How Search Behaviour in the UK is Evolving Post-AI

Let's take a quick glimpse in how search behaviour in the UK has evolved over the past 30 years:

• 1990s – exact match keywords were needed to find products and services online, relevance was poor and you had to search for relevant results
• 2000s – more people adopted the internet during the 2000s and Google entered the game. Algorithms were improved, prioritising authority and relevance
• 2010s – Algorithms became more sophisticated introducing local search and rich results. Mobile also became an important part of search behaviour with queries becoming more conversational
• 2020s – in the early 2020s we saw major changes where personalisation began and AI-driven results were introduced. In the mid 2020s we are in the heart of an AI revolution.

How AI Has Changed Search Behaviour

Over the past few years we have seen a complete evolution of search engines and search behaviour, thanks to AI-driven search engines and chatbots. Search has become conversational and to add an extra layer, people are using Chat-GPT and Reddit as search engines, shifting away from giants such as Google and Bing.

Reduced Attention Spans Mixed with Low Patience

We live in a fast-paced digital world where you expect answers to your questions to be readily available at your fingertips, whether you use your mobile phone, tablet, or your computer. You may be sitting watching a great film and want to see what other films the actors have starred in. You open Chat-GPT and find an answer to your question, receiving an instant response.

Now you could also use Google or any other search engine and chances are the answer is going to be above the organic results in the AI Overviews or in featured snippets. This means you don't need to click a link and be directed to a website to find the answers to your questions any more.

This means more users are finding the traditional way of searching and visiting websites for answers frustrating. Their attention spans have shortened and their patience is limited. 

Is AI Making Us Lazy?

As humans, we are evolved enough to use AI to find the easiest and most effective answers to our burning queries. Before AI, searching the internet took brainwork and effort. Search engines today are faster, personalised, and accurate. 

This means search has become more accessible, easier than before. At the same time, it is negatively impacting our critical thinking abilities, not to mention the possibility of being exposed to misinformation. Yes, we have become lazy post-AI.

Conclusion

Let's be honest. We don't think AI and search behaviour is as bad as its made out to be. AI is guaranteed to remain a valuable tool, helping us navigate billions of web pages to find the information we need. Yes, we do believe AI is taking over on how we interact with information online and has resulted in search behaviour evolving at an exponential rate. Are you concerned your content does not relate to your audience any more? Are you struggling to maintain online visibility post-AI? Contact Genie Crawl today to find out more.