Google recently announced their new mind-blowing move towards integrating generative AI capabilities in search.
Many people still don't have any idea about what this new feature is, how it will benefit or harm them, and what to expect.
What is SGE?
Generative AI is going to be the all-new Google Search. Google has been working for years to make constant improvements to its search feature to help its audiences find the answers to their queries. But, there has never been any big or striking change that made everyone ‘wow’.
However, generative AI is the exception. Unlike the usual minor feature improvements or updates that Google releases, Generative AI is a complete makeover and revamp of the current search functionality.
The release and consistent upgrade of chatGPT have helped many, left many jobless, and many are on the verge of their jobs being taken over by a machine. But nonetheless, nobody can ignore the amount of ease it has brought in, the time it has saved, and how it fine-tunes a task and improves the efficiency of businesses.
Every company started looking for ways to leverage AI like never before and Google clearly is not an exception.
In simple terms, Google's generative-AI-search is its version of chatGPT integrated into Google Search.
Key Features
i) AI-Generated Search Results
It’s no wonder that people are starting to rely less on visiting websites solely for basic definitions and content. Queries like "What is a skateboard?" or "What is the legal age to vote?" are now answered through generative search, which utilizes a chatGPT-like generative AI. This AI scrapes millions of websites and provides users with answers based on its extensive knowledge. While this approach offers convenience for users, it poses a challenge for bloggers and content creators who rely on website traffic for clicks.
ii) Conversational Follow-up
The generative AI is built to be conversational not like a human but to make your search experience conversational.
Imagine you search for a query: “Best resort for a family of 4 in los angeles”, the SGE will provide you with the best possible results, but unlike the typical Google search, it will also provide you with an option to ask follow-up questions to your query.
You can simply ask for a follow-up like “swimming pool”. Even if this query is without much context, the generative AI will understand its intent and relate it with your previous search query and come up with the results for the “best resort for a family of 4 in los angeles with a swimming pool”.
How cool is that?
Just like how we talk with humans with broken contexts and still, they get it. That is what the new SGE is expected to do.
iii) Enhanced Shopping Experience
Shopping has already seen many developments that make it progressively easier. You see a product, visit the product's official site or other popular shopping sites like Amazon, add the product to your cart, and pay.
The new generative AI streamlines the purchasing process by integrating the Google Pay option directly into the shopping section. This eliminates the need for intermediate steps and enables users to complete their purchases with just a single click.
Industries SGE can affect
The advent of any new technology will always have an undeniably significant impact on several industries. Below is a list of a few industries that the implementation of generative AI will impact.
It doesn't mean these industries are dead or will be replaced by AI. AI can be a helper but never a replacement. These industries are listed because they’ll see a significantly greater impact than the other industries.
And Professionals who work in them will have to upskill and ADAPT to figure out how to survive sustainably with the new technology.
i) Blogging
AI-generated content is indeed having an impact on the field of blogging. It allows individuals with a solid understanding of a topic to easily publish content, which can potentially flood the search results with AI-generated articles.
However, as a blogger, there's no need to worry if you have a clear understanding of your niche and produce valuable content. It's important to note that Google has made changes to its E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines, now emphasizing E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). This shift aims to differentiate and prioritize content that comes from sources with genuine experiential knowledge rather than mere AI-generated content.
ii) SEO
SEO experts and enthusiasts indeed need to adapt to the evolving landscape of AI-generated content and understand how it impacts Google search rankings. It's crucial to stay up to date with the latest developments in search algorithms and the ways in which AI-generated and human-generated content are evaluated.
iii) Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketers who rely on their blogs or websites as a primary source of income may experience an impact with the introduction of Google's enhanced shopping experience in search results. The integration of payment methods directly within search results makes it more convenient for users to make transactions.
While it's true that not everyone will make impulsive purchase decisions from suggested search results, a significant portion of users may do so. This development represents a new technological advancement, and it's important for individuals to learn and adapt to emerging technologies without fear.
While certain industries may undergo significant changes, it does not mean that the industry is completely dead or that it's impossible to earn a living within it. Adapting to the new landscape and finding innovative ways to provide value to your audience can help navigate the evolving ecosystem and continue to succeed in affiliate marketing or other related fields.
If you are someone working on these niches, then you need to buckle up and learn to surf with the new tide, upskill and come up with new and existing strategies to make yourself stand out from the AI.
But for users in general it is going to be an amazing experience for sure. We definitely can expect a lot more features to unravel.