It’s important to take advantage of Google’s latest Search Generative Experience (SGE) by ensuring that your local SEO strategies comply with the SGE for optimal visibility, organic traffic, and increased revenue if you are a local business owner. The good news is that if your business has been using local SEO and content marketing best practices, that means you have positioned yourself for the opportunity the SGE has to offer.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how digital marketing works, including search engines, which are constantly changing to provide more interactive and direct results to user’s queries.
Search Generative Experience is still being experimented on as a search engine and is accessible through Google Labs in 120 countries. It is going to change the way people engage with search results by integrating their queries directly into Google’s interface and offering a more interactive experience with results that may include text, images, and links.
Search Generative Experience uses various AI technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), Machine Learning, and Deep Learning which enable generative search engines to 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:
- Synthesize Information: SGE doesn’t just provide relevant websites where users can find answers to their queries; it analyzes 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 toward proactive problem-solving. However, this can also lead to AI hallucinations.
- Provide Detailed Answers: Sometimes, a single answer isn’t enough. SGE allows for follow-up questions or deeper exploration, particularly important in industries with diverse approaches.
From a local search perspective, SGE improves the experience with a Places module, similar to a local pack, including citations, reviews, and other relevant local business details. A recent BrightEdge study shows that nearly half of SGE results in February 2024 included a Places module, especially prominent in local restaurant and travel searches but less so in other B2B and entertainment queries.
How Does Search Generative Experience Work?
Let’s clarify how the Search Generative Experience works by using a user searching for “Best Pepperoni Pizza Restaurants Near Me” as an example.
Here’s how SGE might work on the query example:
- Location Detection: First, Search Generative Experience will access real-time location data to fetch the user’s proximity (“near me”).
- Information Gathering: It will then scan pizza restaurant websites, food recipe blogs, local park authority pages, etc., with a focus on the user’s region.
- Emphasis on “Pepperoni”: Search Generative Experience then identifies content within these sources specifically discussing pepperoni, not just general pizza information.
- Potential Response: It will then display a shortlist of suggested pepperoni pizzas, their recipes, a restaurant selling pizzas, and how to make pizza which the Search Generative Experience collected from websites, images from relevant pages, and possibly information about 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: As organic website traffic may decline, having a high-performing Google Business Profile (GBP) with updated details, positive reviews, and relevant content will be crucial for online visibility.
Featured Snippets: Businesses with content optimized for clarity, accuracy, and relevance to user queries stand to gain from featured snippets, and enhance their online visibility.
Map Packs: While traditional local Map Packs remain significant, Search Generative Experience introduces a Places module based on the search type. This module provides information from businesses in the Map Pack and adds more businesses to offer comprehensive 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.
Prioritize User Intent: Search engines will improve their ability to understand why users are searching. Localized searches like “near me” or a specific location, will remain relevant.
Traditional Results: The standard website listing practice has been reduced since the emergency of SGE, although they won’t disappear completely. Some websites may experience a decrease of up to 50% in their organic search traffic. However, this change makes us believe that search generative experience could attract higher-quality organic traffic because it answered user queries with more details information compared to the traditional search engine.
How Business Can Be Successful in the Search Generative Experience Era
To be successful in the age of Search Generative Experience, businesses must focus on managing their online presence by publishing high-quality and relevant content, showing their Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), and optimizing multi-media content like 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.
Conduct FAQ Audit: Start by taking note of the most frequently asked questions by your customers. This will help transform the answers to these questions into dedicated content on your website or blog. For instance, local automobile repair workshops may notice customers often inquire about oil change options. They can create specialized content to address this, such as a comprehensive FAQ page focusing on how to change automobile engine oil.
Proper Use of Structured Data: Search engines depend on structured data as they crawl the web. Proper integration of Schema markup code into your website enables Google to access structured data about your business, leading to a clearer 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: Make sure you expand your keyword research beyond basic terms related to your services or products. Consider the problems your target audience seeks solutions for that your business can address. Explore the questions they might ask in your niche, and target long-tail keywords to create content that directly answers these queries.
Answer Questions Clearly: Organize your content into easy-to-understand question-and-answer formats. Creating FAQs and clear content sections that address common queries can increase your chances of appearing in Search Generative Experience results.
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 certification, awards, or endorsements that can validate your trustworthiness, not just on your website but also on reputable external platforms.
Optimize Visual Content: Ensure your images and videos have descriptive file names and alt-text. You can also use location data where relevant, as they are likely to be featured in Search Generative Experience results. In addition, include captions for images and transcripts for videos and show visuals that mention your local area and reinforce your local identity.
Building Authority through Links: A good local SEO strategy should include link building, both outbound (linking to reputable, relevant local/niche websites) and inbound (from websites in the same niche), to give Google more signals of a business’s local online visibility and industry focus, thereby boosting its authority in the industry.
For instance:
- A local med spa that uses a specific piece of equipment in its services can link to a comprehensive product page on the manufacturer’s website.
- The same med spa can acquire a listing and link to its service page through a partner directory available 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 penalized 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-E-A-T, thereby harming your online reputation. So ensure thorough fact-checking before you publish any content on your website.
Lack of Originality: Artificia Intelligent struggles to produce original content so they mostly generate results in generic and repetitive text.
Missing the ‘Why’: Effective content does not only answer ‘what’ but also ‘why.’ Artificial intelligence may provide real answers but cannot explain reasoning or provide valuable insights from human experience. While Artificial intelligence can help in creativity, creating drafts, or proofreading, your input and oversight as a human are often needed to add authenticity and understanding to your content.
Inconsistent Voice: Ensure you maintain a consistent brand voice to build trust for your brand. AI-generated content may sound unreal or inconsistent, and fail to capture your brand’s unique voice.
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.
