How Generative AI is Going to Change Google SERP

How Generative AI is Going to Change Google SERP?

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On May 10, 2024, Google announced its new feature, Generative AI, also known as AI Overview and Search Generative Experience (SGE) by Google. The primary function of this feature is to enhance the user search experience by reducing the complexity of comprehending search results.

Upon typing your query, you’ll see Google’s AI suggesting products or answers at the top of its page. Depending on your query, this will reduce the time taken to get your answers with multiple suggestions.

This Generative AI won’t change the whole layout of Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP), except for modifying the top of the page that will serve as an AI overview. As soon as you type and hit enter, it’ll start generating the AI suggestions, and within milliseconds, the results will appear on your screen.

Is Generative AI the End of Google’s Traditional Search Results Pages?

No. This does not mean Google will stop showing the other articles containing the same information that AI Overview also displays.

Generative AI aims to display authentic information to its users by cutting time consumption.

But hasn’t Google been doing the same for years with Featured Snippets?

Right! But it’s time for Google to evolve as more people rely on AI for daily queries. ChatGPT has already taken many regular users of Google due to its intuitive UI and quicker search results.

As a result, Google released its own AI called Gemini, which failed drastically.

So, returning to the topic – Is Generative AI the End of Google’s traditional Search Results?

A Big No!

Getting brief answers from AI is fine, but you cannot completely rely on it as it also scrapes the information from human-written articles. So, as long as there are queries on the internet, traditional Google search results will never end.

Moreover, according to Google, over 15% of all the daily searches are brand new, which no one has ever explored.

Major Impact of Generative AI

It may seem like a small additional feature, but it could greatly impact various things like Google SERP, SEO, Major Marketing Agencies, and Bloggers.

For now, it won’t be appropriate to say whether the changes will be positive or negative. But as far as everybody knows, each coin has two sides. So, by that standard, it could have both impacts, i.e., Positive & Negative.

Impact on Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

On the Google SERP, nothing changes except for the Generative AI at the top of the results. Upon hitting enter, you will see traditional Google result pages and Google’s AI Overview answering your query within milliseconds.

In the image below, you can see how Google has placed its Generative AI on the top to give it priority for short and quick results.

Google Showing Generative AI and SERP Results
Image Credits: Google

After the Generative AI, there are traditional Search Results for in-depth information. This clearly states that the Google SERP is not going anywhere.

AI Overview will reduce the efforts to get the information. Users won’t have to read the long-form content to get the required answers. Hence, it may impact the user interaction time for articles. However, it also depends on the intent of the users’ queries.

Impact on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Generative AI will not affect the SEO. Instead, it will derive more traffic to the articles.

How?

Here’s the interesting thing: Generative AI will not only generate quick answers, but it will also display different articles covering the same topic.

Readers will be able to see the catchy headlines and meta descriptions written by bloggers in the auto-suggested articles. These auto-suggestions will be the best articles according to the AI, but you have to optimize your articles for it.

Hence, it entitles bloggers to rank on Generative AI and as well as SERP. But it depends on how you optimize your article to get featured in AI Overview.

Impact on Website Traffic

Likewise, with SEO, there will be no negative impact on the traffic of your websites. Many marketers will think that with the auto-generated quick answers, no one will click on their articles.

It’s true, however, not for every aspect of the query. People like to read in-depth information when unsatisfied with one answer. Hence, they will click on the articles that share the relevant information.

Moreover, with Generative AI, people might see a boost in traffic. When you’re ranking on SERP and AI Overview, there are higher chances that readers will click on your article. This is why you must determine how to optimize your article to rank in AI Overview alongside the SERP.

Benefits of AI Overview to Marketers

Bloggers’ primary benefit through AI Overview is the opportunity to rank more. Getting featured in AI Overview and SERP increases your visibility on the results page, further boosting the possibility of deriving more users to your articles.

Moreover, it will grow your revenue in the long run. As more and more users come to your website through AI suggestions and organic SERP, your chances of earnings growth are automatically increased.

Growth of Affiliate Marketers

The majority of the benefit spotlight will be on Affiliate Marketers. When users search for a product on Google, the AI Overview will suggest the best articles on the top. Those articles will be chosen by Google AI itself.

Plus, there will be articles on the SERP as well. If your article is on the AI Overview and SERP list, users will likely take it as an authentic source for their research.

If your article is genuine enough to share the information that users seek and convincing enough to turn them into potential customers, then this gives you the green light to expand your revenue.

Final Words

There’s no doubt that the quick results of Generative AI will impact the traffic on websites. But you must also remember that it will work only for a few queries. It may be optimal for providing quick answers to small queries, but that doesn’t mean it will meet the readers’ necessities.

People like to read in-depth information on critical topics. Hence, the website will always have opportunities to get traffic from Google SERP. Plus, readers can be redirected to your articles via AI Overview, giving you additional traffic.

Anuj Sharma

With over 6+ years of experience in SEO, I have expertise in precise ranking strategies. My ranking practices involve Google’s E.E.A.T. (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) algorithm update guidelines.

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