🔎 what is google SGE?

[what i’m searching rn…]

‘google sge’

If you hadn’t heard: SEO is dead for the 1 millionth time.

This time it’s because of Google’s SGE (allegedly).

Marketers around the world are embracing for impact. Google’s AI implementation to search (also called SGE) is apparently going to kill SEO and organic traffic.

SGE stands for Search Generative Experience. It’s been rolled out to millions so far and I have been one of them. I’ve been playing around with it for the last few weeks.

What’s my takeaway? SEO’s death is once again greatly exaggerated.

SGE really just gives searchers a predictive answer for the query. Instead of using people’s websites now, they harness the power of AI (which is harnessing the power of people’s websites) to give the best information…and occasionally a link..to the user. 

So this is really nothing new. 

Google has been giving answers to users for a few years now with their knowledge graph. The difference is subtle. To a user’s eye, this isn’t really much different than how it was before. If I search ‘how many ounces are in 2 cups?’ I get the same result more or less. But now Google has a slick animation where it types the result out for me.

I’ve found SGE to be pretty effective for tutorials, guides and walkthroughs. I’ve used it to find out ‘how to transfer money out of my robinhood account’, for example. It puts the information in order and gives clear instructions. I don’t have to sift through fluff and ads.

However, for shopping and deep dives, SGE didn’t really change my relationship to search. I was still going to authorities for specific information the query did not answer. SGE for hyperspecific information poses no bigger threat to SEO than the knowledge graph did.

But because we are naturally skeptical of AI and its ability to take our jobs, Google’s SGE strikes fear into marketers and gives another reason for others to pour dirt on our graves.

Yes, Google’s SGE will surely be making SEO’s jobs different. This week, a report claimed that 94% of SGE content did not match any links from the top 10 Google organic search results. For this reason and countless others, marketing teams are preparing to lose a lot of traffic thanks to SGE.

This is surprising…but shows that SGE is really just going to unlock a new playground for SEOs. No, we won’t be going away, but the rules just changed.

Adapt or die.

All of this also assumes that the average Google user wants to get their information and go. That is partly correct. For quick answers, yes, just give me what I need so that I can move on with the argument I’m having with my wife (for the record, I have never been wrong in this completely hypothetical scenario I’ve made up).

However, if you plan on researching something, odds are that you’re going to do so with a few clicks. One-click and Google’s SGE will not give you all the information you need to make a decision when it comes to a big purchase, for example.

I could be wrong but those are my initial takes. Of course, SGE could evolve over time and get better thus reducing the number of clicks a user needs to get the necessary information.

But I believe the reason Google has been pushing EEAT so much is that they know that there will be chunks that SGE and AI cannot cover in queries.

There will still be a hyper-specific part of the Internet that needs to fill in those gaps that AI does not…especially in AI’s infancy.

I don’t see AI’s maturation coming any time soon. Google doesn’t want to bite the hand that feeds.

Google knows that Google Ads and Adsense still generate a huge bulk of their revenue. They won’t “kill” search until they know they can monetize in other ways.

And even if Google’s AI business became the industry leader (jury is out if that will be the case), it wouldn’t exactly make sense to kill the advertising part of Google just because.

We stand no chance against our new AI overlords. SEOs are no exception, but I can’t imagine that this is the silver bullet that finally does us in.

Sorry haterz.

[what i’m learning rn…]

‘google my business websites’

TIL you could make websites with GMB.

(at least you used to be able to…RIP)

My advice? Don’t trust a Google product unless it’s been around for 10 years. Otherwise, you’re just asking for problems when they inevitably kill it.

[what i’m using rn…]

NOT AI

If you didn’t catch from my tone above, I’m kind of an AI hater.

Everything these days has an AI slant to it, and I’m already a bit exhausted with it.. Even existing tools I’ve been using for SEO suddenly have premium AI features.

My theory? If everyone is using AI to generate content, that means no one is.

Most of these tools are really just pulling from the same LLMs. Yet I expect my content to standout when everyone is pulling their “content” from the same AI models? I don’t think so.

I say to keep your humanity, try to switch back to more traditional writing tools. Try opening a Google Doc and just go to town. I’m not asking you to be a luddite. You can use AI to edit your words or pull data to support your thesis, but for the love of god…stop using AI to write the content for you.