Google’s experimentation with artificial-intelligence to improve its search engine results could have grave consequences for any business that relies on Alphabet Alphabet’s most well-known subsidiary, for web traffic.
Google’s Search Generative Experience program (SGE), which is currently in its experimental phase, will soon be released.
Google says that SGE enriches searches with AI, which will provide summaries and suggest other exploration paths. It also allows for the refinement of queries. This feature may be a nightmare for content creators.
Aaron Traub of Aaron Traub said, “SGE will affect many of the bloggers we all know.” GeauxSEONew Orleans SEO and Website Design Company.
“In general, any question or topic that is quickly answered by AI will eventually control the digital real-estate space for these query types, eliminating many of the publishers ranking for these type of queries,” said he to TechNewsWorld.
Chris Ferris, Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy at Pierpont CommunicationsSGE, according to a Houston-based public relations firm, will reduce the organic search traffic that businesses can rely on.
Google PPC has caused organic search traffic to fall for many years. [pay-per-click] Ads, “people ask” suggestions and maps, etc., have all pushed Google’s top search results down. He told TechNewsWorld that SGE would accelerate the process even more.
SGE Impact on Organic Traffic
Joe Karasin – CMO of the company and founder – asserted: “SGE is Google’s newest tool to encourage users to interact with the SERP and discourage them from viewing the source content.” Karasin PPCA marketing agency in Lapeer that specializes on Google Ads
He told TechNewsWorld that “for example, if I write great articles about paid search ads and the SGE Chat answers questions directly about it for someone searching for this, why would they choose any search result?”
He continued, “SGE is not widely used, but will be eventually forced upon users. This will result in significant traffic reductions for publishers and websites, as well as a decrease in the revenue that sites receive from their traffic.”
He explained that SGE was the next phase of Google’s effort to create a search experience with zero clicks. “They first started with SERP, trying to keep users in the results page instead of having them navigate. The SGE can now answer questions in a conversational, seamless manner even if the chatbot is hallucinating.
Greg Sterling is the co-founder of Near MediaThe website is a combination of news, analysis, and commentary. “While the product evolves, there is a consensus that publishers will see less visibility and traffic,” he told TechNewsWorld.
Taub, from GeauxSEO, said that it was a shame for small business owners to be left behind. SGE would push for new developments in content generation and the need to differentiate AI-generated responses. I believe that topics which can only be answered fully by experts in the field or by large brands will win.
The SEO pivots may be too drastic
Kelly Ayers is the SEO manager at Jordan Digital Marketing, a provider of digital marketing services in San Francisco, contends that SGE is still a big unknown because two unknown algorithms are driving it — the search algorithm and the algorithm driving the SGE results within the SERPs.
She told TechNewsWorld that SGE was designed to keep users on SERPs and not click through to websites. It’s working. We work with brands to appear in SGE, but users don’t click on the links that lead back to the original material.
She added, “We’re also seeing that brands appearing in SGE content also rank very well in traditional search engine results listings where they drive clicks.” “This tells us that SGE uses many of the principles of successful SEO, so I don’t think marketers have to make major changes just yet to increase their chances to be featured in SGE-generated content.”
Mark N. Vena argues that SGE may also provide benefits to creators and publishers. SmartTech Research San Jose is located in California.
He told TechNewsWorld that the Generative experience tool could transform the way users interact with search engine results by combining and synthesizing data from multiple sources. “For publishers and creators, this could mean that their content would be integrated in broader narratives. They may reach audiences they might not have reached through traditional search queries.”
He continued, “Google’s tool could increase user engagement by providing more dynamically generated and interactive content.” For creators, it means that audiences may spend more time engaging with content presented in an innovative, more engaging format. Publishers may see this as a way to attract and keep the attention of users, who have become accustomed to digital experiences that are interactive.
Challenges in Content Accuracy, Visibility and Accessibilité
Vena said that Google’s generative tool could inspire content creators to create new types of content for generative searches. He said that this could lead to new formats and storytelling techniques, which are especially effective in an information-synthesized environment.
He did admit, however that the use of AI in generating content summaries and integrated responses has raised legitimate concerns regarding the authenticity and integrity presented. Creators and publishers are concerned with the accuracy and authenticity of the information presented in generative summaries. They may also be worried about their brand’s reputation and the trust that they have built up with their audience.
Ayers cited another issue for content creators with SGE. She said that the spread of misinformation and spam content is a downside to SGE. Publishers may have to look for alternative distribution channels if SGE affects their engagement and reach.
Google, on the other hand, believes that it can integrate AI into its search engine results without disrupting traffic. Many of its users rely on this traffic for their livelihoods. Speaking on Alphabet’s earnings call in January, CEO Sundar Pichai observed: “We are improving satisfaction, including answers for more conversational and intricate queries…[W]”We’re adding more links to SGE, linking to sources from a wider variety of publishers on the result page. We will continue to prioritize strategies that are valuable to our users and drive traffic to publishers.”
