AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas represent how AI is poised to hit search. For business owners, this could significantly change the game of reaching customers online.
The Five Most-Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
- OpenAI was not the first to do this, as AI-ifying browsers is a major pursuit of Google, Perplexity, and The Browser Company.
- ChatGPT Atlas’s release coincides with other recent AI browsers’ release: Comet by Perplexity and Dia by the Browser Company being a few notable ones.
- AI browsers make chatbots central to the search experience, so that using these browsers feels a bit like interacting with an answer engine in addition to a more-traditional search engine.
- ChatGPT Atlas is available to the general public, so if you want to check it out then it is yours to test. If you do not want to do that, then know that it feels like using ChatGPT, except you can go to a regular search engine like Google if you want the traditional experience.
- It seems unlikely that the answer-engine feature will wholly replace traditional search, as it seems more like a more-convenient alternative that is attractive for some queries, but not adequate for others.
How do AI browsers affect SEO?
AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas put a chatbot at the center of search, so people spend less time scanning results pages. SEO still decides who ranks in the links. Getting cited in the AI answer becomes a second goal, which is the work of answer engine optimization (AEO).
The more people using AI browsers, the less time many of those users will spend sifting through SERPs to try to find information.
However, that does not mean that the Internet is suddenly going to become impossible to get customers.
Users will still have links going to businesses’ websites. Also, people of course still do searches for specific products and services in their area, so naturally that could lead them to your business’s website.
However, it does seem like SEO will be undergoing a profound shift, where AEO will be another area to focus on that business owners should know about.
Will AEO replace SEO?
No. AEO will take some territory from SEO rather than replace it. People still switch to traditional search for many queries, and placement in those links still follows SEO best practices. For how AIO, AEO and GEO differ, see What Are AIO, AEO, and GEO?
Some people like to say that SEO will be replaced by AEO (answer engine optimization), but the truth is that it will probably just lose some territory to AEO rather than be fully replaced.
If you use ChatGPT Atlas, you can see why. You will feel compelled to use the ChatGPT answer-engine interface for some queries, but also go to Google or other traditional search engine for other queries.
And when users go to the traditional search engine, they will still be looking through those ten blue links for information. What determines placement on those ten blue links will be SEO best practices.
That being said, traditional search engines are still incorporating AI, such as Google’s AI Overviews. AEO comes into play when dealing with features like that as well as answer engines that may provide sources, but ultimately offer the searched-for information upfront.
How do you get cited in AI answers?
Keep paragraphs short and format your pages so the answers to common questions are easy to find. Structured this way, an answer engine can lift your content directly. See our answer engine optimization service, or start with the free diagnostic.
Getting cited by an answer engine or AI summary is the goal of AEO. Figuring that out is a work in progress for the SEO community, but some best practices include keeping paragraphs short and sweet.
Formatting blogs so that answers to common questions can be readily found in the blog is key to AEO.
Will answer engines replace traditional search?
Unlikely. In practice people use the answer engine for some questions and traditional search for others. The mix varies widely from person to person, so the two will run side by side.
Why would the answer-engine feature of these AI browsers not completely overtake traditional search?
In using ChatGPT Atlas, the writer of this blog post naturally favored the ChatGPT interface for some queries, and the traditional search for others.
Many other users may have the same approach, though the ratio of ChatGPT queries and traditional search (sifting through links and following links to scour pages for the information you are looking for) could very well differ dramatically from user to user.
Really, the question is not whether answer engines are necessarily in a competition to replace traditional search. Really, these will just coincide with traditional search, and compete with traditional search for certain queries rather than replacing traditional search wholly.
The Last (But Not Least) Key Takeaway from This Blog Post
Business owners should be familiar with AI browsers, which may very well be the future of internet search. However, be skeptical of claims that answer engines will fully replace traditional search, as there will likely be plenty of reasons to keep the classic “ten blue links” format for certain queries.
Other Great GO AI Blog Posts
GO AI the blog offers a combination of information about, analysis of, and editorializing on AI technologies of interest to business owners, with especial focus on the impact this tech will have on commerce as a whole.
On a usual week, there are multiple GO AI blog posts going out. Here are some notable recent articles:
- For Businesses and Other Organizations, What Makes a Successful Chatbot?
- IBM Watson vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini: How Will Each Affect Search Engines?
- Using AI to Find Resources for Business Owners
- How Would Restricting Open-Source AI Affect Business Owners?
- The EU’s AI Act Has Become Law: The Implications for Business Owners (Especially American)
In addition to our GO AI blog, we also have a blog that offers important updates in the world of search engine optimization (SEO), with blog posts like “Google Ends Its Plan to End Third-Party Cookies”.
GO Deeper on Substack!
If you want to get a bigger-picture view on where AI is and is headed, then check out our Substack to learn about emerging and dominant themes in the AI industry that affect all kinds of businesses!
Frequently asked questions about AI browsers and SEO
What is an AI browser?
A web browser with a chatbot built into search, so you get an answer up front instead of a list of links. Examples include ChatGPT Atlas, Perplexity’s Comet and Dia by The Browser Company.
What is ChatGPT Atlas?
OpenAI’s AI browser, available to the public. It feels like using ChatGPT, and you can still switch to a regular search engine like Google when you want traditional results.
Will AI browsers replace Google?
Unlikely in the near term. They work as a convenient alternative for some questions, while people still turn to traditional search for others, especially local products and services.
How do I get my business cited in AI answers?
Write short, clear paragraphs and structure pages around the questions your customers ask. This is the core of answer engine optimization.
Does SEO still matter with AI search?
Yes. Traditional links still drive visits, and long-standing SEO practices like clear structure and brand authority also help you appear in AI answers.
