Part 1: Current State of SEO - MozCon 2024 Series
10
minute read time
Current State of SEO
In today’s digital landscape, SEO is rapidly evolving with a strong emphasis on brand identity, conversions, and technological advancements. Established brands dominate search results due to user biases and domain authority, while Google’s SERP adapts dynamically to emphasize conversions and quick results, often highlighting forum-based pages. Additionally, AI and strategic partnerships are reshaping the search landscape, driving the evolution of user-generated content, and transforming how businesses approach SEO.
Part 1: Rise of Brand Ranking
Emphasis on Brand Ranking
In the rapidly changing world of digital marketing, the importance of brand ranking in Google’s search engine results has never been more critical. A recent API leak from Google has highlighted the significant role brand identity plays in search rankings. Google's primary goal is to deliver the most reliable and relevant information to its users, often sourced from well-established, trustworthy brands. This approach inherently favors these brands in the search results.
As Dr. Pete Meyers pointed out, "Google is biased toward brands because people are biased toward brands." This user bias translates directly into search result pages. For example, when someone searches for "Apple," they aren't presented with results about the fruit. Instead, they see a wealth of information about the tech giant Apple, including the latest news, company history, and product information. This outcome is driven by user intent and the strength of brand ranking.
The dominance of strong brands in search results exemplifies how brand relevance and influence can lead to brand monopolization. Companies with robust brand identities not only capture user attention more effectively but also secure higher search rankings, creating a cycle that reinforces their market position. For businesses looking to compete in this environment, investing in a strong, cohesive brand identity is essential to gaining and maintaining visibility in Google's search results.
Monopolization and Bias
In today's digital landscape, major brands like Apple have monopolized content and influence around related terms, phrases, and products. However, it's not just brand names that can dominate; products themselves can achieve authority and even become the face of their respective brands. A prime example of this phenomenon is ChatGPT, an AI software developed by OpenAI. Before its release in November 2022, "ChatGPT" was an unknown term with no traffic or coverage. As the software gained widespread usage and media attention, "ChatGPT" became synonymous with AI, overshadowing its parent company, OpenAI. This is evident from recent search data presented: "ChatGPT" amassed 11.3 million searches, while "OpenAI" generated only 12,000.
This trend highlights how a product can elevate a brand's presence far beyond its corporate identity. Bethan Vincent underscores the importance of brand salience, the degree to which a brand is noticed or thought of. When people think of AI, ChatGPT often comes to mind first. Effective brand ranking and prominence can enable a single product or brand image to become synonymous with an entire industry's theme or idea, monopolizing the landscape and dominating traffic and results. This form of brand monopolization and bias not only reinforces the importance of strong product branding but also emphasizes the need for companies to cultivate both their corporate and product identities to achieve comprehensive market dominance.
“One of the common complaints is that Google is biased toward brands. And they are, but only because people are biased toward brands.”
AJ Kohn
Part 2: Cluttered SERP
Emphasis on Conversions
The current state of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) reflects Google's significant shift towards a conversion-focused approach. As noted by Andy Crestodina, modern SERPs are no longer just "Ten Blue Links" but sophisticated hubs aimed at driving user engagement and conversions. This shift is evident in how SERPs address the three primary query types—transactional, informational, and navigational—by incorporating local packs, rich snippets, knowledge graphs, and shopping results. These features provide users with immediate, actionable information, catering directly to their intent.
This transformation has profound implications for SEO and user experience. Organic search results are increasingly pushed below the fold, making them less visible. In a study conducted by Crestodina, an anonymous site experienced minimal changes in page ranking, but saw significant declines in click-through rate (CTR) and organic traffic. Over 12 months, the site's CTR dropped from 1% to 0.4%, and organic traffic decreased by 40%. This data highlights that while page rankings may remain stable, the emphasis on conversion-oriented features means that Google's SERPs are designed to streamline the user journey from search query to conversion with quick insights and local services.
For businesses, this underscores the necessity of adapting to a SERP landscape where user intent and immediate actionability are paramount. Ensuring that your content can compete with rich snippets and local packs, and focusing on enhancing user engagement and conversion strategies, is essential in maintaining visibility and relevance in this evolving digital environment.
Rise of Forums
Simultaneously, the rise of community-driven forums like Quora and Reddit has introduced a new dimension to SERPs. These platforms frequently appear prominently in search results, offering user-generated content that provides the diverse, real-life perspectives Google highly values under its EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards. The increased visibility of these forums can be attributed to Google's partnership with Reddit, as detailed below. Additionally, Crystal Carter highlights that these user-generated forums fill content gaps. Every day, 15% of Google searches are brand new. While Google aims to provide comprehensive resources for these queries, knowledge gaps often exist. Forums excel in today's digital landscape by offering real-time, authentic, and EEAT-compliant content to answer these searches.
As we navigate a crowded SERP filled with links, maps, and forum posts vying for our attention, it remains to be seen how SERPs will evolve and adapt, particularly with the growing influence of AI. The rise of these forums underscores the need for businesses to engage with these platforms, leveraging their authentic and immediate content to stay relevant in an ever-changing search environment. The real-time, user-driven insights from forums not only complement Google's existing resources but also enrich the user experience by providing diverse and trustworthy information.
“Basic information is now a commodity.”
Bethan Vincent
Part 3: Reddit Partnership
On February 22nd, 2024, it was announced that Google and Reddit struck an annual partnership evaluated at $60 million per year. This partnership grants Google to access Reddit’s comprehensive data enhancing and fueling Search and ongoing AI projects. But what implications does this have for the average user experience and SEO? As you have probably already noticed, SERPs are now frequently populated with Reddit forums, providing consumer-driven insights relevant to user queries.
Incorporation of AI
Google's integration of AI with Reddit's data stems from training its Gemini and Open AI technology using user-generated content (USG). As Britney Muller highlights, generative AI (GenAI) lacks inherent shared experiences with humans and can only learn and adapt based on the data it receives. This is where the partnership with Reddit comes into play. By accessing Reddit’s vast repository of data, Google aims to enhance its AI technology’s understanding of human behavior,
This partnership enables Google's AI to grasp nuances in human communication, from casual lingo and mundane conversations to deeper, informational insights. Popular forums like Reddit and Quora naturally mimic AI chatbot patterns, serving as digital spaces where people exchange knowledge and experiences, adding a human dimension to queries and informational topics. Crystal Carter notes that these forums exemplify natural language use, logical Q&A flows, and feedback on topic quality—all essential elements that inform and refine AI learning models.
By leveraging these human tendencies, Google's AI can improve its capabilities, providing users with content that meets Google's EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards. This partnership not only advances AI technology but also ensures that users receive high-quality, relevant information, enhancing the overall search experience.
What Does This Mean For SEO?
With the rise of Reddit and forum-based websites significantly impacting SERPs and user experience, what are the implications for SEO? Companies and SEO professionals now face a critical choice: compete with or embrace this trend. As Google's generative AI continues to evolve and AI-generated content increasingly dominates informational queries, organic search results are being pushed further down the SERP, diverting traffic from many sites
Wil Reynolds emphasized the importance of Reddit in today's SEO landscape, suggesting that digital marketers must pay close attention to Reddit. He advised considering whether to leverage Reddit to target specific terms and search traffic, as others are already doing so. This shift means that SEO strategies need to adapt, incorporating engagement with forums and community-driven platforms to maintain visibility and capture search traffic effectively.
Part 4: AI
AI & Human Usage
AI's versatile applications are becoming indispensable tools for SEOs and professionals across various industries. Initially, AI faced criticism, especially in educational contexts, but its perception has evolved. Today, many professionals recognize AI as a valuable asset that enhances their work. Andy Crestodina showcased AI's content generation and data collection capabilities, illustrating how tools like ChatGPT can analyze trends and efficiently generate data-backed content ideas. He demonstrated how AI can compile trends from large data sets and generate content ideas based on user metrics.
Additionally, Britney Muller emphasized that AI's effectiveness hinges on its training data. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT are predictive models whose output quality depends on the data they are trained with. Consequently, AI is best viewed as an assistive technology. When provided with accurate data and guided appropriately, AI can streamline content creation and deliver actionable insights, enhancing the capabilities of professionals in various fields. This evolution highlights AI's potential to transform workflows, making it a crucial asset in our modern digital landscape.
Usage & Limitations
As with any technology, AI has its limitations and requires adherence to guidelines. With AI's growing use, Google continually updates its ranking and SERP guidelines to ensure compliance with AI-generated content. Key guidelines include Google's Spam and Site Reputation policies. While Google does not discourage using AI for content creation, such content must adhere to their EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) standards. Content that is mass-produced, lacks authenticity, or shows spammy characteristics will be penalized.
AI technology, despite its continuous advancements, lacks human intuition. This fundamental trait means that while AI can assist significantly, it cannot replace the nuanced understanding and creativity that humans bring to content creation. Users must be aware of the limitations and potential repercussions of misusing AI. Ensuring that AI-generated content is authentic, valuable, and compliant with Google's guidelines is crucial to avoid penalties and maintain high rankings in search results.
“GenAI is an assistive technology, not a full replacement of YOU.”
Britney Muller
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our MozCon series, written by Atypic's Digital Marketing Manager Sarah Elias, which will dive into Shifting Our Focus as SEOs.
