Marketers and SEO experts love their acronyms. Or so it seems. In the day and age that AI is everything people seem to be talking about (albeit while knowing very little about it), the proliferation of terms like “AIO” or “GEO” is equally widespread (and annoying, to say the least).
Everything Is AI All of a Sudden
It seems that AI is all that matters. Little do people understand — or maybe they already have forgotten? — that they still have to eat, dress, find shelter. Also little they seem to know that only after these basic needs are fulfilled they can go out and begin to think about AI and everything they believe it is (or is not). The belief is mostly all there is, as about 90% of people claiming to know about AI don’t really do so. Sure enough, the talk about it — but when you look closer then all they really “know” is that they now can punch in their questions on new websites like ChatGPT. And so they do: claiming they’re now suddenly “AI users” or even “knowledgeable about AI” — while, in reality, they know next to nothing about it.
The Big Difference
There is a big difference between being able to turn on the lights after somebody has shown you the light switch, being able to wire a house for lighting, or let alone inventing better wires, better clamps, designing connectors, and ultimately inventing the light bulb itself. Clearly, not everyone is an Edison all of a sudden, just because they can type a question into ChatGPT…
Why It Is Annoying
The reality is that, from the user side, noting much has changed. The changes that exist or are upcoming are happening on the expert level, the professional side, then throughout large areas of the workplace, and only then to the general public — that is, when the above changes trickle down into every-day life. If they do, and to what extent that might be, nobody really knows yet. It is annoying that people think they did know, and that everyone has very firm opinions about it already. So what ultimately is annoying is the discrepancy between reality and perception of people. What also is annoying is the fact that so many who don’t know the first thing consider themselves “AI experts” now.
First Things First
With hinting at the order of how things may or may not unfold when it comes to general AI use, we should focus on things that are happening first — or that have already been happening (or have been forced upon us by the usual big-tech players out there: think Google, Apple, Microsoft and similar).
These changes are some innovations these big-tech players are trying out on user as of now. Most of these innovations are candidly or openly included in certain features of mass products used by consumers and by businesses. Most of these are currently also centered around internet and computer use.
Internet Search as One of the First Areas Affected
Internet search is among the first areas that are affected by AI-introduction and other technological changes. This has happened a few times in the past already. When Google introduced algorithm changes and altered their methods of ranking data in Google Search, it sent shock waves through the entire online community. From developers, to businesses, to hobbyists relying on organic traffic for their blogging sites, Google’s unilateral introduction of algo updates (“Penguin” and “Panda”) is something most of us can remember. This has happened twice in the past, in 2012 and in 2016.
So stirring up the drink is nothing new here.
With the introduction of LLMs (Large Language models) for abilities to include more complex natural language inputs as prompts and generative-engine processed outputs into how SERPs (search-engine results pages) are generated, the stir-up is much more significant this time though.
What Internet Search Is Morphing Into
The stir-up is so much bigger that entire lists of acronyms are currently popping up in an attempt to at least be able and designate what we’re now dealing with or talking about. For marketers and search-engine optimization specialists, it is especially important to grasp the new concepts and bring some order back into their field of specialization. Terms like AI-optimization (AIO), Generative-Engine Optimization (GEO), GenAI-SEO, Zero-Click Search, AI Snippets or AI Summaries, Answer-Engine Optimization (AEO) are being thrown around, all in an attempt to grasp the concept of ranking for Position Zero in these new SERPs.
The problem is that old techniques do not really cut it anymore in this “new world” of AI and Zero-Click Search — or do they…? While not getting too technical here, it should be noted that “old” methods still are quite important if ranking well in whatever format these new SERPs may have these days. So knowing a thing or two about “yesterday’s SEO” is actually essential even in today’s Zero-Click reality. That said, the thing that’s new is the addition of other factors beyond that; also the extra knowledge of additional tools and methods required for getting there.
Is This a New Frontier?
So the uproar about AI and Zero-Click Search or about Answering Engines and Voice Search also means we’re once again back onto the bandwagons: moving toward new frontiers, being able to stake out our claims in new areas, defending our own positions against any land grab by over-zealous competitors or any bad actors — but if we act fast and if we are among the first movers, chances are obvious and quite numerous. And so are the benefits: stake out your claim (and you online presence within that new Zero-Click market out there) now — and before the large majority starts rushing in — and you will reap the rewards of being among the first who are positioned well in all these new formats of citations, search results, FAQs, and answer snippets or even voice outputs of Siri or Alexa.
Bookmark this page and keep watching this space for more on this topic. Also check out the Marketing Glossary of Terms here on this website to learn more and stay ahead of the crowd.