Generative AI, SGE, and AI Overview have been hot topics since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. ChatGPT gave Gen AI an interface accessible to a wide market.
Since then, the SEO industry has been trying to understand the extent to which search behavior will change and how much it will affect organic search traffic.
Will we see the estimated devastating drop in clicks?
Google's goal is to integrate Gen AI into search to provide better answers, the company said:
Sometimes you want an answer quickly, but don't have time to gather all the information you need. Search AI Overview and we'll do it for you.
However, in practice, there has been much controversy and debate about this, as the results are hard to predict, with advice such as the health benefits of running with scissors, taking a bath with a toaster, or adding glue to pizza to make the cheese stick.
Google is still experimenting with AIOs: Recently (June 19), a study from SE Ranking showed that the frequency of AIOs on SERPs has dropped from 64% to 8%, while BrightEdge reported that the percentage of queries where Google shows AI has dropped from 84% to 15%.
Google has also been experimenting with how AIO results are displayed in the SERPs, with the latest version showing citations in a carousel at the top.
Gen AI is disrupting the industry faster than anything else in the 25-year history of SEO. Key discussion points around SEO include the extent to which AI is stealing content and how much we need to shift our approach to SEO.
I spoke to former Googler Pedro Diaz and asked him:
In your opinion, what is the current overview of AI? How does it impact the industry? And where do you see it heading in the future?
Pedro said:
“As we've said before, Google wants to be your personal assistant, not your helpful librarian.
As we look at Google from this perspective going forward, this is an important distinction to make: Google doesn't introduce books to us; it does the work for us.
Providing content that gives instant answers will only lead to confusion. You need to focus on what people want beyond the instant answers.
Google wants to be your personal assistant, and it answers this desire by providing quick answers.
AI Overview is simply an evolution of Instant Answer.
If site owners want to target quick answers, they should also focus on more detailed content that can guide readers and is ideally closed to Google.
By doing this, you can protect the content assets you have built.
Now more than ever, we need to focus on building unique communities with users who resonate with our brand, and go beyond simply providing “good enough” snippets and instant answers.
At this point, it's impossible to predict how AIOs will evolve and what format they will take. Google continues to change how it displays SERP results and iterates on formats as if it were a live beta test.
However, AIO triggers a different search behavior.
Previously with SEO, there were only 10 blue links and none of them gave instant answers, so users had to go to your website to get the answer and your site would get a lot of traffic for basic questions.
However, this type of traffic has little value and these are Google’s customers, not yours.
We need to understand how we can differentiate between instant answer traffic and users who want to consume content, and this is where we should be working.
Focus on creating content for people who don't want summaries or quick answers – for people who want to “read the book” and consume details and grow their knowledge.
“Just as the web disrupted the music and publishing industries, we are going through a change and we need to adapt. It's only a matter of time. It's not a matter of when, it's a matter of if.”
How can you leverage AIO and Google to build a content community?
I asked Pedro:
“If you want to embrace this new approach, you need to shift your user acquisition mindset from 'take all the traffic you can' to being selective and using Google to drive targeted traffic into your community.”
This is going to be a big change for some people. So how can we leverage Google to help make this happen?”
Pedro replied:
“Understanding how much 'Discovery' traffic Google takes away varies by industry. For example, the legal and accounting industries are dominated by consultants who understand the complex rules and act as gatekeepers for their industries.
AI can now be asked to explain complex laws on a wide range of topics, but if you have a specific scenario, you should still consult with an expert who can handle it.
AI can provide broader information, but experts are still needed for the details.
As SEO experts, we can create content that covers broad concepts that AI can leverage, and then build more detailed content for specific scenarios or questions.
This detailed content will be kept away from Google and the AI and restricted for our community and clients.
Every business needs to consider where they draw the line between what they offer for free and what they keep as a premium.
The advent of AI has created a distance between people who know something and the experts who provide the information.
The middle ground is disappearing.
The experts will remain, because the industry depends on their knowledge and research, and the rest will remain the rest.
Users can be divided into those who want to get a little information from AI and those who want to gain in-depth, specialized knowledge.
If you can identify where you fit into this scenario and strategize accordingly, you will be able to adapt.”
The basic rules never change
I think we can expect more experimentation from Google before they start employing AI in SERPs and SEO.
In times of great change, the most important thing we need to focus on are the fundamental rules that never change, and those fundamentals all revolve around how brands build direct relationships with their users.
For SEO pros, the mindset shift from chasing mass keyword traffic to looking at building a user journey and approaching it with relevant content can be difficult.
The old days of getting tons of traffic and rankings from one high volume keyword are becoming obsolete. Going forward, you'll need to work harder to achieve far fewer clicks. But those clicks will need to be far more relevant and useful.
Thanks to Pedro Dias for sharing his opinion and being a guest on IMHO.
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