This is an excerpt from SEJ's e-book 'SEO Trends 2024', a collection of expert opinions on what to expect over the next 12 months.
As of this writing, Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) is still experimental. There is a lot of anxiety about how chatbots within the platform will affect his SEO results, traffic, and revenue if SGE becomes part of the default Google experience.
It seems like SGE's public release may be postponed indefinitely, but that doesn't mean there's no need to prepare.
Only time will tell the (SEO) impact of search engine user-facing AI features.
Instead of redirecting users to a website, many platforms provide users with the information they're looking for on the spot (remember when featured snippets first went viral?). , we're introducing new features to keep users on the platform.
On the other hand, users will always move off-platform as needed. Identifying when to provide users with the ideal in-platform experience and when to persuade them is critical to the success of both the platform and you.
Do not work for purposes other than those intended by the user. If they want answers right away, you can't steer them away from the path of least resistance.
But if your users want unique data, unique ideas, products, or complex solutions, you have an opportunity to differentiate yourself.
The ability to choose when to be your friend and when to be your enemy to generative AI can be the key to making your brand stand out across multiple search intents and types.
If I had to summarize these insights into three sentences, they would be:
- AI in search intention Performance across groups of queries, data collection, and platforms can be unbalanced.
- Search success relies on generative AI being discoverable and finding as many opportunities to expose your brand to users as possible.
- Humans are, and will continue to be, irreplaceable for setting SEO strategies in the new AI environment.
Optimized for in-platform experience
Andrew Chadwick, Founder of Keyword Insights
As the digital landscape evolves, SEO professionals should be aware of the growing shift from traditional search engine optimization (SEO) to search experience optimization (SXO).
Optimizing the in-platform experience
Historically, SXO revolved around improving the user experience of your website, but now it includes optimizing your content for the exact platform where your audience resides.
This evolution highlights the importance of understanding user behavior on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest while fine-tuning the overall user experience.
As Google strives to maintain user engagement within its ecosystem, businesses and SEO professionals must focus on creating content that is carefully designed for these platforms.
This is especially important as Google (and SGE) increasingly integrate diverse and dynamic content into their search results, as evidenced by the prominence of TikTok entries.
Content generation using AI
AI for content generation will become more prevalent in 2024. Although AI can help create content efficiently, SEO professionals and businesses must use it carefully.
To maintain credibility, AI-generated output must be balanced with personal experience, original thoughts, and unique insights.
Leveraging AI tools can save you time at certain points in the content process.
Building a strong brand presence
With Google's SERPs evolving rapidly, building a strong brand presence is critical.
Recognizable brands are more likely to attract clicks and may perform better when displayed by generative AI.
SEO professionals and businesses need to invest in brand-building efforts, collaborate with influencers, provide a great customer experience, and continually provide valuable content.
A strong brand can help reduce the impact of algorithm changes and drive sustained visibility and growth.
These trends reflect the evolving nature of SEO, with the focus shifting from simply optimizing for search engines to optimizing for the overall search experience and user preferences.
Companies that adapt to these trends will see great success with their SEO efforts in 2024 and beyond.
“10 Blue Links” SERP is a thing of the past
Eli Schwartz, Product-Driven SEO, Growth Advisor
Search Generative Experience (SGE) has the potential to change the entire search medium.
SEO is no longer just about 10 blue links or map results.
The development of the “search experience” has the potential to upend the entire process of how people use search to discover information on the Internet. It's unclear whether users will like this or not, but that doesn't matter because everything about search is changing.
These developments are good for some people and bad for others, but they certainly vary from person to person.
Relatedly, changes in the search experience may also lead to changes in market share trends. Can users migrate to his ChatGPT? Will they go to Bing? Things can always evolve.
These are things we need to consider in 2024. Unlike past years when the direction of exploration was clear, this time is different.
When this Pandora's box opens, anything can happen.
The human element of SEO may be irreplaceable, but we need to prepare for AI in search
Olga Zarr, SEO Consultant, SEOSLY
The most important SEO trend for 2024 is the rapid growth and continued influence of AI technologies such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Bard.
With developments such as GPT-4, DALL・E-3, and PaLM 2, it is clear that this trend will accelerate for some time.
Big changes in search
These advanced tools are changing the SEO landscape and are pushing us towards a more automated approach, whether we like it or not.
These changes raise an essential question: Is SEO as we know it today on the brink of becoming obsolete? Although it is unlikely to disappear overnight, we cannot ignore the significant changes that are occurring.
Major search engines such as Google (through Search Generative Experience) and Bing (through Bing Chat) are increasingly integrating AI-generated content into their search results. This is one of the most significant transformations we have seen in recent decades.
As SEO professionals, it’s important to stay on top of these changes and continually update your strategies and tools to leverage the power of AI. We need to find the perfect balance between leveraging our AI for efficiency and relying on human expertise for nuanced strategic decisions.
The human element in SEO is irreplaceable
Humans bring a level of understanding and analysis that AI cannot replicate, at least for now.
However, the SEO field is evolving and in the next 5-10 years you may not even recognize it. Nevertheless, the core of our work remains the same. It's about supporting connections between companies and customers.
Tools and platforms may change, but the need for a skilled AIO (artificial intelligence optimizer), SEO professional, or whatever they will be called in the future remains the same.
We must be prepared to adapt to new methods of SEO, measure our impact, and find innovative ways to increase our clients' visibility.
This might mean learning how to showcase your client’s content in AI-generated search results to help them stand out in this new landscape.
The rise of AI in SEO is a trend that cannot be ignored. It brings challenges and opportunities, but it is up to us to navigate these waters.
The SEO landscape is changing rapidly and our methods will need to evolve in 2024 and beyond, or we and our services will become obsolete.
Search generation experience can create data gaps
Patrick Stox, Ahrefs Product Advisor and Technical SEO
Click attribution challenges
You'll get fewer clicks and less data about clicks and rankings. At least, that's what Search Generative Experience (SGE) looks like.
People will probably be less likely to click through to your site for many queries.
I don't think search engines even provide ranking data. [any time soon] For these clicks. Even if there were, the content would be confusing, with multiple websites listed for each section.
Rank tracking challenges in SGE
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Rank trackers traditionally do not render results or require you to wait for results like SGE does. The cost of tracking SGE ranks can be much higher.
Meanwhile, SEO automation will become more mainstream in 2024 as machine learning gains more attention than ever before.
This makes the life of SEO professionals easier and frees them from many simple and time-consuming tasks.
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Featured image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
