Search engines are evolving. And as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes part of the search experience, so too will people’s expectations and behaviours.

For those of us working in content strategy, that can only mean one thing. We will need to be ready to adapt.

But how? How can B2B brands stay ahead of the curve when there are still so many unknowns about this emerging technology?

By exploring the trajectory of search, examining what we know and what we don't, we can start to hypothesise. And it’s a worthwhile exercise. These advances present a new opportunity to transform your content strategy - as long as you’re willing to move with the times.

The Shifting Search Landscape

To understand where search engines are headed, it helps to look at what key players are doing right now.

Earlier this year, Microsoft integrated the Bing Chat feature in its Edge browser. Powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Bing Chat aims to provide a more visual and conversational search experience. It also offers a multi-session experience with chat history and persistent chats for signed in users.

With Edge only enjoying a 5% share of the browser market, it has been hard to draw any solid conclusions. As of 24th July 2023 that might be set to change as Microsoft expanded access to Bing users on Google Chrome.

But the fact remains, to truly explore the impact of AI on search marketing we need to look at Google.

Google's Vision for AI-Powered Search

During the I/O '23 conference, Google unveiled their plans for an AI-driven search experience. 

The search giant is taking a slow and calculated approach. Google SGE is currently only available through Google Labs to users in the United States, so we can only speculate about what this means for content marketing strategy based on the details they’ve released.

However, we can draw some conclusions from Google’s current search priorities.

Google’s quality guidelines are based on what it believes users find most valuable so that it can provide a great user experience. Understanding them can help marketers to create content that establishes a trustworthy online presence for their brands.

Historically, Google emphasised three main factors as the hallmarks of high-quality content: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T). In December 2022, they were updated to include an extra E: Experience.

E-E-A-T indicates that people searching the web for answers to their questions trust expertise built on effort, skill, and real-world experience. Offering a nuanced, original perspective helps establish authority and signals accuracy. Especially in sensitive areas around health, finance, purchases, security, etc. where they expect a higher standard.

People have come to rely on search engines to find trustworthy and reliable sources. Even with the rise of AI, we believe this will continue to be the case moving forward. In fact, we believe it will become even more important as AI-powered search plays a larger role in answering background, informational, and awareness-stage questions.

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) aims to provide more relevant, personalised information. More than that, it plans to offer users an immersive, interactive, multichannel search experience.

Google's demo provided an exciting glimpse into the future of search and highlights the transformative potential of generative AI. Some key features of SGE are:

Enhanced Language Understanding

The SGE model can comprehend long and complex queries without requiring users to break them into smaller parts. This feature makes the search process much more intuitive for users.

'Zero-click' Summarisation and Synthesis

The SGE model can summarise and combine information from various sources directly in the SERP. This feature saves time and provides quick insights, making information consumption more efficient.

Multi-Modal Search Results

SGE search results enable users to explore information through different media formats, including text, images, audio, and video. Featuring a wide range of sources and formats helps create a more comprehensive understanding of the searched topic and caters to various learning preferences.

Conversational Search Experience

The SGE aims to make online search more natural. Users can chat with the search engine, asking follow-up questions, seeking clarifications, or requesting more information. The AI models can understand the context of the conversation and provide relevant responses, creating a personalised and interactive search experience.

The Implications for Content Marketers

We’re still in the early days, but the direction is clear. Google intends the search to be a far more interactive and immersive user experience.

To align with Google's vision, your content marketing will have to adapt to changing customer needs and expectations.

For content marketers who prioritise user experience over gaming search algorithms, the future represents an evolution more than a revolution. SEO practices like keyword research, link building, and including a meta description won’t become obsolete overnight.

However, it does change how businesses should approach engaging audiences through search.

If you already have a human-centric approach to SEO, this shift shouldn't be a major leap. You might need to address gaps in your marketing mix. And you might be wondering where to find the resources to do so. But the shift to AI-enabled search won’t challenge your entire strategy.

In fact, you might just relish the opportunities it unlocks to foster creativity and develop a more diverse content portfolio that caters to more than just search.

Prepare for the Future of Search Marketing

It should go without saying but… put your user first. Prioritise creating helpful, engaging content that offers real value to your target audience. And remember, user-centred content is not just about addressing their needs but also providing a satisfying, immersive experience.

Understand and apply E-E-A-T and YMYL principles. Publishing content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness is increasingly important, especially in YMYL sectors. These principles are not only important for SEO, but they also align with the shift towards enhancing the customer experience.

Foster trust and credibility. In the emerging world of AI-generated content, trust and credibility are key. That means leaning into your expertise, sourcing information from authoritative sources, leveraging user-generated content, and building authoritative backlinks by producing shareable content.

DO NOT try to game the system with unethical linking practices. They will only harm your online reputation and search rankings in the long term.

Prepare for conversational search. Equip yourself with the necessary knowledge to use generative AI and natural language processing to your advantage. Understanding the basics of how this technology works will help inform how you approach content creation for more conversational queries.

If you're not in the US, you won't be able to access Google SGE yet — but you can try out an AI-powered search experience with their competitors. Have a play with Bing Chat to understand how you engage with a new way of searching. Pay attention to the terms Bing uses to search for information when you ask it questions (e.g. ‘I'm looking for a financial advisor in London who specialises in working with freelancers')

Create more commercially focused content. Search chatbots are capable of answering many of your customer’s informational search queries directly in the SERP. 

While informational content will still have value for brand building, gear your content production up for producing assets to connect with people ready to buy and looking for suppliers. Think blog posts aimed at answering frequently asked questions, case studies, and fact sheets.

Leverage multimedia, multi-channel content. SGE will provide search results across channels and mediums. It will provide a portal including video content, user review platforms, and social media. 

Make sure you produce content that maximises your chances of appearing. In a rich, multi-media, multi-channel search experience where the basics are covered by AI, you will need to stand out among a range of perspectives to connect with your audience.

Collaborate and co-create. The shift towards a more diverse, multi-medium marketing experience suggests that brands will benefit from partnerships. 

Whether it's UGC, working with influencers, or partnering with other brands, collaborations can enhance your brand's credibility and reach. Just make sure your campaign strategy and content architecture ties collaborative work into your content ecosystem. Build internal links between your content and key sales web pages. No piece of content should exist in a vacuum.

Stay agile. As the search engine marketing landscape shifts, marketers need to be responsive. Keep on top of the news, experiment, analyse your data, and continually adjust your strategies. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to check traffic flow, page indexing, and search queries.

Don’t forget to support your team’s continual learning and experimentation. The only way you will keep up with the ever-evolving digital landscape and customer expectations is by rewarding their curiosity and ingenuity.

What We’re Certain Won’t Help 

Seeing as the technology is there, it might be tempting to try to get ahead by using AI to quickly produce a lot of content. However, this poses considerable risks.

We think it’s telling that Google started prioritising first-hand experience soon after the wide-scale emergence of generative AI. More importantly, readers value knowledge that comes from true expertise.

While AI can provide instant answers to many questions, it lacks true understanding. And there are already many examples of generative tools leading users astray on complex topics.

Brands that fill sites with derivative, spammy AI content risk harming credibility and trust.

We believe that your customers will still seek out reliable sources they can trust for more in-depth information, analysis, and expertise. 

Key Questions Remain Unanswered

As an experimental preview, Google's SGE announcement generates many questions:

• What types of search queries will be eligible for AI-generated responses?

• How will Google address publishers’ concerns about generative AI taking traffic away from websites?

• Are there any technical SEO changes marketers can make to optimise content to feature in AI-generated responses?

• How will Google SGE integrate with their new AI advertising tools?

• How will Google ensure the quality of information for AI-generated content?

As Google expands SGE access, uncertainty creates opportunities for brands to test and learn. By closely monitoring changes, marketers can gather insights and refine strategies accordingly.

Is Your Content Strategy Ready for the Future of Search?

As Google continues expanding AI capabilities, there will be opportunities for brands willing to adapt through creativity and experimentation. It's also clear brands will have to invest in a more immersive, omnichannel content experience to keep up.

While some specifics remain uncertain, the overall direction is one of providing more helpful, personal, and relevant information. Brands that embrace this future focused vision will connect with audiences and stay ahead of the curve.

The possibilities for engaging customers in new ways are exciting.

We’ll be signing up to test the system for ourselves as soon as Google expands SGE to the UK. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we learn more.

Are you ready to test out new approaches and develop an agile content strategy optimised for the future? Reach out to discuss how we can help.