How Search is Changing at Google

As Ferris Bueller once said; 'life moves pretty fast around here.' Pace of change is coming at us all at an almost unprecedented rate. Much as we have all been talking AI and playing in the various GPT and LLM platforms there has been other stuff going on we really should all be watching out for.

Google is making some moves, unless you have lived under a rock for the last few months you will be aware they are trying to consolidate their place in the market, every time I go online I'm bombarded with ads for Google, never seen that before but they target me heavily (Google hasn't been my primary search engine for years). Microsoft Edge is now actually GOOD, Bing has a great conversational search tool and is brilliant at finding references and citations. With real competition facing them for the first time they have decided to make some big changes, lets take a look at what this is likely to mean for search and how we interact with their platform.

The search landscape has always been dynamic, constantly evolving with new features and innovations. From the introduction of "near me" results in mobile search to image-based queries, the industry has experienced continuous transformation. Google itself faces the challenge of encountering 15% of daily search queries it has never seen before, highlighting the ever-changing nature of search.

Now, Google is taking another leap forward by integrating generative AI into its search experience. The goal is to make search more intuitive and natural. This technology aims to simplify search, introduce unique query types, and redefine how information is organised. One of the groundbreaking features being experimented with is the Search Generative Experience (SGE), which promises to revolutionise search interactions.

Despite the introduction of generative AI, Search ads remain crucial. In fact, their significance is elevated within the search experience. Ads serve as valuable sources of information, helping users discover a wide range of online businesses.

The SGE feature ensures dedicated ad slots throughout search pages, allowing advertisers to reach potential customers at different stages of their search journeys. Google is committed to maintaining transparency by clearly distinguishing ads from organic search results through visible ad labels.

For SEO practices, the integration of generative AI will have profound implications. Websites will need to provide more detailed, comprehensive, and relevant content to align with the technology's ability to understand complex and unique queries. User intent will be a key factor in search results, demanding advanced SEO strategies focused on content quality and relevance.

Google has a proven track record of leveraging AI to enhance its ad products. Performance Max, an AI-powered campaign, exemplifies this commitment. By utilising Google AI, advertisers can uncover untapped conversion opportunities, resulting in a significant increase in conversions at comparable costs per action.

As generative AI continues to evolve, its impact on the digital marketing landscape will be transformative. Google's SGE and other search experiences will prioritise web content, allowing users to engage more deeply with their areas of interest. Close collaboration between Google and advertisers is expected to drive the development of even more effective solutions as the technology advances.

The introduction of conversational search and the SGE feature will impact both paid and organic results on the SERP. These changes can lead to fluctuations in rankings, traffic, and advertising costs. It presents an opportunity for businesses to optimise their content for conversational queries and attract qualified traffic. Building credibility through expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, while aligning with E-A-T principles, will be crucial for success.

To adapt to the evolving search landscape, PPC strategies need to be adjusted accordingly. The prevalence of unique long-tail conversational queries calls for active utilisation of phrase and broad match keywords to capture these new search trends. Regular monitoring of search terms and the addition of negative keywords will become increasingly important, especially as under-searched long-tail terms gain prominence.

Google's integration of generative AI capabilities and the Core Updates 2023 signal a significant shift in the search industry. Adapting to these changes, prioritising user experience, and aligning SEO and PPC strategies are vital for digital marketers to thrive in this new era of search.

All that said, it doesn't mean Google has won the race and if you're like me and many others I know Bing might be a better fit, personally I like to use GPT and Bing in concert to perform complex searches. I don't think this is at all signalling the end of adaptation to the way we search but there are interesting developments happening.