02/02/2024
This is an eye opening look at Google's SGE (AI search results), and the impact on what we consider classic organic search results and the industry. We know the top organic listings are being pushed down the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), but this is the 2nd report I've seen showing just how few of those top ranking websites are also included in the AI results.
I think the initial reaction is to panic, right? But as we are learning more and I'm helping shape the strategy Benson SEO will take to ensure our client's content is included in the results from SGE, a lot of what I see looks like classic on-page and technical SEO. Here's a few things I think we'd really focus on when SGE launches to the public this year:
- Be intentional with how you are writing / targeting content, and know your audience and their pain points. Match the intent of the query you expect your content to rank for in normal Google search, and now SGE.
- Use clean html markup with well organized / structured Heading tags
- Utilize Structured Data Markup on all content you publish. If you aren't already doing this, you're late to the party.
- Double down on technical SEO. Your content must be easily accessible to the AI bots that will return your content in the search results (on Google, but also on the AI platforms themselves like ChatGPT which we are starting to see in Analytics as referring websites)
None of what's above is new.... it's classic, strategic SEO that blends on-page and technical SEO.
What we don't know yet, and I'm excited to learn more about:
- What will be the impact on Google advertising performance? Is it negatively impacted? Are ads a way "around" SGE? One thing I know, Google won't tolerate a drop in revenue from search.
- Is the lack of the top organic listings in the SGE results an indication that smaller sites have a slightly more level playing field with the big brands?
- I *hope* Google either reduces the use of SGE results on ecommerce / purhcase-intent queries, or comes up with a way not to ruin top rankings for websites who rely on that SEO work for revenue.
- Google needs to be transparent (lolz) about the impact and give site owners information on how often their site is showing up in SGE results, much like the Search Appearance information in the Performance report in Google Search Console. Without that, we're all lost.
Buckle up, 2024 is gonna be wild!!!
In December 2023, we ran 1,000 commercial terms through a handful of SGE-enabled Google accounts using a desktop device in the US to assess the impact of Google’s Search Generative Experience on organic results and evaluate the likely impact for SEOs everywhere.
