Insight5 min read

Are you ready for the next big shift in search?

Wed May 15 2024 | Emma Sibbles

The next big shift in search

    Tags

  • Insight
  • Performance
  • Content

The search landscape is constantly evolving, and Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) promises to completely transform how users find information online. SGE has been testing in the US since May 2023 with no official roll-out date. Although it hasn’t launched yet, SGE is not just another algorithm update – it’s a game-changer. Businesses that aren’t prepared risk getting left behind.

What is SGE?

Search Generative Experience is an AI overview billed as a more interactive and intuitive way to find answers to the questions you ask Google. Imagine a search engine that understands your intent, anticipates follow-up questions, and even summarises information from multiple sources to create a comprehensive answer tailored just for you. That’s SGE.

With AI at the helm, SGE can analyse content and pull out key insights, displaying them in a conversational format that goes beyond traditional search results.

This presents exciting opportunities for content creators. But it also raises plenty of challenges. How can we adapt our existing content strategies for this new search landscape? Are traditional SEO tactics still relevant?

The SGE content conundrum

Because SGE could affect how people search and the amount of organic traffic sites get, it’s important to prepare for it.

The challenge for content creators and marketers lies in ensuring your content is “understood” by SGE’s AI algorithms. From what we’ve seen so far in the test phase, SGE thrives on context and user intent. This makes it even more important than it ever was to understand your target audience and tailor your content to them. Generic, shallow content won’t cut it.

What does SGE mean for your existing content strategy?

This will depend on what your existing content strategy is and how old it is. If your current content strategy takes into account all the recent algorithm updates and factors in the EEAT metrics, chances are you’ll need to make some adjustments but nothing too wild. If it’s not up to date and some of Google’s updates have left you confused rather than confident, your strategy will probably need a good shake-up.

Introducing the SGE x EEAT content audit

We understand the challenges of adapting to SGE, so we’ve developed a powerful product to help you navigate the new search landscape. Think of the SGE x EEAT content audit as your content’s translator, ensuring your message resonates clearly with SGE’s AI and, more importantly, users searching for information.

Your new SGE content strategy begins with a comprehensive audit of existing content using our bespoke in-house metrics informed by Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. Once viewed through the SGE lens, we give you clear and detailed content recommendations and priorities to future-proof your content for Search Generative Experience.

How does the SGE x EEAT content audit work?

SGE builds on Google’s existing EEAT framework that we use to evaluate all content. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness aren’t going anywhere – if anything, their importance is strengthened with this update.

To plan for future success, we analyse your content for clarity, comprehensiveness, and its ability to answer user intent. Based on this analysis, we provide actionable recommendations:

  • Identify content gaps: By analysing your content alongside that of your competitors, we reveal topics that may be missing from your content ecosystem. This allows us to create content that fills the void for SGE users.
  • Optimise for user intent: We help identify the “why” behind user queries and suggest how to tailor your content to address their specific needs.
  • AI-powered topic exploration: We leverage AI to analyse trends and suggest emerging topics relevant to your niche.

Are traditional SEO tactics still relevant?

SGE favours comprehensive, quality content, meaning you need to focus more on the depth and breadth of content that fully answers users’ questions, rather than just relying on traditional SEO tactics like keyword optimisation.

The future is now

The search landscape is evolving at a rapid pace, and SGE represents a significant shift. With the SGE x EEAT content audit, you can be among the early adopters who leverage this new technology to reach new audiences and boost your online presence. Don’t get left behind – future-proof your content today.

We’ve already helped countless businesses thrive in the pre-SGE world, and we’re confident we can help you achieve SGE success. Drop us a message to discuss how we can help.

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