Wendy Covey
Have you recently found yourself saying, What the heck, Google?! Google search results have been experiencing significant changes, with an increase in discussion sites like Reddit and Quora appearing in search results. This is due to Google's emphasis on first-person experience (EEAT) and combating misinformation. However, the results often include outdated information and unreliable advice.
Additionally, Google's AI overviews, formerly known as Search Generative Experience (SGE), have been quietly rolled out, providing automatic answers to queries but sometimes pulling in inaccurate information from sources like forums. The leaked Google algorithms reveal that clicks, click-through rates, and length of page visits are ranking signals, while on-page SEO and technical backend optimization are less important than we previously thought. To adjust to these changes, marketers should diversify their strategies and focus on reaching their audience where they are through channels like YouTube, events, thought leadership, referrals, digital advertising, and public relations. Content strategies should prioritize deep technical content, real-world projects, and data, rather than introductory topics. It's important to stay flexible and adjust plans as Google's search landscape continues to evolve.
Takeaways
- Google search results now prioritize content from discussion sites to provide a first-person perspective.
- However, this shift has resulted in outdated and unreliable information appearing in search results due to a lack of oversight.
- Google's AI overviews, previously known as SGE, provide automatic answers to queries but may pull in inaccurate information and are not always pulling from the most authoritative sources.
- Clicks, click-through rates, and length of page visits are ranking signals, while on-page SEO and technical backend optimization are less important.
- Marketers should diversify their strategies and focus on reaching their audience through channels like YouTube, events, thought leadership, referrals, digital advertising, and public relations.
- Content strategies should prioritize deep technical content, real-world projects, and data, rather than introductory topics.
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- Related Episode: The Evolving Search Landscape of 2023, from E-E-A-T to AI
- Related Episode: What We've Learned from Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE)
Wendy Covey
Wendy Covey is a CEO, a technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America, and she holds a Texas fishing record. She resides in a small Hill Country town southwest of Austin, Texas, where she enjoys outdoor adventures with her family.
About TREW Marketing
TREW Marketing is a strategy-first content marketing agency serving B2B companies that target highly technical buyers. With deep experience in the design, embedded, measurement and automation, and software industries, TREW Marketing provides branding, marketing strategy, content development, and digital marketing services to help customers efficiently and effectively achieve business goals.