Let me begin by saying, WOW! What a 12 months?! So many AI headlines in our search engine marketing digital rags. So many tea, popcorn, and alligator emojis used over Verge articles and Board conferences gone mistaken. We most likely don’t even recall all of the failed makes an attempt at Twitter X replacements and Yandex leaks.
So, as we strategy 2024, what do I see in my proverbial crystal ball? Many quick and lean firms that don’t have search engine marketing/content material groups creating noise with AI content material, Google and Bing discovering artistic methods to floor issues not written by a bot, and SEOs working towards adapting to the brand new actuality.
However what does that appear to be? How will we, as SEOs and entrepreneurs, be capable of create and optimize content material in a sea of AI-generated textual content?
Extra genuine movies all over the place
There’s a rising cohort of shoppers who depend on video for discovery, analysis, and making buy choices. However not any sort of video will do. Genuine tales, ideas from specialists, evaluations/unboxing from customers, and, after all, leisure.
I see extra of this being surfaced by Google in SERPs, video search, procuring, YouTube, and AI-generated outcomes. Not solely to push the AI content material out of sight but additionally to construct belief and entice a youthful viewers that could be extra inclined to go looking on TikTok or Instagram.
The best way to prepare: Take into consideration the right way to deliver your video content material to life with E-E-A-T. Concentrate on creating bite-sized movies to inform actual tales and reply viewers questions, encourage clients to create helpful movies about merchandise, companion with micro or nano-influencers. Present creators with instruments and guides to help them with on-brand productions. Leverage this content material in blogs, on social media, and on product pages when it is sensible. The thought is to create as soon as and share many instances on a number of surfaces and platforms.
Extra UGC and community-style content material
Google introduced in November that they might be surfacing extra private insights and experiences from social media, blogs, and boards, and in addition adjusted their rater pointers to offer steering round content material for these “hidden gems.”
With this in thoughts, I see growth-minded entrepreneurs discovering nimble methods to check, be taught, and optimize by surfacing content material from present communities or occasions.
The best way to prepare: Take the time to check earlier than diving in. Search for low-effort, high-impact alternatives. To begin, is there an present neighborhood the place your viewers lives already? Might you leverage content material from there? Might you companion with them in a roundabout way? Alternatively, for those who host webinars or occasions, are you able to seize consumer suggestions or movies there? In the event you run an e-commerce store, are you able to incentivize clients to go away video evaluations, share explainer movies, or at the very least a photograph with their suggestions? Getting clients and viewers members to share their experiences is a implausible approach to construct model belief and advocacy and doubtlessly get extra publicity in search outcomes.
Steady shifts in SERP options
We’ve seen a number of change over the past decade, and with SGE and Bing surfacing AI-generated outcomes, it doesn’t seem that it’s going to decelerate anytime quickly. This 12 months, anticipate to see a number of testing within the SERPs. Google and Bing can be discovering methods to serve up higher outcomes and experiences to profit searchers, manufacturers, web site house owners, and advertisers.
Count on to see the next proportion of no-click outcomes with sources for informational searches, extra experiential outcomes like augmented actuality for training and e-commerce, simplified paths to conversion by surfacing much more product data straight within the SERPs for transactional queries in each conventional and AI-generated outcomes, and new promoting alternatives within the chat outcomes.
If I take it a step additional, I may see Google surfacing AI-generated search options straight of their Android cell message app to assist their customers get solutions and make purchases straight in-app.
The best way to prepare: Control MozCast to see how SERP options evolve over time. As issues evolve, contemplate the place to include Schema markup in your web site to maximise inclusion in featured snippets, different SERP options, and doubtlessly in AI-generated responses. For e-commerce, benefit from the Google Service provider Middle integration and ensure your feed is up-to-date. With no-click outcomes, take into consideration the right way to measure success. Web site site visitors could decline, however with the best technique, structured information arrange, and a easy path to buy, conversions straight from search have the potential to rise.