Artificial Intelligence is going to radically change SEO
Artificial intelligence and tools like ChatGPT are already a part of our daily lives. One upcoming development that is going to have a big impact is the use of AI by online search engines. In America, Google is running a test of its Search Generative Experience (SGE) interface. Clearly, AI is going to revolutionise SEO. What is in store for us and how can you capitalise on it?
Tailor-made answers
Learning capability allows the SGE interface to use original online content such as text, images, video or podcasts as input to answer a search question. Previously you used to use keywords in a Google search. In the future you will ask more open-ended questions. For example, at the moment you do a search on ‘rumen protected fats’. In the future it will be much more specific: ‘What rumen protected fatty acids can I best feed in a grass-rich ration?’ The answer will then be tailored to your question. So instead of a link to a website, the search engine will already give you the answer to your question.
Organic results lower on the page
SGE displays complete answers for you at the top of the results page in the form of a snapshot. This snapshot consists of a summary in text and images of the most important information about the topic. In addition, it offers the option to ask follow-up questions and/or you can click on some ready-made questions. Furthermore, unlike ChatGPT, Google shows which source(s) it used to formulate the answer. It is therefore important to be identified as a ‘trusted source’ if you are a provider of information.
SEO is changing
The answer is displayed in a coloured frame: Google makes sure its answer is clearly visible! Below the generated answers, the search engine displays the sponsored search results, i.e. paid content. Below that the organic results are shown. SEO still makes sense, but competition to appear at the top of page 1 will continue to increase. As users no longer have to scroll or click, the number of website visits via Google will decrease. But this does not mean the end of SEO as we know it.
Getting to know the target group better
How can you capitalise on this? First of all, it is even more important to know your target group's keywords and questions. Then, make sure this forms the basis for the content on your website. Tailor-made relevant and reliable content in the target group's (professional) language will become even more important for SEO than before. You will also have to do your own research for this: test keywords on search engines, ask questions your target group wants answers to and check which answers Google generates with AI.
Anticipating AI
New developments in search engines can be a reason to take a critical look at your website. Is the information relevant and does it answer the questions you want to be found on. To find the right answer, the AI generator not only uses text, but also looks at photos, infographics, videos and podcasts. As long as it is relevant to the target group. For those who respond best to this, AI is not a threat but rather offers lots of new
Testing phase of the SGE interface
Google's use of the SGE interface is still in the testing phase and the tech giant is still using it exclusively in the United States. It is not yet known what it will look like exactly, but it does show the direction Google is taking.
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