VisitWiltshire's Guide to AI and How it Impacts Website Visitors

What Is AI?

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and refers to a computer system designed to perform tasks that would normally require a human’s knowledge. These tasks include learning, planning, understanding language, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and much more.

What is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a sub-form of Artificial Intelligence, most commonly recognised as ChatGPT, and other similar applications. This form of AI helps to produce content such as text, images, code, music or video.

What are the Benefits of AI for Visitors?

AI can be very beneficial when it comes to visitors planning a trip. With the help of AI, users can acquire tailored itineraries, personalised travel recommendations, budget plans, and other key information to make trip planning more effective.

Google AI Overview

A common use of this activity is through Google’s AI Overview. When users search for travel related keywords and search queries, Google’s dynamic AI system will process and present a detailed answer, summarised clearly for the users’ request.

The Impacts of AI for Websites and SEO

With Google’s enhanced focus on AI Overview, businesses have started to see a negative impact towards their website traffic and user engagement. With an average decline of 20% from Organic traffic year-on-year, common practices of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) needs to evolve to consider the ongoing and everchanging world of AI.

So, what are the major impacts of AI?

Reduced Click through Rate

Due to Google’s AI Overview being prioritised above search results, users no longer need to click on to a website to receive answers. This has led to a reduced click through rate, resulting in a decline in user engagement across websites.

The Positioning of Organic Search Results

Google has updated the positioning of its search results, with AI Overview appearing first, usually followed by featured snippets and then website results. This has impacted Search Engine Optimisation as the main objective is to appear at the top of Google result pages. This is another reason businesses have noticed a decline in organic traffic as a result of AI.

How can you Improve your Website Content so it is AI Ready?

Google AI Overview favours clear, direct answers to user queries. In order for your content to appear more often and generate stronger referrals within this feature, it is important to ensure that your website and content are AI ready. In order to succeed, you should focus on the following best practices.

Answer the Question First

You should prioritise short, clear paragraphs, starting with a direct answer then adding detail after. Avoid long introductions to your content, as well as ‘keyword stuffing’ as this can appear quite spammy towards Google.

Include Popular Queries as Headings

One of the most important factors when writing for Google’s AI Overview is to break up your content with strong headings. As AI Overview is created from user search queries, it is a good idea to include questions within your headings. Treat your content as an FAQ for your audience and Google will thank you for it! For example, ‘What Events are Happening in Salisbury?’, ‘What are the Opening Times at Longleat?’ or ‘What Attractions are near Bradford on Avon?’.

Optimise Content for E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. To help tailor your content around this, try including original insights and local knowledge, real examples, external linking to trustworthy sources, etc. A good practice is including a ‘Don’t Miss’ or ‘Did you Know?’ feature within your content. This is a short sentence highlighting a unique experience that you may have that’s not widely known to the public. This helps to emphasise all 4 factors of E-E-A-T and will improve your likeliness of exposure across Google’s AI Overview.

These are a few easy steps that will make a big difference towards improving your website content to help you appear more in Google’s AI Overview.

If you need further support on improving your content for AI, or have any questions, please contact katiebrown@visitwiltshire.co.uk. We will also be offering partner training courses and other educational assets around this topic should you need additional guidance.