Google Uses Artificial Intelligence in Potential Game Changing Experiment
The Google AI Experiment
Google has been revolutionizing the way we search for information online for decades. And with the emergence of Search Generative Experience (SGE), the search engine giant is seeking to take things up a notch! But what is SGE, and how does it impact small businesses? We will walk you through what this new experiment is all about and how this may impact your small business.
What is Search Generative Experience?
In simple terms, it is Google's experimental form of search engine experience that returns what it anticipates is the most useful information for what a user is searching for, regardless of the keywords they use. With SGE, Google aims to provide the most helpful and relevant results based on the searcher’s INTENT, rather than a literal, exact match for what the user searched. For example, if you search for “restaurants”, Google’s AI has “learned” that you are likely looking for restaurants nearby to go to at the time of your search.
You can see from this example, the experience that SGE provides the searcher is striving to be highly relevant and interactive. SGE returns hyperlocal restaurant options (“near me”), plus some other INTENT options. Say this searcher’s intent was to find the best restaurant in the immediate area, there’s a link to that in the middle of the 3-pack above the map. Likewise, if the searcher’s intent was to not only discover a hyperlocal restaurant, but to also make a reservation for this weekend, there are additional query links at the bottom of the SGE experience.
Let's talk about featured snippets - what are they?
Featured snippets are a big part of SGE.These are short answers to an inquiry which Google displays at the top of the search results. When Google displays a featured snippet for your website, you get added exposure and authority within your niche. It also means that your content helps to answer a user's query with high relevance. So, optimizing your content will increase your chances to appear in featured snippets, thus bringing increased exposure to your company. To achieve this, we suggest providing high-quality and concise answers to your audience's most common questions.
Mobile and Desktop searching
Google's SGE prioritizes mobile search results over desktop results. What does this mean for you? Your small business website must provide a seamless user experience on mobile devices, as more and more users turn to their smartphones to search for information online. Therefore, make your website's mobile capabilities to cater to your audience, regardless of the device they use to find your content.
The One Caveat: Googler Beware
As with ANY snippet on Google, the information contained in it may NOT be relevant or accurate… A snippet is literally a plagiarized reproduction of a source or sources on the internet based on what the artificial intelligence has deemed credible and trustworthy. Approach any snippet with a good dose of skepticism.
What does SGE mean for your small business?
It is more important than ever for you to understand the words and phrases (keywords) that your customers and potential customers are using to find what you do and use those in your website and other content. It means that if you continue to create highly relevant content for your target audience for your website, the greater the chance it can be discovered by potential customers.
In conclusion, Google's Search Generative Experience is seeking to change the way we search for information online by providing the searcher with a quick and (hopefully) highly relevant experience. Gone will be the days where we have to click into multiple sites to get the information we are searching for, instead finding it all in one place. As a small business owner, it's important to stay up-to-date with these changes. Understanding SGE and optimizing your website and content accordingly will help you reach a broader audience, gain credibility, and bring more leads to your business.
Not sure what keywords your target audience is using to find your business? Schedule a
FREE
discovery session here explore find out!
