At Search Engine People, we get leads from many different channels: paid search, organic search, social media, and, of course, referrals and word of mouth.
Word of mouth has always been our favourite channel.
Why?
When someone comes to us through a referral or word of mouth, we're often the only agency at the table. More importantly, trust has already been established before the first conversation even happens.
When someone comes to us through a referral or word of mouth, we’re often the only agency at the table. More importantly, trust has already been established before the first conversation even happens.
I never thought traditional digital marketing channels like SEO, PPC, or social media would ever be in the conversation to compete with word of mouth, until this year. After seeing the quality of leads and closing rates associated with AI traffic from platforms like ChatGPT, I’m starting to think differently.
Is ChatGPT Becoming the New Word of Mouth
We don't get a huge number of leads from ChatGPT yet. But when we do, they tend to be very good leads.
In fact, we're finding that they behave much more like word-of-mouth leads than traditional digital leads.
When I started digging deeper and trying to understand why, a few things stood out.
1. ChatGPT Establishes Trust Before the Prospect Contacts Us
Many of these prospects are asking prompts such as:
"Who is the best SEO company in Canada?"
Or:
"What are the best SEO agencies for a large company?"
When Search Engine People appears near the top of the recommendation, ChatGPT isn't simply showing the user a blue link or an ad.
It is recommending us.
That's a very different starting point for a sales conversation.
2. ChatGPT Explains Why It Is Recommending You
This is where things get even more interesting.
ChatGPT will often provide context alongside its recommendation, explaining why Search Engine People might be a good choice.
It may highlight things such as our 25+ years in business, experience working with both large and smaller organizations, our SEO expertise, or other credibility signals.
Interestingly, many of these are the same selling points we use in our sales presentations.
Except now, they're not coming from our salesperson.
They're coming from AI before the prospect ever talks to us.
In a way, ChatGPT has already started the sales process for us.
3. For Some Users, AI Advice Feels Increasingly Like Human Advice
The line between asking a person for advice and asking AI for advice is starting to blur.
People ask ChatGPT where to travel, what products to buy, what software to use, and increasingly, which companies they should hire.
As people become more comfortable with AI, some will treat ChatGPT almost like a knowledgeable friend or advisor.
And when a trusted advisor tells you:
"Here are the three companies I would consider, and here's why..."
that recommendation carries significantly more weight than simply seeing a company ranking #1 in Google.
That's why I believe ChatGPT and other AI platforms could become a new form of digital word of mouth.
How Can Your Organization Turn AI Recommendations Into Sales?
If AI recommendations are going to influence purchasing decisions, businesses need to start treating their visibility inside AI platforms as part of their sales and marketing strategy.
Start with three things:
1. Understand what your customers are asking AI.
Identify the prompts potential customers use when researching your products, services, competitors, and industry.
2. Find out where your company ranks in those recommendations.
If someone asks ChatGPT for the best companies in your category, are you recommended? Are your competitors recommended instead?
If you're not near the top, you need to understand why and work on the signals influencing those recommendations.
3. Pay attention to what AI says about you.
Being mentioned isn't enough.
Look at the snippets and explanations ChatGPT provides alongside your brand.
Does AI highlight the selling points you want potential customers to know?
Does it understand what makes your company different?
Does it describe your company accurately?
If you don't like the answer, that's another area you need to work on.
Please follow this link for a full guide on how to measure and improve your visibility in AI search
SEO Is No Longer Just About Rankings
For more than two decades, digital marketers have worked to influence what people see when they search.
That hasn't changed.
What has changed is the format.
Google traditionally gave users a list of websites and let them decide whom to trust.
AI increasingly helps make that decision for them.
And that means the next generation of SEO isn't only about ranking websites.
It's also about making sure AI understands your brand, trusts your brand, and recommends your brand when potential customers ask:
"Who should I hire?"
That may turn out to be one of the most valuable rankings of all.
About the Author: Wisam Abdulaziz
