The introduction of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), launched in May 2023, represents a fundamental shift in how users interact with search engines and how e-commerce businesses need to optimise their content for visibility. With its AI-driven ability to generate conversational and contextually rich summaries, featured snippets—once-coveted prime real estate—are facing a transformation in their role and influence. SGE changes the importance and strategy surrounding featured snippets, keyword optimisation, and content quality.

In this post, we’ll explore how SGE affects featured snippets, how it ties into Google’s ongoing algorithm updates and the best practices to keep your content at the forefront of this AI-driven search evolution.

 

What is Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE)?

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) represents a significant shift in how users interact with search results. This initiative integrates AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, providing concise and conversational answers derived from multiple sources. While this enhances user convenience, it also changes the game for SEO, impacting visibility and click-through rates.

SGE overlaps with and extends the function of traditional featured snippets. Previously, featured snippets provided straightforward answers to user queries. Now, with SGE, snippets feed into dynamic AI summaries, making them part of a broader, more fluid answer framework.

 

The 3 Key Impacts of SGE on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search Generative Experience (SGE) is altering how users interact with search engines. First, let’s explore one of the most critical changes: the reduced click-through rates (CTR).

  1. Reduced Click-Through Rates (CTR)

Increasingly, users are finding their answers directly on Google without needing to click through to source content. This shift has led to a notable decline in organic CTRs, even for high-ranking pages.

Case Study: CTR Decline Despite Strong Rankings

One of our clients has experienced this firsthand. Their awareness-focused content piece, which ranks exceptionally well across 136 UK keywords with a combined average monthly search volume of 9,120, has consistently held 9 featured snippets since going live.

Despite maintaining impressive rankings and stable impressions over the last 6 months, organic clicks have declined significantly. This graph illustrates the disconnect. While the post’s visibility in SERPs remains strong, user interactions with the content have steadily dropped:

This trend underscores a critical challenge: visibility doesn’t guarantee traffic any more.

  1. Increased Competition

SGE pulls information from multiple sources, creating intense competition to become the trusted “source of truth.” Here’s an example:

    1. Dynamic Summaries

Unlike traditional static snippets, SGE outputs are conversational and frequently updated, requiring adaptable content strategies. Just search “how many sleeps until Christmas?” on Google and find out:

This raises two pivotal questions for SEO specialists: How do you ensure your content is featured in SGE? And how do you sustain traffic when users engage with AI summaries instead of clicking through?

 

Strategies for Optimising Content for SGE and Featured Snippets

Adapting to Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) requires a nuanced approach that combines traditional SEO tactics with strategies tailored for conversational AI. Here’s how to ensure your content aligns with both featured snippets and SGE requirements:

  1. Optimise for Conversational Queries

SGE’s focus on natural language means your content must reflect how users speak and search. Key tactics include:

  • Targeting Long-Tail Keywords: Incorporate phrases that mimic conversational language, focusing on detailed queries.
  • Answering Specific Questions: Use headings and subheadings framed as questions (e.g., “What is SGE, and how does it work?”).
  • Structured Content: Present information in digestible formats like bulleted lists, tables, and short, concise paragraphs. This structure aids AI in parsing content effectively.

 

  1. Emphasise E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google continues to value quality content through its E-E-A-T framework. To align with this standard:

  • Cite Authoritative Sources: Reference credible materials, include citations, and provide links to trusted websites.
  • Highlight Author Credentials: Include bios, professional achievements, and evidence of expertise in the subject matter.
  • Demonstrate Real-World Experience: To boost credibility, incorporate practical insights, case studies, or first-hand knowledge where possible.

Related: A Guide to the Google E-A-T & YMYL Update

 

  1. Create Enhanced FAQ Sections

FAQs are naturally suited for conversational queries and structured answers, making them a prime candidate for SGE summaries:

  • Conversational Tone: Frame questions as natural queries, mirroring how users ask them.
  • Concise Yet Comprehensive Answers: Provide succinct responses that address questions thoroughly without overwhelming the reader.
  • Leverage Structured Data: Utilise FAQ schema markup to make your content easily readable for AI-driven results. Need help? Read our guide to Implementing Structured Data and SCHEMA Markup.

 

  1. Diversify Your Content Formats

SGE pulls from multimedia sources, meaning diversifying your content can enhance your chances of inclusion:

  • Video and Interactive Content: Optimise titles and include transcripts for visibility.
  • Infographics: Create data-rich visuals that simplify complex topics.

Just make sure you use Inline SVG, as it’s a better option performance-wise for page speed.

 

  1. Prioritise Technical and User Experience (UX) Factors

SGE favours content from websites offering seamless experiences:

  • Improve Page Speed: Ensure fast load times, particularly on mobile devices.
  • Enhance Mobile Friendliness: Optimise designs for responsive, intuitive navigation.
  • Streamline Content Delivery: Reduce clutter and focus on clarity to retain user attention and satisfy search engines.

Related: The Impact of Design on SEO

 

  1. Comprehensive Topic Coverage

Provide Comprehensive Topic Coverage

SGE favours in-depth, context-rich content that addresses all facets of a topic:

  • Holistic Approach: Cover subjects comprehensively, ensuring users and AI find all relevant information in one place.
  • Simplicity in Depth: Balance detail with readability to make complex topics accessible and engaging.

Read more about What Google Means by High-Quality Content.

 

  1. Address Content Attribution in SGE

SGE’s multi-source summaries can dilute individual brand visibility, creating a challenge in content ownership and recognition:

  • Maintain Brand Consistency: Use a distinctive tone and voice throughout your content to reinforce brand recognition, even in summarised formats.
  • Engage with Feedback Tools: Monitor Google’s reporting tools to address misattribution issues or missing citations, ensuring your content gets proper credit.

 

  1. Adapt to SGE’s Algorithm Shifts

SGE operates on advanced AI like Google’s PaLM 2, which emphasises:

  • Contextual Relevance Over Keywords: Shift from optimising for individual keywords to targeting topic clusters. This ensures broader relevance across multi-faceted queries.
  • Actionable, Usable Content: Prioritize content that solves real-world problems or provides tangible advice, aligning with SGE’s focus on usability.

Success in the SGE era lies in crafting content that is not only technically optimised but also conversational, authoritative, and user-focused. By integrating these strategies, you can navigate challenges like content attribution, algorithmic shifts, and evolving user expectations while maintaining visibility and traffic.

 

Best Practices for Local SEO and SGE

SGE integrates location-specific queries into its summaries, offering new opportunities for local businesses. Here’s how to optimise your site:

  • Keep Google My Business Updated: To boost your chances of appearing in SGE recommendations, ensure your profile has accurate operating hours, high-quality photos, and comprehensive FAQs.
  • Leverage Reviews: Encourage positive reviews and highlight frequently mentioned keywords to enhance your business’s credibility in local queries.
  • Optimise for Local Keywords: Use hyperlocal terms (e.g., neighbourhoods or landmarks) in metadata and on-page content. Create location-specific landing pages tailored to local user intent. Read more on our Local SEO cheat sheet.
  • Use Structured Data: Implement LocalBusiness schema to clearly define your business’s address, phone number, and operating hours, helping search engines integrate your details into SGE summaries.
  • Prioritise Mobile Optimisation: Local searches often occur on mobile devices. Ensure your site is fast-loading, easy to navigate, and includes click-to-call options for user convenience.
  • Engage with the Community: Boost your local presence by participating in or sponsoring events and sharing updates through social media.

 

Rethinking Metrics in the Age of SGE

As Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) reshapes search behaviour, traditional SEO metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and bounce rate are becoming less reliable indicators of success. Instead, a forward-thinking approach requires re-evaluating how we measure visibility, engagement, and impact across digital platforms.

 

Brand Awareness

With SGE summarising information directly on the SERP, fewer users may click through to your site. However, branded search terms—queries directly including your brand name—can indicate increased awareness and recognition. Monitoring these trends offers insight into your content’s ability to leave a lasting impression, even when clicks don’t occur.

Related: Important Signals To Send When You’re Not A Household Name

 

Engagement Across Platforms

The rise of SGE underscores the importance of diversifying traffic sources. Beyond SERPs, track user interactions across social media, email campaigns, and direct website visits. This multi-channel engagement provides a clearer picture of your brand’s reach and influence.

 

Understanding Visibility: A Critical Metric for SGE Success

Visibility refers to how often your content appears in search results, especially in SGE summaries or featured snippets. It’s not just about being present—it’s about how prominently and frequently your content is showcased. With SGE extracting data from multiple sources, being part of the conversation is essential for maintaining authority and relevance.

 

Why Measure Visibility?

  • Insight into Ranking Performance: Visibility metrics reveal whether your content consistently appears in relevant queries, even when users don’t click through.
  • Impact on Brand Perception: High visibility reinforces your brand as a trusted source of information.
  • Strategic Optimisation: Tracking visibility helps identify gaps or opportunities to refine content strategies.

 

How to Measure Visibility?
One of the most effective tools for tracking visibility is SEO Monitor. It offers granular insights into how often your content appears in search results, provides visibility scores, and tracks changes over time.

 

The Future of Featured Snippets and SGE

SGE is still in its early stages, and Google’s experiments will shape its long-term impact. For SEO specialists, staying informed and adaptable is key. As Google intensifies its efforts to filter out low-quality content—impacting up to 40% of search results in recent core updates—the spotlight is now firmly on creating content that’s unique, high-quality, and rich in E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

Success in this evolving landscape lies in delivering exceptional user experiences. That means answering questions clearly, offering valuable insights, and ensuring your content is accessible and easy to navigate. By prioritising your audience’s needs and aligning your SEO strategy with these principles, you can thrive amidst the changes that generative AI search brings.

 

That’s all, stay Human.

Want this kind of stuff in your inbox weekly? Subscribe to our newsletter here.

P.S. Want to learn more? Here are 4 articles you may like:

  1. Get a free audit of your current marketing strategy. >>Click here to get your free audit<<
  2. Want to learn more about ‘Zero Click Marketing’ >>Click here to learn why Charlie Sloth is an industry trailblazer<<
  3. Make your content king. Hear our thoughts on the power of content marketing done right >>Click here to learn all things content marketing<<
  4. What does the future of search look like? >>The Future of SEO and Search<<