AI chatbots like ChatGPT are replacing search engine result lists with single curated answers, making the AI itself the gatekeeper of which businesses customers see. Instead of users choosing from ten links, they get one or two recommendations. Businesses now have to optimize for being the option the AI picks.
It's really changing in the sense that it used to be, they'd go to Google or Bing or wherever, and you'd get like 10 links on that page and you hope that you are one of those links. And then the person that did the search would decide which one of those links they'd click on, or they'd click on one and click out, compare, and they would do their own comparison and figure out what company they're going to use based on whatever they saw or found on the internet. Now, if they're going to one of these AI programs to do their search, the AI system is determining who to show. No longer are they getting 10 options to then go and figure out which one they want to do or use. The AI system is giving them back 1, maybe 2 options and basically making the decision for them, which you want to be that decision. You want to be the one that's recommended.
