[author: Julie Lorson]
Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) has evolved, ushering in a new era with AI Overviews. Publicly available in the U.S. on May 14, 2024, and expected to roll out globally by the end of the year, these AI-generated search results will revolutionize how we interact with search engines. In this blog post, we explore AI Overviews and its impact on SEO, specifically for law firms.
What is AI Overview?
Google's AI Summary is an AI-powered response to a search query that appears at the top of a search result page. Unlike traditional featured snippets that pull information from a single source, AI Summary aggregates data from multiple web pages. This is made possible by Google's Gemini large-scale language model (LLM), which synthesizes content into a cohesive answer.
A distinctive feature of AI Overview is its transparency. Unlike ChatGPT, Google's AI highlights the source of the information and provides a carousel of websites where the data originated. This feature allows users to click to explore the original source, providing a richer and more reliable search experience.
AI Overview Example
For example, a query like “flu symptoms” not only lists common symptoms but also provides detailed descriptions and direct links to the original sources, saving time and effort and improving the searcher experience while ensuring the information is comprehensive and reliable.
Benefits of AI Overview
1. Rapid access to information
AI summaries are concise summaries of information from multiple web pages, meaning searchers can get a quick overview of a topic without having to sift through numerous articles.
2. Transparency of sources
Including source links in your AI summaries adds credibility and allows users to further verify and research the information.
3. Contextual Relevance
AI-generated answers are tailored to the searcher's specific query, presenting information in the most helpful order.
A brief look at the future of AI
Google envisions AI Overviews as the future of search, where users can get comprehensive answers to complex queries with a single search. Future benefits include:
- Multi-stage inferenceAI Overview handles more complex queries and provides detailed answers that would otherwise require multiple searches.
- Video Search: Users can add context to their searches by uploading videos, making search results more relevant and accurate.
- Personalized search results: In certain verticals, like local search and travel planning, AI summaries can take up a larger portion of the search results page, reducing the prominence of traditional blue links.
- Customize your information: Searchers can adjust the level of detail in their AI summary using the “Original”, “Simple” and “Detailed” options.
What does this mean for law firm SEO?
1. Adapting to AI-driven search
Law firms need to recognize that AI summaries will change the way people find information, and traditional SEO techniques such as featured snippet optimization will need to evolve to ensure visibility of AI-generated results.
2. Content relevance and authority
Because the AI Brief pulls content from multiple sources, law firms should focus on creating high-quality, reliable content. Ensuring that your web pages contain a wealth of valuable information will increase your chances of being included in the AI Brief.
3. Improved user experience
Given Google’s focus on user experience, law firms should prioritize creating content that is not only informative but also engaging and easy to navigate. Incorporating multimedia elements such as videos and infographics can make your content more engaging.
4. Local SEO
For law firms targeting local clients, local SEO optimization becomes even more important: having your firm appear in AI summaries for local legal inquiries can drive tons of traffic and potential clients.
5. Ethical Considerations
Law firms need to be aware of the ethical implications of AI-generated content. As users become increasingly reliant on AI-generated answers for legal information, maintaining transparency and accuracy of content will be essential.
Highlights:
The introduction of Google's AI brief marks a major shift in the search engine optimization landscape. For law firms, this brings both challenges and opportunities. By focusing on creating high-quality, authoritative content and adapting to the new AI-driven search environment, law firms can maintain and even improve their online visibility.