How Google SGE is Impacting SERP — Point of View from Content Marketing

In the age of AI, Google is bringing different changes to its typical search and result-showing system. SGE or Search Generative Experience is one of the latest implementation that aims to change the search experience.

The ultimate goal of SGE is to keep the searchers within the search engine by providing the information directly in the SERP.

If you are in the content industry, you might feel threatened due to the reduction in organic clicks because of SGE.

This blog post will shed light on the overall scenario.

What is Google SGE?

The Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a special search result that shows up first on search engine pages, even before the featured snippet.

The result appears either in a single paragraph or in multiple paragraphs which is curated from multiple sources. The sources will be mentioned with the results.

Depending on what you search for, the result might look a bit different.

The places where the information comes from are listed below the SGE result. What’s cool is that along with the SGE result, there are extra questions related to the topic that you can click on to learn more.

How SGE is impacting the SERP?

The main goal of releasing SGE is to keep the users within the SERP instead of sending them to the websites.

Why?

Because Google wants to give the best experience within its platform and keep the users more in the SERP.

Featured snippet was also for the same reason but it was a very short answer. Compared to that, SGE has elaborate answers with related information.

Now consider yourself as a webmaster. You are creating content after hours of research but Google is not sending traffic to your website. Instead, it is providing the information within the search results.

It will surely reduce the traffic to websites, right?

Experts assume that it might reduce the overall traffic from search engines up to 30%. 

Especially, if your content is based on questions. If a user gets the answer within the SERP, he/she will never visit your website.

It negatively impacts the niche site and other website’s business. Content marketing is a big threat from SGE.

However, there is still enough opportunity to get traffic from search engines with some extra effort. The latter part of this post will explain the matter in detail.

Why might the audience like SGE rather than visiting the actual website?

With SGE, when you search for something, you can ask more detailed questions, quickly understand what you find, and even start doing things like writing or making pictures right from your search results.

It helps you find what you need faster and easier. SGE still connects you to great stuff on the web, but now it’s smarter and more helpful.

Searching or finding information becomes easier with this process.

Another trend is, people tend to spend less time on a single thing nowadays. Everyone wants the answer within a few seconds.

That’s the reason AI is getting popular.

How to get prepared in terms of SEO in the era of SGE?

It is unnecessary to say that you need to change your overall content marketing strategy to avoid a major impact from search generative experience. The best thing you can do is keep an eye on the current trends in content marketing.

Don’t adhere strictly to your old content marketing strategy.

Start conducting A/B testing with different styles of content. Not only that, but you should also focus on selecting the right topics that people would love to read in detail.

Another important fact is that Google shows the related sources from which it has curated the content. If you can list your website among those, there is a good chance that you will attract a significant portion of the traffic.

So, if your content provides in-depth analysis on a particular topic and users seek to know more, you can easily capture that traffic.

What is the future of SGE?

Google has never announced that it won’t continue developing SGE in the future. Instead, there is a good chance that the model will be modified and implemented to make the search engine more user-friendly.

Influencers who discuss the possibility of not launching SGE are only making assumptions.

They assume that showing detailed AI-generated answers on the SERP will discourage searchers from visiting actual websites, thus threatening Google’s ad revenue model.

However, in my opinion, SGE will revamp its current model and soon start showing ads in different places.

Currently, if you search for something and receive a SGE-generated answer, there is less chance of seeing an ad. But this will surely change soon. Therefore, it would be wise to start preparing now.

Final words

The verdict is that you need to prepare to see a significant traffic drop in the near future. To be ready for this, you need to adjust the amount of content you publish.

It’s not difficult to publish more pieces of content within a short time when you have the right AI content writing tool.

You should reduce spending on content and publish more, but focus on targeted traffic that requires in-depth analysis. Additionally, start building a list that will be yours, where you can promote your products or offers anytime.