How to Write Content that Generative AI Search Engines Will Cite, According to Experts
There’s no doubt that in the last few months, you’ve run into Google’s new AI search tool. Often, the tool provides a helpful summary (though sometimes it’s laughably wrong).
While the tools themselves are evolving every day, it seems generative AI search engines aren’t going anywhere. Since Google launched its AI search, it’s already made leaps in relevance and accuracy.
I’m a big fan of not having to scroll through a page of results to find a quick answer, so I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve.
But as a writer, I’m curious to discover what this will mean for the future of digital content. How will this affect the type of work we do, and how will we need to adapt our writing for AI-driven search?
In this article, we’ll explore the insights we already have about writing for generative AI and raise questions we still need answered.
Table of Contents
How AI Search Has Changed Content Marketing
1. New Information Retrieval
AI-powered generative engines have majorly shifted how users are retrieving the information they’re searching for.
Instead of providing sources for the user to read, generative engines are providing summaries to answer questions in less time.
Recently, I was trying to plan a movie date with a friend to see A Quiet Place: Day One. She was about to leave on vacation, and I wanted to see if the movie would be in theaters when she got back.
I searched “how long are movies usually in theaters.”
I got an answer without clicking on a single page.
2. Less Spam
Earlier this year, major search engines like Google started cracking down on what they considered spam or unoriginal content — many of which were AI-generated.
AI search engines don’t respond well to spammy content and, instead, are looking for high authority, highly structured articles that the bots can easily scan.
As a result, it seems that quality is above quantity when it comes to what’s most important with your content (though many argue that was already the case).
Let’s talk about one of my favorite examples: recipe blogs.
In the past, if I wanted to find a pad thai recipe through Google, a lengthy article using the phrase “pad thai recipe” dozens of times would rank highest.
I’d scroll through long personal anecdotes I didn’t care about with no tips for actually cooking the dish.
Now, the top recipe is from Recipe Tin.
I still have to scroll before getting to the recipe. However, the content focuses on genuinely helpful tips. Nagi, the writer, discusses what makes pad thai authentic, her brand recommendations for ingredients, and techniques.
This information helps me cook the dish better.
I don’t have to parse through spammy content. I …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
