What the $400 million Snap-Perplexity deal means for users

Snap Inc's $400 million deal with Perplexity to launch an AI-powered search engine marks a significant shift in the company's approach to search functionality. This deal will enable Snapchat to integrate a more advanced search tool, potentially changing how users interact with the platform. For website owners, this means that AI-powered search tools will become more prevalent, potentially driving changes in user behavior and search traffic patterns. As Snapchat's AI search engine improves, users may rely more heavily on the platform for search queries, potentially diverting traffic away from traditional search engines and directly to websites. Website owners should be prepared to adapt their search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to account for the rise of AI-powered search tools. To prepare, website owners can take the following actionable steps: monitor their website's traffic patterns for changes in search query referrals, review and update their llms.txt files to ensure they are optimized for AI-powered search engines, and consider integrating AI-powered chatbots or search tools on their own websites to improve user experience and stay competitive.