Things Have Gotten Weird in Google!
The world of search engine optimization (SEO) has undergone a significant shift as Google’s AI Overviews, an offshoot of its search generative experience (SGE) experiment, becomes more prevalent in its search results.
AI responses have become more dominant in recent months in Google Search, leading to changes in SEO strategies for businesses and digital marketers alike.
Clearly, it’s essential for digital marketing professionals and SEO pros to understand the best approach required for generative AI and how it will impact the industry.
Here, I’ll provide an overview of AI Overviews, its capabilities and potential implications on SEO, and how businesses can optimize their content and website performance accordingly.
We’ll look at how AI mode affects key performance indicators (KPIs), content creation strategies, link-building tactics, and contextual authority.
By understanding these elements thoroughly and implementing them effectively, businesses can stay ahead of the competition while navigating through this new era of SEO with something approaching “ease”.
Google AI Overview Rollout Timeline and Current Status
Google first unveiled their SGE news at Google I/O in May 2023, marking the beginning of what I consider the most significant shift in search since mobile-first indexing. The initial rollout was limited to U.S. users through Search Labs, Google’s experimental playground for testing new features.
Throughout 2023, Google gradually expanded access, with a notable acceleration in early 2024 when they pushed SGE to more U.S. users and began testing it in mobile search results. You’ve probably noticed what have now become known as “AI Overviews”, or summaries, appearing at the top of your search results for more complex queries.
Google hasn’t been shy about their strategy either. They’re using AI Overviews (I’ll start using the acronym “AIO”) with complex, information-seeking queries and expanding to simpler searches.
The format typically shows up at the top of search results, pushing traditional blue links further down the page.
What matters for your business is that AIO isn’t just an experiment anymore. It’s becoming a permanent fixture in the search landscape, and the time to adapt your SEO strategy is now, not later.
Google’s AIOs, and the underlying Search Generative Experience (SGE) technology is the latest AI advancement in natural language processing and machine learning, allowing users to receive personalized responses tailored to their individual queries. Digital marketers must adapt their strategies accordingly in order to ensure query relevance and provide a positive user experience.
With AIO, the ratio of generative to non-generative (the usual blue links in the SERPs) responses has plummeted, making it necessary for SEO efforts to focus on mid-funnel rather than top-of-funnel optimization.
Query reporting will become obsolete as a metric for SEO success, and the thorny metric revenue from organic search (with clicks as the leading metric) will become more important.
To get through this brave new world, you need to understand exactly how AIO works. When Google serves an AIO result, it generates a concise AI summary at the top of the page that directly answers the user’s query.
Unlike featured snippets that pull from a single source, AIOs synthesize information from multiple websites.
What’s interesting for your website’s visibility is that AIOs include clickable citations to source websites. These citations appear as small links within the AI-generated content, providing potential traffic pathways to your site.
The system also offers follow-up questions to refine searches, keeping users engaged with the AI interface longer.
AIO results blend both text and visual content in responses, making visual assets increasingly valuable for SEO. And yes, traditional search results still appear below the AI-generated content, but they’re pushed significantly down the page, affecting click-through rates for organic listings.
Users can expand or collapse AIOs, giving them control over how much AI-generated content they want to see. This flexibility means your standard SEO efforts aren’t wasted, but they now compete with a powerful new element at the top of the SERP.
Why do I say “thorny”? Because businesses must accurately report a given prospect’s conversion to a client, and thereafter actual revenue, and this is a challenge for a few reasons:
- HIPAA and other privacy concerns
- Lack of pricing visibility within the business and with the agency (sometimes, even the business doesn’t know what their actual revenue was!)
- In certain cases, a lack of motivation to share successes with the agency.
But, these are challenges for a different article. Suffice it to say that forecasting revenue and reporting on revenue is a two-way street between the business and your digital marketing agency.
Forecasting based on queries has never really been effective, save to show general progress. There needs to be a tighter integration between what happened on the website, and what happened for the business.
Moola.
Links and SEO will change in a more personal search world where relevance and topical authority are the most significant factors in ranking algorithms.
AIO responses are fundamentally different from featured snippets and knowledge panels we’ve grown accustomed to. While featured snippets pull information from a single source, SGE responses synthesize information from multiple sources, presenting a more comprehensive answer.
AIOs will likely replace traditional featured snippets in search results, potentially changing the value of optimizing for position zero. If you’ve built your strategy around capturing featured snippets, you’ll need to rethink that approach.
Google has stated that AIOs are designed to complement rather than replace traditional search results. However, the reality is that AIOs push organic results further down the page, potentially reducing their visibility and click-through rates.
This author’s opinion is that, in a world where anything can be generated (regurgitated), link-building will become even more critical than it has been to date. After all, if anyone can crank out content, but not just anyone can get a website to link to theirs, well…what’s the best measure of calories burned?
Getting a backlink.
The KPIs They Are A-Changin’
Measuring revenue as a key performance indicator (KPI) for optimizing organic traffic in the context of AI-generated responses within search engine results pages (SERPs) warrants further exploration.
It’s also a bit of a nightmare, as most businesses are — let’s say charitably — not very good at reporting revenue to their digital marketing agencies.
With the rise of generative AI, traditional forecasting methods and query reporting may become obsolete, making it difficult to track SEO success. As such, clicks and conversion tracking may no longer be sufficient metrics for measuring organic growth.
Revenue attribution can potentially serve as a more reliable KPI for SEO success. By focusing on revenue generated from organic search rather than clicks or impressions, businesses can better understand the impact of their SEO efforts on their bottom line.
Should we attribute clicks for “Boomcycle” to “SEO”? Probably not. This is a search by someone who’s already heard of us, either from other TOFU search queries or one of the dozens of other branding opportunities we have such as Facebook Ads or in-person networking.
David Victor, Boomcycle Digital Marketing
Either way, calculating the total addressable market (TAM) can provide a more accurate forecast for future revenue growth in the face of changing search algorithms and user behavior.
As generative AI becomes more prevalent in SERPs, businesses would be well-advised to (at long last) pivot their AIO strategies toward revenue-focused metrics to stay ahead of the curve.
Content Creation
Content creation strategies that focus on mid-funnel engagement, such as People Also Ask (PAA) and People Also Searched For (PASF) in Google, can be effective in optimizing organic traffic in the context of AI-generated responses within search engine results pages (SERPs).
And while initially the future was not looking so bright for affiliate marketing and their “money pages”, it appears Google has (at least as of this update to my article!) turned things around a bit, and these results look straight outta 2018. Yee-haw!
In addition to keyword clustering, competitor analysis, and trend analysis, this information can provide insights into what users are searching for and what information they need to move further down the funnel.
By creating content that answers these questions and provides valuable information to users, businesses can increase their relevance and topical authority within their industry.
Utilizing People Also Ask and follow-up questions also allows for a more personalized approach to content creation.
Rather than simply targeting keywords or topics, businesses can provide specific answers to user queries based on their individual needs.
As generative AI becomes more prevalent in search results, this type of personalized approach may become even more important for SEO success.
Additionally, by focusing on mid-funnel engagement rather than just top-of-funnel awareness, businesses may see an increase in qualified leads and conversions from organic search traffic.
I’ve found that structured data implementation is becoming even more valuable in this AIO-dominated era. LLMs apparently love structured data, and properly implemented schema markup helps Google and other LLMs better understand your content, increasing the likelihood of inclusion in AI-generated responses.
Google has confirmed that schema helps their systems interpret page content more accurately. For your business, this means implementing relevant schemas like FAQ, HowTo, and Product markup should be a priority.
When Google’s AI evaluates sources for inclusion in generated responses, pages with clear structured data have an advantage.
Think of schema as your content’s translator, helping Google’s AI quickly determine if your page answers the user’s question. The payoff can be significant: being cited in an AIO response can drive traffic even when you’re not ranking #1 organically.
Link Strategies
Effective link strategies in the context of AI-generated responses within search engine results pages involve focusing on relevance and topical authority, seeking out sites in contextual neighborhoods for links.
In a world where generative AI becomes more prevalent, traditional link-building tactics may not be as effective as before.
Anchor text will still be important, but it will need to match the topical authority of the page being linked to rather than just using exact match keywords — which Google may see as link spam anyway. This sort of “topical link relevance” will become increasingly important as Google’s algorithm becomes better at understanding content and its relationships.
Domain diversity is another factor that may become less significant with generative AI. Instead of having a large number of links from different domains, trust signals such as brand mentions or social media engagement may carry more weight when determining topical authority.
Finally, outreach for link building should focus on building relationships rather than just acquiring backlinks.
Quick handy hint: If your business does business primarily with local customers, you are topically related to other local businesses in your area — the topic? Geography!
David Victor, Boomcycle Digital Marketing
By networking with relevant websites and creating high-quality content that naturally attracts links, SEO strategists can adapt their link-building tactics to the changing landscape of search engines.
Overall, while traditional SEO tactics such as link building are still relevant in today’s search environment, it is important to recognize that they will need to evolve along with new technologies like generative AI. Strategists who focus on relevance and topical authority while also fostering strong relationships with other websites stand to benefit most from these changes.
Topical Authority
As the landscape of search engines evolves with new technologies, there is a growing emphasis on topical authority as a key factor in effective link strategies.
In order to establish relevance and topical authority, it is important to focus on niche areas and expert positioning within those areas. This involves creating high-quality content that not only provides valuable information but also showcases expertise in the field.
Additionally, community involvement can help to build credibility and establish strong connections within the industry. User Generated Content has gotten a bad name in the past decade in SEO, but it’s important to engage users with your website in some way, as Google takes note of those interactions.
And again, local relevance plays an important role in topical authority as well. It is crucial for businesses to optimize their online presence for location-based searches by including relevant keywords, creating localized content, and building relationships with other businesses in the same geographic area.
By focusing on these factors and establishing a strong contextual neighborhood, businesses can increase their chances of ranking higher in search results and ultimately drive more traffic to their website through organic search.
E-E-A-T and Its Importance in AIO
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) have taken on heightened importance. Google added “Experience” to their quality guidelines in December 2022, and this addition wasn’t coincidental as they prepared for the SGE/AIO rollout.
Demonstrating first-hand experience is particularly valuable now. Google wants to cite sources that truly know what they’re talking about, not just those who’ve cobbled together information from other sources.
This means your content needs to show real-world expertise that can’t be faked.
Websites that clearly establish author expertise, site authority, and content trustworthiness are more likely to be used as sources in AIO responses. For your business, this means prominently featuring author credentials, case studies, and testimonials that verify your expertise.
Structured data and clear author bios help establish these E-E-A-T signals. I recommend implementing proper schema markup for authors, organizations, and articles to help Google connect the dots between your content and your expertise.
When Google’s AI decides which sources to trust and cite in AIO responses, E-E-A-T signals serve as a key filtering mechanism. The higher your perceived E-E-A-T, the better your chances of being featured in SGE responses and driving traffic from them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will the use of generative AI impact the traditional SEO approach?
The use of generative AI will have a significant impact on the traditional approach to SEO optimization. As search engines evolve, AI optimization is becoming increasingly important for businesses looking to improve their search engine rankings.
The personalization impact of generative AI means that content creation must be tailored to meet individual user needs and preferences, which requires algorithm adaptation. In order to remain competitive in this new landscape, it will be necessary for businesses to focus on creating relevant and high-quality content that meets the needs of users while also adhering to best practices for SEO optimization.
Additionally, links and domain authority may not be as crucial as they once were, as relevance and topical authority become more important factors in determining search engine rankings.
What are some potential consequences of the shift toward mid-funnel SEO strategies?
Content optimization is an essential component of any successful SEO strategy. However, with the shift towards mid-funnel SEO strategies, it is becoming increasingly important to focus on user intent and audience targeting.
This involves not only creating high-quality content that resonates with your target audience but also ensuring that it aligns with their interests and preferences. Additionally, brand awareness and conversion rate are critical factors to consider when optimizing content for search engine rankings.
By developing a comprehensive understanding of your target audience and tailoring your content accordingly, you can improve your chances of success in today’s highly competitive online landscape.
How does the calculation of the total addressable market (TAM) differ from traditional query forecasting for SEO?
Market analysis, SEO targeting, competitive research, forecasting methods and keyword selection are crucial components of a successful SEO strategy.
The calculation of the total addressable market (TAM) is an alternative to traditional query forecasting for SEO. TAM involves identifying the potential size and value of a specific market and analyzing the competition within that market in order to determine which keywords and phrases will be most effective for SEO targeting.
Competitive research helps identify relevant sites in contextual neighborhoods for link-building purposes, while keyword selection relies on understanding user intent and behavior through data analysis.
Forecasting methods will have to evolve with the rise of generative AI as query reporting becomes obsolete as a metric for SEO success. As such, revenue from organic search should be used as a KPI with clicks as a leading metric (Good luck getting those numbers from your busy clients, SEO pros!)
What changes should be made to link-building strategies in a more personal search world?
In the current landscape of search engine optimization, link building strategies are evolving in response to the trend towards personalization techniques.
Rather than relying solely on domain authority, websites are now judged based on their relevance and topical authority within a contextual neighborhood.
Social signals and user intent are also becoming more important factors in determining search rankings.
Local SEO is another key consideration, as search engines prioritize results that are geographically relevant to the user.
In this environment, content quality is paramount for success in link building efforts, as it must be tailored to meet the specific needs and interests of individual users.
How might the use of generative AI impact Google’s market share in the search engine industry?
The impact of generative AI on Google’s market share in the search engine industry is a topic of concern for, well, certainly, Google. Market competition will undoubtedly increase as other search engines implement similar technology, and user experience may become more personalized but also potentially limited by algorithm updates.
Data privacy concerns may also arise as generative AI requires significant amounts of data to function effectively. However, content creation may be revolutionized as generative AI can offer new ideas and perspectives for SEO optimization. Google’s ace-in-the-hole is its vast amount of data.
Ultimately, the success of Google’s adoption of generative AI will depend on its ability to balance these factors while maintaining relevance and trust with users.
SEOs: Get Ready to Rumble!
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize the world of search engine optimization (SEO). With Google’s recent shift to more and more AIOs, SEO professionals need to shift their focus from top-of-funnel to mid-funnel, with revenue from organic search as a crucial KPI.
This change in approach requires a new emphasis on content creation that appeals to generative AI and contextual authority through link strategies. These changes will impact the industry significantly, and SEO professionals must adapt quickly.
To succeed in this new era of SEO, businesses need to prioritize revenue generation from organic search and consider TAM for forecasting purposes. Content creation should be centered around generating a response that aligns with generative AI while maintaining relevance and quality.
Link-building strategies should prioritize relevant and authoritative links that establish contextual authority rather than simply focusing on quantity. Overall, the emergence of generative AI in Google’s search results presents an exciting opportunity for businesses willing to adapt their approach to SEO.
By focusing on mid-funnel tactics like revenue KPIs, content creation, link strategies, and contextual authority, businesses can thrive in this new era of optimized search rankings.
