Not sure how Artificial Intelligence (AI) advances will affect your brand’s marketing mix? Clients consistently ask us if they should look at switching their marketing mix away from Search Engine Marketing (SEM) because of it. The answer is, AI and Search serve different and complementary purposes for users.

To demonstrate this point, after I gained early access to the Bing AI Beta experience I decided to conduct an informal marketer’s test to determine how well AI and Search options could answer my queries.

The Competitors

·      ChatGPT, the generative AI chatbot designed to give information based on billions of data points. My account was new and no background was given to ‘prime’ the AI beforehand, so the answers given are purely on the query.

·      Google Search, the web’s most widely adopted Search platform with 75%+ of all internet search volume. Searches conducted in Chrome Incognito Mode (not logged in).

·      Google Bard Experiment, Google’s answer to ChatGPT.

·      Bing Search, Google’s largest competitor with approx. 10% of internet search volume. Searches conducted as with Google.

·     Bing Search AI Beta, Bing’s search engine augmented by generative AI. Like ChatGPT, no background was given to the AI beforehand.

Winning Criteria

How quickly can each platform get me to a solution?

Query 1: “Gift for mother-in-law who has everything”

Winner: Google, specifically the Search ads

I need to buy something, who can help?
Chat GPT and Google Bard provided listicles of ideas with explanations, with Bard’s being twice as long (ten points versus Chat GPT’s five). I appreciated that Bard follows its answers by a direct button to “Google It”. Both AI chatbots were helpful, but as Bard suggested, both would require me to query these in a search engine as the next step. (Or go old-school and take those suggestions to a store!)

Bing AI’s five-point listicle featured in-line link citations and a list of links at the end, but the suggestions didn’t have explanations and didn’t seem to apply. At the end of its response, Bing AI asked for more information. I would have had to keep talking to get to an answer, and then start searching.

Bing itself felt equally un-helpful, with ideas limited to a few themes. Some of the organic responses were specific to Christmas/ Hanukah or Mother’s Day, as though it didn’t factor today’s date into the responses.

Google’s organic results were overwhelming-sounding listicles of 60+ ideas, published by popular magazine sites. Those are favored by the algorithm, unfortunately. The ads, however, were great! A variety of Shopping and Search ads showed me many ideas, along with images and price points. Clicking on an ad or two will get me to the gift I need.

Query 2: “My skin is dry in Spring”

Winner: Bing AI

OK, so what if a user is further up in the buying funnel and doesn’t even know whether they should make a purchase?

Chat GPT, Google Bard, Google and Bing AI all featured helpful lists with product category suggestions alongside lifestyle and habit tweaks. From each of those, I found some things to try right away. It’s great to see that as a user and as a marketer because it shows that recommended product categories are truly to the user’s benefit.

Because most of the contenders had similar, non-product suggestions, I decided to judge the winner on how fast I could get to a purchase of one of the product suggestions. Chat GPT and Bard once again were helpful in telling me what product categories to search for, but then I’d have to query a search engine.

Th Bing SERP differed from the others, consisting of medical and academic journals, Wikipedia articles, and images/ videos of different skin ailments. Very interesting to see Bing’s interpretation of my query was to learn more about dry skin and what kind I might have. Bard suggested a dermatologist if dryness persisted after following its advice, but Bing gave zero advice. All roads from Bing’s SERP lead to a doctor’s visit, which would count as a solution.

Bing AI won the day with a listicle of advice (product and non-product focused) with in-line citations and the links list below. Easy to click directly to a page with the right products. Plus, it gave specific symptoms to look for that indicate the need to see a doctor.

Query 3: “Spring lawn care near me”

Winner: Google and Bing AI

OK. so what if I need a local service and don’t know where to turn?

Google provided sponsored results, with star ratings, Google Guarantee, and extra information like hours and years in business. The ads below that featured great specials and a lot of different types of localized lawn service, plus a map of business results below several organic results. Google seems like the expert at drumming up business. Bing’s results were just as impressive, with star ratings and even images. I’d feel great clicking and booking directly from either of these SERPS.

Bing AI pointed me directly to a map with the highest-rated lawn companies pinned, where I could scroll for further information, reviews, and images. Easy to research right from that page and make a reasonable decision!

While Google and Bing gave enough information for someone to make a choice, Google’s results included super listed low prices, while no other SERP gave any numbers besides the discount. The Google ad prices were low enough that if that’s what you were looking for the risk would be minimal. Bing AI would be the one to look at if you wanted all your research in one place, including the menu of services and business location.

Chat GPT basically said it didn’t have access to real-time location or local businesses and gave me a listicle of tips to care for my lawn. That could be used as a list of services to price out in a search query or see about handling myself, so it did add value. Bard gave me a listicle of five businesses in Spring, TX (where I don’t live), with no other information about them.

Final Thoughts

The experiment showed that AI can assist users with information, and in the buying funnel can move users closer to a purchase by providing advice and options. For users at the bottom of the funnel, AI would be less useful than a search engine.

·      Chat GPT gave useful advice that I could use right away and that I could take to a search engine to investigate further.

·      Google Bard seemed to resemble Chat GPT more than Google Search in every case, so was more helpful at giving advice than leading to a specific product or service.

·      Bing AI seemed to combine the AI resourcefulness with search results, but both the advice and the results were inconsistent. I did appreciate that the product is distinct from Bing Search and differs significantly from Chat GPT and Google Bard.