SEO in the Search Generative Experience Age: Will AI Change Everything?

SGE – or search generative experience, which means AI-generated content – is coming soon to a Google results page near you. As marketers, we overuse phrases like “a new age of {blank},” but AI-generated content is the rare development that could change the paradigm of marketing – specifically, SEO.

Whether you’re in SEO or rely on SEO to drive awareness and engagement for your brand, what comes next?

At Jordan Digital Marketing, we’re keeping a close eye on SGE’s rollout, of course. But there’s only so much black-and-white insight we’ll be able to glean as it develops. Google’s organic search algorithm is already a black box, and integrating an AI layer with its own algorithm is like adding another layer of steel to that black box. We’ll be able to read the tea leaves and make very informed guesses, but there are no guarantees of what the future of SGE holds.

If that sounds uncomfortable, wait for the good news: we do know something else that’s important to Google right now, and it’s not AI. In fact, it’s almost the antithesis of AI: it’s authentic, expert first-party perspectives, and Google’s not being subtle about its potential to impact your marketing.

How clear has Google been? Consider the following:

• Google introduced Discussions & Forums in September 2022 to announce an emphasis on first-person content and POVs.
• In May 2023, Google released Perspectives – if you read the announcement, you’ll see that they’re deliberately juxtaposing AI with a focus on “people and perspectives.” 
• In November 2023, Google’s ranking updates focused on “hidden gems,” which is another way to categorize first-party insights, opinions, and expertise.

Given all of this, our perspective is that E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), which Google says is part of its search rater guidelines but NOT a ranking factor, is one of the keys to building successful organic strategies in the age of AI.

Some keys to beefing up your E-E-A-T:

• Tell your audience more about your organization and the experts creating your content. This means things like “About Us” pages with meaningful information about your mission and history, author profile pages with fleshed-out biographies, etc.
• Be objective and balanced in your content. This doesn’t mean you need to tone down your opinions and perspectives, but make sure you back them up with proof and acknowledge that other perspectives or sides of the story exist when appropriate.
• Publish your editorial guidelines. This achieves a couple of things: 1) it forces you to consider your editorial guidelines, which is a good thing as editorial guidelines are often overlooked or glossed over at growing businesses; 2) it tells your audience (and Google) more about your process and standards.

Establishing E–E-A-T goes well beyond those points, of course, but if you start there, you’ll have a good foundation to build on as the SEO landscape evolves. If you’d like more of a deep dive into E-E-A-T and why we see it as the backbone of SEO in 2024 and beyond, check out our just-published guide to E-E-A-T, and make sure to get in touch if you have any questions about how to build your SEO approach going forward.