Every time Google comes up with a core update, the hearts of SEO professionals and marketers start pounding faster. The recent Google AI Overviews update is no different. What was an experiment till recently has now become available across the US in search. And it’s only a matter of time before the update gets rolled out to the rest of the world.
But as B2B marketers, should you really be worried? How should you adapt to this change? What are the steps you should take?
We attempt to answer all these in this article. So buckle yourself for an insightful read.
What is Google’s AI Overview update?
AI overviews are summaries displayed at the top of search results. Google uses sophisticated ML models and generative AI to make this happen. In a way, this can be considered an extension of featured snippets since the most relevant response to a query is displayed as an overview. However, AI overviews go one step further by consolidating information from multiple high-quality sources to give exactly what the user wants. This approach makes things easier for the users since they don’t have to browse through multiple websites to find what they are looking for. In certain cases, they might not have to even visit a single website to get the information they need.
What concerns does the Google AI Overview update raise?
Businesses and website owners invest a lot of effort in SEO with the aim to generate traffic. More traffic means more leads, and more leads in turn results in more business and revenue. However, with Google displaying overviews in SERP (Search Engine Results Page) itself, the need for users to click through to a website significantly goes down. Only if they need further info or more details, they need to go to the source. This is expected to bring down website traffic by a large margin. While Google claims that the quality of clicks to websites will improve, that needs to be seen in the coming months and years.
This is an even bigger challenge for publishers and media companies that have their entire business model depending on the amount of traffic they receive. Jeff Ragovin, the CEO of Semasio, on his article in Marketing Profs says that the AI Overview feature’s impact on revenue streams could be profound, affecting billions of dollars in revenue for those who currently rank high in search results.
Should you be worried as a B2B marketer?
Marketing expert Neil Patel opines that AI overviews (and AI in general) will have a major impact on businesses. So, it is likely that you see a dip in traffic in the coming months in the US. The AI overview update also increases the importance of the E.E.A.T framework – which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
If you are able to create content that is high-quality and aligns with the challenges your ideal customers are facing, you are likely going to benefit from this with your content getting featured on AI overviews. This could also mean that the relevance of links from high DA (Domain Authority) websites increases. Links, online reviews, mentions, etc., are some of the signals that Google looks at to assess if a content item is credible.
In short, while the update could have a negative impact in the immediate future, adapting to the shift with the right steps can help you ‘recover’ and prepare for the AI era. In the next section, we will look at the steps you need to take to get ready before AI overviews are rolled out globally.
How should you adapt to the Google AI Overview update?
Since the update is recent, we don’t have much data or studies yet to see how certain changes will reflect in your rankings. However, Google now focuses on providing accurate information more than ever. It not only gives text output but provides links in case users want further information. This means that the content on your website has to be high-quality, and more importantly, accurate.
But apart from these, as marketers, we need to face the reality of traffic dip and the impact it could have on the business. To counter this, you need to consider the following:
- Adopt the zero-click content methodology
- Backlinks aren’t going to die soon
- Branding matters
- Diversify your B2B content marketing strategy
- First party data will be more important than ever
1. Adopt the zero-click content methodology
Zero-click content refers to any type of content that doesn’t require users to click through to find the information they are looking for. Now that Google is trying to serve information in the form of overviews, zero-click content becomes all the more important. These are some of the questions you should ask yourself:
- How can you ensure your content aligns with user queries?
- Should you go with keyword stuffing or focus more on useful content?
- How can you improve the credibility of your content beyond generating high DA links?
In essence, the focus shifts to helpful content from ‘SEO-only’ content. To learn more about how you can implement zero-click content techniques for your business, check out the below article.
Zero Click Content – How To Leverage It In The Era of Dark Social
Also watch the below video that talks about how you can leverage zero-click content for growth.
2. Backlinks aren’t going to die soon
Many SEO professionals were of the notion that backlinks might become irrelevant in the near future. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. One of the biggest challenges Google is facing when it comes to serving information in search results is accuracy. There is no foolproof way to check if a particular piece of information is correct. What Google does is it looks at multiple signals to validate the info using various parameters – backlinks are one of the most prominent of them.
Hence, off-page SEO is here to stay, at least till Google finds better ways to assess your website’s credibility. At the same time, black hat SEO techniques won’t do any good. You need to generate genuine links, that too preferably from websites that are related to your niche.
3. Branding matters
According to Backlinko, Google started giving big brands a boost for certain keywords after the Vince update. In addition to domain authority, Google seems to be favoring businesses that have a large online presence. This is also why things like guest posting, reviews, business listings, and news reports are not just meant to generate backlinks. They uplift the overall brand perception, sending Google positive signals about its credibility.
This essentially means that you need to focus on short term as well as long term branding activities. The more the merrier.
4. Diversify your B2B content marketing strategy
If your business outcomes are too dependent on SEO, it’s time to rethink. Attracting traffic is not the only way to generate qualified leads for your business. You need to look at other channels such as social media, ads, webinars, video marketing, etc., to attract potential customers. Ideally, no single marketing channel should contribute to more than 30 to 40% of your revenue or leads.
5. First party data will be more important than ever
This has to be read alongwith the phasing out of third party cookies by Google. As it gets completed sometime in 2025 as announced by Google, tracking visitors across the web will become difficult. Intent intelligence tools like Demandbase and 6sense will have a tough time consolidating data from online sources. Also, with fewer clicks and traffic, you need to make the best of what you have control over, which is your first party data.
Whether it is your leads or the account journeys on your website, you need to use first party data to promote your content and solutions. Channels like email and targeted ads will become more relevant with organic traffic going down.
Final words about Google AI overviews
We have seen many Google algorithm updates over the years. While there has been often panic in the short run during major algorithm updates, things have settled over time. Marketers have always learned to adapt to the changes by revisiting their strategies and tactics. I believe this new focus on serving information in the form of an overview will encourage more businesses to focus on creating content that is truly useful for users (and not just pleasing for the search engines). Eventually, it’s all about making information available with the least amount of friction. In that context, Google AI overviews is a great initiative that puts the user first. Let’s wait and see how it evolves in the coming years.
Skalegrow – B2B content marketing agency
With marketing getting tougher and tougher, every wrong foot you make might hamper your growth. What you need is the right guidance and a helping hand. This is where Skalegrow can make a sea of difference.
Skalegrow helps IT, tech, SaaS, robotics, industrial automation, and embedded systems companies leverage new-age marketing tactics to grow their business. To grow your B2B business using innovative marketing techniques, write to us at info@skalegrow.com or contact us here.
About the author
Naseef KPO is the Founder and CEO of Skalegrow. He comes with rich experience across multiple areas of B2B marketing including content marketing, demand generation, SEO, account-based marketing, marketing analytics, revenue attribution, marketing technology, etc. He writes thought-provoking and relevant articles on The Skalegrow Blog and his weekly LinkedIn newsletter Elevate Your Marketing.
Prior to starting Skalegrow, Naseef led large marketing teams in multi-million dollar B2B organizations where he made significant contributions to the topline growth of the business. He has also appeared on numerous podcasts where he shared his thoughts on trending marketing topics such as the application of AI in marketing, startup marketing, ABM, and B2B content marketing, just to name a few. Being the founder of Skalegrow, he is currently focusing on helping its clients stay ahead of their competition by using innovative yet practical marketing tactics.
You can connect with Naseef KPO on LinkedIn.
