The SEO landscape is constantly changing, with some unexpected and swift changes in 2023 steering the industry in some uncharted directions. Undoubtedly, AI will feature as one of the biggest stories in 2024.
In 2023, search engines, such as Bing, adeptly embraced AI, while Google’s relentless algorithm updates continue to introduce fluctuations in rankings—an anticipated trend likely to persist into 2024.
AI will have a greater impact in an assortment of industries, not just search. Creative industries are already feeling some strain as traditional artists and content writers try to fight back to protect their trade as well as the integrity of their jobs.
With the organic search industry in some kind of similar existential dilemma, key questions emerge as to how SEO professionals can create new strategies to counter AI SERP prominence. However, it cuts both ways since there are also questions over how AI technology can streamline SEO tasks that would normally be labour intensive for the average practitioner.
How will Google Launch Search Generative Experience?
While Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) has not been officially launched, it is accessible for testing purposes within Google Labs only in certain regions. Annoyingly, the UK is left out of testing for quite some time now. Google was quick to usher in AI search as a direct result of Bing merging ChatGPT into their engine. Although Bing has not seen a significant boost in its user base, Google’s attempt to integrate SGE is predicted to have more of an impact.
So what is Google Search Generative Experience? At its core, it is an AI-driven search feature that Google claims is an awesome new tech that can tackle questions that you probably never imagined a search engine could handle. AI could help a user decide which product is better for a certain need or which service offers the most luxuries for certain types of hotels. The possible scenarios are endless.
The SGE feature will allow users to enter questions which Google will process using information sourced from various digital outlets governed by its quality standards. From a certain point of view, it sounds controversial, given Google’s ability to crawl websites en-masse, using information gathered (stolen?) from other people’s writing and documented experiences.
The SGE feature would also mean yet more SERP real estate being taken up on the first page with local, paid and organic vying for vital space. Obviously, Google would not want its paid links demoted so what will be the first to go? SEO industry figures say organic listings would see much less visibility in the SERPs in 2024. This is proven to some degree in recent lab testing.
AI is causing apprehension within the SEO community and among marketers as it raises serious concerns about potential declining web traffic. Since answers to queries are readily shown in the SERPs, it only points to what is perceived as another increase in zero-click results. Some hope is hinging on the fair use of citations to allow users to investigate topics further, thus bringing in site traffic this way. But this could well be wishful thinking.
How Do Brands Fight Back?
If you want Google to give your pages some spotlight in the SGE snippets, you have to create the right kind of content that users want to see. And how do you show you’re the real deal? Well, it’s all about E-E-A-T – that’s Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.
E-E-A-T is becoming one of those primary industry topics. It evolved in 2023 since its mention in those Google quality rater documents almost six years ago. SEOs jumped on the phrase and used it as a guiding principle for how content writers can create optimised text. However, in this new age of AI, writing about real-life experiences could well be the difference between what Google is looking for in the SERPs. It’s no wonder that public forums such as Reddit, found its organic visibility increase after some very rapid Google algo updates in quick succession Q3-Q4 of 2023.
Brands moving forward must demonstrate that they know best when it comes to their industry, products and services. The sharing of personal insights and facts could be the difference when AI asserts further dominance over the coming years. By ensuring your audience research is up-to-date, chasing their needs and interests, your E-E-A-T strategy should be driven by your audience. Persona analysis should be fully revised in 2024 or completed, to understand what your audience (and potential audience) reads, talks like, connects with and says. All this increases your brand engagement. Think about it this way: lets say a travel operator could hire a regional content author to share expert tips and local advice on certain travel destinations. Furthermore, let the users chip in with their own content to paint a wider picture of those awesome local holiday spots. Is this E-E-A-T in action!
2024 will see the further rise in social media platforms, notably TikTok and YouTube Shorts rapidly becoming key destinations for people to search for and discover information via popular short-form video and images. With over 4.8 billion social media users, there’s a significant opportunity to promote brand messages and engagement with joined-up multi-channel strategies. Optimise your content thoroughly for success but also continually share web content/links to increase visibility.
Local SEO will play a very important role with a growing trend of having even more personalised results. User location and behaviour are pivotal factors, making it essential for developing link/citation-focused strategies involving local press, institutions and businesses.
Moreover, the shift towards mobile search is more prominent than ever. With people more on the move (pre-pandemic level shifts from home working routines), enquiring nearby eateries, stores, or services, the emphasis on local information by Google becomes paramount in meeting user intent effectively. Hence, securing visibility in local search results is indispensable for any traditional brick-and-mortar business.
What happens to SEO?
AI won’t be taking the reins entirely (at least not yet); in the short term we see it becoming an essential part of the SEO marketing tool kit. Just like in paid and social channels, the industry will experience a shake-up in the face of AI. SEO has to adapt as it has done over the past 20 years.
It’s pretty obvious that AI is going to keep integrating into our daily lives, for better or even for worse. Marketers can look forward to regular tasks like reporting and crunching data a whole lot smoother with the extra assistance that AI could bring to the table. With the right expertise in creating the right prompt instructions, AI can be a powerful servant.
SEO and websites can endure this challenging time. SEOs are still an essential component to online success. Yes, AI in SERPs might snatch a bit of traffic, but stronger valuable user-focused content shall always be the real thing. Future organic success hinges on diverse and thorough content and support from other earned channels. Web content is not just for search engines to power their own AI data streams, but it’s what keeps users coming back to your site instead of hitting up search engines. Let’s call it creating web loyalty into 2024 and beyond.