SEO for SearchGPT: Why You Shouldn't Neglect Bing, Paying For SEO Audits & Ecommerce Tips
SEO TL;DR #47 - 11/11/2024
AI for SEO
OpenAI AMA: What SEO for GPT Search Might Look Like
During a Reddit AMA, OpenAI shared some early thoughts on SEO for ChatGPT Search - summarised here on Search Engine Journal.
Question:
“Are hallucinations going to be a permanent feature? Why is it that even o1-preview, when approaching the end of a ‘thought,’ hallucinates more and more?”
Answer
“We’re putting a lot of focus on decreasing hallucinations, but it’s a fundamentally hard problem – our models learn from human-written text, and humans sometimes confidently declare things they aren’t sure about.”
Question:
“How can I optimise content for ChatGPT Search to improve rankings?”
Answer
“There’s a lot to figure out still about where search will be similar and where it will be different in an AI world. Would love any feedback you have!”
At this stage, there’s not a single thing that legitimate SEOs (the ones not trying to sell you a course on TikTok) will recommend that differ from how you would optimise for Google or Bing.
Good content creators and SEOs will be able to ensure you’re covering relevant topics for questions which your customers might have. These articles are the sources for AI Overviews or Search GTP at the end of the day, so as long as your content is relevant and concise, you’ll often feature.
Question
“Is ChatGPT Search still using Bing as the search engine behind the scenes?”
Answer
“We use a set of services, and Bing is an important one.”
💡Takeaway: while the product is new, OpenAI is inviting feedback as they work to determine how SEO for ChatGPT Search will evolve. They’re still learning how AI search may vary from traditional search engines like Google.
ChatGPT Search relies on Bing but also integrates other data sources. For those wanting to optimise GPT Search, Bing visibility might have gained a bit more importance.
Bing SEO
ChatGPT Search Makes Bing a Bigger SEO Priority
With ChatGPT confirming how they rely on Bing’s index, Bing might be more of a priority.
If you’ve only ever focussed on optimising for Google, having missing URLs in Bing’s index could mean visibility gaps, which is bad if GPT gains ground.
Where to Start with Bing Optimisation:
While Bing and Google share many ranking factors, like page quality, relevance, user experience, etc., there are two basic tools you should use as a starting point for Bing SEO.
Bing Webmaster Tools: The equivalent of Google Search Console for insights and optimisations. Start by submitting your sitemap, identifying indexing issues, and analysing keyword performance.
Bing has had recommendations built in for a long time too - something Google has only recently released.
Bing Places for Business: This lets you manage your business’s presence, similar to Google Business Profiles. Claiming and optimising your listing can enhance local visibility and drive traffic. If you already have optimised Google Business Profiles, you can import them over.
Bing still shows the failed Google Plus logo - what a burn
While I don’t see the immediate need to overhaul your SEO strategy, these essential tools offer an excellent opportunity for some proactive housekeeping that could help boost your visibility in both Bing and ChatGPT.
AI For SEO
AI-Powered Results Spotted in People Also Ask (PAA) Boxes
Google has started testing AI-generated overviews as answers in its “People Also Ask” section (PAA). Traditionally, these snippets drew from featured snippets, but AI summaries are now appearing.
Derek Perkins posted this screenshot on X, noting AI Overviews are starting to “sneak in” and may soon become more prevalent.
I haven’t been able to replicate this, nor has Barry Schwartz, who highlighted this in Search Engine Roundtable, but it wouldn't surprise me if PAA became more AI-driven. Again, there's nothing much to change here strategy wise if you’re already putting out informative content that’s aligned with your customers’ needs.
SEO Audits
Don’t Pay for SEO Audits
During the Google Web Creator Summit, Danny Sullivan’s remarks about SEO audits caught attention, leading some to think Google discourages hiring SEO agencies.
“We don’t want you paying money for SEO audits to try and recover, we should be providing better guidance that removes the need for those outside of instances like site migrations or more complex changes.”
The key point, however, was that Google aims to make SEO guidance clear enough that audits shouldn’t be needed for general maintenance.
Does Google hate SEOs? Not at all. Google’s past statements emphasise the value of SEOs, especially for complex SEO needs like migrations.
Google’s intent: Ideally, Google wants its documentation to enable site owners to handle SEO basics without needing costly audits.
Sullivan’s remarks don’t downplay the role of SEOs; they encourage site owners to see audits as one option among many. Like hiring tax professionals, SEOs bring valuable expertise but aren’t required for all SEO tasks.
Technical SEO
Google Shares When to Host Content on Subdomains or Separate Domains
Google’s John Mueller recently clarified that splitting content across subdomains or different domains is a technical choice rather than an SEO improvement. Mueller says:
Splitting can help Google crawl: subdomains or separate domains can improve crawling if Google struggles to access your content due to technical limitations.
Not for most sites: For typical sites, splitting content isn’t needed and won’t drive increased rankings or crawling frequency.
In short, consider this approach only if your site faces specific crawling issues. Otherwise, a single-domain setup is ideal.
Technical SEO
Different Links on Mobile and Desktop Pages Could Slow Google’s Crawl
Also highlighted on Search Engine Roundtable - Google updated its documentation to recommend having the same links on both mobile and desktop. Their guidance states that inconsistencies between mobile and desktop links can slow page discovery, especially on large sites.
“If your site uses separate HTML for mobile and desktop versions, provide the same set of links on the mobile version as you have on the desktop version. If it's not possible to provide the same set of links on the mobile version, ensure that they're included in a sitemap file. Google only indexes the mobile version of pages, and limiting the links shown there can slow down discovery of new pages.” Source.
Ecommerce SEO
Using Cosine Similarity to Optimise Ecommerce SEO
For ecommerce sites, cosine similarity can improve content relevance in search engines by highlighting relationships between content and search queries. This article by Chris Long provides an in-depth look at applying cosine similarity for SEO
Content Relevance: By using cosine similarity, you can optimise content relevance, helping Google better understand your pages and rank them appropriately.
Embeddings and AI Models: Search engines create numerical representations (embeddings) of content, which are used to measure cosine similarity between a query and content. This helps determine the page’s relevance for that query.
Optimisation Tips: Use focused keywords, optimise headings, and trim off-topic content. Keeping related terms in core headings improves similarity scores and helps ensure ecommerce pages align with target queries.
Understanding cosine similarity can offer a competitive edge for ecommerce sites by helping search engines recognise content relevance on a deeper, data-driven level.
Ecommerce SEO
Essential Tips for Ecommerce SEO Success from #SERPConf2024
Aleyda Solis recently shared key strategies for ecommerce SEO at #SERPConf2024, focusing on essential ways to boost rankings and visibility:
Maximising Product Detail Pages (PDPs): Enhancing PDPs can improve search relevance, leading to better visibility and engagement with potential buyers.
Facilitating Google’s Understanding of Product Content: Solis emphasises using structured data, optimised images, and a Merchant Center feed to help Google index and understand product-related content faster.
Investing in Informational Content for Brand Authority: Adding informational content relevant to your industry is essential for building brand trust and authority, which can drive traffic and conversions.
These takeaways offer actionable steps to fine-tune your ecommerce SEO and position your brand competitively.