WSJ Article on Search : Even Big Media Gets A Clue - The Massive Change In Search

brett Brett Tabkeon
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There was a search related story on WSJ that had some eyebrow raising quotes in it. The Wall Street Journal article "AI Has Upended the Search Game. Marketers Are Scrambling to Catch Up" highlights the profound impact of artificial intelligence on search behavior and digital marketing strategies. As AI-generated summaries increasingly appear atop search results, traditional SEO tactics are being challenged, prompting marketers to adapt to new paradigms.

Marketers can even find silver linings in this new landscape: Google’s #textfragment referrals show exactly when a snippet in search drove a click to your site, offering valuable insight amid the AI upheaval.

Notable Insights for SEO's

  1. Optimizing for Crawlers? Running counter to many in SEO, Ellen Mamedov, Global Director of SEO at Intuit Mailchimp, say they are emphasizing the need to optimize sites for AI crawlers by focusing on technical elements like page load speed and machine-readable data. She also notes a steady decline in web traffic due to AI-assisted search.
  2. Natasha Sommerfeld, a partner at Bain & Co., observes that many CMOs are unaware of their sites' accessibility to AI platforms, highlighting a major gap in adapting to the new reality of AI-driven search.
  3. A Bain survey reveals that 80% of consumers resolve 40% of their online search queries without clicking any links, and that 42% of regular generative AI users utilize such tools for shopping recommendations.
  4. Nikhil Lai, Principal Performance Marketing Analyst at Forrester, points out that traditional metrics like traffic and click-through rates are becoming less relevant, urging marketers to focus on how AI-generated summaries represent their brands.
  5. From an SEO perspective, the flashy 49% rise in impressions means little – users aren’t actually searching more. Google’s fundamentals haven’t changed, as recent DOJ revelations about its ranking stack remind us: more impressions don’t equal more engagement.

As AI continues to redefine search behaviors, marketers we must embrace innovative strategies, alternative traffic sources to maintain their digital presence. By focusing on AI-friendly content and staying abreast of evolving technologies, busine

Not often we will report on another news story from the Rupert "Fox News" Murdoch portfolio, but there was a story on WSJ that had some stunning tidbits in it.