How SGE Will Dramatically Change Your SEO Traffic

28 Nov 2023 · 7 min

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In short

Marketing School Episode Notes: How SGE Will Dramatically Change Your SEO Traffic

Podcast Overview Title: Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips Hosts: Neil Patel and Eric Siu Episode Number: #2620 Release Date: (Date not provided in the transcript) Main Topic: The impact of Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) on SEO traffic.

Episode Summary In this episode, Neil Patel and Eric Siu discuss the transformative effects of Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) on SEO traffic. They explore how SGE, which delivers AI-generated responses directly in search results, is likely to change user behavior and click-through rates (CTR) for top search positions. The hosts emphasize the necessity for content creators to adapt their strategies to remain competitive in the evolving search landscape.

Key Concepts and Takeaways

What is SGE?

  • Search Generative Experience (SGE): An AI feature by Google that provides instant AI-generated answers in search results.
  • Functionality: Beyond simple definitions, SGE can generate detailed responses to complex queries (e.g., interior design styles).

Impact on Click-Through Rates

  • Decreased CTR for Top Positions: Post-SGE, the click-through rates for the top-ranking search results are expected to decline significantly.
  • Historical Context: Previously, CTR for the top position could reach 30-40%, but this is predicted to drop with SGE's integration.
  • Variable Presence of SGE: SGE will not be present for every search query, leading to varying impacts on traffic depending on the query type.

User Behavior Changes

  • Longer Search Queries: There is a notable increase in longer-tail search queries, reflecting users' desire for more specific information (e.g., "best auto insurance for my Mercedes G-Wagon").
  • Time to Choose Results: Users typically take around 14.6 seconds to select a search result, influencing how they interact with AI-generated snippets.

Content Creation Strategies

  • Thorough and Updated Content: Content creators must focus on creating comprehensive, well-researched, and up-to-date content to enhance visibility in SGE results.
  • Multidimensional Content: Content should cater to various stages of the user journey, allowing it to be included in SGE responses.

Conclusion and Call to Action

  • Adaptation is Key: Content creators and marketers must adjust their strategies to accommodate the changes brought by SGE to maintain relevance and visibility.
  • Listener Engagement:
  • Encouragement to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast.
  • Invitation to provide feedback and suggest future topics.

Additional Resources

  • Reference to Michael King’s article on SGE for further reading.
  • Links to Neil Patel's and Eric Siu's respective YouTube channels for more digital marketing insights.

Connect with the Hosts

  • Eric Siu: [Single Grain](https://singlegrain.com/)
  • Neil Patel: [NP Digital](https://neilpatel.com/)

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In summary, this episode underscores the pivotal transformation in SEO strategy necessitated by Google's SGE, urging marketers to refine their content approaches to thrive in the new digital landscape.

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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00All right. So we are going to talk about how SGE will dramatically change your SEO traffic. So SGE, just so everyone knows, is search generative experience. And this is from Google. And basically now when you're searching, it'll show you an AI generated response. So for example, if I search for what is interior design or something like that, it will give me an AI generated response. Then I'll throw the ads on and then I'll show you maybe some boxes, local boxes or whatever, depending on the search query. But that's what SGE is. Did you read this article, Neil? I haven't read all of it. I skimmed it.

0:35I saw it before you posted the link to it. But what's funny is it's not just like what is interior design. It's not just definitions. It's like questions like what kind of, you know, to stick with the interior design, what kind of interior design style goes with the traditional house? And then it'll give you suggestions on what you should be looking for. So instead of just basic definitions or two plus two equals four, it's giving you the answers that you get from reading a blog post now the thing with sge is that i already know they're going to be careful with your money your life so things like financial advice health advice because the last thing they want to do is give the wrong advice they want to try to be neutral and not sway people one way or another here i'm going to give you some key takeaways so those of you that can see the screen so this is um basically this is written by michael King.

1:33He's a great SEO. So he talks about the redistribution of the search demand curve. So what's going to happen is the CTR model, the click-through rate model is going to change, right? And so if you can look at maybe, let's look at this graph over here. So you can see pre-SGE CTR. So the click-through rate for a number one position used to be a lot higher, right? And so what we're saying now, what he's saying now is that the post-SGE click-through rate for the number one, two, three position is going to be a lot lower. And so back in the day, maybe 10 years ago or so, if you're number one, maybe you can get a 30 to 40 % click through rate.

2:05If you're number one, it's a lot lower now. Yes. But it's going to vary. And this is when SGA is present. It's not going to be present for every single search query. So for not to be present for every single search query, your traffic isn't going to adjust depending on what you're ranking for. Some things it will, some things it won't. To Neil's point earlier on going deeper into like interior design, for example, right? So for example, if you search for auto insurance quote, then you might go to who normally has the cheapest car insurance and then does credit does credit affect car insurance?

2:37So basically, excuse me. So he says here, searches become multidimensional and the onus is on the content creators to make their content fulfill multiple stages to remain in the consideration set. So basically I'm looking at this as a pillar piece of content. Now you might have a pillar piece of content that addresses is all of these and they might cross link to each other. And that way SGE can pull the results and then your result can be the one that is showing in the SGE box. Again, it's not going to show for everything because Google still needs to print money, right? They're one of the best money printers in the world.

3:07So let's continue on here. What else do we got here? With the content to go back to it really quickly with the content, just make sure it's super thorough and updated. They're going to want to pull from sources that are more up to date. And if you even look at rankings sites that are more up to date tend to do better than sites that aren't as up to date like if you look at wikipedia the reason they rank really well is it tends to be up to date you know last thing google wants to do is start showcasing data and results for stuff that's 10 years old when people are trying to figure out what's relevant for today this is interesting we don't have data on how user behavior has changed in the sg environment yeah it's new right but if you do please reach out look at you similar web so similar web has pretty interesting data when it comes to traffic.

3:49So feel free to take a look at that. We're not sponsored by it. And then look at this one. We know that users take an average of 14.66 seconds to choose a search result. This tells us that the user will not wait for an automatically triggered AI snapshot with a generation time of more than 14.6 seconds. Therefore, anything beyond that time range does not immediately threaten your organic search traffic because the user will just scroll down to the standard results rather than wait. The other thing that we're seeing is people are typing in longer search tail uh or longer tail searches that's a big thing that we're seeing instead of people just typing in auto insurance quotes they're like typing in things like what is the best auto insurance for my mercedes uh g-wagon that has 22 000 miles on it are you in the market for a g-wagon no i'm not dude our buddy from your event you know who i'm I told him, I want an electric one.

4:47That's coming. And then I realized I'm not the best driver. I'm like, the car is actually wider. You are one of the worst drivers I know. Yes, and I'm like, that car is typically wider because of the tires than the cars I typically drive. And I'm like, yeah, I probably shouldn't drive this because there's a higher chance I'll get an accident. Just so everyone knows, maybe this is like 10 years ago or so, but Neil and I were meeting at an event in downtown LA. and the first time I saw him drive, he turned opposite on a one-way street who's going in the opposite direction. Everyone's like, stop, stop, stop.

5:18And he's still like looking around and just driving. So that was the first time. I'm a really bad driver. For that reason, I have a full-time driver because I don't want to ever risk anyone else's life. My own as well, but more importantly, I don't want to cause anyone injury. Yeah. Anyway, I think this is an interesting piece. Just go ahead and search for SGE search engine land, Michael King, and you should be able to find it. You can see the search demand curve here and then monthly search volume. And then obviously you can see the long tail. I think what we're calling out here is that the long tail is going to get even longer and the bulk of the searches are going to be around this range over here in blue and purple.

5:53So that is it for today. Please don't forget to rate, re-subscribe and we will see you tomorrow.

From the publisher
In episode #2620, We delve into the impact of Google's search generative experience (SGE) on SEO traffic. SGE, an AI-generated response providing instant answers in search results, is poised to alter the click-through rate (CTR) model, resulting in lower CTRs for top-ranking positions. We stress the importance for content creators like us to produce comprehensive and up-to-date content to stay competitive in this evolving landscape. Furthermore, we observe a shift in user behavior, with longer search queries contributing to an elongated tail of search terms. Don’t forget to help us grow by subscribing and liking on YouTube! Check out more of Eric’s content (Leveling UP YT) and Neil’s videos (Neil Patel YT)  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: (00:00) Today’s topic: How SGE Will Dramatically Change Your SEO Traffic (00:33) SGE provides AI-generated responses and suggestions (01:26) SGE is cautious with financial and health advice (01:51) Post-SGE click-through rates for top positions decrease (02:25) SGE presence varies, affecting traffic differently for each query (03:02) Content creators should make thorough and updated content (04:06) Users won't wait more than 14.6 seconds for AI snapshots (04:37) Longer tail searches are becoming more common (05:54) That’s it for today! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe! Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more! Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Michael King’s article on SGE Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  Single Grain << Eric’s ad agency NP Digital << Neil’s ad agency X @neilpatel  X @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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