Will generative AI and Googles Analytics kill your SEO strategy?

Since the AI relies on continuous publishing, it was imperative that Google responded by including website results. Unlike Microsoft Bing, which went all-in with a ChatGPT-style messaging system, Google decided to amend the results page without bidding farewell to the format that has brought them success for many years. They call it an “AI-powered snapshot” that sits prominently at the top of the search results page. To keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the world of SEO, our insights, industry case studies and company news, sign-up here. In the months and years ahead, we can expect the very public and very fast competition between the two tech giants to continue.

• Earlier this month at Google I/O, the search unveiled its next evolution in delivering organic results — Search Generative Experience.
• Obviously, if we put this query into Ahrefs or any other tool, there is no search volume, meaning we wouldn’t see this as a query as part of typical keyword research.
• Google have published three areas they expect generative AI to improve the search experience.
• It aimed to reward those who stood out from the crowd or that offered something unique, be it data, expert opinion or a unique perspective.
• It uses generative AI to provide contextual responses to complex queries, taking the work out of searching and helping users understand a topic faster, uncover new viewpoints and insights, and get things done more quickly​​.

It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft can steal market share from Google by keeping ahead in the generative AI space. Meanwhile, the Redmond-based tech firm has been adding generative AI capabilities to its consumer, as well as enterprise products, such as the Microsoft 365 productivity software. At Fibre Marketing, we understand the importance of keeping your content fresh and relevant, ensuring it continues to rank well under Google’s ever-changing algorithms. Google continues to dominate the global search engine market, holding around 85% market share, so it makes sense to pay attention to its latest innovations.

Answering complex questions (without multiple searches)

With generative AI set to be baked into all leading search engines, we must ask ourselves challenging questions about the extent to which users will come to rely upon and trust machine learning output. Vertical experiences, on the other hand, present a significant opportunity for businesses to optimize their product listings. This feature helps users make informed purchasing decisions by providing more product details and features, including price and customer ratings. For businesses, this means an opportunity to highlight key product features and benefits that meet users’ needs​. Many businesses of all sizes – from global media enterprises to your local handyman – rely on search engines to drive traffic to their sites.

Google’s generative AI search experience may initially seem like a marketer’s apocalypse. However, by staying informed, being adaptable, and continually strategising, we can ride this wave of change into a new digital marketing era. After all, the core of our profession is to adapt to the ever-evolving digital landscape, and this change is no different. For non-commercial queries, search ads are also shown above the Generative AI panel with the same appearance as normal. Again, we could well see greater integration of these within the AI-generated results over time if the data shows that this is where they’re most likely to capture the user’s click. The other thing to note is that it’s going to get harder to track organic rankings and visibility.

Search Generative Experience impact and how your business needs to adapt

Also, it will be available on the latest version of the Google App on Android and iOS. Whatever you need, chances are you and, more importantly, your clients will jump on a search engine to find it. So, keep looking for opportunities to communicate and prove subject expertise with detailed content, authoritative and relevant links and we’ll see how the SEO landscape continues to evolve with AI. As you can see, it returned a helpful description of Rome, including some of the key attractions and history of the city. There’s a lot to process and some big changes coming, and in time new opportunities will emerge. It’s certainly not the end of SEO; it might be the end of some parts of SEO as we know it but it’s not dead yet.

The feature will collate information from multiple sources into prose similar to what you might see from a chatbot. The problem for publishers lies in the fact that AI search is delivering direct responses to users’ queries. Online publishers currently rely heavily on the referral traffic generated from search engines; users visiting web pages for more information are monetized through ad impressions. Users will see suggested next steps along the AI-powered ‘snapshot’ of key information.

In this way, we will be fully prepared for when this tool is rolled out properly in the coming year. The Generative AI content produced for this commercial type query is typically quite generic but interestingly features reviews and stores as part of the answer. But there is clearly a desire to bring product results into the Generative AI results for broader commercially oriented queries where the user is searching for a product type rather than a specific product. It has also been reported that Ads are also being integrated into the AI results for commercially oriented queries. As always, these are accompanied by the ‘Sponsored’ label to distinguish them from organic results, but they appear to be given preferential treatment, sitting atop the list of products.

Founder of the DevEducation project

These boxes once opened display multiple additional questions to more you engage with them and can be useful for putting together content briefs and document outlines for your content strategy. Your content should always be trying to assess the impacts various changes have on users and weighing up what may be best for them. You can use them to plan your social media and content in advance, saving you time and getting better results.

Where sources are shown within the AI results they appear with accompanying images. Given Google Ads suggest including images in ads increases click-through rates it’s not hard to imagine that the images affecting the click-through rates here. Just look at the example below to see the difference it makes to the appearance. The company noted that since the launch of SGE, it’s found the feature is more popular among younger users. Google said the highest satisfaction scores are among those ages 18-24, who like to ask their questions in a more conversational manner. Starting today, users will see a new arrow icon next to information in an AI-powered overview that they can click to see the relevant web pages.

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE): what does the future hold

She also said that generative AI can “unlock entirely new types of questions you never thought Search could answer. We can expect better answers within the search engine results page, which could mean there’s less of a need for people to click through to websites. We might expect less people clicking through – but until we try it ourselves and look at the data – we’re unable to confirm this. Third, Google SGE can be slow to generate answers, especially for complex questions but Google have rolled out an update to try and improve the speed.

Users can find and test out this experiment in Search Labs in the Google app on Android and iOS, or on Chrome desktop. As generative AI tools proliferate, search engines are not just reshaping their models but are set to reimagine the search experience to reflect user demands. To stay ahead of the curve, businesses and SEO professionals should monitor updates from Google about SGE and experiment with optimizing for this new search experience. As the SEO landscape evolves, the key to success will be adaptability and a willingness to embrace new technologies and practices. The Vertical Experiences feature provides a preferred list of features and more product details in response to shopping-related queries. This tool offers users an in-depth look at product descriptions, prices, reviews, and other relevant information, making it easier to make informed purchasing decisions.

The introduction of AI-generated organic results can have varying impacts on different types of publishers and affiliate marketing sites. For publishers heavily reliant on traditional SEO techniques, there might be a need to adapt their strategies to accommodate the changing landscape. When clicked, these drop-down menus will show the websites where the search engine got its information from. According to Budaraju, the company is seeing the highest rate of satisfaction among users between the ages of 18- and 24 years old. Currently, Google says it is sparing no effort to improve the way links to web pages appear in generative AI responses.

Right now, we don’t know if we’ll be able to tell which visitors came from a click from an AI generated response vs a regular 10 blue links click. We’re not sure if we’ll be able to see clicks and impressions from the AI snapshot in Search Console (if you’re a Googler reading this – it would be amazing if we could). If so, we might end up finding much more variance in the types of queries that drive traffic to our pages. The Google search interface is already very responsive, but this will likely take the Search experience to the next level. That said, online publishers may be concerned that this technology will scrape and regurgitate its content, which could mean less referrals to its site. In line with its YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) guidelines, Google won’t provide AI generated answers for all queries, avoiding those within the medical space, and potentially some financial queries.

As for SMBs, there may be an opportunity for those with strong expertise in specific areas and those who are willing to do proper research and develop proprietary data to take a significant portion of the share of voice. The theory is that most of your traffic will come from organic search, and then it’s just a number’s game from there. Some small percentage of people looking for whatever you managed to rank for may be moved to click on something or sign up for something that allows you to pursue them within your marketing funnel.

A copywriter or digital marketer will still play a crucial role in crafting high-quality, engaging, and tailored website copy that aligns with the your goals and resonates with the target audience. With generative AI in Search, Google will help searchers see a much wider and rich set of results, making even the most considered and complex purchase decisions faster and much easier. There’s also great potential for e-commerce websites to improve chances of attracting potential buyers and driving conversions. Budaraju also points out that users are finding ads either above or below the large SGE box on the screen. It is no secret that Google earns a considerable bulk of its revenue from ad sales. So, the company had to figure out how the SGE box would coexist alongside the ads.