Enhancing User Experience: A Guide to Google Search

January 22, 2024

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Google I/O 2023: How Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) May Impact SEO

Google introduced its innovative generative AI search experience at the recent Google I/O event. This prompts a discussion on the implications for search engine optimization and content marketing strategies.

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Today, after months of rumors and premature demos, we finally got a glimpse of what generative AI will actually look like in Google search. At their highly-anticipated Google I/O 2023 event, the team announced and demoed the new Search Generative Experience (SGE), which will be slowly rolling out in the coming months.

As [your_company_name]’s resident SEO and content marketing nerd, my head was buzzing with thoughts and questions around what these changes mean for us marketers. While AI’s impact on SEO has been a heavily-debated topic for some time now, I don’t think there’s really any debating that times are a’changing after today’s sneak peek. Sure, here is the blog section formatted for direct posting to WordPress:

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In case you missed it, here’s what it will look like to incorporate in the search engine results pages (commonly and affectionately referred to as “the SERPs”).

is central to our digital experiences. It empowers us to make informed decisions, remain updated, and satisfy our curiosity. Not surprisingly, it’s also a driving force in shaping how we interact with the digital world.

Engaging with search engines, we’ve all encountered various features designed to improve our search experience—[attributes], [functions], and other aspects that make exploration more intuitive and informative.

The introduction of follows this legacy. It promises enhanced interactivity and accessibility, aiming to redefine the way we search. Intrigued by its potential? Let’s dive into a closer look at how it might change our search behavior.

Please note that the actual content and details will be different since I’m not using the specific product or identifying images. This text is a recreation that captures the essence of the blog post as per your instructions.

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Key Observations and Queries to Consider:

1. The tendency to provide backlinks to websites and references has exceeded expectations – excellent news!
2. Nevertheless, it prompts us to contemplate the potential influence on click-through rates, which are already on the downturn.
3. It’s important to discern the criteria for selecting the sources that will be integrated.
4. The possibility of formulating highly precise queries raises questions on the future of conventional keyword research methods.

Enhanced Inclusion of Direct Links and Source Material

When the announcement was originally made in February, there was a palpable trepidation within the SEO community. Could the changes negatively impact traffic referrals? Original demos raised concerns due to the minimal use of direct links, sparking worries among publishers.

# Embracing the Evolving Partnership between Google and Content Creators

In the early stages of the internet, content creators often questioned the value of continuing to publish content if it didn’t directly lead to traffic from Google. The predominant concern echoed through many discussions was the uncertainty of this dependency: if Google wasn’t going to drive visitors to their content, what was the point of keeping up with the effort?

Fast forward to the present day, we’re now observing sighs of relief from publishers and content creators alike. A noticeable shift has occurred, with Google increasingly integrating content sites and sources directly within their AI-enhanced chat interfaces. This move represents a significant change, signaling a more collaborative spirit and a brighter future for those who invest time and resources into crafting quality content.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Tech and Content

The landscape for content creators is continually adapting as technology innovates. The relationship evolves: tech giants provide the platforms, and content creators fill them with valuable and engaging material. When these two forces work harmoniously, they create an ecosystem where information can be effectively disseminated to the masses.

This new level of inclusion within the AI interfaces provided by search engines marks a crucial point for creators. It offers them visibility in spaces they might have felt previously excluded from. This approach fosters a more symbiotic relationship between the search engine behemoth and the writers, photographers, and videographers who enrich the web with their creativity and knowledge.

A Collective Breath of Fresh Air

As we witness this integration of content sites into search engine interfaces, the creative community can now breathe easier knowing that their efforts are acknowledged and valued. It’s not only about driving traffic anymore; it’s about providing the best possible answer or information directly through the search engine’s interface. Creators now find their work receiving the exposure it deserves, often in new and innovative ways.

This progression reminds us that advancements in technology should not be feared as the end of content creation but embraced as the beginning of new opportunities. As the boundaries between search technologies and content blur, we can anticipate an even more connected and content-rich world online.

Conclusion

The evolving dynamics between Google and content publishers have reached a pivotal moment. It is clear that Google recognizes the value of quality content for its users, and this is reflected in its more inclusive approach. This represents not just a win for Google or the content creators, but for the end user, who enjoys a seamless experience enriched by a diverse range of information sources. How will this new interface impact click-through-rates?

It’s acknowledged that feedback from the SEO community and website owners has been taken into account in recent updates, yet there remains a multitude of unanswered questions.

Predicting the exact impact on click-through rates (CTRs) is challenging. Websites have been experiencing a decrease in CTRs due to the dynamic nature of search engine results pages (SERPs), which often include a proliferation of ads, videos, and various SERP features over traditional website links. The expectation set forth indicates a continuing trend where AI chat results may further demote organic links, causing them to appear lower on the search results page.

Despite these shifts, it is anticipated that the symbiotic relationship between search engines and content creators will continue to evolve. There is a mutual dependency as search engines require quality content to serve their users, and content creators need the visibility and traffic that search engines provide.

How Will [AI System] Choose Which Sites to Include?

This is the biggest question on my mind right now, both from a general SEO standpoint and from a how-to-approach-content standpoint.

While I believe we’ll eventually get some kind of Google Search Console data for [AI System] search performance, we just don’t have any true insight into how [AI System] will choose to pull in certain sites over others.

The Two Most Likely Scenarios:

1. It might just straight up pull in the top 3-5 existing search results.
2. We could see an even bigger emphasis on Google’s content quality E-E-A-T guidelines (Expertise-Experience-Authority-Trustworthiness) as [AI System] tries to pull in only the most trustworthy sources for its users.

Sure, your blog section for posting to WordPress is as follows:

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How will this change keyword research?

If you watched Google I/O, you probably saw that Bard allows for more natural, super specific queries vs. the traditional keywords or question fragments we see today.

In the screenshot below, you’ll see an example of this:

“What’s better for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, Bryce Canyon or Arches National Park?”

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The essence of the search query lies in its detailed specificity, addressing the concept of long-tail keywords. One might wonder about the frequency of such specific searches being conducted, implying an investigation into the keyword volume for such an extensive query.

Delving deeper, the evolution of semantic search is evident with advances in technology, enabling a more profound understanding of the context within which a query is placed. This progression prompts an exploration of how keywords are interpreted beyond their superficial meaning, thus influencing the trajectory of keyword research.

The future of keyword research is not likely to wane but rather adapt to the shifting landscape, integrating with new technologies and approaches. While these changes introduce new challenges, they also present opportunities for innovative methodologies in search engine strategy. Keyword research is great, but actually knowing your customers’ needs and pain points, and knowing how they’re searching for products like yours will help make sure you’re creating the right content.

A few predictions for the future of SEO

Even before today’s announcement, I’ve been thinking a ton about how AI will impact SEO. How could I not? I do SEO and content at an AI company — it’s kind of all I think about.

I actually just wrote about this in my newsletter, and I stand by my thoughts even after the event, maybe even more so. Here are the biggest changes to SEO on my mind right now.

## We’ll See A Diversification Away From Blog-Only Content Strategies

SERP changes were already making competition fierce, but in addition to the complications from AI chat interfaces in search, the competition will be even fiercer as companies ramp up their content creation and compete for that increasingly-limited Google real estate.

With a flood of new content competing for just a few existing site link spots, it has never been more important to diversify away from a blog-only content strategy and distribute your content via other platforms that are showing up in search, like LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

We might have to learn TikTok now, and I’m truly sorry for us all.

This doesn’t mean you should ditch your blog or other on-site content, but it does mean that it shouldn’t be your only tactic for driving organic growth via search engines.

Which means that…

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You can no longer put SEO in a silo.

The gap between SEO as a performance channel and SEO as a brand channel was already closing, and with all these new changes from Google, we’ll see that gap start to diminish at an even more rapid pace.

To diversify your content mix in search, SEO can’t be in a silo. SEO now needs to be one of your most collaborative marketing channels. I think we’ll see SEOs work a lot more closely with:

Social media: This is a no-brainer given the inclusion of LinkedIn articles, tweets, and TikTok links in search. Especially since Google is rumored to be implementing more social and creator content into the very-near-future of its search engine.

PR: This collaboration was probably already happening to some extent on your team, but as competition increases, off-page brand signals like media mentions and high-quality backlinks will become crucial. —

Partnering with PR to make sure your company and its products are being talked about properly across other sites could also prove to be really important for future AI chat optimization.

Example: Let’s say I want [an AI solution] to spit out a couple of sentences about [a question] every time someone asks “how can I use AI for marketing?” Because I don’t fully know where [the AI solution] will pull those responses from every time, it may be helpful to collab with PR to really tighten up our brand presence and make sure other sites are talking about us in a way that tees us up as an answer to that question.

3. CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization):

Low- or zero-click searches have been here for a while thanks to SERP features like featured snippets and people also ask, but [the AI solution] could reduce click-through rates even more.

This means that the traffic you do get needs to convert, and that’s why I think…

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# Content CRO is Going to Be a Big Deal

Reduced traffic doesn’t necessarily have to mean reduced returns if the traffic you get converts.

While traditional conversion rate optimization (CRO) efforts are focused more on big money pages and sign-up flows, it’s becoming apparent that SEOs and content marketers are beginning to leverage CRO strategies to ensure that their content is performance-driven and effectively prompts readers to take the desired action.

This is an area that offers exciting opportunities for growth and experimentation within the industry, so don’t be surprised to see more insights on this topic surface in future discussions.

Ultimately, the Integration of AI in Search Will Elevate SEO Practices

As more organizations harness AI technologies, there’s an anticipation that the landscape of search engine results will evolve notably, thereby compelling SEO strategies to adapt and improve. —

It may sound scary, but I think it’s really just a chance for us all to take a step back, look at what we’re creating, where we’re creating it, and figure out how to make it better.

And isn’t that what we’ve been wanting more of all along?

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