This article, part of a simplified series, aims to demystify Digital Marketing and technical terms used by marketing agencies. It is, by design, a shallow primer, basic introduction. Learn more: Ande Digital: Search Marketing support.
In other articles we have discussed SEO vs SEM and Geo vs SEO.
This piece looks at Ai search, or Robot search and offers what little knowledge and experience we have in the hope it might prove helpful. Making Ai search more productive. Useful. Relevant
We say "what little" not out of modesty but because this technology is still in its infancy. Hard and fast, simple to understand data is ( at time of writing) a bit thin on the ground. As well as dynamic: what is good today may have changed tomorrow. Such are the times we live in.
It's important to note that Ai account holders will find a sightly different experience to what we outline here. This article is based on our own experience as a casual user having to understand how Ai search works. Necessity as they say.....
Nor is this written for businesses alone.
Lastly, there are many choices available, we have selected what are currently (July 2026) the most popular 4 - we can not claim our research applies to others.
This is a common question, not just with AI but with many things Tech related.
For example, people often ask what is the best O/S: Mac or Windows, best browser, best CPU? There are screeds of data on line for each of these. The answer is never clear because in many cases, it is a subjective question. With subjective answers from different camps, or "Fans" who hotly defend their "champion."
Whilst there is often a close correlation, "most popular" does not necessarily equate to best. At the end of the day it comes down to what the user is looking for. What she intends to do with her device. It is the same with Ai.
In no particular order. In the absence of any other serious contenders (excluding Chinese) these are all US built models.
Again, it's important to understand that we did not conduct any complex, scientific tests as we were trying to look at them from the same perspective as a casual - non tech user or SME.
It used to feel like talking to a thoughtful colleague. Now it feels like getting a memo.Source
In the brief overview above, we listed the metric:
"ability to work beyond mere Internet search results."
This is an important distinction, directly related to the overall usefulness.
Let's break that down.
As we discussed in How GEO is different to SEO , we looked at how both begin the same way. By scouring and scraping relevant pages and results from the Internet.
We all have, as Internet users for several decades, become very used to that. We type our question (now called query) into the search bar and lo, the result is spat back at us. Either as links (SEO) or a series if paragraphs. (GEO)
In so far as SEO is concerned, that was pretty much it. We then scanned the "Description" of the links to select those that might answer our question. Job done. It became a "habit." One it seems, hard to break
However, Ai search offers a lot more than what is first served.
Problem is that for many users, it is a little overwhelming. They tend to settle for the first answer given. Which is understandable. Habit. Of course again, this varies from user to user. Dependent on what one is searching for.
The answer to the question: "What is the weather in Beijing now?"
Or: "I want a chocolate cake recipe" can be as easily handled by ChatGPT as it can by Gemini, Co-Pilot, Claude or any other Ai robot - even SEO.
A superficial answer to superficial question.
Ahh, but Ai is capable of more. Much, much more.
Let's set the scene, we're sure you've been here.
You're out for a special celebration evening meal. Top end restaurant. A starchy waiter comes over with what looks like an oversized copy of "War and Peace."
AKA: "The Menu." It's intimidating. Page after page after page, never ending.
In truth, not so intimidating.
It's neatly arranged into sections: Nibbles, Entre, Soups, Mains, Desert, Beverages.
Often priced from high to low.
Again each of those with a sub category. You just need to dig inside a little.
As you read you gather information of various dishes (data) compare prices, ingredients. Asking the waiter teaches you more as does discussing with your dinner guests.
Ultimately you find a selection that suits your tastes.
You don't just order from the first page.
Ai Search is similar.
You need to dig. Engage with the robot. Teach it.
To the Robot, you are anonymous - it knows nothing about you. When you leave and come back 3 minutes later, you're still an anonymous stranger. It has forgotten everything you talked about for the past 6 hours! So when you type in your question it begins from a point of knowing nothing.
Therefore it will start as SEO, scour the web and present you a concise paragraph or two. But this is really just a starting point. To get the best value from AI, you now need to engage with it. Discuss things with it as you would a human. As you did with your dinner guests and the waiter.
As you do this, the Robot begins to learn about you. It "guesses" your level of understanding or knowledge of the topic and modifies it's comments accordingly. There also is a subtle switch away from existing web content. The Robot starts to think, relate more directly with and to you. A would an human interlocutor. It will seek clarification. Your input helps it understand more and thus the replies become more personalised. More relevant to you and your question.
You may be asking for help and advice about a major piece of restoration work on your home. The Robot will likely probe your location, size, age, type of the house, giving you guides to various local council codes and bylaws. It might also suggest a change of material or added reinforcing based on its understanding of the age of your house. It's location. Climate.
Don't be afraid to ask for clarification or why it suggests such and such. The more you relate, the better the result. The Robot is no longer drawing "one size fits all" answers from the web. Now it is actively analysing and thinking about a personalised issue. Yours. Once you can interrelate with it, the better and more fruitful the experience will be.
A final thought, learnt from experience.
If you do have a major project, such as restoration, (anything that is likely going to take more than an hour or so,) do plan ahead. As we noted above, the Robot will not remember you again. Sure you can "jog it's memory" with some cues, but it's not going to recall what was said before. It's basically "pretending" to remember by using the "key words" to get a ball park idea. You'll then probably need to reinvent the wheel as you "teach" it all over again. That can be time consuming and frustrating.
Taking the idea of your home restoration again, break the search up into sections. Probably the same as your work flow. For example if you're starting with the floor boards etc, once you've given the Robot the general idea, focus on the floor. It's far easier to come back a week later with questions re the wall than 3 minutes later with another one about the floor. Likely as not you will have to retrace your earlier steps to bring the Robot up to speed so it understands the "new" question in relation to your project before it can go forward.
It's worth repeating again, this is a very limited, subjective view. Think of it more of a guide rather than a "set in stone" commandment. We've also found that the "answer" from all 4 models can change over time as they learn more or draw on different sources. Unsurprisingly the answer can also vary from agent to agent. For example, when we asked: "Does Air Vietnam fly to London from Beijing?" one said yes, one said no.
Therefore, if you just want a quick answer such as what is the square root of 3,467,189 multiplied by 604, Ai will save you a bit of time working it out. Likewise asking for a chocolate cake recipe is pretty safe. However, asking: "What are the raised lumps on my neck?" is a question best put to your Dr.
Ai is a useful tool, but you do need to exercise common sense when using it. So mindlessly depending on it for everything can be risky. But then you can probably quickly think of a dozen things we have invented over the past 100 years that can also be turned against us. You do need to be aware of the risks, just you would in keeping a loaded gun in your underwear drawer or driving under the influence.
At the start we mentioned accounts. We also said that once you log off, the Robot forgets you. And your question. Even if you log back 10 seconds later. In IT terms this is called persistence. Or lack of in that case. However, if you open an account, even a basic free one, the Robot will have persistence. Or "remember." Not exactly of course, it just stores the conversation in your account files. Much as MS Word saves your docs and your Gmail stores your Emails. An account also gives you access to deeper Robot "thinking" which can result in a better quality experience.
Of course, for some, an account raises the question of security. Which is valid, but do remember, the second you turn on your phone or any connected digital device, that risk is present. As we suggested above, life is a risk, think about how to best manage them. At this point of time, your mobile and all the APPs stored therein is probably a bigger security risk.
What one extremely clever human can make, another extremely clever human can break. Think about your needs, consider a "burner" phone or Email which does not compromise your security.
At the end of the day, the web is NOT a safe place, (just ask your average fly) and we are strong advocates for users needing an ability test and license before they can buy a device, much like a motor vehicle. So, whether or not you are using Ai, with or without an account, always keep safety, security and common sense in mind. Many viruses, scams attacks, hacks and spam is often invited in by the user. Security begins and ends with YOU.
In this article we have explored 4 of the more popular Ai search engines, their differences as well as ways to get the best from your Ai search resulting in a more relevant and useful experience.
For more information or free analysis relative to your company and the China Market we invite you to meet us personally or - E-mail / Telephone - verify Ande Digital on LinkedIn - visit Ande Digital Support Directory
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