As we move into autumn, the world of SEO has been busy with updates that could impact your digital strategy. In August, Google rolled out a significant core algorithm update, sparking conversations across the SEO industry as businesses assess its effects on search rankings.
Alongside this, Google introduced AI Overviews to search results in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and the UK. This feature is set to transform how users interact with information online, making it more accessible and engaging.
This highlights blog will explore these changes and determine if you need to adapt your SEO strategy. At britweb, we stay ahead of developments, and our SEO team ensures websites and businesses succeed online by adapting to and navigating big updates.
Contact us about your website and online performance to see how we could help your business grow.
August 2024 core update to Google Search
The August core update finished its rollout on 3rd September and brought significant changes to search rankings. It focused on continuing to promote high-quality content that genuinely serves user needs rather than content created solely for ranking purposes.
The aim seems to have been to redress the balance and allow smaller sites to rank again if they are high quality, possibly partly toning down the huge changes that came about a year ago in the Helpful Content Update (HCU).
Here are some key points to consider:
Prioritising quality content
Websites providing valuable, original, and informative content are more likely to see improvements in search rankings. Google’s focus remains on rewarding sites with strong Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
Quality content has long been a top priority for Google, online businesses, and digital marketers. If you continue to create valuable content that aligns with search intent, you should benefit long-term.
Impact on AI Overviews
Whilst we’ll focus on the AI Overviews feature below, the update has refined how Google’s AI-generated overviews are presented in search results, linking these features more closely to the core algorithm principles. AI-driven content summaries will now reflect more accurate and high-quality sources.
You may have already noticed the improvements when you were shown AI overviews for search queries in recent weeks.
Ranking fluctuations
Many websites, especially those affected by previous updates, like the September 2023 Helpful Content Update (HCU), have experienced shifts in rankings. Some sites are seeing improvements, while others may notice drops, highlighting the importance of ongoing content quality improvements.
What does this mean for online businesses?
This update reinforces the importance of creating helpful content that directly addresses user queries and provides real value as part of SEO strategies for online businesses. Ensuring your site meets Google’s quality standards will help maintain or improve your search visibility amidst these changes.
It is always a good idea to regularly audit your content and SEO strategy to align with core updates and to help achieve sustained success in search rankings.
Rollout of AI Overviews feature in Google Search
Google’s AI overviews are automatically generated summaries that appear at the top of search results. They provide users with concise, relevant information directly on the search results page and are created using Google’s advanced AI algorithms. The AI essentially pulls key points from high-quality sources and presents them in an easy-to-read format.
What is the aim of Google AI Overviews?
The primary aim of AI Overviews is to enhance user experience by offering quick, reliable answers without requiring users to click through multiple websites.
This feature is part of Google’s ongoing effort to improve the accessibility and usability of search results, particularly for complex queries where users might be looking for a quick snapshot of information from various sources.
Key features:
- Concise summaries: They provide brief, summarised information, often displayed in response to ‘what is’ or ‘how to’ queries.
- Multiple sources: They aggregate content from multiple reputable sources, creating a balanced and comprehensive overview.
- Dynamic updates: As part of Google’s evolving search features, AI overviews are regularly updated to reflect the most current and relevant information available.
These overviews are especially useful for users looking to understand a topic quickly without diving deep into long-form content.
How does this feature affect search results and SEO?
This feature impacts SEO by altering how users interact with search results and potentially reducing organic traffic to websites whose content doesn’t feature.
Visibility and click-through rates (CTR): AI overviews occupy valuable space at the top of the SERP, often answering queries directly without requiring users to click through to websites. This can lead to lower CTRs for traditional organic results, even if your rankings remain stable.
Content quality and structure: The content featured in AI overviews demonstrates high levels of Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). SEO experts should create comprehensive, high-quality content that answers a wide range of related questions and uses structured data to help Google understand published content.
Mobile search results: Monitoring mobile search rankings is crucial. As mobile screens display fewer results per page compared to desktop, the prominence of AI overviews can push organic listings even further down, making it harder for users to see and click through to traditional organic results.
What does this mean for online businesses?
For online businesses, this shift requires a focus on creating high-quality, authoritative content that can be featured in these AI summaries. To adapt, businesses should optimise for long-tail keywords, use structured data, and closely monitor changes in their CTR and organic traffic to understand the impact of these AI overviews on their SEO performance.
Having content featured in these overviews can significantly boost visibility and traffic.
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Big updates and new features can create concern for online businesses and the SEO community, as performing well in search engines is essential for online success. With any core updates, ranking changes can be expected, but when SEO professionals have planned well and responded in an informed way, it can be an exciting time to grow a business online.
At britweb, we stay informed of the latest SEO news and use innovative and effective SEO strategies and tools to keep our clients’ websites ahead of competitors.
Don’t hesitate to contact us today about your website and to learn more about how we can help.