Googles annual developer conference, Google I/O, took place in late May of 2024. Among the announcements made were some major changes to search products. Google appears to be indicating a bright future for a search landscape heavily influenced by Artificial Intelligence and online businesses solely reliant on traditional SEO methods could find themselves on the back foot. Is it time to start panicking about the future of organic search? Let’s see.
Are we treating organic search with the respect it deserves?
Nearly all online businesses rely on organic traffic, and many invest heavily into their SEO as a result. But how many truly consider the inherent risk of placing so much trust in a single source of traffic? Googles recent announcements have unveiled a wave of advancements in AI which will start to impact search in big way.
We appear to have reached a pivotal point in the world of SEO. Next generation AI models and AI powered search are changing the digital landscape in a faster, more complex way than ever before. Failing to acknowledge these changes will likely kill your revenue in the very near future, not to mention your profitability.
What’s worrying is that most businesses aren’t aware of what’s coming or have plans in place to leverage the power of AI. These days, SEO campaigns need to focus more on safeguarding your profitability, than they do about necessarily improving keyword performance.
AI is infiltrating search engines
So, what’s actually going on? During this year’s annual developer conference, Google started to offer a glimpse into how they’re weaving AI into the fabric of their products, and while details on Google DeepMind’s cutting-edge AI models remained under wraps, the keynote hinted at significant progress. This secrecy likely surrounds the project’s complexity and potential for real-world impact. All we do know is this will be directly linked to the future of the traditional search engine.
Let’s take a look at some of the changes likely to directly impact traditional organic search:
From Search Engine to Answer Engine: The growing role of AI
Google’s ambition goes beyond replacing search results. They’re aiming to transform themselves from a search engine into an “answer engine.” Imagine searching for a new restaurant. Instead of a list of websites, Google’s AI will curate a selection based on your mood, budget, and even dietary restrictions, pushing traditional search results further down the page. This “AI-Organised” search functionality, currently being rolled out for dining and recipes, will eventually encompass movies, music, and more, fundamentally altering how users discover information online.
The implications for businesses are clear: a strong presence on the first page of search results might not be enough anymore. With AI acting as a gatekeeper, the key will be to ensure your content aligns with the way users are now searching for information.
What we’ve also learned is that Gemini, Googles AI assistant, has undergone yet another upgrade which signifies a deeper integration of AI into user workflows. Using Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google is now able to provide multi-stage reasoning. Multi-stage reasoning refers to the ability to solve complex problems or answer questions by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps. It involves using logic and existing knowledge to analyse information, draw conclusions, and arrive at a solution. Not only does this save time to the searcher, but it also delivers the required result without the need for multiple searches.
The broad roll out of “AI Overviews”
One of the biggest announcements that came out of the developer conference was the broad roll out of AI Overviews. This caught our attention in that it follows on from, and replaces what was previously known as the Search Generative Experience, or SGE. This tech, again powered by Gemini, uses Googles advanced AI language and deep learning models to return more accurate search results based on true user intent with a cleaner, faster, and more streamlined experience.
AI Overviews will be able to provide answers to complex search queries in significant detail whilst also offering results from multiple perspectives. We have to assume that eventually, this will replace the traditional format of Googles search engine that we have all become familiar with.
Although the roll out won’t be immediate, users in the U.S may start to notice these changes in the coming months with a more centralised worldwide roll out coming later in the year. We’ll be watching the development of this closely with regards to the impact its likely to have on website traffic.
Project Astra
Project Astra has gain significant interest in the SEO community. Though still shrouded in mystery, Project Astra suggests Google is working on large-scale, beneficial uses of AI technology. The exact nature of these applications remains to be seen, but the project hints at Google’s ambition to leverage AI with multimodal functionality and contextual awareness which aims to provide a more natural back and forth conversation.
Obviously, these changes have a downside from an SEO (and business) perspective as it highlights a future where zero click searches will rise and traffic will most certainly decline. Not good for anyone solely relying organic traffic.
So, what can we do about this?
AI is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s a driving force behind Google’s core product development. From the way we search for information, to how we manage our work and personal data, AI is poised to transform our digital experiences. So, what can be done to future-proof your organic search traffic? Well, for starters, you need to change your mindset. Instead of chasing rankings, you need to start thinking about SEO from a risk management perspective.
Since search activity has already become more conversational with the adoption of AI, the integration of AI Overviews will surely present further challenges, and zero click searches will likely rise as a result.
Businesses will face a continuing decline in organic traffic, especially for informational and navigational searches (think “top of the funnel” keywords). This could result in significant drops in both website visits and revenue.
Planning for the future and minimising risk
As the saying goes, “the world stands still for no man”. We are at a point where changes are coming thick and fast which means we need to shift the focus a little. Keeping up to date with fresh content ideas, rich media and engaging social are probably more important now than they ever were.
Craft a winning content strategy
Firstly, you need to stop chasing keywords and start understanding search intent. What questions are your ideal customers asking? What information are they seeking at different stages of their buying journey? Craft content that caters to these needs and you’ll provide more comprehensive and informative experience.
Embrace Rich Media
Visuals are important to the future of search. AI Overviews seems to favor bite-sized, factual answers, and rich media like videos and infographics. These can be powerful tools for condensing your best content into consumable chunks that can be easily incorporated into these summaries. Users’ attention spans are also declining, meaning to be impactful, you need to stand out. It’s time to get creative.
Get onsite and Technical SEO in order
Don’t underestimate the importance of technical SEO. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and has a clean and well-structured code that follows best practices. This allows search engines, and particularly AI crawlers, to easily understand your website and efficiently index your content.
Structured Data: Speaking the Language of AI
Structured data acts as a roadmap for search engines, helping them understand the context and meaning of your content. Implementing structured data schema markup can significantly improve your website’s visibility in AI-powered search results.
Keep it fresh
Regularly updating your content is the best way to stay relevant and informative. Search engines, especially AI-powered ones, favor fresh content. Think of it as keeping your website stocked with the latest provisions to ensure your content remains valuable to users.
Protect Your Existing Rankings
Ranking in the top 3 positions for your primary intent keywords remains important, perhaps more than before. With AI Overviews potentially incorporating snippets from these top results, securing and maintaining these spots is paramount. Keeping fresh, regular links coming in through the like of blogger outreach will help you maintain high organic rankings.
The bottom line…
So, what’s the bottom line? Well, organic traffic is STILL important and an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. Content is more relevant than ever with a strong emphasis on it being fresh and technical aspects of your website need to be on point for the AIs to understand it. If managed correctly, your organic traffic will continue to deliver for years to come and with the right mindset, you’ll be able to easily adapt and change to the constant barrage of algorithmic updates that the search engines throw at us.
Digivark remains at the forefront of these changes, testing, adapting and changing the way we work so that your business remains strong during these turbulent times. Need some clarification? Reach out, we’re here to help.
