Exciting Discoveries in Perplexity AI's Impact on SEO Strategies

Research by BrightEdge shows that traffic is surging to Perplexity and where the opportunities lie for optimizing for traffic, particularly for ecommerce .

What Is Perplexity AI?

Perplexity is an Answer Engine created by a team of researchers and engineers from top companies like OpenAI, Facebook, Quora, Microsoft, and Databricks. With the support of influential investors and engineers in Silicon Valley, Perplexity has become a leading innovator in the field of new wave AI search engines.

Perplexity features an index that is ranked using their own version of PageRank. It functions as a combination of a search engine and a chatbot, with the chatbot serving as the interface for user queries and the AI component working behind the scenes. Despite its advanced AI capabilities, Perplexity is still able to perform tasks like writing essays, maintaining the functionality of a chatbot.

What sets Perplexity.ai apart from competitors, as will be shown below, is that Perplexity shows generous amounts of citations to websites.

Surge In Traffic

Perplexity.ai has experienced a significant increase in referral traffic of 40% since January, based on insights from BrightEdge research. This suggests that users are eager to explore new alternatives beyond the traditional ten blue links.

By utilizing their unique BrightEdge Generative Parser, the team was able to identify AI search experiences that indicate users are open to using an AI-powered search engine.

The search marketing industry is now in a similar place to where it was over twenty years ago when Google first emerged. SEOs, including myself, were experimenting to determine which strategies were effective and which were not.

Many individuals working in search entered the field when the technology was already well-established and may not have experienced the challenges of navigating the unknown. The main distinction between then and now is that we now have access to research papers and patents. In the past, this information was not readily available until around 2005.

BrightEdge’s report looked back on this time of change:

Marketers who depend on organic search methods to connect with customers are facing a big shift with the rise of AI-focused search engines like Perplexity and ChatGPT. These new platforms bring a new way for brands to promote and sell their products. But because they are constantly evolving, keeping up with these AI-driven platforms can be challenging.

Perplexity Does Not Compete with Advertising in Organic Search Results

In an ad supported model, organic search results often compete with advertising for the most valuable search queries. However, this is not the case with Perplexity. BrightEdge views Perplexity as a valuable opportunity for search marketers because it operates on an ad-free model, directing organic search traffic.

Overlap With Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)

BrightEdge's research revealed an interesting data point - there was a "significant" overlap between Perplexity's search results and Google's SGE results. The strongest overlap was found in health related search queries, possibly due to the limited number of sites qualified to create content on health and medical topics.

On the other hand, Reddit appeared in most search query topics except for healthcare and finance, which are considered YMYL (your money/your life) topics.

Overlap In B2B Search Results

Overlap in Travel Search Results

Another area where Google's SGE overlaps with Perplexity is in how Perplexity tends to prioritize authoritative sites in topics such as Healthcare and Education, as well as review and local search sites related to Restaurants and Travel. This means that big brands like Yelp and TripAdvisor often come out on top in Perplexity's rankings.

Yahoo, MarketWatch and CNN are frequently seen in finance related search queries..

There is less overlap in for eCommerce queries apart from Wikipedia and Amazon, which both search engines rank.

According to BrightEdge:

Google relies on Quora and Consumer Reports for third-party product information, while Perplexity looks to Reddit. Perplexity tends to reference product sites more often, while Google SGE also includes lifestyle and news sites for additional information.

This is great news for ecommerce websites that sell physical products, as it provides a valuable advantage.

BrightEdge cites the following opportunities with Perplexity:

Perplexity’s share of search growth rate is rising at a rate of 39% per month.

Perplexity’s search results offer an average of 5.28 website citations.

Perplexity AI shows more citations in Travel and Restaurant queries than Google SGE.

BrightEdge encourages search marketers to take advantage of opportunities in optimizing for AI-driven search engines.

Jim Yu, Founder and Executive Chairman of BrightEdge, said:

Optimizing emerging search platforms is crucial for marketers as their impact can be significant. Even capturing just 1% of the global organic search market can translate to around $1.2B in ad revenue annually. AI-first engines are continuously growing in popularity and establishing their own areas of expertise. This makes it essential for the marketing community to be proficient in multiple search platforms.

It is important not to fall behind as there is a substantial amount of revenue at risk. That is why we are closely monitoring the progress of these engines and all aspects related to AI search - from traffic patterns and search queries to the quality of search results and more.

Read more about optimizing for Perplexity at BrightEdge:

The Ultimate Guide to Perplexity

Featured Image by Shutterstock/rafapress

Editor's P/S:

The surge in traffic to Perplexity.ai, a new AI-powered search engine, presents both opportunities and challenges for search marketers. While Perplexity does not compete with advertising in organic search results, its ad-free model offers valuable opportunities for brands to connect with customers. However, optimizing for AI-driven search engines requires a different approach than traditional SEO strategies. Search marketers must stay up-to-date on the latest developments and best practices to capture the full potential of this emerging platform.

Perplexity's unique features, such as its generous use of website citations, create opportunities for ecommerce websites. By prioritizing authoritative sites and review and local search sites, Perplexity provides a competitive advantage for websites that sell physical products. Additionally, the overlap between Perplexity's search results and Google's SGE indicates that search marketers can leverage their existing knowledge and strategies to optimize for both platforms.