SEO Trends 2024: How to drive organic growth in the future?

SGE - will we use Google differently?

We already wrote an article about the revolution in using Google at the end of November last year. Testing is currently underway in non-European territories, and it’s only a matter of time before some form of SGE becomes available here.

Rumors also suggest why SGE won’t be that straightforward. 

• The first reason is the legislative environment in the EU, particularly copyright law. 

• The second reason is the high cost of operating such a form of response. 

• Third, Google has yet to establish monetization for SGE which brings us straight back to the second reason.

Yet we can rest assured that the transformation of search as we know it will come in the future. SGE indicates the direction search could take, and it’s wise to be prepared for it.

AI - Machine Texts vs. Machine Data Processing

Last year, we had ample opportunity to experiment with text manipulation, as generative language models experienced a real surge in popularity. The competition between Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google to develop a superior response generator gives us hope for quality solutions to routine tasks. It opens up opportunities for us to focus on strategic activities and automate operational processes.

The majority of the public uses the model for finding quick answers and, more importantly, for text generation.

If everyone is using AI mainly for generating texts, no original (human based) thoughts will emerge; we’ll merely be reproducing what has already been said elsewhere.

Google Updates - What Can We Expect?

Google itself states that it is not opposed to the use of AI in text generation, but it adds that the text must still offer value to readers. After all, it’s impossible to prevent users from using AI; the issue is how they will use it.

Although Google denies using E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) as an evaluation factor, it will need to address the increase in AI generated content on websites in some way.

And this is exactly what Google is focussing on in its latest Google Core Update from March 2024. 

How to create a good content strategy?

The question of 2024 will be how to navigate the intensifying competition of AI-generated content and how to maximize its benefits during this transitional period. From our perspective, it’s advisable to utilize AI as an assistant in planning content strategies or in drafting article outlines. Robotic article generation may prove successful in the short term and is only applicable to certain industries.

With the advent of AI and potential transformations in search (SGE), the expansion of organic sources also comes into play - particularly, younger users may increasingly turn to social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, or YouTube for search purposes.

User queries may become more detailed, thanks to voice/​visual search technologies. In this context, the importance of identifying long-tail phrases and covering a wide range of queries in the See Think Do Care (STDC) framework will grow.

Within SEO specialist circles, the topic of Programmatic SEO is resonating. Essentially, it’s the well-known optimization of e-commerce filtering to cover query combinations - categories combined with parameters (e.g., brand, feature, etc.).

As we can see, the variety of opportunities for site operators to generate traffic and sales via search engines (and especially new search engines) continues to increase and it will be important to utilise these opportunities with an efficient and comprehensive content strategy that includes the help of AI. 

Boost Your Website’s SEO Performance

For the next year, we anticipate further innovations in AI, and likely in SGE (Search Generative Experience), which will continue to evolve and adjust in terms of form and areas of application. These two main areas should not be underestimated. If you’re uncertain about how to approach your SEO and content strategy in 2024, please reach out to us!

Look at our work!