It's almost indisputable that the rollout of Search Generative Experience (SGE) will change Google SERPs. Whether AI will completely dominate the SERPs is debatable.
Reading through some of Google's strategically placed hints, it becomes clear that there are alternatives that make it clear that Google will continue to value the first-party perspective and the rich content of EEAT. I'm talking about “hidden gems”.
In this article, we will explain what hidden gems are, how to know that Google is working on hidden gems as part of its upcoming SERP strategy, and how to improve your SERPs with hidden gems to increase your brand's exposure. Consider options for filling.
First, what are hidden gems?
As Barry Schwartz explained on this site last November, hidden gems are when people share their first-hand knowledge and personal insights and experiences with others on the public web.
Schwartz said:
“This update is not part of the Helpful Content system. It is part of Google's core ranking system, said Brad Kellett, Google's senior director of search products and engineering.”
Platforms that offer hidden gems include forums like Quora, Reddit (more on these “others” later), and social media platforms. And Google isn't kidding about using hidden gems in its rankings. Check out this SERP example.
Can you trust our commitment to hidden gems?
Even if Google's long-term focus isn't on hidden gems, they're putting a lot of resources into dangerous information. Consider:
Discussions and forums
Launched in September 2022, this feature was an early statement from Google that it was focused on first-hand accounts and perspectives. When it launched, it was a search feature (like featured snippets) aimed at promoting external content.
of Outlook filter
Launched in May 2023, Perspectives was launched by Google explicitly as a way to combat AI. Directly from Google:
“[A]We remain focused on transforming search with new AI-powered capabilities and delivering faster insights, as well as connecting you with the people and perspectives that help you understand what's best. We will continue to focus on this. ”
November 2023 update
This series of algorithm updates aimed at hidden gems promised “even more first-hand knowledge in search.” Another thing to note about these updates is the inclusion of ways to mark up your content using author profiles, structured data, and more. This seems to be intended to help rank hidden gems.
If you want real, numerical proof that Google takes direct views seriously, check out this report from Detailed. You'll see:
“We analyzed 10,000 keyphrases for which product reviews ranked highly and found that Google's increasingly prominent 'discussions and forums' SERP feature was present in 7,702 of them.”
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So how can you take advantage of these hidden gems?
I believe there are two options for hidden gem ranking strategies: proprietary content and third-party content.
Hidden Gem Owned Content
There are several ways to optimize your website with hidden gems. The first, and definitely the most common, is the blog.
If you want to focus on the content of a first-person experience and ensure that the voice delivering that experience is well-developed and has strong structured data that establishes its identity and expertise, blog posts can be hidden It is recognized as a gemstone.
You can also write crowdsourced blog posts that feature a large number of voices. If you have already built an engaged community that actively contributes to the platform, this is a very easy task.
Another less commonly adopted strategy is to create a forum or Q&A community on your site.
Sentry, one of the darlings of San Francisco's tech community, has built a Q&A community that accomplishes this goal. Another platform, Webflow, has built a popular developer forum.
Hidden gem third-party content
Writing content on Quora or Reddit to increase brand awareness is a bit difficult. Being too market oriented will not work on these platforms. However, there are ways to promote your business in a more serious way.
One way is to add questions and provide answers that highlight your business. However, this is also not a marketing-focused approach. One option that I've found effective is to engage the voices of the community around your brand.
For example, ask questions on LinkedIn and consider your network (for web development platforms, you might get insightful answers by asking about the challenges emerging for developers in 2024). yeah).
Another option is to focus on personal branding. Join your favorite forums and become an expert in your field. This is a long-term commitment, and the first steps are:
- Find your audience.
- Then, build credibility and influence by remaining proactive, helpful, and insightful.
It's also important to remember that traffic is not owned and will not appear in the metrics you own (such as clicks or leads generated by referrals). Eventually, there will be a way to mention your company and ask questions that reflect your company well.
The personal brand and real estate approaches have one thing in common (besides long-term strategy): If done well, it creates a highly effective moat that is nearly impossible for competitors to penetrate.
Using hidden gems for SEO is a long-term strategy
Instant success is possible (you might write a great answer on Quora and get featured in a related query right away; your first-person blog might get noticed quickly), but hidden gems are long-term. should be an important part of your SEO strategy. .
While we're all focused on the development of SGE and its impact on the SERPs, the basic work you can do now to build a hidden gem strategy will help you in the long run, at least if Google's announcement is to be believed. You will be rewarded. .
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily those of Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.