It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for a while, with machine learning and neural networks powering innovation for many years. However, recent advances in large language models (LLM) have enabled significant improvements in generative AI that continue to change the way we do business – from democratizing data to significantly altering the consumer’s digital journey.
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is one way AI is changing the way information is presented to consumers online, creating a new status quo that business leaders around the world need to understand and to adapt to in order to maintain a competitive advantage.
Let’s explore the business impact of SGE, particularly on brand visibility across the digital consumer journey. Understanding this will enable business leaders to effectively adopt long-term growth strategies in the era of AI-driven research.
AI-powered research: challenges and opportunities
Before we get into the business impact of SGE, let’s look at why this is a significant development. Previously, when a consumer searched for something, such as a product or service, they would discover a list of results that they would then have to navigate through to find information that would help them make a decision. SGE, on the other hand, synthesizes data from multiple sources into a single, comprehensive view, providing users with quick, concise answers without the need to click through multiple links.
While SGE certainly improves user convenience, businesses now must figure out how to navigate a new discovery process. Reducing organic traffic, for example, means brands see fewer clicks to websites because users get direct answers when searching. This impacts both brand visibility and website traffic, while leading to higher cost-per-click (CPC) rates and lower ad visibility in search results.
Large brands with extensive digital footprints are naturally set up to excel at AI-driven search, which means smaller businesses need to adapt faster and faster. At the same time, many small and medium-sized organizations may not have the staff and budget to test a wide range of forward-looking digital strategies. Clear objectives and precise direction are therefore necessary for budgets to go as far as possible. .
While it will take some getting used to, AI-powered search presents an exciting opportunity to refocus on how your brand appears online by prioritizing high-quality content and by listening to consumer feedback.
Digital Strategies to Consider for Your EMS Era
For those who want to act quickly, the priority should be to prioritize visibility and improve your brand reputation. This will help you not only survive, but thrive in this new era of digital discovery. Here are four focus areas that will help you increase your search visibility while proactively improving your reputation.
- Optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) and website
For location-based businesses, a fully optimized Google Business Profile (GBP) plays an important role in local search, as Google will rank higher for profiles that are complete, accurate, and regularly updated by the business.Not sure what should be in your GBP? Start with a detailed description of your business, highlighting your product and service offerings, including up-to-date contact information and hours of operation. Add high-quality photos and videos that show potential customers what their experience will be like, because many of today’s consumers are time-poor and need to make a quick decision.
However, devoting time to GBP doesn’t mean you need to de-prioritize your business website: you also need to continue to evolve and optimize it. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and secure, and conduct regular site audits. This will help you identify performance issues and improve site architecture for better crawling by search engine crawlers.
- Leverage customer reviews
Customer reviews – and your responses – also play an important role in AI-powered search. If you don’t have a proactive review management program in place, now is the time to start one. Ask all your customers for reviews – most customers who are happy with their experience won’t share feedback unless prompted.All the reviews you receive will be valuable to your business and your online presence. Positive reviews can be leveraged in marketing materials and will be an asset to your Google Business Profile, while negative reviews provide an opportunity to connect with your customers by understanding how you can meet their needs through targeted improvements .
Constructive feedback is also a great way to demonstrate how your team handles a difficult situation, which can ultimately lead to customer satisfaction. I truly believe that giving customers the opportunity to talk with you and each other makes any business better. This not only enables growth, but fosters customer loyalty through transparency and trust.
- Improve content quality
When optimizing for AI-powered search, you should also take the time to audit the content your team puts out there. Trusted, high-quality content will be better suited to search results that provide consumers with answers to their questions before the links to read.A good rule of thumb is to move from heavily promotional content to educational elements that address consumer queries and needs. This approach will not only help your organic search rankings, but will also position your brand – and its leaders – as an industry expert.
It goes without saying that your website content should align with your brand’s social media presence, and both should have a similar look and feel to your Google business profile pages. My message to other C-suite executives: Empower your marketing and creative teams to make the right strategic decisions so they can manage all content flows at scale.
- Implement a Solid Social Media Strategy
Social media also plays a vital role in any brand’s online presence. Linking your social media accounts to your Google Business profile will certainly help with visibility, but a solid organic social strategy – and regular engagement – is what truly sets the best apart from the rest. It’s no secret that every consumer has instant access in the palm of their hand, allowing them to express themselves, share and engage instantly.Implementing and managing a social media strategy can be difficult, so my advice to leaders would be to make sure you hire the right people. Social media has been around for decades, but some companies outsource “social media management” to an intern or less experienced employee. Although many junior employees are very talented contributors, a more experienced leader should also benefit from some form of involvement. Additionally, your social media team should be equipped with the right tools and technology to effectively execute their strategy.
Transforming new challenges into continuous growth
Dealing with the changes brought about by AI-powered search engines will require a proactive approach. Those who prioritize reputation management while adapting their digital strategies for an AI-led world will ultimately turn potential new challenges into sustained, long-term growth.
For those looking to gain a competitive advantage, now is the time to take a fresh look at your digital strategies and online reputation. Take advantage of this to bridge the gap between brand promise and what customers – and AI-powered search results – say about you.
Written by Joe Burton.
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