In recent months, news about artificial intelligence (AI) tools has come out at a near-constant pace. While it was once a novelty, AI has developed to the point that people are able to use it to answer questions, look up facts, and even write content such as essays, scripts, and computer code. The popular tool ChatGPT has impressed many people with its answers to questions and its ability to create well-written content in response to simple requests.

Technology companies have taken note of the many uses of these tools, and people who use search engines may soon start to see these features incorporated into online searches. Microsoft bought OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and the company has begun to incorporate this chatbot into its Bing search engine. Google has taken similar steps, and it plans to introduce its own chatbot, known as Bard, into online searches and search results. These new tools leave website owners with questions about how they will be affected. When users will soon be able to get the answers they are looking for by having a conversation with a bot, will they still want to click on search results and visit websites? By understanding the answers to this question, website owners can make sure they are continuing to follow the best practices for search engine optimization (SEO).

Will People Still Visit Websites When Using AI-Powered Search?

For most websites, the purpose of SEO is to make sure they appear in search results for people who are looking for their products or services. SEO has focused on making sure a website targets the keywords that people type into search engines so that a link to the website will appear in the search results for people who are looking for answers that the website can provide.

While the internet provides anyone with the opportunity to create a website, publish content, provide helpful information, and connect with potential clients, actually getting people to visit a website is not always easy. While there are multiple ways to attract website visitors, one of the most important considerations for website owners is ensuring that their site will be found in online searches. By taking steps to improve how a site ranks in the results pages of search engines such as Google, a website owner can ensure that they will be visible to people who are looking for the information and services they provide. While there are multiple aspects of search engine optimization (SEO), some key issues to address include the speed of a site and the experience it provides to its users.

Page Speed and SEO

Google has stated that site speed is an important ranking factor, and this means that faster sites tend to rank higher in Google search results than slower ones. Site speed is important for two key reasons. First, fast loading times are essential for providing users with a good experience. No one wants to wait around for a slow website to load, and if a site takes too long, users are more likely to leave and look elsewhere for information, services, or products. Second, fast loading times can help improve a site’s conversion rate, as users are more likely to stay on the site and convert into customers if they do not have to deal with long load times while using the site.

In the age of the internet, the success or failure of a business can depend on its ability to be found by customers in online searches. While search engine optimization (SEO) can help a business show up in searches, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can provide a much-needed boost that will help a business show up at the top of search results and increase the chances that a person will contact them. In addition to its standard PPC ads, Google has recently introduced Local Services Ads, a new type of ad listing that can be very beneficial to local businesses, including law firms and other types of professional services.

What Are Local Services Ads?

Local Services Ads, or LSAs, are highly targeted ads that include a business’s name and phone number, a link to its website, and other helpful information, such as ratings and reviews, hours of operation, and number of years in business. These ads show up at the very top of a search results page, above other PPC ads and organic search results.

Over the last decade, Google has established itself as one of the most influential trendsetters in human history. Never before has a single company permeated the global cultural so completely—not even Facebook with its 1.8 billion monthly active users. Not all that long ago, however, the battle for internet dominance was not quite so one-sided. For many years, there was a very strong competition between Google and Yahoo as both looked to provide users with unprecedented access to the world’s information.

As time went on, Google’s search engine algorithms seemed to meet the needs of web users more accurately than the algorithms used by Yahoo. In addition, the subsidiaries acquired by Google—such as YouTube, Vevo, and even cell-phone manufacturer Motorola—further strengthened its portfolio as Yahoo struggled to keep pace. Now, an acquisition deal is imminent which would place Yahoo under the control of Verizon, as the once-proud internet pioneer looks to reestablish itself as a leader on the worldwide web.

Verizon Pays Nearly $5 Billion

Anytime you browse the internet, you are likely to be bombarded with dozens of advertisements and marketing efforts by various companies trying to promote their products. Even a simple mobile app is often accompanied an endless cycle of ads; the ad-free versions typically cost extra. In recent years, more and more internet users have begun installing ad-blocking software—typically as an app or a browser extension—which attempt to screen advertisements and provide a more enjoyable user experience. Business experts, however, are concerned about the ultimate impact of ad-blocking software, and some have even gone so far to predict that such programs will bring about the end of the internet as we currently know it.

Advertising on Television

For many decades, television was the primary source of home entertainment and information. While cable television was available as early as 1948, it didn’t become particularly popular until the 1970s. This meant that most television watchers relied on programs that were broadcast locally and underwritten by corporate sponsors. In some cases, the name of the sponsor was part of the program title, including the United States Steel Hour, General Electric Theater, and Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. The corresponding advertisements throughout such shows were essentially the cost of doing business. Viewers were receiving entertainment at no cost to them; the expenses were borne by the sponsors, who, in turn, had the opportunity to present their products.