In May 2023, Google announced the Search Generative Experience (SGE for short). It was a plan to use a large language model (what you know as a generative AI) to permanently change the Google Search experience.
Every time Google has tweaked its search engine and algorithm, it has had an impact on organic search traffic, SEO practices, and how you approach your marketing. Will SGE create a large wave that upheaves your SEO strategy? Will it not have any effect on your business?
The following is speculative, based on the information Google has given us, combined with the decades of experience that our UK SEO agency experts have. Unlike other agencies, we’re taking the time to figure out what SGE will mean for your small business and digital marketing strategy. Read on, and see what may affect your business.
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What is Google’s Search Generative Experience? How it Works in Simple Terms:
Right now, you can search queries like “the cast of Breaking Bad” or “types of blood tests” into Google – you’ll see it tries to answer your query for you at the very top of the page. This is the current function called featured snippets. In SEO, we call this position 0.
You will also be familiar with “People also ask”, which are essentially featured snippets found lower down on the search results page. Google achieves these two features by scanning the query against high quality and informative websites and paraphrasing the information.
But SGE will generate the answer to your query, and prompt you to ask it questions related to your query. Where featured snippets would highly promote its sourced content in a link, SGE will feature links to various websites related to the query in the top-right corner. This position or presentation may change as the feature is developed.
SGE may also make product recommendations based on a query. A query like “good bikes for mountain trails” would generate several recommendations for bikes from different sellers, with prices, links to the product, and a summary of sales points.
When Will SGE Arrive?
It was originally scheduled for December 2023, but was postponed as it needed more testing. Since February 2024, it is still being tested inside Google’s Search Labs. Some have predicted it will be ready for mid 2024, but no new release date has been announced.
To be frank, there is a massive obstacle in the way of successful implementation of SGE, and it is a weakness inherent in Generative AI. In reality, large language models have very little understanding of language and information, which makes it easy to perceive and create false information. This is known as a hallucination.
The delay in SGE’s release may be due to testers experiencing unsatisfactory or incorrect results. Other factors that may be delaying the release of SGE is that they are optimising the feature to mitigate energy costs or new hardware infrastructure.
To summarise; the SGE experience may stay in the Search Labs for a long time, until issues with costs and hallucinations are resolved. Until then, writing content for featured snippets remains an ideal target for your Google digital marketing efforts.
Update: In late May 2024 SGE began trialling in the UK as “AI Overviews”. It generates a summary related to the query and posts up to 3 sources for further reading directly underneath. So far, it has generated very negative responses from Google’s user base for wildly incredibly incorrect and inconclusive results for their queries. Without any signifiant improvements to the feature, we expect users to ignore the AI Overview and either click the further reading sources or scroll downwards for man-made articles.
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What Will Happen to Search Results on a Page with SGE?
The immediate effect of SGE is that it takes up the majority of the Google Search page, pushing actual website listings and Google Search ads lower down. Unlike featured snippets, it does not bring as much attention to information sources.
The intent here is clear, Google wants their users to be satisfied as quickly as possible and find the answers to their questions immediately. Some users may not be satisfied with the answer SGE gives them, or are keen to explore cited resources. These are the types of users who are most likely to result in leads or conversions.
Will Every Google Search Trigger SGE?
No. The Search Generative Experience will focus on search queries with information gathering or curiosity intent behind them. Searches like “digital marketing Shrewsbury” would not feature SGE, but “history of Shrewsbury” would.
Construction, professional service, and some ecommerce businesses will not have to worry about drops in organic search traffic from people searching for services or products in their area. Users intending to make a purchase or enquiry will most likely continue their search past the generated response.
If hallucinations persist as a problem in SGE, then it is certain to steer clear of any topics that could have legal ramifications for misinformation. Topics like health, finance, law, or legal advice would be unlikely to feature a generated response.
Update: We tested the trial of AI Overviews and found it generated queries related to solving common issues, IT issues, and general information queries. We did not see it generate responses for health symptoms and legal queries.
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Will SGE Change Your Content Marketing Strategy?
If your content strategy has a focus on bringing users with informational queries to your website, you will likely see a drop in organic traffic views where SGE appears. SGE would also make featured snippets redundant and your content would not be directly quoted. You may want to focus away from answering simple queries that can be answered simply and focus on queries where users will want to get multiple sources of information.
That doesn’t mean you should automatically abandon a content strategy that targets featured snippets. SGE will still host a range of links related to the query it is answering. With strong authoritative content, your website may be featured in this new “position 0”. Users may be looking for valid sources rather than a machine response, making it critical that your content is still high quality and ranking highly.
If you’re not after that position 0, blog writing will remain a useful strategy. If you are worried about lower blog views, there are ways to promote to your audience, such as through your email newsletters. You can always talk to our UK SEO agency experts in a free 1-2-1 consultation for more information.
Will SGE Change How Google Digital Marketing Ads Perform?
In the preview of SGE, Google demonstrated that the generative results take up the majority of the page. However, it also integrated Google shopping products and still placed Google Search ads relatively high.
It’s highly unlikely that Google will commit any changes that result in lower ad performance for businesses. This is their primary revenue stream after all. If anything, Google may be tweaking SGE to include their range of ads more naturally.
Should SGE be implemented, we highly encourage you to check in on your current ads and note any changes month-to-month. If the pattern is a constant decline, you may want to tweak your ads away from keywords or phrases that would trigger SGE.
Update: When the AI Overviews trial triggered on our searches, ads were presented directly below as their current display format.
How Our UK Digital Marketing Agency Can Help
At InSynch we have decades of experience in PPC, Google digital marketing, content marketing, and SEO. With each update to search engine algorithms we gained plenty of experience cutting our teeth on new features and letting go of beloved tactics.
We’ve helped countless businesses identify how their digital marketing strategy needs to reform in light of industry trends and changes. And we can help you through a marketing package, training, and consultations to know where you need to go. To get started, get in contact or book a free 1-2-1 with one of our SEO agency experts online.
