Search is changing fast. Google’s adding AI-generated search overviews and tools like ChatGPT are answering people’s questions directly. Google now shows AI summaries for about 13% of all searches. For business owners in Metairie, New Orleans, Lafayette, or anywhere in Louisiana this means you must step up your website game. If AI is helping users find answers without clicking, you must ensure your site delivers what both search engines and customers need to see.
AI-powered search is changing what your website must deliver to stay competitive. The bottom line: SEO, well-structured content, site speed, and directly answering customer questions are now more important than ever in getting your business noticed.
AI Search Is Changing Customer Behavior
Not long ago, getting on Google’s first page was the Holy Grail. Now, users often get what they need without clicking anything at all, zero-click searches – where the answer is displayed right on Google or via an AI snippet – are surging. Recent research shows about 80% of consumers rely on these AI-powered “zero-click” results regularly, and roughly 60% of all searches now end without a click to any website. Meanwhile, many people are turning to conversational AI for info. Potential customers might get their questions answered by an AI summary, they may never visit your site at all unless your content is the one featured as the answer.
SEO and Content: More Important Than Ever
It might sound like AI will kill SEO, but the truth is just the opposite. With so much info being filtered by AI, it’s critical that your website sends the right signals. Traditional SEO fundamentals still determine whether your site is seen as authoritative. In fact, experts advise refining and doubling down on SEO because it “remains an important and effective means of reaching consumers” even in an AI-driven world. What’s changing is an even greater emphasis on content quality and structure – sites that deliver in-depth answers to customer questions are the ones AI search is likely to pick up. If you’ve been skimping on content, now’s the time to invest. (No more thin pages stuffed with keywords – that gumbo ain’t gonna cut it.)
“AI hasn’t changed what makes a great website – it just raised the stakes,”
Adrienne Folse, owner of Design the Planet
Structured Content Helps AI Find You
In practice, that means organizing your content logically for people and adding structured data (schema markup) so machines can easily read it. Using structured data helps Google and AI understand your site – it even underpins many of the factual answers that AI search provides. If you’re a Lafayette lawyer, proper schema and a well-structured FAQ page might be the reason an AI assistant chooses your site when someone asks about legal steps after a car accident in Louisiana.
Site Speed: Every Second Counts
Site speed has long been an SEO factor, and now it’s non-negotiable because AI-powered search engines favor websites that offer a fast, smooth user experience. According to Google, 53% of mobile users will abandon a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load, and a jump from 1 to 3 seconds increases bounce rates by 32%. For Louisiana businesses think of a tourist in the French Quarter looking up your café – if your site is slow, poof, they’re gone to the next option. Optimize your images, code, and hosting; those speed tweaks directly translate into keeping visitors on your site (and happier).
FAQ: AI and Your Website Strategy
Q: As a Louisiana business owner who wants to grow, do I need a new website to be listed on AI overviews?
Q: What are Google’s new AI search overviews?
Q: Will AI search replace the need for SEO or my website?
Ready to let your website work smarter in the AI era?
Give us a holler at Design the Planet, we’ll help y’all stay ahead of the curve, Louisiana style!
Want to see how AI can improve your website? Schedule a free AI-readiness audit with our Metairie-based team.
