There’s a new sheriff in town. Its name is “Search Generative Experience.” For a while now, Google has been moving from being the world’s biggest index of web pages do being the destination unto itself. Its summaries got more extensive. For while there was the lauded, “position zero” in the search results when a website’s definition became Google’s definition and that position rewarded the connected website.
Google’s advancements in artificial intelligence have fundamentally reshaped the landscape of SEO and organic traffic. With the advent of ChatGPT, people have been going to this new Oracle of information and turning to Google less often. For anyone who thinks Google is a permanent fixture of the Internet, flashback to 1999. Back then, Alta Vista, Yahoo, Infoseek, Webcrawler and other search engines were people’s goto engines. Google showed up with a clean interface and changed the game. Zoom ahead to two years ago. ChatGPT with its simple interface started answering people’s questions. Google had been that index card catalogue in library foyer. ChatGPT was Einstein sitting two desks over ready answer anything. Problem is: this Einstein fakes their answers when they’re not sure.
What was Google to do? It had to get on the AI train. The integration of AI technologies into Google’s search engine, previously known as the Search Generative Experience (SGE), represents a significant shift in how search engines drive traffic to itself and deliver results to the end user. The big problem with that approach: Google used to reward websites with lots of traffic if their content was great. Now, Google may mine that information as source material for Google visitors, satisfy their answers and never refer them through to the source websites.
Revolutionizing Search Results AI has enabled Google to better understand user intent and provide more relevant search results. Through natural language processing and machine learning, Google can now interpret complex queries and deliver precise answers, making search results more intuitive and user-centric.
Enhanced User Experience With AI, Google can offer a more personalized search experience. By analyzing user behavior and preferences, AI can tailor search results to meet individual needs, leading to higher engagement and satisfaction. Features like AI-driven snippets, voice search, and predictive text have become standard, enhancing the overall user experience.
Improved Content Relevance AI algorithms prioritize high-quality, relevant content. This means that SEO strategies must focus on creating content that is not only keyword-optimized but also informative, valuable, and aligned with user intent. Google’s AI can detect and penalize low-quality or manipulative SEO practices, promoting a more authentic and trustworthy search environment.
Impact on Organic Traffic The shift towards AI-driven search has also affected organic traffic. Websites that leverage AI to understand and meet user needs can achieve higher rankings and more visibility. However, the increased competition for top spots in search results means that businesses must continuously adapt their SEO strategies to align with AI advancements.
SEO Best Practices in the AI Era To succeed in this AI-dominated landscape, SEO practices must evolve. Here are some key strategies:
Google is the dominant player in search and it will likely remain so even as search engines fade in favour of instantly synthesized knowledge from AI. With so much hinging on SEO, how can website owners prevail? Evolve and adapt.
Google Business (formerly Google My Business) is an increasingly powerful tool in driving visitors to your business and to share what your business does. We’ve been helping people set up their businesses on Google. If you need help, Getting into Google Business, let us know.
In a similar vein, list your website everywhere you can. Some SEO experts may say that directory listings is a played out tactic, but here’s why it’s more relevant now than ever before: Google and other search engines may ignore it, but people who find the directory may follow the links.
The #1 search engine is Google. The #2 is Youtube. Publishing on Youtube isn’t all that hard. Keep your camera steady. Make sure your audio is good. After that, simplicity can lend to authenticity and help you build a rapport with your audience. Publishing videos on Youtube is terrific exposure. Videos are not entirely future proof– that is, Google could start making best-of reels that pull in your content with little reward– but in the meantime, build an audience and inform your customers.
The Internet grew in leaps and bounds in the years before Google. Look for synergies with other websites. For example, if a business in a town links to the town’s website, maybe the town could produce a list of local businesses and have each other’s authority lend prominence. Web321 recently built a website like this for the Brentwood Bay 5:05 Club to highlight local businesses. It takes very little effort to link to complimentary businesses and organizations. It circumvents Google’s power over your website’s prominence.
This is total speculation: Google may have to stop using SGE. The content comes from the fair use provision that allows them to scoop content and use it for their own profit and gain. What if SGE means they’re going to cease being a search engine and start being a source of information. It breaks the value proposition between Google and website publishers. Some businesses are alive solely through their Google traffic. They may band together with others who have been massively detrimented. If that turns into legal action or legislation it could force Google to change how it does business.
Google’s integration of AI technologies will transform SEO and the way organic traffic is driven. By understanding and adapting to these changes, businesses can better position themselves to succeed in the evolving digital landscape.
A primer on SEO.
On-Page SEO (also known as technical SEO, on-page, on-site, or internal SEO) involves optimizing various elements of a web page to improve its rankings and enhance the user experience. Unlike off-site SEO, which focuses on external factors like backlinks, on-page SEO targets factors within your own website that you can control.
Every piece of content on your site should be optimized for search engines. SEO is the process that business owners and webmasters use to ensure their content is easily found, categorized, and ranked by search engines. This includes practices that help your site rank higher in organic search results—those not paid for by advertisers (e.g., Google Ads). Well-optimized content is more likely to appear in search results when users are searching for information on that topic.
Consider your content as the backbone of your website—it’s a crucial component of SEO. Effective on-page SEO encompasses several key factors:
By focusing on these on-page SEO factors, you can improve your site’s visibility and performance in search engine results. Staying updated with the latest changes from Google, such as the emphasis on E-A-T and mobile-first indexing, ensures your SEO strategy remains effective and relevant.
All on-page SEO optimization begins with keyword research. Understanding the keywords your target market uses to search for your business online is crucial. Without this knowledge, you can’t effectively optimize your pages. Start by identifying the right keywords for each page on your site. Each page should target a unique set of keywords and variations. For example, if you’re a digital marketing agency, you might have separate pages for different services, each targeting different keywords.
Once you’ve identified the target keywords for each page, you can start implementing on-page SEO best practices to enhance your website’s performance.
Content Optimization
Keyword Optimization
Additional On-Page SEO Factors
By following these on-page SEO factors and best practices, you can improve your site’s visibility and performance in search engine results. Staying updated with the latest changes from Google, such as the emphasis on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and mobile-first indexing, ensures your SEO strategy remains effective and relevant.
Optimize Image File Size: Ensure images are optimized for web use by reducing their file size to around 100KB before uploading them to your site. For images already uploaded, you can use WordPress plugins like Smush or ShortPixel to compress and optimize them without losing quality. This improves page loading speed and overall user experience.
Add Alt Text to Images: Add descriptive alt text for every image on your page. Alt text not only helps with on-page SEO by providing search engines with information about the image content but also improves accessibility by offering a description if the image fails to load. Make sure the alt text is relevant and includes keywords where appropriate.
Optimize the Image Title: The image title can often be the same as the alt text. An optimized image title helps search engines understand the content of the image and can contribute to better image search rankings.
Optimize the Image File Name: Rename image files to be descriptive and keyword-rich before uploading them. Avoid generic names like DSC890.jpg. Instead, use filenames that reflect the content and keywords, such as “victoria-bc-seo-agency-reception.jpg.” This practice helps search engines index your images more effectively and can improve their visibility in image search results.
By following these best practices for image optimization, you can enhance your website’s SEO, improve page load times, and provide a better user experience.
Internal links point to other pages within your own website. They are often referred to as in-text links and are crucial for several reasons:
To optimize internal linking:
External links point from your page to a different website. These links can:
To optimize external linking:
Ensure your website uses the secure HTTPS protocol. HTTPS is important for both security and SEO. Most browsers show an insecure warning for sites not using HTTPS, which can deter users and negatively impact your search rankings.
By following these best practices for linking and URL optimization, you can improve your website’s SEO, enhance user experience, and ensure better visibility and credibility in search engine results.
