relevant information to help them in their professional and personal lives. This AI search world is already live and rapidly gaining traction. So now is the time to protect the efficacy of your SEO program. By adding a SAIO strategy, you can reach and influence these AI searchers – and bring them directly to your brand, services, and products.

Other resources

• Perceptive Marketer – Weekly digital marketing briefs with a mindful twist!
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• DBE SAIO Services
• SAIO LinkedIn Page
• Latest SAIO News and Blogs
  • Spring 2024 Rains Ads On Gen AI Results!
  • From Brand Authority to EEAT to SEO to SAIO
  • SEO vs. SAIO Content Strategy
  • The Yin & Yang of SEO and SAIO
  • SAIO and YouTube: Another Click In The (EEAT) Wall
  • SAIO and EEAT: The LinkedIn Connection
  • Search Artificial Intelligence Optimization (SAIO) News
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  • A SAIO (Rhymes with Day-oh) and SEO Strategy Success Story
  • The Chattribution Gap
  • 🎥 What AI Can and Can’t Do in the Search and Social Space
• Search Engine Land AIO (another name for SAIO) Article Library – Get the latest updates on AI optimization topics.
• Brand Nexus Prompt Templates – A tool that helps create AI chatbot prompts that produce valuable digital marketing insights.