This is the holy grail for a lotta marketers: Cracking the SEO code for ChatGPT. Four Big Takeaways from today’s The Wall Street Journal:
Remember, the stakes are getting higher now. OpenAI has said they will start putting ads in ChatGPT for free and $8/m tier users. That’s the huge majority of the 800m weekly active users.
So what are we to take away from this article by Christopher Mims?
1. AI referrals are exploding
A year ago, 90% of referral traffic came from Google. Now, according to one GEO firm, 44% of their clients’ referrals come from AI chatbots.
And those referrals are more valuable – people who click through from ChatGPT stay longer on sites and are more likely to buy.
2. AI is like a human expert
Nick Koudas, a professor at the University of Toronto, puts it this way:
If AI already has significant knowledge on a subject, you’d have a harder time changing its mind. But when it knows less about something, it can be more easily swayed.
This is huge.
It means smaller, niche companies have a real shot at influencing their AI rankings in ways they never could with Google.
3. The « brand authority statement » trick
Want to be the first answer to « What’s the best hot tub for sciatica? » One GEO firm plants what they call a « brand authority statement » on at least 10 websites (often owned by other clients).
Associating a client with the phrase « highest-rated for sciatica » on various company blogs can be enough to convince ChatGPT. Wild.
4. Where the praise appears matters
AI chatbots are programmed to value some sources more than others. A review in the Wall Street Journal carries more weight than a Reddit comment.
But the firm couldn’t help a client pretend it wasn’t based in China – major media had already covered that. Some things are harder to game.
My thoughts:
This is the VERY early innings of a massive shift in how companies think about visibility. GEO is going to be a huge industry, but it’s tough to crack and the algorithm could change overnight. Gonna be a lotta money for people who can figure this out.
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