Google I/O 2023: What is SGE and How Does It Affect SEO?

Introdution

Google I/O is a renowned annual developer conference organized by Google, where the company showcases its latest innovations and technologies. This year, Google I/O 2023 took place on Wednesday, May 10, and one of the most exciting announcements was the introduction of SGE (Search Generative Experience), a new way to search with generative AI .

But what is SGE exactly, and how does it affect SEO? In this article, we will explain what SGE is, how it works, and what implications it has for SEOs who want to optimize their websites for Google’s AI solution.

What is SGE and how does it work?

SGE is an experimental project from Google that uses generative AI to help users understand a topic faster, discover new perspectives, and perform tasks more easily . Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content or data based on existing information, such as text, images, or audio.

SGE is an opt-in feature that users can access through Search Labs, a new section in Google where they can try early experiments in Search. SGE is currently only available in the US (English) on Chrome desktop and the Google app (Android or iOS) .

When users opt into SGE, they can use Search in a different way. Instead of typing keywords or queries, they can ask natural language questions or state their intents, such as “what’s better for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, bryce canyon or arches” or “I want to buy a laptop for gaming”.

SGE then uses generative AI to provide an AI-powered overview of the topic, with factors to consider and pointers to explore more. For example, for the question about bryce canyon or arches, SGE might show a snapshot of key information such as distance, weather, activities, fees, and accessibility for both national parks.

Below the overview, users can see suggested next steps, including the ability to ask follow-up questions in a conversational mode. For example, they can ask “How long to spend at Bryce Canyon with kids?” or “What are the best trails at Arches?”. SGE will carry over the context from previous questions and provide relevant answers.

Users can also access web content and a range of perspectives that they can dig into. For example, they can see blog posts, reviews, videos, or social media posts about the topic they are searching for.

SGE also helps users shop with generative AI. When searching for a product, users can get a snapshot of noteworthy factors to consider and products that fit the bill. For example, when searching for a laptop for gaming, SGE might show a summary of important features such as processor speed, graphics card, memory, battery life, and price range.

SGE also generates product descriptions that include relevant reviews, ratings, prices, and images. These descriptions are based on Google’s Shopping Graph, which has more than 35 billion product listings from various sources.

How does SGE affect SEO?

SGE is a game-changer for SEO because it changes how users search and how Google delivers results. Instead of relying on keywords or queries, users can use natural language and conversational interactions to find what they are looking for. Instead of getting a list of links or snippets, users can get AI-generated overviews and summaries that provide more information and context.

Here are some of the ways that SGE could affect SEO:

• The importance of keyword research will decline. In the past, keyword research was essential for SEO. Businesses would identify the keywords that their target audience was searching for and then optimize their website content for those keywords. However, SGE is able to understand the meaning of search queries, so it will no longer be necessary to focus on keywords.

• The importance of content quality will increase. SGE will only generate summaries for high-quality content. This means that businesses will need to focus on creating content that is informative, well-written, and engaging.

• The importance of backlinks will decline. Backlinks have traditionally been one of the most important ranking factors in SEO. However, SGE is able to assess the quality of websites and content, so it will no longer be necessary to focus on building backlinks.

In addition to SGE, Google also announced a number of other changes that could affect SEO. These changes include:

• The introduction of new ranking factors. Google is constantly updating its ranking algorithm, so it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest changes.

• The increased importance of mobile search. More and more people are using their mobile devices to search for information. This means that businesses need to make sure that their website is optimized for mobile search.

• The growing importance of voice search. Voice search is becoming increasingly popular. This means that businesses need to create content that is optimized for voice search.

This means that SEOs need to adapt their strategies and tactics to optimize their websites for Google’s AI solution. Here are some tips on how to do that:

• Focus on user intent and natural language. Keywords are still important for SEO, but they are not enough. SEOs need to understand the intent behind each question or statement that users might use to search for their products or services. They also need to use natural language that matches how users speak or write. This will help Google’s generative AI understand the content and provide relevant answers.

• Provide comprehensive and useful content. Google’s generative AI will use various sources of information to create overviews and summaries for users. This means that SEOs need to provide comprehensive and useful content that covers all aspects of the topic they are targeting. They also need to update their content regularly to keep it fresh and accurate. This will help Google’s generative AI find and use their content as a source of information.

• Optimize for different formats and devices. Google’s generative AI will deliver results in different formats depending on the user’s device and preference. For example, some users might prefer text overviews, while others might prefer images or videos. SEOs need to optimize their content for different formats and devices, such as using responsive design, adding alt text, captions, and transcripts, and using schema markup. This will help Google’s generative AI display their content in the best way possible.

• Build authority and trust. Google’s generative AI will also consider the authority and trustworthiness of the sources it uses to generate results. This means that SEOs need to build authority and trust for their websites, such as by getting backlinks from reputable sites, providing clear and transparent information about their business, and following Google’s quality guidelines. This will help Google’s generative AI recognize their websites as reliable and credible sources.

Conclusion

SGE is a new way to search with generative AI that Google introduced at Google I/O 2023. It allows users to ask natural language questions or state their intents, and get AI-generated overviews and summaries that provide more information and context. It also helps users shop with generative AI by showing them noteworthy factors and products to consider.

SGE affects SEO because it changes how users search and how Google delivers results. SEOs need to adapt their strategies and tactics to optimize their websites for Google’s AI solution. They need to focus on user intent and natural language, provide comprehensive and useful content, optimize for different formats and devices, and build authority and trust.

SGE is still an experimental project that is only available in the US (English) on Chrome desktop and the Google app (Android or iOS). Users can sign up for Search Labs to access SGE in the next few weeks . SEOs should keep an eye on this new feature and how it evolves over time, as it might become the future of Search.

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