While Microsoft and Google pursue incorporating generative A.I. into search engines, start-ups have been making progress in this area. One example is Andi, which is a free A.I. search engine. For business owners, the potential diversifying of search channels could make S.E.O. more challenging.
The Five Most-Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
- According to the “about” page on Andi’s website, the search engine has an emphasis on privacy. Part of the pitch is that it is “free and anonymous”, in that it does not track or store your search data.
- Another noteworthy point is that the search engine does not have ads. This could be a pretty-salient feature of this and other search engines. As more search engines enter the fray, would searchers prefer to use one that does not feature any ads?
- The outputs are not long and involved, and much of the work of the chatbot seems largely curatory. Though it may give you a brief summary of information, it will largely direct you to a list of search results.
- One of the apparent weaknesses is that the search results are curiously ranked. For instance, the top result for the input “Donkey shrek” was a Reddit post pointing out plot holes related to Donkey (the character) in the Shrek franchise. The second result is the Wikipedia page, then the third result is a post entitled “Shrek Donkey as a girl?” posted to a forum for school theatrical productions.
- For business owners, search engines like Andi that are ad-free and not strong on ranking may ultimately make S.E.O. more challenging. Of course, that largely depends on how many people end up using search engines with these qualities.
Search Streams
So, what are the odds that little-search-engines-that-could will take a significant chunk of Google’s market share in the search realm?
Time will tell, but one of the things that is attractive about search engines like Andi is the promise of a less-commercialized experience.
Not only is that manifested in the lack of ads, but even the no-tracking promise as well.
One can point to the success of existing search engines like DuckDuckGo, which sells itself on its ad-blocking features. There is indeed an audience for this kind of search engine, and the gen-A.I. versions will likely attract users.
That being said, one has to wonder where the cash flow will be coming from for such search engines that eschew moneymaking endeavours like advertisements and search-tracking. How will this and other like search engines sustain?
The Outlook for Business Owners
Based on the writer of this blog post’s limited experience with Andi, it certainly seems like there is some work to be done to make the search engine a serious competitor.
But cash-flow questions aside, it is likely the case that there will be a handful of high-quality search engines that promise more privacy and less (or no!) ads than the traditional search channels like Google.
For business owners, advertising is clearly a no-go on such less-commercialized search engines. But even the trusty S.E.O. methods could lead to challenges leading searchers on these search engines to a conversion.
However, there will still be plenty of business coming in from the mainstream search engines.
One of the benefits that search engines like Google have is that the money made from advertising allows for significant upgrades to the search experience.
As such, the sheer strength and effectiveness of these search engines in delivering quality information to searchers will retain and attract plenty of users.
That will certainly be aided by the bells and whistles of a top-shelf gen-A.I. search engine that can generate visually stimulating S.E.R.P.’s. In other words, the results simply will look more informative on the search engines like Google.
Other Great GO AI Blog Posts
GO AI the blog offers a combination of information about, analysis of, and editorializing on A.I. 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 A.I. to Find Resources for Business Owners
- How Would Restricting Open-Source A.I. Affect Business Owners?
- The EU’s A.I. 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”.
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