Google's New AI Changes SEO Forever

Bing launched its first life-altering tech for the rest of us, but Google sealed its fate with a single update.

Google did it by releasing its own generative search experience.

Wait, what??

Generative search experience

Or search generative experience (SGE) is the next evolutionary step toward finding exactly what you need and want. An AI-powered search engine personalizes your answers so you don’t have to go down a rabbit hole wasting all of your precious time.

The perks

• Using voice search
• Asking what you want in a long sentence and the AI just gets it.
• Never having to repeat yourself (SGE’s Follow-up button)
• Personalizing results and achieving accuracy!

Google listened to our endless woes constantly complaining about:

1.) How its search results don’t deliver quality answers the way they used to.

2.) How websites are overly optimized to stay on top, yet fail to serve their purpose.

But what does it mean for online businesses and SEO teams relying on it?

What happens to organic traffic?

Here are my two cents after doing a little bit of research.

It’s true that this new AI most efficient technology to date. While I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, it’s also the most threatening to industries that don’t know how to play their cards right.

Research reveals 2 ways to dominate the new search engine experience.

AI Snapshots: The Power of search authority

Search results that take on Instagram’s carousel format. Yes, this one stays on top displaying rich visuals. Giving users fundamental info for what they are looking for with relevant links.

Ranking within the AI Snapshot carousel gives you a ‘competitive advantage’ against other websites and storefronts. However, those websites with high domain authority and consistent traffic naturally rank better than the rest. To secure a spot in the AI Snapshots, businesses need to not take building a strong online presence, building backlinks, and demonstrating expertise for granted.

Dominate the rest of the search by doing this

I know it’s tempting to go back to old ways of doing and getting all tactical about ranking up the search results.

But you have to understand that the search engine will never be the same as before.

So your methods shouldn’t stick to the same playbook either. This means that ranking here requires a different approach compared to the high authority-driven AI Snapshots.

To dominate, your business needs to publish user-generated content on top of showcasing expertise. It just adds a personal touch to your business, which makes it easier for people to connect with you.

Share your breakthroughs and failures in case studies, testimonials, and personal anecdotes to help build credibility and establish a connection with your audience.

Perspectives: Just for creators

Further, down the SERPs, we find the Perspectives tab, a segment for content creators. The ranking factors differ from those of the AI Snapshots and the authentic first-hand experience results. While it may be easier to rank in the Perspectives tab, it requires a different set of signals.

Creators can offer unique perspectives on topics related to their niche. This is also where evergreen content shines the most. The quickest creators who cover recent news will populate the Perspective tab too.

Crafting engaging and thought-provoking content that offers a fresh take usher in traffic that any business aims for. Leveraging multimedia elements, such as thumbnails, videos, and SEO can bring you further up the SGE ranks.

I know all of this is overwhelming, but here’s what we know that would still work today.

Pre-SGE era strategies in ranking first on Google

Let’s start with the obvious.

Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness

Regardless of the rank, establishing expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) is crucial for optimizing your content for search engines. Demonstrating your expertise by providing accurate and reliable information builds credibility.

Publish content answering long-form search intent

Content remains king. People are hoping to get their long-form questions answered, and the best you can do is to do that while simplifying complex topics into easy-to-read sections. Including relevant keywords in the content remains essential.

Optimize On-Page Elements

Keyword research and brand development increase your chances of ranking high in Google. Optimize your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags with relevant keywords to help search engines understand the content of your page. One of the methods of optimizing websites worth keeping.

Leverage Multimedia and Visual Content

This improves your chances of ranking high in the Perspectives tab. Create engaging videos, infographics, and images that complement your content. We include descriptive titles, alt text, and relevant metadata to help search engines understand and rank your content.

Build High-Quality Backlinks

Building a strong backlink profile is essential for SEO success. Seek opportunities to acquire high-quality backlinks from reputable websites within your industry. Guest blogging, participating in industry forums, and collaborating with influencers can help generate valuable backlinks that signal authority and credibility to search engines.

Conclusion

As generative search continues to amaze us, SEO continues to adapt. Business can reclaim their visibility by ranking on AI Snapshots, authentic first-hand experience results, and the Perspectives tab while still keeping the SEO fundamentals intact.

What's crazy is that our new search experience won't be limited to Google, Bing, or other big search engines. We will also witness these changes in ALL platforms with search engines namely Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

So, my hope for you is that you onboard an SEO and social media team of forward-thinkers, not people set in their old ways.

And for companies restructuring their teams, don’t lay off a good bunch!

Joanna | SEO Content Writer & Editor | AI Prompter

Contact: [email protected]