Start Training The Machine

Your future customer may not be clicking the 10 blue links anymore.
They may not even be scrolling.
They may be asking a question and letting the machine decide who gets recommended.
That is why this matters.
Back in the day, there was a Hot Wheels car called The Machine.
Cool name.
But today, we are talking about a much bigger machine.
Google. AI Search. ChatGPT. Gemini. Claude. Perplexity. Grok.
And every one of them is trying to figure out which businesses deserve to be part of the answer.

Continue Listening

Key Takeaways

AI Search is changing how people interact with search results.
Many users now see AI-generated summaries instead of relying only on traditional search listings.
Old-school SEO tricks are becoming less effective as AI Search focuses more on understanding the business behind the content.
The easier your business is to understand, the easier it is to recommend.
Businesses should focus on clearly explaining who they are, what they do, where they do it, and why customers should trust them.

Questions This Episode Answers

• Why does AI Search matter for local businesses?
  Because customers may not be clicking regular links the way they used to. They may be asking a question and relying on AI to help decide which business gets recommended.
• What is “the machine”?
  The machine is the growing ecosystem of AI-driven search and answer engines, including Google, AI Search, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Grok.
• Why are old SEO tricks losing power?
  Because AI Search is not just matching keywords anymore. It is trying to understand the business behind the content.
• What should businesses do instead of trying to trick the algorithm?
  They should focus on training the machine with clear, consistent, trustworthy information.
• What basic information should every business make clear?
  Who you are, what you do, where you do it, and why people should trust you.

The AI Search Briefing #42 Transcript

Google users had at least one search that produced an AI-generated summary.
And when that AI summary showed up, people were less likely to click the regular links.
Let’s put this in perspective.
Depending on which number you use for Google’s search audience, 58% could represent more than a billion people.
That is a billion searches.
What?
No way!
Yeah, let that sink in.
Your future customer may not be clicking the 10 blue links anymore.
They may not even be scrolling.
They may be asking a question and letting the machine decide who gets recommended.
That is why this matters.
Back in the day, there was a Hot Wheels car called The Machine.
Cool name.
But today, we are talking about a much bigger machine.
Google.
AI Search.
ChatGPT.
Gemini.
Claude.
Perplexity.
Grok.
Every one of them is trying to figure out which businesses deserve to be part of the answer.
For years, SEO had a bad reputation because too many people tried to trick the algorithm.
Stuff keywords.
Buy backlinks.
Spin content.
Hide text.
They were trying to game the system.
And for a while, some of that nonsense worked.
But that is not where search is going these days, especially with AI Search.
Because AI Search is not just looking for a keyword match.
It is trying to understand the business.
That is how you become easier to understand.
And the easier your business is to understand, the easier it is to recommend.
So stop trying to trick the algorithm.
Start training the machine.
Start with the basics.
Who you are.
What you do.
Where you do it.
And why people should trust you.
I’m Ralph Peterson of 7Trillion SEO.
Think Big.
Be Trusted.
Be Recommended.

#AISearch #AEO #AISEO #LocalSEO #GoogleSearch #GoogleAI #ChatGPT #Gemini #Claude #Perplexity #Grok #SmallBusinessMarketing #TrustSignals #7TrillionSEO #TheAISearchBriefing