SGE (Search Generative Experience) will be a new way how search results are presented in Google.
If you haven’t heard about SGE the article SGE – The New Google Search gives you an overview of the features that are tested so far and expected to be part of this new way of generating and presenting search results.
(SGE has rolled out on the 14th of May 2024 and is live in the USA, it is named AI Overview)
Why would you care about SGE?
Good question actually, why care about something that is not live yet and can’t be even tested in the UK? Why for example should an SEO for a SME in Nottingham spend time thinking about SGE?
The answer is pretty simple. If you don’t prepare now, you will miss the bus.
It doesn’t really matter if you are a big multinational or a local SME. If you and your products and services rely on being found in Google Search – and there are only very few business who can afford not to be found on the internet – it will have an impact on the traffic you will get in future.
It’s not just about traffic, since not all traffic converts into revenue; particularly, highly targeted traffic will be affected.
Study on the impact of SGE
A recent study on SGE by Authoritas (Jan 2024) shows the 86% of all searches will show search generative elements in the search results.
The finance sector will be less impacted than others with only 28%, most others are above 90%
Industries Sorted by AI Results Frequency:
- All Industries: 86%
- eCommerce & Retail: 100%
- Fashion & Apparel: 98%
- Food & Beverage: 98%
- Technology & Electronics: 96%
- Health & Wellness: 95%
- Legal: 93%
- Travel & Hospitality: 91%
- Entertainment: 89%
- Automotive: 86%
- Finance: 28%
This shows that, especially if your business is in e-commerce, retail, fashion, food & beverage, technology, or travel & hospitality, you should prepare now to be fit for the future.
Is it really such a change?
The simple answer is yes. I am monitoring SGE results since the test has gone live in March 2023. The change in the search landscape will be impactful.
Let’s have a look how search looks now:
And how it looks with SGE:
We can see a big part of the real estate in the search result is the SGE result, followed by paid results (which we have now as well), also there are filters on the left-hand side, to give the user an easier way to narrow down the search results.
One of the most interesting things is, that the results in the SGE display and not the top results of the traditional search as it is now.
This shows that being prepared for the new Google Search can give you the edge to be on top – or if you don’t prepare there is a big chance of losing out.
If you want to see what you can do to get ready for SGE – get in touch.