Here are the 5 best SEO tips to help businesses keep up with Google’s latest Generative AI Search. Learn about the best strategies to stay ahead of others.
Google has been offering search engine services for more than two decades now.
In all these years, there have been many shifts in its algorithm, but 2023 marks one of the biggest changes – Search Generative Experience (SGE).
This new feature helps us to explore Google search in a better and more effective way.
While this is great news for users, it brings a whole new set of challenges for businesses and SEO experts. AI-powered search is going to affect how Google ranks websites.
However, you can turn this challenge into an opportunity by understanding SGE and using the right SEO strategies.
Digital Nomads HQ Marketing Agency is one of the few companies that are already leveraging SGE for success. They have a team of modern SEO experts who can help you succeed in this new AI search era.
To know more about Search Generative Experience and the best tips to use it for your business success, keep reading.
What is Google’s Search Generative Experience?
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is part of an experimental project in Search Labs.
It tests advanced search features using cutting-edge Generative AI, aiming to transform how we search.
The goal is to make searches more interactive and personalized, moving away from just receiving information to engaging experiences.
SGE uses Generative AI to offer quick summaries of search topics, enhancing search results.
Google wants to help users get more done directly from Search by providing concise overviews powered by AI.
Depending on the search, you might see a block of information at the top of the results, saving the hassle of visiting multiple web pages.
This approach allows Google to explore new ways for users to interact with results. It opens doors to unique possibilities, like creating content right in the search results – something no one has done before.
How Generative AI Search Will Affect SEO?
Generative AI-powered search will significantly influence how your content ranks and your search click-through rates.
Let’s break down the key changes in search features impacting search engine results pages and CTRs:
1. Direct Response Snapshots
With Google’s SGE, the top SERPs now showcase AI-generated snapshots instead of traditional featured snippets.
These snapshots combine information from various sources, affecting the ownership of this top spot.
Expect decreased CTRs from featured snippets. To counter this, aim to be a frequently cited source link and secure space elsewhere on the SERP.
2. Content Types At Risk
Different types of content face varying risks. Simplistic content like listicles or basic category pages is at higher risk, while more complex content might face medium risk.
Interestingly, e-commerce product pages might benefit from SGE, as they could appear more prominently in the snippets.
3. More Suggestions
Search engines now offer more content suggestions below position zero, encouraging users to explore related topics.
This shift provides opportunities for brands to expand their presence on the SERP. Creating comprehensive pillar pages and related sub-topic content is recommended.
4. Conversational Interfaces
Users can now engage in a conversation directly on the SERP with AI systems like Bard or ChatGPT.
This might lead users to find answers from these interfaces instead of visiting your site.
However, the SERP and conversational interface may still suggest related web links, providing multiple opportunities for your brand to appear.
5. Focus On Entities
Search engines prioritise entities, grouping similar concepts together to better understand relationships between pages.
Optimise your content for search intent rather than just keywords. Understanding the intent behind a query will be crucial for visibility.
5 SEO Tips to Succeed In Generative AI Search
Follow these 5 SEO tips to tackle the challenges posed by generative AI search and improve your website ranking:
1. Get Your Website Or Business Mentioned Across The Web
The first thing you need to do is work towards building your online reputation on the internet.
You can do this by getting trustworthy sources to mention your brand name or add a backlink to your website. Basically, you need to build a solid backlink profile to stay on top of search results.
Google’s SGE relies on this by checking its AI responses against reliable sources. So, those mentions from reputable sites still matter because they show you offer helpful info. Even Google says links are crucial, though not the top factor.
Quality matters more than quantity, so make sure you only get links from quality sites. Don’t just copy what others do; instead, focus on making content that truly helps your audience.
Sometimes, creating less but better stuff works wonders. Make cool guides with fun stuff like GIFs, quizzes, and videos. You can also use your unique data to set your content apart.
2. E-E-A-T Content Creation
Google uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to judge website content quality.
It’s a crucial part of Google’s ranking system, deciding which sites offer trustworthy and valuable content, pushing them higher in search results.
Google’s SGE guidelines emphasise high-quality responses for crucial info. This means the E-A-T framework, now with an added E for Experience, remains important for content creation.
E-E-A-T measures a website’s worth. Raters use it to judge if a site delivers what users need. They check for a top-notch online experience and content that meets their standards.
If raters believe users would find the content reliable, shareable, and worthy of recommending, that boosts the site’s E-E-A-T.
Think of E-E-A-T content creation as the reason why users might pick your site over others. This directly affects how Google sees and ultimately ranks your website.
Here are some tips to help you with E-E-A-T content creation
- Focus on readers, not just search engines: Make quality content for people, not just to fit keywords or links.
- Know the difference between experience and expertise: Experience is what you gain from doing things, while expertise is high-level knowledge.
- Collaborate with experts for better content: Google values personal experience. If you can’t provide it first-hand, work with Subject Matter Experts, who can offer real-life examples and insights. Their expertise adds credibility.
- Stick to your expertise: Focusing on a few specific topics helps build authority. Don’t spread your content across too many areas.
3. Quality Content & Skyscraper Content
Skyscraper content is a strategy where you create super impressive content on topics already doing well on search engines.
When you make your content better than what is out there, you reach out to spread the word and get more shares and links.
Quality content & skyscraper content can seriously boost your SEO and help you rank high on Google.
Here’s why quality content & skyscraper content is good for your website:
- Win trust with great content: When you make awesome skyscraper content, people find it helpful and trust your brand more.
- Get more website visitors: This kind of content naturally attracts links from others, boosting your site’s SEO and bringing in more visitors.
- Grow social media followers: Super cool content gets shared a lot on social media, making more people notice your business and follow you on platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
- Stay ahead of the game: It takes effort, but regularly making top-quality skyscraper content puts you ahead of competitors who can’t keep up. Consistency is key here.
- Get more leads: Great content means people trust you more, and that leads to more people reaching out to do business with you.
Quality content & skyscraper content is a way to shine in the online world. Making amazing content consistently puts you ahead, boosts your reputation, and brings in more business.
4. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the process of increasing the number of people who take a particular action on your site, aiming to generate more leads.
You can do it by improving content, trying different things, and making workflows smoother. It gets you better leads, more money, and cheaper ways to bring in customers.
You need to invest in Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) because SGE’s full launch might cause a drop in traffic for many sites.
As SGE and long-tail searches rise, your website traffic could become more targeted. However, if your traffic decreases significantly, focus on providing an exceptional onsite experience and encouraging higher conversion rates.
Mozilla experienced a 15.4% increase in Firefox downloads after speeding up their page by 2.2 seconds. Similarly, Walmart observed a 2% boost in conversion rates for every 1-second improvement in page load times.
5. Use Different Content Formats
Another thing you can do is try experimenting with different content types. Using engaging rich media like quizzes, infographics, and images is great, but video stands out.
YouTube is a huge search engine, and SGE’s AI snapshots even include playable videos. So, using video is a fantastic way to connect with your audience and grab their attention. Plus, it’s a format that AI tools can’t easily replicate yet.
Creating videos isn’t just about engagement; it’s a chance to attract more traffic. Some searches, like “how to cook spaghetti,” get more searches on YouTube than on Google.
Using videos alongside your text-based content strategy enriches your content and helps you capture more traffic.
Conclusion
Google’s introduction of SGE has left SEO experts and businesses feeling uncertain and a bit anxious. But applying these 5 tips will benefit you now as well as in the upcoming AI-driven search era.
E-E-A-T content creation, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and skyscraper content can help you get an edge.
These strategies will help you earn important mentions and links from various sites, which will still impact SEO success in the era of generative AI search.