How Google Search’s BIGGEST Update Will Impact Your Business

There’s no underplaying this latest update to Google Search…

It will be massive!

This is the biggest change I’ve seen in my time as an SEO.

In this article, I dive into the latest update from Google Search. And what it means for B2B companies…

What’s exactly going on?

Google is bringing the power of generative AI directly into Google Search.

They are calling this the Search Generative Experience (SGE).

As you can see in the example below, Google’s fancy new interface will provide you with an answer. Similar to what Bing has been doing when they integrated ChatGPT.

One note: To begin with (as of May 12th 2023) Google is only rolling this out in the US for English-only searches.

Second note: The examples they show are large! They take up the whole screen and push everything below the fold. So the user has to scroll down. My feeling is the ads will sit above this AI block. And the AI block won’t open this much unless you click it.

What impact will this update have?

Caveat: This update has not been fully released yet. And I am basing my views on their product release video and screenshots. No one can predict exactly how this will impact search. We will need to dissect the data in the coming months and years. But here are my thoughts...

(1) Zero-click searches (will continue to rise)

For years, Google has tried to serve information to users directly in the search results.?

You’ll have seen this with featured snippets and other features. They sit near the top of the search results summarising the information.

When you look at this featured snippet, it’s actually kind of pointless for the query.

It summarises it nicely but it doesn’t teach me anything and I need to click on the website below to really learn more on the subject.

However…

(2) Impact on informational searches

Google SGE offers a new way of searching and interacting with Google Search that wasn’t possible before.

People are comparing Google SGE to the first release of featured snippets. Playing down how much people really use them - like my example above.

But this is different. This will have a bigger impact.

If we use the brand strategy example above, I will now be able to converse with Google and get them to explain more to me.

Rather than digging around those 10 organic links in the search results, I get Google’s SGE to do the hard work.

What does this mean for you if you rank for a keyword like this?

Your website may no longer get that one organic visit as I learn about brand strategy.

And, unless you’re featured up here in the new UI:

You’ll miss out on brand awareness. I will no longer associate your brand with this search. I will thank Google and get on with my day.

So be prepared to see some sort of drop in organic clicks and organic traffic for some searches.

However, this doesn’t mean SEO is dead...

Far from it! As always, we need to adapt to the changes in the SERP.

And not everyone will use the AI feature. Some people will prefer to do the research themselves.

(3) Bottom-funnel sales pages

These will become even more important!

Let’s look at an example…

I am a start-up looking to upgrade our CRM so I am researching what is best.

I have “conversed” with Google’s little AI feature. They have told me 3 providers and they sound great. Now I’m ready to get in touch with one of the CRM providers.

Two things will either happen here…?

(1) Google SGE will show me a link to go to the provider’s website. Taking me to the most relevant page. Likely to be a small business CRM page.

(2) I note down the brand, leave SGE and come back later. Googling that brand + [keyword].

For example, Google SGE recommend that I go for Pipedrive.

So I head over to Google and then search for “pipe drive small business CRM”.

I get this result:

Companies will need to ensure their bottom-funnel sales pages are up to scratch and built to convert. Ready to capture demand.

One note...

Google shows examples of being able to shop directly in GSE. Using a similar framework they have in place already with Google Shopping.

But I don't see this happening anytime soon in B2B. There’s no uniform way to get in touch e.g. every site has a contact form. And Google doesn’t have that framework in place at the moment for this.

So your website and bottom-funnel sales pages will play a key role.

(4) How will this impact paid ads?

In short, you and your ads are safe.

Google will not do anything to jeopardise its paid ads revenue in the long-term. This means they need to keep making you money, otherwise, you’ll turn them off.

Yes, there will be some flux in the short-term. The same with any new product release.

But you can bet your bottom dollar Google will keep optimising the experience to make them more money.

In this example, the ads don't get pushed down by the AI block. They are clearly seen above.

Here’s what Google say:

“With SGE, Search ads will continue to appear in dedicated ad slots throughout the page. In this new experience, advertisers will still have the opportunity to reach potential customers along their search journeys. We'll test and evolve the ads experience as we learn more.”

You can read more here on how they will integrate search ads into this new UI.

Why you shouldn’t panic…

Let’s look at this example below. Google shows off their fancy new SGE about plants that can survive in low light:

OMG! AI is amazing. The robots are taking over! Ahhhhh.

But hold on…

This is the current result on Google for the same search. A featured snippet with the exact same layout:

If anything, the new UI is better now because you have the 3 sources clearly shown. Before, you didn't.

I know this search isn’t B2B. But if we use the example of “best CRMs”, this is the current table. You get the jist:

Many searches will not be impacted. It really depends on how Google rolls this out.

What to do next…

First up, find out when this is fully rolling out in your region.

Secondly, keep an eye on your analytics and rank-tracking tools. Look for changes in clicks, Click-Through-Rates, and ranking position changes.

Finally, remain positive! This is a big change but it’s an exciting time.

I'd love to hear your comments below. How do you think this update will impact B2B companies?

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