Back in February, we released a blog looking at Google SGE. At that time, we were at the beginning of its journey, and eager to see how this introduction of AI would impact SEO, and the effects it might have on website traffic.
Six months later, after a name change, numerous location-based tests, and a lot of negative press, it feels as though we are now witnessing a more progressive (and, importantly, reliable) introduction of AI to support Google search results.
SGE today
The implementation of generative AI across Google has been considerably scaled back, as reported by Wired, following its launch back in May, but now it looks like Google’s AI Overview is here to stay.
Despite the scaled back version we see today, it looks like we are benefiting from a much more polished product. And as the system continues to improve and learns to deliver better results, we can only expect the use of AI in search results to increase.
The impact on businesses
So, what does this mean for marketers? Well, back in February, we also emphasised the importance of ensuring your company website is optimised and making sure you’re staying ahead of the curve of AI developments with best practices for SEO. This means understanding exactly how your website is performing for your business and adapting your strategy to match.
While the display has evolved slightly from the original SGE model, it appears that AI Overview still pulls information from top-ranking sites and links to them in the overview window at the top of searches.
For example, when we search “What is SEO?”, we get a complete AI Overview of what SEO is and a list of websites that talk about SEO, giving you a complete snapshot that helps you quickly understand a topic.
Although the full impact of what AI Overview will have on website traffic is still unclear, it's crucial that your business is ranking for relevant keywords to maintain visibility and ensure your business is the one AI pulls information from, rather than your competitors.
This means that everything from website audits, SEO optimisation and backlink building to content development will continue to play a crucial role in securing your position in search results, especially for topics that appear in Google's AI-generated overviews.
Are you ready for AI Overview?
If you’re interested in learning more about AI Overview and how Proactive PR can help improve your digital presence and SEO rankings, book a meeting with our Marketing Director, Jade Hush or email jade.hush@proactive-pr.com to learn more.
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