As AI Changes How People Search, Marketers Must Change Their B2B SEO Strategy

Artificial intelligence (AI) is ushering in a paradigm shift in marketing practices worldwide, wielding its transformative power across various domains, from customer insights to campaign optimization.

According to Statista, the number of AI tool users globally in 2024 will be close to 314 million and is projected to reach 378 million by 2025; a large portion of that of course is centered around marketing, where we’re already seeing widespread adoption and impact of AI technologies. This exponential growth signifies not just a trend but a fundamental reimagining of how businesses understand, engage and convert their audiences in an increasingly digital and data-driven environment.

As AI continues to evolve, its integration into marketing strategies promises to enhance efficiency, personalization and ROI, setting a new standard for effective customer engagement and market competitiveness. One of the first areas we’re seeing AI impact marketing is in how Google displays search results, so organic Search Engine Optimization programs are being re-cast and re-framed to respond to Google’s (and Bing’s) new appetite for showing AI-driven results.

This blog post will help B2B marketers prepare for search optimization in an increasingly AI world. It covers:

• How AI is changing search queries

• How AI is changing the work of SEO professionals

• Strategies for winning SEO

AI Adoption Is Changing SEO

AI is fundamentally reshaping search engine optimization (SEO) by enhancing the way content is created, optimized and ranked. One significant way AI optimization is revolutionizing SEO is through its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Machine learning algorithms can comb through search trends, user behavior patterns and competitor strategies to identify the most effective keywords and content strategies.

This data-driven approach enables SEO professionals to make informed decisions. Optimizations are more likely to resonate with their target audiences, leading to improved search engine rankings and higher organic traffic.

Another transformative impact of AI on SEO lies in its role in personalized search experiences. As AI algorithms become more sophisticated, search engines can better understand user intent and deliver more relevant search results. This personalization not only improves user satisfaction but also presents new opportunities for SEO strategies.

Content creators can leverage AI to tailor their content to specific user preferences and behaviors, increasing engagement and conversion rates. By delivering content that aligns closely with individual interests and needs, websites can improve their ranking signals and visibility in search engine results pages.

One of the great ways that marketers use AI to improve content is by asking an AI tool to crawl top ranking pages and supply insights for content creators. When creating content for a particular product or service, start with your top keyword and look at top results. This is a great way to see what content Google is prioritizing.

Then, ask the AI tool to crawl the top-ten page results and compile actionable insights: the number of keywords that need to be used, recommended word count to perform better, even advice on the number of headers, images and paragraphs. With very little work, you will have an outline of top performing content. Below is an example of a comparison scrape of our content versus the top performing content. The actionable insights include a reduction in headings and an increase in images.

With AI answering advanced searches, clients and business owners alike have started to use AI tools such as perplexity.ai as a replacement for search engines, particularly when doing the following focused searches:

• Comparative Searches - Comparative searches are when people are looking for “the best” or to “compare x and y” products. AI tools refer to multiple sources for these answers and save users time compared to traditional search. With AI crawling multiple sources, B2B marketers will see a shift in search where case studies and reviews will be given more weight as AI crawls look for answers to comparative searches.

• Voice Search – In-home tools, such as Alexa and Siri, have changed search as well. According to PwC, up to 67% of people speak to a voice-enabled device at least daily. Natural language processing is continuing to improve as voice search queries start to match more natural inquiries. What used to be “accounting firms in Cleveland” now leans towards the user phrasing the search query as a question, “What are the names of accounting firms in Cleveland?”

  While the intent of the search of these two queries is the same, websites will want to make sure they have pages dedicated to answering natural-language queries to have a better chance at ranking in the form that queries are taking.

• Contextual Learning - While search engines pick up on contextual data through IP addresses and previous search queries, AI is able to provide contextual search results in a controlled environment. Your potential B2B customers are able to set their own parameters. Searchers can create a prompt that has personalized rules, a target audience, a chosen location and even the tone for the answer to use.

  Because searches are becoming more advanced, B2B marketers will have to curate content and provide a website experience that speaks to more audience types and niche markets.

  For example, companies marketing to engineers will need to optimize their websites for technical questions and selection considerations because those are the types of pain points that bring engineers to search for a solution.

The trend toward customers using AI for search complicates our job as marketers. Fortunately, AI-powered tools are revolutionizing the technical aspects of SEO by automating routine tasks and streamlining optimization processes. Tasks such as keyword research, on-page optimization and performance analysis can now be performed more efficiently with the software tools we use at GGC that rely on AI algorithms to supplement our work. This automation frees up SEO professionals to focus on strategic initiatives and creative content development rather than mundane tasks.

Moreover, AI-driven insights into website performance and user experience metrics enable continuous improvement and real-time adjustments, ensuring that websites remain competitive in the ever-evolving landscape of search engine algorithms. Overall, AI is not just changing SEO practices; it is redefining how B2B businesses approach digital marketing and customer engagement in the online ecosystem.

Is AI Model Optimization Replacing SEO?

The advent of AI model optimization has significantly transformed the landscape of digital marketing, prompting a debate on whether it is replacing traditional SEO. AI model optimization leverages advanced algorithms and machine learning to enhance content relevance, user engagement and predictive analytics, thereby offering a more sophisticated approach to targeting and personalization. However, rather than replacing SEO, AI model optimization is augmenting it.

AI uses natural language processing and machine learning to better understand search intent. This makes it easier for SEO managers to do keyword analysis. As AI gets better at understanding content, it allows content creators (and generative AI) to deliver more personalized user experiences.

AI models are transforming SEO by providing deeper insights into user behavior and content performance. While traditional SEO focuses on improving website visibility through keyword strategies, metadata, and backlinking, AI optimization refines these techniques. By analyzing large data sets, AI enhances the precision and effectiveness of SEO, ensuring digital marketing efforts are both comprehensive and cutting-edge. Together, they create a synergistic effect that keeps businesses at the forefront of search engine rankings.

AI Is Integrated into Search

The integration of AI into search engines has revolutionized how information is retrieved and presented to users. AI algorithms, including natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, enhance the understanding of search queries by interpreting the intent behind them rather than just matching keywords. This leads to more accurate and contextually relevant search results. AI also personalizes the search experience by analyzing user behavior and preferences, delivering tailored content that matches individual interests.

Additionally, features like voice search and image recognition, powered by AI, offer more intuitive and diverse ways to search for information. As AI continues to evolve, it not only improves the efficiency and accuracy of search engines but also significantly enhances user satisfaction and engagement.

Now, advanced search inputs will have much more comprehensive answers, as seen in this example of the search “what are AI trends for 2024?” Typically, the results would be a list of articles to answer this question. We are seeing AI Overview answer this question in much more detail and control the top-ranking spot in Google.

How Will AI Change My B2B Marketing Strategies?

• SEO is just as important as it was - AI tools pull their information similarly to search engines, so having a website that has a high authority score, robust keyword rankings and a clean technical crawl are important factors as AI and search engines access your website.

• Enhanced Personalization - Not only have many more people started using AI tools, but people are also changing how they search. Searches are now longer, and queries are growing more advanced as AI generates tailored responses to questions. Making sure your website has content for every part of the marketing journey is now more important than ever. Utilizing the “people also ask” sections of search for your target keywords is an excellent start to an AI optimization campaign. What we mean here is that most Google searches return a section of questions labeled “People Also Ask,” based on questions searchers are actually typing into Google. By answering those questions on your website, you can dramatically improve your search presence and rankings.

• Content Evolution - AI is changing the type of content we create, emphasizing the need for more case studies and reviews. These elements build trust and provide detailed insights that AI can analyze to improve search relevance and user engagement. As AI tools advance, integrating authentic and comprehensive content becomes crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.

• Increased Competition - AI optimization is now an area where B2B marketers are competing. Searches pertaining to AI optimization are trending up sharply. Marketing managers are keenly interested in AI, and we all feel the pressure to keep up.

AI Optimization Is Here to Stay

Artificial Intelligence is transforming marketing practices globally, impacting everything from customer insights to campaign optimization.

AI's ability to analyze vast data sets swiftly enhances SEO by refining content creation and optimization strategies, resulting in improved search engine rankings and organic traffic. Moreover, AI's role in personalized search experiences ensures more relevant results, boosting user satisfaction and engagement. Automated SEO tasks streamline optimization processes, allowing B2B marketers to focus on strategic initiatives and content development. In these ways, AI is redefining digital marketing, enhancing competitiveness and customer engagement. Reach out to GGC today to start a conversion about AI optimization as a part of your marketing strategy.