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Google's Generative AI: The Future of SEO

Henry Jones
July 4, 2024

Over the years, we’ve seen significant shifts in how search engines deliver results to users, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and changes in user behaviour and Google’s Generative AI is at the forefront of this AI revolution.

Google’s main aim is to give searchers the best and most relevant results possible. Search Generative Experience (SGE), powered by generative AI, aims to do exactly that. We’ll delve into what SGE is, how it operates, how Google’s generative AI differs from Bing and how our team can assist you in keeping up with these search landscape changes.

What Is Google SGE?

Google’s SGE aims to provide users with a direct overview of their search topic without the need to click on individual web pages.

SGE can assist users in a variety of tasks, such as finding answers to specific questions, summarising information and providing how-to instructions. The example that we’ve added above shows the results that Google provides if a user searches, “What is Google Bard?”. SGE will generate a list of the three most relevant pages, providing a summary of the three to provide users with a clear and concise answer. It also prompts users to ask follow-up questions for additional information.

How Does Google’s SGE Work?

SGE is powered by machine learning algorithms and large language models (LLMs). These LLMs analyse the query, process relevant content from various online sources and generate a summary that answers the user’s query.

Google Vs Bing Generative AI

Although Google’s SGE is dominating the search landscape, it’s important to remember that Bing also has an in-depth generative AI search experience. Bing was the first search engine to introduce generative AI into their search engine.

Whilst the concept of how generative AI works is the same across both search engines, Bing offers an answer box with numbered sources on the right side of the SERP, whereas Google covers the entire page and doesn’t contain clear source links within the text. Bing’s approach to how it displays its AI answer allows users to see the actual search results faster than with Google’s SGE.

Benefits of Google’s Generative AI Search

Generative AI search offers a range of benefits that make a user’s search experience smoother and more user-friendly. Here are some of the main benefits of generative AI search:

Summarises content directly in the search results, giving searchers a direct and clear answer to your question without having to dig too deep.
Prompts users with follow-up questions, guiding users towards even more relevant and detailed info with just a couple of clicks.
Compiles multiple resources online in a way that is easy for searchers to find the most relevant answers to their queries, without having to analyse multiple pages.
Much like Amazon reviews, generative AI can summarise a large number of reviews into a single, digestible summary of all of the reviews.

Impact of Google’s Generative AI Search

While generative AI search offers several benefits, there are also potential downsides that you should be aware of. These include:

As of April 2024, SGE hasn’t been launched in some regions like Europe. This means that users in these regions may not have access to the full benefits of SGE.
Generative AI systems rely on LLM that are trained on vast amounts of data. This means that some results may not be correct or relevant.
We can expect to see a drop in organic clicks and ultimately click-through rate as users have all the information they’re searching for in the search engine results page (SERP).

How to Optimise for Google’s Generative AI

As SGE provides users with quick overviews of search topics without the need to click on individual web pages, it may result in a decrease in organic traffic for websites.

This means that it’s more important than ever to ensure that your website provides the most high-quality, informative, relevant and engaging content to optimise for shifts in the search landscape.

At Proof3, we have access to various tools and platforms to ensure that you’re providing the best content for users. From keyword research to structured data, get in touch with our team today if you’d like help in optimising your site for SEO.

Note: SGE isn’t replacing traditional search results, it’s simply being added above these traditional results.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Expected Impact of SGE on SEO?

As generative AI summarises information across web pages directly in the SERP, we expect to see a 10-20% decrease in organic clicks and ultimately click-through rate. However, users may be interested in your topic of expertise and may decide to engage with other pages on your website.

Are There Any Specific Tools Recommended for SGE Optimisation?

Although there aren’t any dedicated tools exclusively for optimising SGE, we’ve got a list of SEO tools that we use to assist in the optimisation process. Here are some of the main tools and platforms that we use to help optimise your site:

SEMrush
Google Search Console
Google Analytics
Schema Markup Generators

By using these tools, we can gather valuable insights to help us optimise your website and content to align with SGE. It’s crucial to make the most of these tools and keep an eye on your SEO efforts to stay ahead in the ever-changing search landscape.

How Can Businesses Stay Ahead of SEO Changes with SGE?

By staying proactive, adapting to changes and continuously optimising your content for SGE, you can ensure that your business remains visible and relevant in search engine results. If you’d like help with optimising your site to prepare for changes in the search landscape, get in touch with our SEO team today.

Written by

Equipped with a Journalism degree, a love for writing and some spreadsheet skills, Henry's pursuit of a career in SEO began with an internship, a global pandemic and cutting his teeth at a digital marketing agency. Previous roles in email marketing and marketing strategy give Henry a deep understanding of the whole marketing function. You'll often find Henry walking the line between content creation and data analysis looking for the perfect recipe for SEO campaign success. Outside of work, he has keen interests in cooking, gaming, rugby and Liverpool FC.