SEO and A.I.

What else is new?

It’s a safe bet that many SMB marketing teams are currently handling the A.I. issue like a credit card account after an evening of bad decisions: as long as we don’t dwell on it, the problem doesn’t exist.

It’s true that after nearly 30 years of bending over backwards to please Google, it’s heartbreaking to hear that the new kids at OpenAI have just changed everything in 30 seconds. But here we are, so it’s better to accept it. After SEO, here comes AEO. Visits to U.S. e-comm. sites resulting from an AI search jumped 1,300% during the 2024 holiday season. Even better, a recent study found that 27% of Americans have replaced search engines with AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Perplexity. It’s time to face the problem head-on.

The good thing, especially if you have a small local business, is that the best tactic for staying relevant in the face of all this is nothing new.

A robot’s opinion

Let’s be honest: artificial intelligence is impressive. Yes, we could spend hours pointing out all the ways in which it’s not perfect, but let’s remember that just 2 years ago, we were thrilled to be able to generate a bad rap verse about The Lord of the Rings. Now, we could take a final exam in nuclear physics between two glasses of wine.

What AI doesn’t have is taste. ChatGPT has talent, but no influence. I have no interest in his favorite band. Ask him, he’ll tell you he has “no personal preferences”. That’s why we trust human opinions, opinion leaders and (real) influencers more than ever. The proliferation of digital technology always creates a certain return to the analog.

87% of Internet users use Google reviews to evaluate their local businesses. 88% of consumers trust recommendations and personal opinions more than any brand message.

Get lost everyone, I’m interested in Julie’s opinion.

Humans feed machines

Consumer reviews are perhaps the best tactic for positioning yourself in a world where A.I. is the driving force behind listings.

Already, Google has announced that its AI Overviews favor businesses “rich in recent consumer reviews”. Amazon offers an A.I. tool that gathers and summarizes all reviews of a product, making them easier to read. The text content of reviews is given increasing weight in search engine optimization algorithms. In short, platforms love reviews.

So does your business. An HBR study shows that a gain of one ★ on Yelp can increase a business’s revenue by 5 to 9%. And compared to some long-term SEO tactics, the impact of reviews can be felt quickly. At Bobino Bagel, our bagel factory project, the impact is undeniable.

Yes, perhaps the search process will gradually move out of Google and end up directly in the ChatGPT interface (or others), but reviews will remain an important factor in the choice of answers proposed by the A.I. And if Gemini were to stand out from the crowd and become a popular search tool, you’d really have bet on the right horse.

Product > Promotion

“Promotion” has always been the weakest of the 4 Ps of marketing. But strangely enough, it’s the one we talk about the most. As if trying to prove its dominance…in vain. The growing impact of consumer reviews on your business means you can get back to basics: offering a better product than the others. An outstanding customer experience. The basics.

Change can clearly be frustrating. For many, it means rethinking years of investment and promotional strategies. But if this change prevents a mediocre business from making the most of its inordinate investment in digital advertising, all’s well that ends well.

Offering a product that’s up to scratch and receiving positive reviews that reassure your next consumers… Is A.I. really a new thing, or the perfect opportunity to get back to basics?

I await your reviews.