Google SGE and B2B marketing: how to be the “Lisan Al-Gaib”

Yes, I know, the “meme” below will go out of fashion in no time. But we can’t pass up the opportunity to use it for educational purposes! So, have you heard of Google SGE (Search Generative Experience)?

At the time I write these lines, maybe not. In 6-9 months, probably yes! In other words, it’s coming… Google SGE is going to impact the way we do our searches, and that’s going to have a negative impact on your good old Google Analytics statistics.

In fact, the advent of Google SGE will revolutionize online search, ushering in a new era of contextualization and intuition in information discovery. This technological advance will radically alter SEO strategies, forcing professionals to adopt a new approach to content creation.

The impact on users will be just as significant, as AI will greatly facilitate access to search results.

The SGE (Search Generative Experience): what does it eat in winter?

It’s the new innovation in the way Google searches, based, of course, on artificial intelligence. Google’s SGE is the automatically generated response to users’ searches. The result of the good old search bar will give way to SGE results.

It gives an answer and looks for the main search results it used to formulate the answer.

Here’s what it’s going to look like, here in the context of hotel suggestions:

Source: https://screenpilot.com/blog/introducing-sge-googles-new-ai-powered-search-generative-experience

1: The Chat button: to activate the function

2: Authoritative sources: Since the content is not self-generated, it shows here content considered of high quality to generate its response.

3: Related information: here you’ll find related research items that might be of interest to you. User feedback is also possible here (likes, dislikes), which also registers your preferences.

It’s still a rather perfunctory response to a very complex new experience. Instead of burying ourselves in the technological sands of Arrakis, I offer you the video used by Google in a post entitled Supercharging Search with generative AI and published on their blog. I warn you in advance, it’s not the music from Dune either…

Click on the image to view…

When is the SGE coming? Already available in several countries, but not in Canada, booooouuu!

(Psst: if you use a VPN and have a Google account in the USA, you might be able to try it out!) At the time of writing, no official launch date has been revealed, but it could come sooner than we think in 2024!

…that’s all well and good, but if I understand correctly, Google is going to take content from the Web… what’s the guarantee of quality?

Excellent objection! Although the tool is still under development, we learn that: if it lacks confidence or sufficient information, it will refrain from providing an AI snapshot. This approach ensures that the results you receive are of high quality and reliable, reinforcing Google’s commitment to providing trustworthy information.

And what does this mean for B2B marketing?

As mentioned above, you can expect to see a drop in your organic visits; EMS favors zero clicks (when a user performs a search and obtains the information sought without directly visiting the site(s) concerned). This phenomenon, far from being new, is set to grow.

Google’s generative search will be better able to understand user intent. So, a superficial definition of an SEO keyword topic won’t be enough; we’ll need to delve deeper into the reasons why they’re searching.

This means :

  • Privilégier les «long tail keywords» (mot-clé longue traîne). Exemple :
    • Recycling in the workplace (short tail)
    • How to recycle old printer cartridges (long tail)
  • Create quality content; keep E-E-A-T in mind (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust)
  • Don’t forget to continue to write your meta titles and descriptions well; of course, we’re still hoping to bring more users to our site rather than settling for the SGE response
  • Have content on social networks; this will improve your chances of coming out as a reliable source

Conclusion

By following these guidelines, you’ll continue to look good on the Web and come across as the Messiah (LISAN AL GAIB!). By the way, tired of managing your content strategy like a poor, simple Paul Atreides? Ask us how to become the “Lisan Al Gaib”.

Well, shall we go for a sand worm (oh sorry, Shai-Hulud) “ride”?

No?
Want to know more about the technical side? Check out this post by Vincent (yes, yes…) Terrasi on SearchEngineJournal.

Blog Archive

More articles that might interest you?

customer experience

Measuring the customer experience: a pillar of business success

In today's competitive business world, customer experience (Cx) can no longer be just a floating idea. It's become a prerequisite… Read More...

content

B2B content marketing: a look at usage and… AI!

I recently published on LinkedIn, part of the results of CMI's annual content marketing study, "B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets,… Read More...

B2B content marketing: create at home, optimize and distribute elsewhere!

It was while reading a post on Mark Schaefer's blog that I got the idea to write this post on… Read More...