Have you heard about the upstart search engine known as Perplexity? It has only been around for a couple of years, but it is already quite impressive. The people behind it aim to unseat Google as the number one source for search. If my recent experience searching for SEO services near me is any indication, Perplexity is well on its way.

I asked Perplexity about SEO services near me, fully expecting it to return nothing more than a list of local providers with links to their websites. That is what I got from Google. Perplexity was different. I am glad I ran my search on Perplexity because it showed me what’s possible when the latest large language models (LLMs) and generative AI power search algorithms.

My Search With Perplexity

I started my research by entering the phrase ‘SEO services near me’ into the Perplexity search box. In mere seconds, the app returned the equivalent of a conversation featuring 10 points I might need to know about local SEO. Each point was no longer than a sentence or two. In addition, the points were laid out in a logical and easy to understand way.

Just above the conversation were three links to local SEO providers Perplexity thought I might be interested in checking out. The search engine also offered Yelp ratings for each one. Underneath the conversation were five follow-up questions, each one dealing specifically with a local SEO provider.

I must say I was duly impressed. I asked Perplexity a simple question – ‘tell me some interesting things about capital SEO services near me’ – and it returned a wealth of information that I did not have to spend hours digging for.

My Search With Google Gemini

I was so impressed with Perplexity that I decided to ask Google Gemini the exact same question. To my surprise, I was not plussed by the results. Gemini did not return any information about local SEO, how it works, or what I should look for in a local provider. All I got from it was a list of 5 links to local SEO companies.

Just to see if I was missing something, I ran a third query on the Gab.ai website. Gab.ai is billed as the world’s only unfiltered generative AI service. Whether or not it is, it returned better results from my query than Google Gemini. Yet its results still paled in comparison to Perplexity.

Hands down, Perplexity was a much better experience. It gave me a wealth of valuable information in just a few seconds. I do not know what they are doing over there, but if Perplexity continues to make inroads, they could either overtake Google or force the search engine giant to change the way they do things.

What It Means for SEO Providers

I got to thinking about my research and what it means to SEO providers. For example, one of the providers that came up in both the Perplexity and Gemini searches was Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing. Has Webtek done anything specific to increase its performance on queries for ‘SEO services near me‘? I don’t know. But I do know that Perplexity has a different way of approaching search.

SEO providers are going to have to figure out what Perplexity is doing because their model is the future of search. Whether they unseat Google or force Google to change is irrelevant. The future of search is going to be what Perplexity is doing right now. I am glad I asked Perplexity the question, because now I know.