How Google’s AI Search Is Going to Change SEO

Google has joined the AI revolution and jumped on the bandwagon, now releasing AI-generated answers within their search results when you ask Google-specific questions: How good is this?

It was bound to happen with all the talk about AI and how it will change the world; one would expect Google to be at the forefront of AI in its search results. Well, anyway, they haven’t disappointed us and have released AI results, which will change the SEO landscape, especially for e-commerce businesses. Known as Search Generative Experience (SGE), it’s currently only available in the US on 24th August 2023, but it will be rolled out worldwide shortly – that you can be sure of. So, instead of typing in a keyword and getting web results, you type in what you are looking for, and the AI will generate a list of answers. Anyways, SEO Sydney is here to break it down for you. 

Like with all life changes, we start worrying about how this will affect your business and when it comes to Google updates and changes, it can be frightening as it may affect our search results and business. But, as Google evolves with changing technology, we can say for certainty that if your business is a Google complaint and has been implementing a genuine SEO strategy, then you have nothing to fear, as this new AI change will only improve web traffic and revenue.

The significant change with Google’s AI SGE is that there will be a much greater emphasis on genuine reviews from clients, whether through Google reviews or other third-party review sites like Trustpilot. So, make sure you shift some of your marketing focus to reviews you get from clients. Google will place organic results next to their AI results, so you must be prepared for these changes and the display results Google will render in the SERPs. Let’s break it down further for you.

 Search Engine Rankings

Consistent SEO efforts, blogging, content marketing and getting as many favourable reviews as possible will improve your overall brand’s reputation, trustworthiness, online visibility and SEO rankings. When Google SGE starts displaying businesses with customer reviews, it’s a clear sign that Google wants to see this type of activity. So, make sure you work out a way to get reviews from customers in a genuine manner. Whatever you do, don’t write the reviews yourself – make them as authentic as possible. Remember, if your ranking organically, as well as Google’s AI-generated results, you might get two URLs displaying on page 1, increasing inquiries, which is the ultimate goal of any business.

 Rich Snippets and Star Ratings

Customer reviews might be displayed in the search results with stars and a snippet of the review. It’s a positive affirmation of the business and will radically help with click-through rates. Think about it: if you see a business in the results with some stars and reviews, you’re likelier to click on what attracts the eye. It’s basic common sense, so you must now look at reviews as a viable marketing opportunity, especially if Google places reviews as an integral part of their Search Generated Experience. Click-through rates are massive when it comes to being visible on Google as there’s so much competition, so whatever edge you can get over the competition needs to be pounced upon.

 Adding reviews and SEO:

Customer reviews (however small) are an addition to your website and a tap on the shoulder to Google telling it to crawl the site. New content, even reviews, means the website is updated with information that users may find helpful or informative, which will be rewarded with higher rankings. Websites that have worked out a system to get customer reviews will fare better than those not proactive in this arena.

In conclusion, SGE, by now considering reviews and PR activity, can substantially impact e-commerce businesses. Taking reviews seriously and looking at these to push your business online will be looked at by Google favourably simply because people like to read and respond to reviews. It’s Google’s job to promote websites that satisfy consumers’ curiosity before buying.

But if you want to chat about managing your company’s SEO with the implementation of SGE, contact SEO Sydney Experts.