Nov. 20, 2023 8:43 pm PST | SEO Gazette | By Luke Ross
The topic of Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) for SEOs should not be a complete mystery going into 2024, especially if you want to obtain your traffic and rankings. Earlier this month, Google announced the large SGE international expansion to make the amount of countries with access to Search Generative Experience 129 in total, and included support for four new languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, and Indonesian.
How Will SEOs Optimize for SGE?
Digital marketers and agencies are poised at the brink of a transformative shift in search engine optimization. Here, we will delve into the critical stipulations and focal points that search engine industry experts, and any company out there with a website really; must adapt to in the wake of Google’s SGE release.
Embracing AI-Driven Search: The Core of SGE
Google’s SGE marks a significant leap in search technology, with Microsoft’s Bing following not far behind. The bottom line or ‘mission’ of Search Generative Experience is integrating advanced AI to enhance the user experience while on the search engine. This generative AI approach is not just about understanding a user’s queries, but also about providing more intuitive, conversational, and contextually relevant & strategic results.
Key Focus Areas
➢ Understanding AI Algorithms: Any SEO or entity who aims for quality organic traffic must deepen their understanding of how generative AI works in interpreting and responding to search queries.
➢ Content Relevance & Quality: With AI’s nuanced understanding of context, the emphasis on highly relevant and quality content will intensify even further.
➢ User Intent & Conversational Queries: SGE is expected to handle conversational queries more effectively, making it crucial for SEO strategies to align with natural language and user intent.
Keyword Strategy Shift
The advent of SGE suggests a potential shift from traditional keyword-focused SEO strategies to more intent-driven and ‘conversational’ content. Here are some strategy considerations to think about:
➢ More Long-Tail and Conversational Keywords: Incorporating more long-tail and conversational keywords that mirror natural speech patterns will become increasingly important.
➢ Semantic Search Optimization: Understanding and leveraging semantic search principles will be key in aligning content with the AI’s interpretation of the search engine’s queries.
Enhancing User Experience for AI Compatibility
SGE’s AI-driven approach underscores the importance of an optimized user experience (UX), as AI algorithms are adept at gauging & prioritizing fast and user-friendly websites. Is your site UX optimized? Here’s some tips:
➢ Website Speed and Accessibility: Fast-loading, easily navigable websites will be more crucial than ever.
➢ Mobile Optimization: If you didn’t already know, the Google prioritizes mobile formats before desktop. According to a Research.com report, there are now 4.53 billion people with mobile access that can browse the internet (close to 60% of the world’s population). For future searches when SGE is fully implemented, mobile-friendly websites will gain even more prominence in SEO rankings.
The Role of Visual and Voice Search
With SGE’s capabilities, visual and voice search are expected to gain even more traction, requiring SEO strategies to adapt accordingly. But how do you do that exactly? Here are some adaptation strategies for consideration:
➢ Optimizing for Voice Search: Tailoring your site’s content to be more human-like, as if you were talking to a friend, and question-based can cater to these voice search queries. For example, instead of “5 Expert Marketing Tips on How to Improve Your Small Business: (Industry Name) Edition”, you’ll want to consider something more natural.
➢ Leveraging Visual Search: Incorporating image and video optimization strategies will become increasingly important. Every day, more and more Youtube videos and shorts are being shown at the top of some SERP results. This can be contributed to many factors, but one major consideration is that the global average attention span has most likely fallen significantly since the rise of social media usage and short-form video popularity, like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Verdict: Follow Google’s SGE Updates
The release of Google’s Search Generative Experience heralds a new era in digital marketing, where understanding and leveraging AI-driven search capabilities will be absolutely paramount. By focusing on AI-compatible content strategies, user experience, and adapting to newer search modalities like voice and visual search, you can navigate this new terrain with success (hopefully). Here’s the latest SGE news and updates as of November 20th, 2023:
➢ November 8, 2023 – SGE International Expansion: This article from Google’s blog discusses the expansion of Generative AI to over 120 new countries and territories. It also mentions the addition of new languages. Read more on Google’s Blog.
➢ October 12, 2023 – Google’s AI Image Generation – The Verge: This article by The Verge, (Not this one that calls SEOs “content goblins”), discusses how Google’s Search Generative Experience allows users to create images directly from a text prompt. Read more on The Verge.
➢ September 28, 2023 – Opening Up SGE to Teenagers – TechCrunch: TechCrunch reports on Google’s AI capabilities and intent with more details into SGE itself. Read more on TechCrunch.
➢ September 1, 2023 – SGE Rolls out Links Within Answers – SEL: This Search Engine Land article by Barry Schwartz, covers the early August SGE testing feature that displays an AI-powered overview with down-arrow icons in results.
➢ May 10, 2023 – Supercharging Search with Generative AI – The Keyword: This is Google’s initial announcement on its official blog, The Keyword, which introduces the experimentation phase in Search Labs. Read more on The Keyword.
Article written by Luke Ross, The SEO Gazette
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