AI is officially mainstream and is changing the way we search.

Generative search engines like perplexity.ai and you.com provide personalized search experiences and rapidly take over traditional link-based result engines.

Just look at the numbers. In 2023, 13 million people in the US named generative search as their primary search method. And according to Statista, this number will exceed 90 million by 2027.

While some content creators are already seeing a drop in search traffic due to the summarized responses of these generative engines, I see exciting opportunities for businesses.

But before we dive in, let’s explore how generative engines work, especially if you’re an old- school Google traditionalist.

Imagine you are meeting with some friends in Rome. You want to eat somewhere out, but everyone has different requirements — one is vegan, another is bringing their dog, and one has a toddler. Selecting a restaurant could have been challenging before when you had to search for specific queries and read through blogs, reviews, and websites. Generative search engines now recommend places that match all your criteria and provide an overview with the information you need. No time wasted.

Now, as promised, what does this mean for businesses?

Equal discovery opportunities

Google is a great traffic source, but only if your business website is on page one for a relevant search. But being on Google’s first page requires your website to have authority. And let’s be honest, how many small businesses can make it there?

On the other hand, relevance is what matters most to generative search engines. So, if your business meets all the criteria set in a search query, you will have an equal opportunity to get featured in the overview, just like any big website. This generative engine feature will create significant discovery opportunities for many small businesses.

In my view, generative engines match customers with businesses in ways that traditional engines never did.

Decreasing dependence on aggregator websites

When I think of aggregators, travel websites like Booking.com or Airbnb come to mind. They are often the primary, if not only, traffic source and sales channel for small vacation rental businesses.

Imagine you didn’t have to depend on these platforms and could make sales directly. That would save your business a lot of money paid in commission fees.

Take a look at the picture below. You will see the three villa recommendations when I asked you.com for a villa in Zakynthos with a big garden, sea view, pool, and a playground.

Provided these businesses have websites where I can book directly, they wouldn’t need to depend on travel aggregator websites and pay commissions.

Content is finally king.

Traditional search engines like Google and Bing have always encouraged website owners to create high-quality content that the reader would enjoy. In reality, great content alone has rarely been enough to rank on their first pages. The art of optimizing your websites for traditional search engines is known as SEO, which involves on-page, off-page, and technical aspects. There is still plenty to learn about the newly emerged optimization for generative search engines, known as GEO.

What we do know, however, is that generative search engines are powered by large language models (LLMs). Which means they can better understand both the searcher’s intent and the content on your website — and they don’t rely on keywords to do that.

For the first time, I truly agree with the advice that focusing on high-quality, engaging content that meets your readers’ needs should be your primary goal. We’re just beginning to understand how to optimize our content for generative search engines.

However, I’m excited and optimistic about the future of search and how generative search engines could empower business growth.