The digital marketing is changing. It is buzzing once again. The reason is Google’s new AI Overviews that was initially rolled out across 84% of the searches. It is AI-driven summaries and now has been scaled back to just 15%. However, the back-and-forth is just a temporary phase. Changes in SEO over the period of past two decades have been prominent but the fundamentals remained the same. Similarly, the AI Overviews is just an evolution of existing trends. Search cannibalization is nothing new. AI Overviews is simply continuing the pattern by providing automated listings and instant answers on the search results page.
The trend didn’t start with AI Overviews. SEO professionals have noticed rise of “zero-click SERPs” since 2018. Users were served with answers directly from the search results without visiting any external websites. It is learned that the Knowledge Graph of Google has been providing direct answers to queries since mid-2016. It contained more than 500 billion facts by 2020. If you search for “European date format,” you may have noticed the answer served right on the results page. Hence, the AI Overviews is just an acceleration of the trend. It simply displays more automated listings and new SERP layouts. This means that the SEO strategies must adapt to the new change, but it is also to note that the core principles of good SEO practice still hold true.
One constant in SEO is the importance of high-quality content. Google’s updates emphasize the need for valuable, user-focused content. If you have been creating meaningful content, the changes won’t disrupt your strategy.
It is therefore suggested to focus on keywords that promise a significant return on investment. Generic keyword research strategies often fail. It is better to prioritize keywords based on their potential business impact.
