When Google launches its new search feature, one thing is clear: It will greatly change the kind of content that brings more visitors to your website.
You know, those plain and clear topics, like ‘How to make a social media plan,’ may not bring in as many website visitors anymore. Now, folks can get those answers straight from Google using its new AI thing. That’s kind of worrying, right? If some of your content becomes useless thanks to this AI, what’s going to happen to your website traffic and leads in this new world?
Discover insights from SEO experts about the kinds of content you should consider prioritizing in 2023 to maintain a steady flow of visitors to your website. Also, gain guidance on what to steer clear of.
What is Google SGE?
Google introduced its “Search Generative Experience” (SGE) in May 2023.
The SGE is a fresh iteration of Google’s search results page, displaying AI-generated content as part of the search results. These responses are generated using their extensive language model called PaLM 2. Google cross-references these AI-generated answers with conventional search results to ensure accuracy.
Through this update, Google aims to enhance the search experience by incorporating natural language understanding, better context awareness, multimodal search capabilities, and other advanced features, including the new conversational mode.
How Does SGE Work?
The Search Generative Experience offers a more organized appearance to help users extract greater information from a single search. It can also address intricate questions and inquiries that the previous search engine results page (SERP) couldn’t handle.
Now, when you search for a question such as “What is the difference between a Lion and a Bobcat?” instead of loading a page with multiple websites, the new SGE provides a straightforward answer in a single text paragraph. It’s also useful for resolving everyday dilemmas like “Which national park is the safest for children under 5?” or even a simple query like “What is the nearest restaurant to me with the shortest wait time?”
What Types of Content to Use to Conquer Google’s SGE
1. Lean into personality-driven, thought-provoking content.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) possesses numerous advantages. However, given its robotic nature, it inherently lacks a unique perspective. This is why it’s crucial to prioritize personality-driven thought leadership content that provides personal insights, real-life examples, and innovative ideas to stimulate meaningful discussions
This is logical. Google requires its AI models to constantly enhance themselves with fresh web data. Novel information, encompassing different viewpoints and innovative concepts, solely originates from genuine individuals. For instance, contemplate the scenario when we inquire of ChatSpot, ‘How can we develop emotional resilience as an entrepreneur?
ChatSpot provides a list of practical steps for building resilience, but it lacks the depth and complexity of real-life experiences. That’s why we find more value in turning to a specific post. In that post, one of the founders shares, ‘As founders, we often become deeply attached to our business and its mission, making it challenging to separate ourselves from what we’ve built. In times of failure, it’s crucial to take a step back and recognize that a business setback doesn’t equate to a personal failure, regardless of the circumstances.’
The founder then suggests reconnecting with activities that bring happiness, such as spending time with loved ones and revisiting hobbies you may have set aside since starting your business. When you compare this advice to ChatSpot’s recommendation to ‘Embrace failure as an opportunity for growth and learning, viewing setbacks as stepping stones to success,’ you can see the distinction.
In the end, many people want a clear, and concise response.
2. First-person narratives will become increasingly crucial.
AI can compile a detailed list of tools and offer an extensive analysis of each, but it can’t convey its own distinctive experience from testing these tools. This is where firsthand viewpoints will play a pivotal role.
As explained by an expert SEO Strategist, “We’re adopting the concept of ‘Productive Perspectives’ to steer our writers as we prepare for Google’s SGE. This approach involves immersing ourselves fully in the subject and sharing our personal experiences through first-person narratives.
The expert adds, “Our goal is to emphasize our practical experience by actively demonstrating the products, software, and tools we discuss, truly leading by example.”
As you prepare for the introduction of Google’s SGE, it’s crucial to review your current strategy and consider how you can integrate firsthand knowledge. Instead of crafting an article titled “The Top 10 Marketing Automation Tools,” consider adopting a firsthand perspective with a title like “I Tried These 5 Marketing Automation Tools: Here’s My Favorite.” Beyond enhancing your rankings in a post-SGE landscape, including personal expertise also contributes to building trust in your brand. Your readers want assurance that you possess real-life experience in the subjects you write about.
Then the expert adds, “We consider the ability to build and express meaningful opinions as a defining attribute of perfect expertise. Through Productive Perspectives, our goal is to offer valuable content that truly connects with our audience.”
3. You’ll need to add E-E-A-T attributes to your content.
Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Rating Guidelines consider E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness, as crucial elements for ensuring your content achieves a higher ranking on Google. These factors will become even more significant following Google’s SGE release. That’s why another expert, advises all content creators to emphasize these aspects when crafting content.
In his words, “When crafting a piece of content, it’s beneficial to infuse it with the true experiences of the writer, all while highlighting the writer’s or company’s credentials to develop perceived expertise in the eyes of search engines and users.”
The expert goes on to say, “To bolster authority, the importance of backlinks will persist. Therefore, strive to include original research data or quotes whenever possible to make your content more shareable and link-worthy. Depending on the content type, consider incorporating social proof or reviews on the page as well, as this will help establish trustworthiness.”
In preparation for the post-SGE landscape, expert suggests that marketers acquaint themselves with Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines to gain a deeper understanding of E-E-A-T. This knowledge will prove invaluable in enhancing your online visibility after the release of SGE.
4. Lean into long-tail queries.
Marketers have been aware of the effectiveness of long-tail queries in achieving higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) for some time now. To recap, head terms like “blogging” are commonly searched but are more competitive to rank for compared to longer, more specific phrases. Therefore, when shaping your SEO strategy, it’s advisable to compile a list of these detailed phrases to potentially attract more website traffic.
For instance, it’s likely to be easier to rank for a phrase like “How to write a blog post: a beginner’s guide” than for the broader term “blogging.” Experts believe that this practice will grow in importance in a post-SGE era.
Conclusion
No matter which strategy changes you choose for your business, one fact remains certain: SGE will alter how users search for and locate information. Therefore, once SGE is implemented, it will be essential for your SEO and content strategy teams to be ready to test, refine, and experiment to identify which new content approaches are most effective for your business.
