HubSpot’s New AI Search Grader Tool is designed to help brands understand how AI-powered search engines analyze their website and other content related to their brand. Released in early August, it’s free and easy to use, but there’s currently a lack of information on how it compares to other tools, or even what it does for those who haven’t had a chance to try out the tool themselves. To demystify this for those thinking about giving the tool a shot (and we recommend you do) we at Concept put together an overview on how it works and how to use it to actually optimize your brand for AI searches.
In technical terms, HubSpot’s AI Search Grader is a sentiment analysis tool coupled with a share-of-voice tool. It’s a custom GPT that runs on OpenAI. More simply put, it allows you to get an understanding of how people feel about your brand when they discuss it online, as well as how often you appear in AI-generated search results compared to others for the keywords that your website ranks for.
A Quick Aside: How is AI Search Optimization different from SEO?
We’ve actually written a full article about the differences between AI Search and what’s commonly referred to as SEO. In it, we discussed many similarities that factor into optimizing both, such as brand mentions, domain authority, reviews, etc. However, while ChatGPT can search the internet and synthesize information, it is still learning to provide proper recommendations for companies and organizations. There are many different levers that brands can cover when optimizing for AI-powered searches (and we’ll cover many of them here) but HubSpot’s tool focuses on Share of Voice and Sentiment to evaluate your brand’s AI-readiness.
TLDR Breakdown: What Makes HubSpot’s New AI Search Grader Tool Different From Others?
While Sentiment Analysis and Share of Voice are nothing new, getting free, quick, and actionable insights from HubSpot's tool is very valuable. Here’s a full list of pros and cons of using this tool versus others:
Pros
- It’s Free!
- It’s easy and quick to try. All you have to do is enter your company name, location, business type, and the product or services that you offer.
- The Themes and Insights section of the report provides more detail than many paid tools, and is often more unique in those insights.
- It’s easier to share than reports from top SEO tools: just copy and paste your customized report URL.
Cons
- You can’t narrow the Share of Voice report to a certain set of keywords.
- You can’t input your competitors manually. Instead, you have to rely on the ones that the AI Search Grader tool generates, which may or may not be relevant.
- You can’t view your Sentiment Analysis alongside your competitors’
How to Interpret and Improve Sentiment Analysis on the AI Search Grader
Understanding the sentiment analysis tool is straightforward. When people discuss your brand online - and that could be a review site like Google, a forum related to your business, or social media sites like Reddit or X (formerly known as Twitter) - is it positive or negative? To illustrate this, we’ve used every marketer’s favorite example company: Nike.
Nike’s sentiment analysis is mostly positive, but it may surprise you how much sentiment about the brand is negative. Below Sentiment Analysis, the AI Search Grader lists 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses.
In a matter of seconds, here’s a summary of what HubSpot found for Nike:
Strengths
Innovative Products:
ChatGPT loves Nike's commitment to innovation, noting that 'products such as Nike Air, Flyknit, and Dri-FIT have set industry standards.' This is great because it positions Nike as a leader in the market, keeping them ahead of competitors like Adidas and Under Armour.
Brand Recognition:
Nike’s iconic 'Swoosh' logo and 'Just Do It' slogan are practically household names. ChatGPT highlights that the brand 'enjoys a strong brand image' and is seen as 'a symbol of athletic excellence and fashion.' That’s some major street cred!
Athlete Endorsements:
One standout point is Nike's strategic use of athlete endorsements. ChatGPT mentions partnerships with high-profile athletes like 'Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Serena Williams,' which not only boosts Nike's prestige but also resonates deeply with sports fans.
Weaknesses
Pricing Concerns:
One recurring gripe is cost. ChatGPT points out that many feel Nike products are 'high-priced,' sometimes without justifiable reasons despite their quality. This is an area where competitors like Puma and Under Armour often come out as more affordable options.
Labor Practices Criticism:
ChatGPT mentions that Nike has faced criticism over 'labor practices in their factories,' particularly regarding workers' rights and conditions in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. These ethical concerns have led to boycotts and negative perceptions among some consumers.
Supply Chain Issues:
There are also mentions of supply chain issues causing delays. While these aren’t as frequently highlighted, they do pop up enough to be a concern. ChatGPT notes 'occasional complaints about delays,' which could impact customer satisfaction.
No business is without its weaknesses, and hopefully, that’s a source of comfort. If Nike has them, your company is no exception. Try HubSpot’s New AI Search Grader Tool and see where it says you can improve. Below, we’ve listed some methods that every business can use to start improving online sentiment right away.
Off-Page AI Optimization (aka Off-site)
Review Sites
Improving the ratings your organization receives on sites such as Google My Business and Facebook is a great place to start. You can do so by making sure these reviews are left by actual customers and that irrelevant reviews are removed. In addition, you should regularly source reviews from your trusted client base through email, SMS, or one-on-one interactions.
Google has been known to (unofficially) delete old reviews, so sourcing new ones on an ongoing basis is key.
Professional Listings and Directories
The more relevant and positive places your brand can appear, the better. This includes listings you do not own. Make sure you have listings in directories that are relevant to your business, flag and work to remove the negative or irrelevant ones, and identify and target directories that are more desirable.
Backlinks
Closely related to listings and directories, backlinks play a strong role in both AI optimization and SEO. You should have a strategy for sourcing quality backlinks from sites with higher domain authority than your own. It’s like a high-five from a reputable source.
On-site AI Optimization
Use Structured Data Everywhere, All the Time
Structured data is a formal way to tell search engines like Google or ChatGPT about the information, or data, on your page using code on the back-end. There are hundreds of different classifiers for webpages, but here are some important ones that are often overlooked that can impact sentiment:
- Rating: This tells search engines about the average rating of a product or service.
- positiveNotes: Provide positive considerations regarding something
- EndorsementRating: If there is a product or service that you would like to have stand out (ie a bestseller, fan favorite or critic’s pick) you can use this schema to highlight it to AI search engines.
- Testimonials: You don’t get to decide how people come across any particular indexed page on your website, just like you can’t determine which page people view first. Treat every page like a first impression, listing testimonials, making sure client testimonials are in text format and easy to read.
Understanding and Improving Your Share of Voice
Share of Voice is a measure of how a certain brand appears in search results for a certain set of keywords vs. their organic competitors. You may have mixed results here, as you cannot tell the tool exactly which of your competitors to focus on, and an organic competitor can be very different than a business that provides similar products or services to yours. These are things you can refine much better with paid tools to get a more accurate Share of Voice report. But here’s how Nike compares on the AI Search Grader:
After presenting a competitor breakdown, the Grader lists three “Themes and Trends” based on its findings. These results differ for each business. If HubSpot’s New AI Search Grader Tool identifies themes that are irrelevant for your business, it likely means that you could be doing a better job targeting the appropriate keywords. Consider ways to get more specific with the content you are publishing on your owned assets.
How do You Identify Content Ideas or Keywords to improve Share of Voice?
The first step is to outline the services or products you offer and work with. Once you have these down, ensure that you have a page dedicated with rich content for each. This should sound familiar, as we believe AI optimization is like search engine optimization.
Additionally, using your blog to delve deeper into nuances and subtopics of your industry is a great way to add additional context and information for AI search engines to pull from.
Key Takeaways from HubSpot’s New AI Search Grader Tool
HubSpot continues to be a leader in providing solutions that help brands succeed. The new AI Grader tool, while simple, provides actionable instructions to improve your online presence for the new frontier of AI-driven searches. Make sure your website is properly optimized with structured data, continually source testimonials and ratings from clients and customers, and ensure that the content on your website is clear about what your business does and why it matters.
Want to Supercharge Your SEO? Consider Concept.
Trying HubSpot’s AI Search Tool and still unsure about how to improve your results? The team at Concept provides SEO and copywriting services for a variety of industries to create content that converts. Interested in learning more? Contact us, today.