AI is changing search intent, and here’s how
It probably won’t come as a surprise to you that AI is changing how people search for information. Many of us grew up typing queries into Google’s search box, before scrolling through links to find the information we needed from a website. That feels like a lifetime ago now. I wrote an article about search intent a few years ago, and a lot of it is now outdated. Very outdated.
AI overviews and reliance on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini mean your brand needs to be ready to answer lots of questions. To do that, you need a content strategy.
How is AI changing search?
Instead of a simple keyword search, such as “hairdresser near me,” before landing on a local hairdresser’s website, people are increasingly relying on AI overviews and outputs from generative AI tools. They’ll have an experience that involves several prompts and outputs before choosing a local hairdresser, where they’ll weigh up location, price, reviews and more.
Instead of Google pulling results based on the keyword you entered, it’s using Natural Language Processing to work out the meaning behind what you typed into the search box. This is great for users, because they’re likely to be met with results that better meet their search intent. However, it’s been a big challenge for businesses that are seeing their website traffic fall.
To show up in these search results and align with users’ search intent, you need to make it easy for Google and gen-AI tools to learn about your business, and that requires an informative website, complete with a regularly updated blog.
Fewer users are clicking through, it’s true
We’re entering the era of zero-click searches, but I don’t think it’s as concerning as it sounds. In the UK, 69.5% of searches result in the user making another search entirely or ending their session. Many users will get the information they need from the AI overview at the top of the page.
But, despite the nonsensical ramblings of LinkedIn marketing gurus that like declaring things as “dead,” the click is still alive and well. Around a third of searches still end up with users visiting websites, and those are often higher-intent searches. Users might want to read a full guide to better understand a topic, check your prices or book a service.
Then there’s gen-AI tools. They need your content to provide users with helpful information, and clear, trusted content is what they link to. People do still click through to websites, but it’s usually later on in their search journey, once they’ve narrowed things down a bit.
It’s the searches that require a fast answer that have changed the most. If someone only needs a fast answer, they’ll probably get it in the AI overview (depending on what they’ve asked about) and move on. A strong ranking no longer guarantees you the traffic it once did.
Your content now needs to do two separate but equally important jobs:
It needs to be the source gen-AI tools trust enough to quote to its users.
It needs to be worth clicking through to when the user wants to go deeper.
From keywords to full sentence searches
People are asking for information in a completely different way. Goodbye keywords, hello full sentences. Queries in AI Mode, for example, are three times longer than previous keyword searches. Instead of typing “Lincoln marketing agency,” they might type “I’m an estate agent in Lincoln looking for a Lincoln-based marketing agency that specialises in content marketing. Which agency is best for me?”
And it doesn’t stop at one question. Users want more information about the answers gen-AI tools give them. A conversation made up of prompts and outputs gives users more specific information in a way that links never did. By the time the user is ready to choose a marketing agency to approach, they’ve had a back-and-forth with an AI tool.
New types of search intent are emerging
Search intent used to fall into four main categories:
Informational
Navigational
Commercial
Transactional
AI has changed how users search so much that those four categories aren’t the full picture. There are new ones to take into consideration:
Exploratory searches
Exploratory searches are when a user knows they have a problem to solve, but they can’t yet ask a precise question. That’s when they go to Google or gen-AI to ask for guidance. They might ask something like: “I want to start investing, but I’m overwhelmed. Where do I begin?” Old Google wouldn’t really know what to do with this, and the user would probably be disappointed with the results it returned. On ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, these types of searches are common. Very common.
Synthesis searches
Rather than reading five articles and forming their own opinion from them, users ask gen-AI tools to do it for them. These tools then pull together what several sources say, point out where they agree and disagree, and explain why. For example, a marketer might ask Claude, “How many blog posts should I publish a week?” and expect an answer drawn from a handful of authoritative sources.
With synthesis searches, your content isn’t competing to be the single result a user clicks because it’s competing to be a trusted voice that the tool refers to when it builds its output. That’s why clear, well-reasoned and legitimately expert content gets cited by gen-AI tools. Content that’s generic and vague offers nothing new and gets left out. If you have a point of view you can publish on your company blog, do it. Your company will be cited more in AI outputs.
What this all means for your B2B content strategy
Seeing your website traffic drop is frightening. So much has changed for search over the last year, and even I find it hard to keep up sometimes. It feels like it’s changing on a daily basis (perhaps I’m following too many SEOs on LinkedIn).
I come with good news: you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The answer is still publishing high-quality content. After all, when it comes down to it, gen-AI tools want what your buyers want: clear, accurate and helpful content that answers users’ real questions without fluff (although gen-AI likes to add in its own fluff to its responses, let’s be real).
Write for people first. Answer the questions your customers are asking, from broad “where do I start?” queries all the way to “here’s how this tiny part of a specific process works” content. The businesses that reassess their customers’ needs, answer the right questions and publish regularly are the ones that will get the visibility they need to attract more customers.
Looking for a B2B content writer to help you publish content AI will notice?
You’re in the right place. I’ve worked as a B2B content specialist for seven years now, creating content for tech, SaaS, HR, recruitment and insurance companies.
Send me a message today and we’ll find some time to chat about your content strategy.
