With the arrival of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), a new chapter in the history of SEO opens. This new technology, revealed by a recent study by Authoritas, threatens to reshape the digital landscape, obscuring the visibility of brands and revolutionizing marketing strategies.
Google SGE: A Paradigmatic Shift
Google’s SGE represents one of the most significant evolutions in online search in recent years. Using AI to generate more relevant and insightful answers, this new technology could reshape the SEO landscape, impacting brand visibility in ways previously unimaginable.
Visible Impact: The Challenge for Brands
Research has shown that when a user expands the SGE box, the top organic result drops significantly, decreasing the likelihood of it being clicked. With 62% of SGE links coming from domains outside the top 10 organic results, it’s clear that brands need to reorient their SEO strategies to compete in this new environment.
New Players on the Field: The SGE Competition
In this new landscape, sites like Quora and Reddit are gaining previously unimaginable visibility, benefiting from their vast array of user-generated content that SGE tends to favor. This means that smaller, lesser-known brands have to work harder to stand out among the AI-generated results.
Optimizing for SGE: Strategies and Tactics
To stay relevant, brands must now focus on creating long-form content that is rich in expert insights and enriched with multimedia. An example would be an electronics company that, faced with increased competition following the SGE, decides to publish detailed product guides, interviews with industry experts, and in-depth video reviews.
The Brand Terms Challenge and Local Search
The analysis revealed that branded and local searches are also subject to this new competitive dynamic. A brand may see its competitors appear in the search results generated by SGE even for queries closely related to its name. A solid localized content strategy and active management of online reviews therefore become even more crucial.
Looking Ahead: How to Prepare
As SGE adoption and effectiveness continues to evolve, Authoritas’ study serves as a wake-up call for brands to proactively rethink their SEO strategies. Deep understanding of how SGE selects and presents content will drive adaptation and innovation in digital marketing techniques.
Conclusion: Transformation and Opportunity
In the face of this disruption, brands that adapt, focusing on in-depth information content and a multi-channel digital presence, will not only survive but thrive. Google’s SGE era opens up new frontiers, turning challenges into opportunities for those ready to navigate the change.
