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By Ruchi Pardal
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~ 8 minutes read
~ 8 minutes read
Are you curious about how the future of search will impact your website? Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience) is flipping the script with AI-generated answers that push traditional SEO results lower down the page. This exciting shift brings AI-powered answers directly to the search results, providing users with faster, more insightful responses.
With SGE, search is evolving, and traditional SEO must adapt. Instead of fearing change, businesses can embrace new opportunities to stay visible. As AI transforms how users discover information, the potential for growth and visibility has never been greater. It’s not just a change; it’s a new era of search waiting for those ready to innovate.
Let’s discover the race between SGE and SEO.
SGE, or Search Generative Experience, now known as Google AI Overview, is Google’s generative AI search upgrade, which offers quick, concise answers directly on the search results page. Instead of having to sift through multiple links, the AI’s snapshot can offer the user opinions and contextual information on a subject, allowing the user to understand a subject, learn something new, or even reach a decision.
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the practice of structuring a website to make it appear higher in search engine results. This includes using keywords, link building, and relevance of content to activate visibility and organic traffic.
Where SGE focuses on providing AI-generated, curated answers directly in search pages, SEO deals with increasing a site’s ability to attract users through organic search results.
| Criteria | SGE (Search Generative Experience) | Traditional SEO |
| Search Results | AI-generated answers at the top | Organic links ranked by Google |
| User Experience | Conversational and interactive | Static links with snippets |
| Content Discovery | Answers are shown directly in the results | Users click to visit sites |
| Traffic Flow | Fewer clicks on websites | Relies on clicks for traffic |
| Ranking Signals | AI relevance and context | Backlinks, keywords, and speed |
| Content Strategy | Short, clear, and factual answers | Long, keyword-rich content |
| Keyword Targeting | Less clear, AI decides | Planned keyword use |
| Visual Presentation | Dynamic summaries and citations | Text links with some rich snippets |
| Control Over Placement | Google controls AI results | SEO controls ranking and placement |
| SEO Metrics Impact | Impressions and clicks may drop | Metrics tied to rankings |
Better UX: SGE transforms the users’ search experience by delivering faster and more informative responses, thus creating a better UX.
Higher Zero-click Searches: Zero-click searches are increasing because SGE provides direct answers, reducing the need for users to click through to websites.
It can make decision-making more efficient and is often useful to help someone find a solution more quickly.
With SGE, fewer people click through to websites because many answers appear on the search page. This means sites may see less traffic, even if they rank well. It’s a shift from driving clicks to building trust within the AI-powered results themselves. So, the way you attract and keep visitors has to evolve.
Search Generative Experience (SGE) does not exclude optimized websites from its summaries. Instead, it integrates content from sites to provide comprehensive and relevant search results.
Websites that implement effective optimization techniques are also included in the summaries provided by SGE, ensuring they remain visible within SGE-powered search results. This means well-optimized sites continue to benefit from enhanced exposure and user engagement through the SGE interface.
Here are some bullet points for New Ways to Grow Visibility:
Content Optimization
Rethinking UX:
As AI improves, search engines are changing how they deliver results. Users are getting more comfortable with AI-generated answers and now interact with this content directly instead of just clicking traditional links. This shift is changing how people search and consume information.
Because of this, businesses need to rethink their content strategies. They should focus on creating structured and richer content that fits how AI tools like SGE analyze and present information. Content isn’t disappearing—it’s evolving to meet new search behaviors and technologies.
Use structured data to give search engines clear context about your content. Implement schema markup types like FAQPage, HowTo, Article, and others. This signals to Google that your content is ideal for AI-generated summaries. Doing this increases your chances of earning rich snippets and appearing in SGE (Search Generative Experience) results.
Google prioritizes E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) when evaluating your content. SGE highlights information from credible, experienced sources, especially for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) topics, where accuracy impacts your audience’s trust and decisions.
To succeed with SGE, you need to demonstrate strong E-E-A-T by creating reliable, well-researched content. Doing this will build your users’ confidence and improve your visibility in search results.
Comprehensive content has a higher chance of being featured in SGE or other AI-driven search results.
Use AI-powered tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to analyze search trends and user intent. Adjust your content based on these insights to better match user queries. Employ keyword tools like Keywords Magic Tool and Semrush Keyword Book to identify relevant keywords in the SGE format, while avoiding terms that violate Google’s spam policies.
Suggestions: You can use the Keywords Magic Tool and the Semrush Keyword Book to get keywords in SGE format. Also, be sure not to use any keywords that violate the Google spam policy.
Make sure your website is crawlable and indexable. Implement schema markup, maintain structured URLs, and optimize your XML sitemap. These steps help search engines understand your content and improve your chances of ranking in SGE results.
Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to make your content accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Improving accessibility is not just ethical but also beneficial for business. Studies show that websites with accessibility scores above 75/100 generate higher revenue.
SGE and traditional SEO will complement each other in 2025, serving distinct purposes. Use SGE to deliver fast, AI-driven, user-focused answers ideal for short queries and zero-click searches.
While SGE may reduce CTRs on some queries, optimize your content with structured data to appear in SGE summaries and rich results.
Adapt early by improving both SGE and traditional SEO to unlock unprecedented traffic potential. Don’t choose one over the other—focus on both to maximize discoverability and engagement in the evolving search landscape.
The SGE and SEO debate reminds us that both are good and have their own unique advantages when it comes to traffic. SEO is still important for sustainable organic growth in the long term, while SGE marks the beginning of a new phase in how AI will help people find information and engage with content.
A smart combination of the two will allow companies to do the widest outreach possible and remain tuned to the continuously changing digital environment. Combining SGE and SEO is the best approach for optimal traffic in 2025 and beyond.
Prepared to become an expert in the SGE vs. SEO space? Let ResultFirst guide the way.
SGE is basically an AI-powered Google Search that delivers a conversational response from the AI that can include the AI’s own rewritten version of the user’s query, images, and questions to ask next. Its goal is to deliver answers faster and with fewer clicks on links.
SGE reduces the need for blue links by showing excerpts of content in the SERPs. SEO techniques must now include structured data, quality content, and semantics.
Not exactly; it’s a game changer for SEO. Though it decouples authority from links, SEO is still essential to shape content for these models in ways that improve structure, authority, and relevance to users.
Updates should be regular. Google’s preference is for current, factually correct content. Updating the statistics, links, and insights at least on a quarterly basis is likely to help with SGE visibility.
Absolutely. Companies that perform well in searches for location-specific keywords, reviews, and schema data, such as LocalBusiness markup, may appear in AI-generated local search results.
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