Google recently announced their Search Generative Experience (SGE), a new way of integrating generative AI into search. SGE works to personalize and innovate the search journey, pulling key information from a variety of sources and presenting it in a snapshot. This snapshot is designed to allow users to make detailed searches from the beginning. Now that SGE is rolling out, (currently in the US, and hopefully worldwide soon) it is set to shake up the search world in multiple ways. In fact, Greg Sterling of Near Media has suggested ”Search Generative Experience is going to change the way users interact with SERPs. Local and products may be two of the most affected segments.” We’ve gone ahead and compiled what we know so far about SGE for local search, what the experts say about it, and how it might impact both users and businesses in the future. So, what is it?Put simply? Say goodbye to ‘hairdressers near me’, say hello to ‘mens hairdressers offering traditional wet shave and trim package in Boston’. The snapshot returned to the searcher is designed to offer a comprehensive, detailed response to the user’s query—no matter how complex the question (within reason, of course… but, hey, who are we to doubt Google?). The response is generated using a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as MUM and PaLM2, allowing users to, in the words of Google:
But don’t fret—this isn’t the end of simple searches. Google SGE seems to respond just as thoroughly to classic searches like “brew pub near me”. These results can then be expanded upon through what Google has dubbed ‘conversational mode’, where users will be prompted with further questions that follow the natural line of questioning (or, at least, what Google’s AI predicts it to be): Google SGE v. Bard Previously, Google launched Bard, an “experimental conversational AI service” which helped users make sense of search by answering user questions. Bard relied upon “draw[ing] information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.” Bard sits separately to Google’s search engine, and is described as a “helpful, and creative collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life.” Essentially, Bard is a creative AI assistant to help generate content and ideas for you. SGE, on the other hand, is a completely new take on search, designed to change the user’s search journey from the very first click. What does SGE look like for local search results?SGE has started to roll out and we’ve had a quick play around with some local searches in the US. So far, we’ve noticed a few key things:
What are the experts saying about SGE and local search?SEOs have jumped at the chance to delve into SGE to find out what it looks like, how it works for the end-user, and what it could suggest for people working in the SEO space. Amanda Jordan, RicketyRoo, has noted that results vary between the New Pack and the Local Pack:
Others pointed out the significant overlap that exists between SGE results compared to traditional local pack results. Joy Hawkins, Sterling Sky, noted that SGE results give visibility to businesses that show in the local pack already. However, she has found that “the two lists don’t match up identically. Sometimes the map in the AI box has a wider map view which shows different businesses than the local pack.” Aleyda Solis commented with a similar point saying, “The SGE provides the least useful result I’ve seen: pretty much a duplication of the map pack that Google is already featuring below the first two organic search results anyway. Not useful.” How will BrightLocal respond to SGE?Myles Anderson on SEG CEO and Founder of BrightLocal
“As a local business, understanding your ranking in search has always been complex. Your business can appear in multiple result types including traditional organic results, the local pack, knowledge panel, maps results, video results and even in local service ads if you monitor those. For local business it’s not as simple as saying “I rank #4 in Google”. Now with the introduction of SGE we have a whole new set of results to monitor and report on. The monitoring aspect is pretty straightforward and we’ll be updating our ranking tools shortly to include these new result types. We are seeing different businesses, and different ordering of results, in the SGE pack vs local pack; even the quantity of local results showing in the SGE varies for different queries. All of this increases the complexity faced by marketers in determining how their clients are performing in search, and our team is focusing hard to reduce this complexity and provide clarity. Overall, I think that monitoring your ranking will remain a valuable data point to monitor, but the ultimate proof of success is in lead and revenue generation and the clarity of these metrics are less distorted by changes in Google’s interface.” What does this mean for local businesses?With the heart of SGE being comprehensive results, Google has placed an emphasis on vertical experiences, including local search. According to Google, “SGE will provide context about local places, using AI-powered insights that make it easy to compare and explore options.” Preliminary research by Near Media revealed that most local searches seemed to return a snapshot featuring five or more listings as well as a carousel. Clicking on individual listings prompts a knowledge panel; clicking on one of the carousel items brings the user to the business’s website. SGE also allows for more specific comparisons of businesses: Andy Simpson, Digital Law Marketing, has even found that SGE uses content from Google reviews in its answer, meaning that processes like review management may be more important than ever:
The takeaway? Local businesses shouldn’t be scared about SGE. In fact, it’s still distinctly possible that SGE will give small businesses more opportunities to get in front of customers due, at least in part, to the duplicated local pack. While that also potentially leaves more opportunity for your competitors, we’d suggest continuing to keep your listings optimized and keep your business as visible in organic listings as possible. We know that SGE shows business descriptions, images, and reviews in results, so make sure these are up to date and relevant. So, in essence, while SGE may be something to keep your eye on, for now the best thing to do is continue on with best practices for local SEO while Google continues to experiment. via BrightLocal https://ift.tt/FIHZaTN Check out more SEO posts onhttps://seouk41.blogspot.com/
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