As a local business owner, it will be important that, with Google’s latest SGE, you leverage your local SEO strategies to comply with the SGE for maximum visibility, organic traffic, and growth in revenue. The good news is that with your business having been working on best practices for local SEO and content marketing, this would mean you are well set for the opportunity which the SGE is presenting.
Artificial Intelligence is continuously changing the working of digital marketing. A search engine undergoes continuous change to make the result of user queries more interactive and direct.
The Search Generative Experience is still an experimental setup for a search engine that, for now, is made available through Google Labs in 120 countries. It is going to revolutionise the way people interact with results, as it will directly embed users’ queries into Google’s interface and provide a far more interactive experience with results that may include text, images, and links.
These are the AI technologies in generative experiences in search that have touched several dimensions, including Natural Language Processing, machine learning, and deep learning, making generative search engines understand users’ queries, process them, and respond with appropriate answers.
The Search Generative Experience
Traditional search engine results usually respond to user’s queries with a list of links relevant to a user’s question, These links allow them to explore deeper into the search result to find the best answer but the objective of Search Generative Experience (SGE) goes beyond displaying links. It is powered by advanced AI and language models, which allows Search Generative Experience to:
- Synthesise Information: SGE doesn’t just provide relevant websites where users can find answers to their queries; it analyses web page content to extract specific facts and insights then responds with a concise answer directly in the search results. It’s proved more relevant information to search queries than just navigation web pages for answers to queries.
- Understand User Intent: SGE seeks to interpret the intent behind a user’s search; it goes beyond keywords to understand the reason behind the user’s query. This means local businesses should focus on problem-solving rather than mere sales pitches.
- Offer Creative Solutions: In some cases, Search Generative Experience can suggest solutions by showing a trend towards proactive problem-solving. However, this can also lead to AI hallucinations.
- Detailed Answers: At times, one question does not reveal an adequate response. SGE allows for follow-up questions or deeper explorations that are especially necessary in such diverse industries.
From the standpoint of local search, SGE improves things with a module called Places—sort of a local pack including citations, reviews, and other information relevant to local business. According to the recent study by BrightEdge, almost half of SGE results included a Places module in February 2024, although that presence was more prevalent in food-and-travel-orientated searches than in other B2B and entertainment queries.
How Does Search Generative Experience Work?
Let me explain how the Search Generative Experience works, taking a typical user searching for “Best Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants Near Me” as a possible example.
Here’s how SGE might work on that query example:
Geolocation Detection: Firstly, Search Generative Experience will access real-time geolocation to pull in the user proximity of (“near me”).
Information Retrieval: It will then crawl pizza restaurant sites, food recipe blogs, local park authority pages, etc., but with a focus on the user’s region.
“Pepperoni” Emphasis: Search Generative Experience then finds material within these sources that actually deals with pepperoni and not just general pizza information.
It will then list a shortlist of suggested pepperoni pizzas, their recipes, a restaurant selling pizzas, and how to make pizza that the Search Generative Experience has collected from websites, images from relevant pages, and probably information on relevant restaurant locations and services guide.
This gives local restaurants that sell pizza-related foods or products the opportunity to appear in the search results, provided they publish relevant, trustworthy, and helpful content that Google can reference.
The Impact of Search Generative Experience on Local Search Results
How is Search Generative Experience changing local search results pages (SERPs)?
Google Business Profile: When organic website traffic goes down, a properly functioning GBP will become crucial, complete with updated information and positive reviews with meaningful content for companies who need to be visible online.
Featured Snippet: Organisations with clear, correct, and appropriate content answering users’ questions will find themselves taking advantage of the feature snippet, boosting online visibility.
Map Packs: While classic local Map Packs are still relevant, Search Generative Experience provides a place module based on search type. The module includes businesses represented in the Map Pack and adds more to provide full answers to users’ questions.
Long-Tail Keywords: According to a preliminary study by Search Engine Ranking, Search Generative Experience tends to prioritize long-tail keywords, where user intent is clearer and more specific.
Emphasise User Intent: Search engines will gain more capacity to understand why people are searching. Location-based searches like “near me” or a certain location would still be relevant.
Traditional Results: The habit of listing websites has been reduced since the emergency of SGE, though they won’t disappear. Some websites may face up to a 50% decrease in organic search traffic. But this change made us believe that a search-generative experience can attract high-quality organic traffic since it answers user queries with more detailed information compared to the traditional search engine.
How Business Can Be Successful in the Search Generative Experience Era
The path to success for business in this era of search-generative experience involves optimization of its online presence by publishing quality, relevant content; showing its experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T); and optimizing multi-media content such as images and videos.
Here are specific areas to focus on:
Optimize Your Listings: Complete and accurate business information is important on your Google Business Profile and other local listing platforms. Most local businesses take GBP and local directories for granted, though it can be just as- or even more-important than their website.
Become a Review Magnet: Positive reviews and high ratings play a significant role in the Search Generative Experience assessment of your business. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and promptly respond to all feedback by showing your commitment to excellent service quality.
Audit FAQs: Start by noting which questions are most frequently asked by your clients. It will further convert such answers into independent publications on your website or blog. For instance, a local automobile repair workshop has regular receipts of questioners over queries related to options for oil changes. They can create content specifically for the same. A really informative FAQ page that deals with how to change automobile engine oil is what they could provide.
Proper Use of Structured Data: Structured data is the source upon which search engines crawl the internet. Properly implemented Schema markup code on your website provides Google with structured data about your business, therefore offering more solid understanding of your content.
The Schema markup code eliminates any ambiguity in your structure data by providing a kind of “instruction manual” for search engines. It acts as an organized label that specifies details such as:
- Business Category: Is used for a restaurant, a retail store, or a service provider like a plumber.
- Location: It provides precise address details rather than just the city name.
- Operating Hours: Used for displaying clear information about your business hours and any holiday schedule changes.
- Services: A detailed list of the services you offer.
- Reviews and Ratings: Aggregated star ratings from your website or other sources.
- Additional Information: Here, Schema can be used to provide other information like a list of menus, pricing, upcoming events, and more.
While Search Generative Experience is a new search engine technology that is subjected to changes as time goes on, Schema provides a standardized format. This ensures that even if the search engine result page changes, your fundamental data will remain easily accessible and comprehensible during crawling.
Keyword Research: Remember, your keyword research needs to be more comprehensive than just generic service or product-related keywords. Think about what kind of problems your target audience Googles, which your business can solve. Understand what kind of questions they ask in your niche, and produce content on the basis of long-tail keywords that answer these questions directly.
Clearly Answer Questions: Again, there is a structure of question-and-answer formats. You can create FAQs or clear content sections that answer common questions and have higher chances of showing up in the results through the Search Generative Experience.
Focus on Hyperlocal Content: Highlight your specific neighborhood and surrounding areas in your content to improve your local relevance. Collaborate with other local businesses or participate in community events to strengthen your local authority.
Focus on Mobile-First: With the prevalence of mobile-first searches, especially for local queries, it is similarly important that your website loads fast and is optimized for smaller screens, namely mobile and tablet.
E-E-A-T is Essential: Expertise, Experience, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are essential for Search Generative Experience. Your content must be accessible to SGE and you must prove that you have a deep understanding of your offerings or services. In addition, display any certifications, awards, or endorsements that can validate your trustworthiness, not just on your website but also on reputable external platforms.
Optimise Visual Content: Use descriptive file names and alt-text for images and videos. You can also use location data where relevant, as these are likely to feature in Search Generative Experience results. In addition, put up image captions, video transcripts, and show visuals that represent your local area and help illustrate your local identity.
Building Authority with Links: Link building is the necessary part of any good local SEO strategy, outbound—albeit linking to reputable and relevant local/niche websites—and inbound—from websites in the same niche, so as to give Google more signals of a business’s local online visibility and industry focus, hence boosting its authority in the industry.
For example:
- A local med spa using particular equipment in its services can provide a link to a specific product page at a given manufacturer’s website.
- The same med spa can buy a listing and link directly to its service page in a partner directory on the manufacturer’s website.
AI Content Generation: Although there is a push for more content creation and the emergence of generative AI, it’s important not to rely only on AI-generated content. A recent Google algorithm update penalised many websites that took this shortcut. Your focus should always be on quality rather than quantity.
Here are some reasons why AI-generated content often falls short in quality:
Accuracy Issues: AI-generated content may lack factual accuracy, especially in specific or niche topics. This can impact your E-A-T, thereby harming your online reputation. So ensure thorough fact-checking before you publish any content on your website.
Lack of Originality: The contents that artificial intelligence produces are not original; hence, the results often show up in very generic and repetitive text.
Missing the ‘Why’: Great content answers not just what, but why. Artificial intelligence will be able to give actual answers, but it won’t explain why—the reasoning behind those—or give great insight from human experience. While AI might make creativity easier, create drafts, or proofread, often your input and oversight as a human will be in order for authenticity and understanding to shine through in your content.
Inconsistent Voice: Make sure to keep a consistent brand voice in order to build trust for your brand.
How To Use Schema Markup To Foster Trust And Enhance Information Gain
Monitor and Adapt: As Search Generative Experience changes, SEO practices will also change. So ensure you use local SEO monitoring tools to track changes in your authority and online visibility. Stay updated and be ready to change your content strategy accordingly.
Take Advantage of SGE for Your Business
The Search Generative Experience has both advantages and disadvantages for local businesses. Like Google, Its main objective is to help local businesses and customers with detailed information that they can use to make informed and proper purchasing decisions.
By taking advantage of Search Generative Experience, publishing high-quality and relevant content, displaying Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), and focusing on user experience, you can be sure that your small business will be successful in this ever-changing generative search engine age. SGE will help you understand your customers so that you can provide quality products and services for them.
