What is SGE?
Search Generative Experience (SGE) refers to the early stages of Google transforming the Search engines with generative AI. Users will see a change in the user interface with their results page reorganised to help them get more from their search.
These AI-driven features promise to improve the user experience by simplifying content comprehension and reshaping the digital advertising space. In the article, we look at the critical features of SGE and what that means for your business’s online presence.
Google Search Generative AI learning features include:
AI-powered screenshots
Google’s AI-powered Screenshots function is an exciting early experiment by Google aiming to help users engage better with long-form content. When users navigate particular web pages, SGE will provide an AI-generated article summary with clickable links to specific sections, allowing users to quickly access the information they need, with related diagrams and images. The option to ‘explore more’ offers further reading if required and enhances the learning experience.
Conversational Mode
Conversational Mode is valuable for follow-up questions and navigating complex and evolving information journeys. Leveraging AI capabilities, it discerns when a user searches for information related to a prior question and carries forward the context from previous questions to refine the query and better align with the user's intent. Within conversational mode, users are provided with web links displayed beneath SGE, evolving as the conversation progresses, ensuring easy access to the most relevant content.
Vertical experience – Shopping and Local Businesses
SGE will change the way you shop and search for local businesses, especially when there are so many ways to search for these. SGE will generate an informational synopsis on products, and therefore, adopting image extension ads focusing on shopping feeds and Performance Max will be imperative.
Paid Advertisements
With the integration of SGE, Search ads will continue to play a vital role, and offer users essential information about relevant businesses. Those with search ads will have the opportunity to connect with potential customers throughout their search journeys. Ads will continue to appear at the top of the page with sponsors at the side for transparency, but what isn’t clear is how this will be measured. Currently, there's no option to opt out of your ads showing up in SGE results, and you can’t see how they perform in the SGE SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) compared to regular searches.
What does this mean for your website?
There’s a big opportunity for businesses to optimise their content to show in conversational searches. Google will still use many of its current signals to rank content, and focusing more on the E-EAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust) strategy will build further credibility for your website.
Optimise your paid ads
Adjustments will need to be made for paid search, focusing on long tail keywords and broad match. Regularly monitoring your ads search terms will be required, and new negative keywords will be added frequently as long-tail terms will be used more in the future.
Expect your organic traffic to dip
It's possible that SGE will prioritise AI-generated answers, meaning less traffic to your website. However, source links may help drive traffic to your website; there is yet to be information about how websites can rank for these new features.
AI qualified traffic
Although Google SGE is driving the vehicle regarding user experience, there's potential for higher conversion rates for both SEO and paid traffic. If a user can refine their search before clicking on an ad or a website, they’ll likely be a quality lead or a qualified shopper when reaching your website or clicking your ad. Which can result in lower ad spend overall, and a higher conversion rate.
Are you ready for a Search Generative Experience?
As we eagerly await the availability of these changes in the UK, it's the perfect opportunity to make sure you're well-prepared. These changes lean more towards promoting helpful content, something that Google has been placing significant emphasis on over the past year.
Is your website ready for these upcoming changes, and what does this mean for your marketing strategy?
For further information please get in touch or read more about how AI is transforming the industry.
