Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) and its Impact on SEO in Australia 

The Search Generative Feature is in beta mode.  As of right now, it is not available in all countries. 

It is, however, offered in over a hundred regions and one of the next to see its rollout is Australia! 

In this guide, we take a look at how Google will change the landscape of search once again so you can stay a few steps ahead!  Join us as we cover all you need to know about Google SGE and AI Overviews! 

What is Google SGE?  What are AI Overviews? 

Announced in May of 2023 at the Google I/O event, SGE is an experimental feature that uses generative artificial intelligence to give fast answers in the form of overviews that clearly answer the query at hand. 

The aim of AIO is to give quick and accurate answers to even complex questions, which it does by taking data from top-ranking sites to condense it into a single snippet that answers the question directly.  This snippet shows atop search results and above organic listings so users can quickly find the info they need. 

This is not sunny news for SEOs and website owners who rely on organic traffic as this feature can lower visibility.  After all, if a user finds their answer at the very top of the results, why should they keep scrolling? 

Here is a peek at the Search Generative Experience in action, notice how it shows above organic results: 

The Search Generative Experience is a search functionality that hones the power of AI algorithms to yield highly relevant search results at warp-like speed.  Using Large Language Models like MUM and PaLM2, it can give accurate and contextual results directly atop search result pages; making information discovery in SERPS quicker than any time before. 

The beta phase of the Search Generative Experience can make search life easier for users as it is able to: 

• Provide a concise, easy-to-read synopsis on a given topic. 

• Summarise key points and takeaways for easy info digestion. 

• Return results, answers, and how-to guidance or walkthroughs. 

For example, let us say you want to bake cookies but need to know the temperature to set the oven to. 

Before SGE, Google would direct you to sites with how-to baking guides and tutorials but now, with the launch of SGE, an AI-made answer inspired from many sources takes throne at the very top of the page; a change that is causing many websites and marketers to lose herculean volumes of traffic and visibility. 

At the bottom of the above image, you will see a Show More button that can be clicked to view a more detailed response and the sources it pulled its answer from.  Here, you may also ask follow-up queries for answers that can be given a thumbs up or down based on if the question was adequately answered. 

How Google SGE and AI Overviews Work 

SGE utilises language models like MUM and PaLM with propriety, and Google-made technologies like BERT, which stands for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers – say that three times quickly! 

Each of these models enable AI Overviews, as well as the Search Generative Experience, to give answers for even complex queries in a human-like fashion, join us as we look at how the answering process works: 

Query Review, SGE reviews the query using natural language processing to grasp what is being asked. 

Data Retrieval, it fetches query-specific info from many sources and web pages to gather insight before generating a response. 

Content Creation, with the help of AI, SGE creates and organises answers into a coherent and relevant, easy-to-read answer that shows atop search results with cited sources and references. 

Answer Refinement, users may input additional queries or hold a conversation with the bot that can give even deeper insight into the topic or subject matter. 

How to Enable Google SGE and AI Overviews 

To enable SGE in a country where it has rolled out simply follow the steps down below: 

1) To get started, open up Google Chrome or its app on your iOS or Android device. 

2) Visit Settings and click Labs or Experiments; the label you see is region-dependent. 

3) Then, once you find the Search Generative Experience tab, go ahead and toggle it on. 

4) Agree to the TOS, if asked to, and then save the change to put the feature into effect. 

Per the latest news from the search engine giant, Google SGE is on pace to reach more and more countries in all parts of the world – and while there is no official launch date – it will likely soon be available in Australia given its global-phased release in other regions; now is the time to prepare! 

Core Benefits of SGE and Google Generative AI in Search Results 

Most people have had the chance to try generative AI tools, like ChatGPT and Midjourney, and the underlying tech that powers them is what enables SGE to enhance the search experience for users.  Indeed, SGE will likely spur a drop in traffic for many sites, but it offers plenty of end-user benefits.  Read as we cover the perks of SGE and the ways it will transform Search for the foreseeable future. 

Complex Topics, Simplified! 

Want to learn about a complex topic? 

Need a tutorial that is easy to follow? 

If so, SGE excels in such cases with digestible easy-to-follow summaries, which are made possible by its deep learning algorithm that learns and analyzes a range of data sets to return comprehensive answers. 

This is invaluable to students and programmers, and to anyone needing an answer or solution in a whim.   

• Contextual Summaries, using large language models like MUM and PaLM2, SGE pulls data from many sources to condense them into a short-insightful summary to prevent users from having to make tons of searches.  Needless to say, SGE is a time-saving feature that makes user life easier. 

• Embedded Knowledge, SGE gets info from a wide range of sources and then condenses findings into a fact-based, simple-to-read summary while offering lists, figures, and links to cited sources. 

Engaging, Time-Saving Results 

The Search Generative Experience was made to save time by making sought results engaging and easier to find, and its answers are not only insightful but interactive as well!  Let us demonstrate down below. 

• Dynamic Experience, once a user reads the SGE-given summary, they may ask follow-up queries that prompt the AI to delve deeper in the topic or subject matter, and without further searches! 

• Meaningful Interactions, SGE gives a personalised experience and can learn the search habits of a person to return tailored replies based on their history, preference, and previous interactions. 

Accelerated Information Discovery 

No doubt, the speed at which SGE works is useful and impressive but this is not all the feature is known for.  Here are a few huge advantages of the Search Generative Experience that have users most excited: 

• Speed, SGE extracts, processes, and summarises large amounts of info so users do not need to spend time treasure hunting for credible and trusted results, which saves people a ton of time. 

• Efficiency, SGE streamlines the search experience by giving a direct answer to the query at hand so no longer does a user need to click on multiple links to get the insight or answer they require. 

• Direct Replies, rather than a list of links, SGE instead provides an insightful paragraph summary that prevents users from having to visit external sites to find the answer they are searching for.

Google SGE and the Future of SEO in Australia 

There is no slowing SGE as it will no doubt go mainstream in most parts of the world, including Australia! For brands, site owners, and search marketers, understanding the tech, as well as finding ways to adapt to it is essential to ensuring healthy traffic levels going forward and now is the best of times to ready up! 

As said above, Generative AI in search results is great for users but not for the SEO landscape as organic traffic figures will likely decline across the board.  Here are some things to bear in mind as you proceed. 

• SERP Visibility, lower search traffic and visibility is a setback many are enduring as SGE crowns search engine results and pushes down top organic listings by a numbing twelve hundred pixels. 

• Many Info Sources, incredibly, over sixty percent of sites gathered by SGE do not even rank in the top ten results, so SEOs and marketers can expect greater competition from more sources. 

• Refined Content Strategy, as we shift to an age where people quickly want answers they seek, the time has come to focus most on creating comprehensive, media-rich content that includes facts, cited sources, and easy-to-read lists.  Doing this will make it more likely to appear in SGE! 

• Brand and Local Search Hurdles, the answers SGE gives often contain links to brands and cited sources.  This may undermine the brand and website authority one works hard to build, and can badly affect local search traffic/performance.  As such, a new content strategy might be needed. 

Simply put, SGE impacts SEO as it prioritises the direct answering of user questions over organic listings. 

This change means people are less likely to visit external sites, which marks the start of a new and more hurdling era of SEO; one in which a new approach and strategy for content optimisation will be needed. 

There is one perk, though, as while organic traffic may decline, the volume of quality visitors may grow! This is possible as SGE excels in answering what-is search phrases but if a user wants to explore the topic even more, they may click the cited source (your site) to engage content and convert to a sale or client. 

For now, we can say the Search Generative Experience will have mixed and unpredictable effects on SEO as not all users will see SGE results as one must toggle the feature on to see it – and quite frankly – many are still not keen on seeing AI-made content in search results.  But even so, now is the best of times for SEOs, brands, and marketers to begin optimising content with SGE in mind, here are things to focus on: 

• Long-tail keywords and search phrases. 

• Natural and simple language for AI consumption. 

• Quality, layout-mindful content with lists and media. 

Impact of Google SGE and AI Overviews on Australian Businesses 

As a closing segment, let us answer the questions most asked by Australian brands concerned with the changes to follow its inevitable rollout in the region. 

Will Australian brands and companies be affected by Google SGE/AI Overviews? 

Indeed as this feature innovates the search experience by placing a rich, AI-made answer above organic search results.  As such, you may see a drop in ranking and lower traffic and conversions as a result.  All websites and digital storefronts need to adapt by making content that is relevant and optimised for SGE. 

How can Australian Websites Prepare for the Google SGE/AI Overviews Rollout? 

There are some things a person can do to prepare their site for its soon-to-come release, these include: 

• Improve Content Quality, create fluff-free authority content that directly answers the question. 

• Embed Structured Data, use lists of facts and data as they relate to the topic, and use schema markup – code that tells Google what your content is about – for the best chance of showing up.