Today we’re going to talk about a topic that’s causing a lot of buzz among marketing and SEO professionals: Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).
Have you ever wondered how Google search could be made even smarter and more efficient? That’s exactly what SGE promises!
Let’s understand together what this new resource is, how it came about, and how you can make the most of it to boost your SEO and digital marketing strategies.
What is Search Generative Experience?
Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a Google innovation that uses artificial intelligence to improve users’ search experience.
Unlike traditional searches, in which Google lists links as results, SGE generates more complete and contextualized answers, offering detailed summaries and relevant information directly on the results pages.
So it’s an experimental search experience that uses generative AI to provide users with quick and clear overviews of search topics, without the need to click through to individual web pages.
This can help with a variety of tasks, such as:
- By finding answers;
- Discovering topic overviews;
- Summarizing the main conclusions;
- Getting instructions on how to do it.
Initially only available to users in the United States (US), SGE has expanded its reach to more than 120 territories.
Users who opt for Google Labs in these regions will be able to access experimental features, with support for several languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Indonesian.
In November 2023, the update was released in Brazil and is available for testing. Take a look at how the search appears with the SGE activated:
What is it for?
Search Generative Experience serves to improve the quality of the answers provided by Google, making them more detailed and adapted to users’ needs.
In this way, the aim is to reduce the time users spend looking for information by presenting more complete and contextual answers. This is particularly useful for complex queries, where a simple list of links would not be enough to meet the user’s information needs.
The SGE search results will have links, images and next steps, as well as a conversation mode for asking follow-up questions. It will be possible to hover over specific words to get a preview of definitions and related diagrams or images.
How does Search Generative Experience impact on organic traffic?
The introduction of SGE brings significant changes to organic traffic. Traditional SEO strategies need to adapt to remain effective. Here are some of the main impacts:
- Greater emphasis on content quality: With SGE, Google values content that is detailed, accurate and relevant even more. This means that sites with high-quality content are more likely to stand out.
- Changes in clicks: Answers generated directly on the results page can reduce the number of clicks on websites, as users can get the information they need without leaving the search page.
- The importance of snippets: SGE uses snippets to generate its responses. Therefore, optimizing content to appear in snippets becomes even more crucial.
- Contextual review and site content: With SGE’s ability to contextually understand website review and content, search rankings will be much more than keywords and star ratings. The actual content in a specific context will be important.
How do I know if SGE is affecting my site?
To understand whether the Search Generative Experience (SGE) is having an impact on your site, you need to monitor certain parameters:
- Drop in organic traffic: A decrease in clicks from searches may indicate that users are finding the answers directly on the Google results page;
- Snippet analysis: Check if your content is appearing in the snippets generated by the SGE. Tools such as Google Search Console can help monitor these appearances;
- User engagement: Analyze the engagement metrics on your site, such as dwell time and bounce rate. Changes in these indicators can reflect the impact of SGE.
How to use Search Generative Experience?
To activate SGE in your browser, you need to be in Google Chrome. Then simply search for “Google Search Labs” directly on Google.
When you enter the page, you will have the option to “Explore Resources” and you will find the option below. To enable the SGE, simply click on “Activate”. After that, click on “Start Search” and start exploring the features of generative search!
Read also: Backlinks: what are they? How to get them?
Conclusion
Now that you know how to exploit SGE, start testing and understanding how it can help your content strategies.
From its ability to generate more complete and contextual responses to the way it is redefining SEO strategies, SGE is here to change the game.
For SEO professionals, copywriters, business owners and marketing managers, it’s essential to adapt to these changes. Invest in high-quality content, optimized for snippets and always relevant.
Keep a close eye on your site’s performance, using tools such as Google Search Console, and be ready to adjust your strategies as necessary.
SGE is a powerful reminder that innovation is constant and that keeping up to date is crucial to staying competitive in the digital world. See you in the next article! 😉
