Preparing for an AI Search Engine Experience

One of the most exciting developments in search is the integration of generative AI search algorithms. In a recent conversation, Doreid Haddad, Senior SEO and Innovation Manager at WordLift, shares his expertise on AI.

Google’s SGE is a revolutionary approach to search results. It aims to provide users with a more conversational and comprehensive experience. It does this by presenting expanded windows of information in a natural-language format. This goes beyond traditional search results. It offers users a deeper understanding of their queries. As Haddad explains, the SGE isn’t just an experiment. It’s the future of search engine results pages (SERPs).

Structured data plays a vital role in optimizing for the SGE. By providing high-quality, structured data, businesses can help Google understand their content better. This, in turn, increases their chances of appearing in the SGE and other rich results. Structured data allows Google to comprehend relationships between different elements. Understanding categories and products leads to improved visibility in search results.

As such, E-commerce websites have a unique opportunity to leverage structured data and optimize their content for the SGE. It’s the way to enhance their presence in Google Shopping and other relevant search features. It’s not just about showcasing products — it’s about understanding the entire buyer journey. By creating content that covers all stages of the funnel, businesses can establish trust and credibility with users. That ultimately drives conversions.

Intellectual property and plagiarism has become more prevalent as the use of AI-generated content increases. Haddad emphasizes that Google still values content created by real individuals. Verifying the identity of content creators and ensuring real people are behind the content is important. This helps maintain trust and authenticity in the search ecosystem.

Agenda

The conversation covers the following topics:

• The role of AI in content strategy and search engine optimization (SEO)
• The changing landscape of Google and the future of search
• The mission and work of WordLift
• The concept of structured data and knowledge graphs
• Google’s search generative experience (SGE)
• The impact of SGE on e-commerce SEO
• The importance of understanding the buyer’s journey in content creation

Takeaways

AI is reshaping the future of e-commerce SEO, with structured data playing a crucial role.

Doreid Haddad highlights that with the evolution of AI, SEO is becoming more about data optimization. “First of all, I mean, they need to focus on the data that they are providing because what we see, I mean, from our experience is that in most cases, businesses have the data, but they are not providing it in the correct way,” he says.

He emphasizes that structured data is not just about getting rich results, but about improving Google’s understanding of the website as a whole. “So when I add, for example, the reviews or the structured data for the reviews or all this data, it’s not only to getting the rich results itself. It’s about with much more deeper understanding, I mean, of your websites and it will optimize the whole process.”

Finally, Haddad states that in the era of AI, better data provision can improve Google’s understanding of where to rank a site on its search engine, Google Shopping, or within product knowledge panels. “The SEO of data, before starting with, I mean, other things, because if you get the data right, then, I mean, everything will be much more much more easier.”

The Search Generative Experience (SGE) is shaping the future of search and business strategy.

Jeff Coyle and Doreid Haddad discuss the concept of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and how it is changing the landscape of search. Haddad describes SGE as “the SERP of the future,” indicating that it will play a significant role in shaping business strategy.

Haddad reveals that Google is using SGE to be more conversational and provide users with a more comprehensive understanding of search queries. “They want to pull all the information from all the websites. They want to show it in one page and they want that the user get all the information that they need in one page,” he says.

Coyle further adds that the SGE can potentially open up new opportunities for businesses to gain more visibility in search results. He explains, “If Google can’t understand what you’re producing, you’re likely not going to be ranking well in organic search. But there’s another way that this information is being understood so that it can be shown to you right in that box.”

Understanding the buyer journey is critical for e-commerce SEO and content strategy.

Both Coyle and Haddad stress the importance of understanding the buyer journey in e-commerce SEO. Haddad advises businesses to focus on improving the user experience on their websites and optimize the data they provide to Google.

Coyle echoes this sentiment, noting that Google is trying to understand the entire journey of buying a product and show other parts of that journey. He says, “When I cover this type of topic, I need to cover it as an entire cluster, as an entire graph, so that I can win for all the possible combinations.”

Haddad encourages businesses to provide Google with better connections and linking data. “More you are able, I mean, to improve the data more you are able, I mean, to provide Google with better connections, I mean, better linking data, for example, I mean, all of this kind of optimizations can help,” he adds.

Interesting Insights

• AI and structured data play a crucial role in improving content strategy and SEO.
• Google’s SGE aims to improve user experience by delivering more conversational and comprehensive search results.
• E-commerce SEO can benefit significantly from structured data, as it helps Google understand the product better.
• Google is moving towards becoming a one-stop-shop, pulling all product information from various websites to provide a comprehensive view to the user.
• SEO for e-commerce is primarily data-driven, with the focus on providing accurate and detailed product information.
• Google’s SGE presents another opportunity for businesses to gain more visibility on search results.
• The importance of understanding and covering the entire buyer journey in content creation.

Featured Guest

Doreid Haddad is a Senior SEO and Innovation Manager at WordLift, specializing in scaling SEO strategies and driving innovation with semantic SEO and knowledge graph development. He focuses on leveraging automation to enhance organic growth and pioneers advanced techniques for significant business growth.