What is SGE?
SGE stands for Google Search Generative Experience. It’s a Google initiative still in the experimental phase (as of April 1, 2024). SGE aims to use AI to provide more comprehensive answers directly on the search results page, potentially reducing the need to click through to individual websites. This means Google might answer a user’s question without them needing to click on any website.
An official release date for widespread SGE implementation hasn’t been announced yet!
Imagine you’re searching for how to fix a leaky faucet online. Google is getting smarter and trying new ways to help you find answers fast. SGE, which stands for Search Generative Experience, is like a built-in assistant on the search results page. Sometimes, Google might use SGE to show a short summary or answer directly on the search page, instead of just showing you links to websites. It’s still early days, but this could potentially change how people find information online. The goal is to help uncover insightful insights and helpful content for users in fewer searches and fewer clicks.
How Might SGE Affect Websites with Knowledge Base Articles?
While we do not fully know how SGE will work for each Google search, I was recently thinking about the potential impact it might have on traffic to knowledge-base articles. SGE will, not impact all queries, however, it is good to keep the incoming changes in mind. Based on what we already know here are some risks and challenges in regards to support content:
Risks and Challenges
- Decreased Click-Throughs: If SGE provides comprehensive answers directly on the search results page, users might not need to click through to your website. This could lead to lower traffic. While not really an issue, this can potentially impact self-service metrics and content consumption data.
- Competition for SERP Space: SGE summaries, featured snippets, and other dynamic search elements now compete with traditional website listings. Knowledge bases must be optimized to stand out.
- Potential for Oversimplified Answers: SGE might favour concise summaries, potentially oversimplifying complex issues. Users may still need to visit your website for in-depth, correct troubleshooting. This might lead to confusion and disrupting self-service efforts.
- Adapting to a Moving Target: Google will continue to refine SGE. Staying ahead of the curve with SEO and content optimization will be an ongoing challenge.
Potential Benefits
- Increased Visibility: Well-structured content could be prominently featured in SGE summaries, potentially attracting more clicks from highly targeted searches.
- Authority Building: If Google consistently pulls content from your knowledge base, it signals to both users and Google that you are a reliable information source. This builds long-term trust.
- Efficiency for Simple Queries: Allowing SGE to handle straightforward questions with quick answers can free up support staff to focus on complex customer issues.
- Improved User Experience (Potentially): SGE aims to get information to users faster. If used strategically, this can enhance the overall customer support experience.
What We Don’t Know Yet:
- The full extent of SGE’s capabilities and how it will be implemented.
- How Google will balance providing summaries with encouraging users to visit full articles.
Here’s what you can do to prepare:
- The Better Your Content, the Better Your Chances: Imagine Google is the picky student in class, and your knowledge base article is the answer they might use for a presentation. Sloppy, inaccurate work won’t get chosen. Focus on clear writing, double-checking your facts, and making sure your guides are truly helpful.
- Structure Matters: Make your knowledge base articles easy to scan. Break up text with headings, use bullet points, and keep your sentences short. This helps both users and Google quickly understand what your content is about.
Think Like Your Users: How Do They Ask Questions?
- Forget Jargon, Be Natural: Instead of focusing on industry-specific keywords, think about how someone with a problem would search. “How to replace a washing machine hose” will likely get your tutorial pulled up more than a term like “plumbing appliance repair.”
- Answer Clearly: If someone asks a question in your article’s title, the opening paragraph should provide a short but direct answer. Google might use this for those quick summaries on the search results page.
Go the Extra Mile to Stand Out
- More Than Just Words: Even if Google pulls snippets from your article, make people want to visit for the full experience. Can you add a step-by-step video? An infographic to illustrate a confusing process? Downloadable checklists? These make your knowledge base unique.
Tech Trends Don’t Stay Still – Neither Should You!
- Stay Informed: Google changes how search works frequently. Follow their blog for developers (https://developers.google.com/search/blog) or trusted SEO websites for updates about SGE. This will help you adjust your knowledge base content over time.
Authority and Expertise: The Trust Factor
Google wants to provide users with the most reliable answers, not just the first result that pops up. As SGE leans on summaries, it will likely favor websites with a proven track record. If you’re in a niche field, this means focusing on well-researched articles, possibly partnering with experts for contributions, and even citing sources within your content. Building backlinks (other reputable sites linking to yours) is also a signal to Google that you’re a trusted authority.
Expertise Voice Search: Talk Naturally, Get Found
More people are searching by asking questions aloud to their phones or smart speakers. SGE is designed to understand that! Instead of just packing articles with keywords, ask yourself, “How would someone explain this problem out loud?” Focus on long-tail keywords (e.g., “Why is my washing machine hose leaking?” rather than just “washing machine hose”). Tools like AnswerThePublic (https://answerthepublic.com/) can help you discover those conversational search phrases.
Analytics: Your SGE Action Plan Assistant
Think of analytics as a feedback form for your knowledge base. It tells you what people are looking for, how they’re finding your articles, and if they find them helpful enough to stay on your website. Here’s why this is even more crucial as SGE rolls out:
- Traffic Changes: Keep a close eye on the number of visits your knowledge base gets over time. If you suddenly see dips in traffic after an SGE update, it’s a signal to investigate further.
- Where Did They Go? Track where those knowledge base visitors were coming from. Were they clicking from a Google summary, or did they find you organically through a traditional search? This tells you how SGE is affecting your visibility.
- Popular vs. Problem Content: Analytics can show you which knowledge base articles people read the most and which ones have high “bounce rates” (people click away quickly). This helps you identify content that might be working for Google’s summaries, and content that needs improvement to drive click-throughs.
Tools to Help
- Google Analytics: If you don’t already use it, get familiar with Google Analytics (GA). It’s free and provides tons of data on your website traffic. Set up specific goals to track knowledge base visits.
- Search Console: This is another free Google tool that reveals which search queries bring people to your site. Analyzing this data before and after SGE updates can be insightful.
- Heat Mapping Tools: Great and simple tools. These go a step further, visually showing you where on a page people spend time and where they click.
Key Takeaway:
Don’t just fret about SGE; use the data it gives you! Analyzing traffic patterns lets you refine your content. Maybe you need to adjust titles, rewrite unclear content, or consider adding videos or even useful visuals to those frequently abandoned pages. Make the content as useful, clear and user-friendly as possible. But that should not be anything new, right? 😉
While SGE might pose some challenges, it also presents opportunities. By focusing on high-quality, user-centric content, you can position your website to benefit from this evolving search landscape.
Important Note:
As SGE is still under development, information might change. I recommend following reliable sources like Google’s Search Central blog (https://developers.google.com/search/blog) for the latest updates.