Getting in front of Gen Z and Gen Alpha means your brand needs to adopt an AI search strategy.
This age group grew up with smartphones and the ability to have the internet in the palm of their hand. They’ve used computers in every grade in school, and unlike Millennials and other generations before.
While data shows that Gen Z is later to adopt AI technology in the workplace than other generations, they are not slow to adopt it for search.
And if your business has any desire to show up in front of this and future demographics, then showing up in AI search is where you need to be.
The data behind Generations Z and Alpha in search behavior
A huge portion of Gen Alphas (70%!) prefer to use AI when seeking direct answers, versus only 20% preferring to use traditional search. For Gen Z, the split was 54% AI to 33% traditional search.
Those numbers are staggering when you think about the chokehold Google used to have on search and search behavior.
And don’t count out Gen Alphas, because their searches are often what lead to buying decisions. Not only that, the oldest of them will be making their own purchases sooner than you think.
Where to optimize for AI search
If you are wondering where to optimize first, the AI brand does matter. ChatGPT was the preferred answer engine among almost half (44%) of Gen Z AI users.
If you had a strong search engine marketing program, you might be baffled as to why not all that transfers over to the AI engines.
This is because of the way in which AI retrieves information to formulate an answer. The back-end retrieval process is very different than what Google did for years, and tiny, nuanced searches (called prompts) can pull in very specific information to make their answer.
You’ll need a good off-site strategy for all facets of your business. You need to ensure your brand is talked about in relevant places across the web, in the context of the products or services you offer.
Get with AI search or get left behind
For those who have been around awhile, we remember an internet where there were more ways to find information than just going to Google. We remember Ask Jeeves, Netscape Navigator and Yahoo.
The internet of today involves AI search, and that is where your brand needs to be if you hope to get the attention of younger consumers.
Written by Sarah GilbertBrand placements. AI visibility. A clearer way to see the whole picture.