The 2024 SEO Outlook

November 26, 2023

In 2024, Google’s paradigm shift is set to dramatically alter SEO forever…

Only those ready to deliver high-quality content and exceptional experience design to users will win the race to the top of search engine result pages.

Google isn’t entirely opposed to AI-generated content.

Rather, it isn’t a fan of low-quality content, no matter its origin. To evaluate the quality of content, the technology giant uses E- E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) as part of its Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

To keep up with the changing search experience, brands must ensure expertise is at the forefront of their SEO strategies. A brand’s creators or contributors must have demonstrated knowledge and skills in their field. As a result, your website needs to provide evidence that authors have a deep understanding of their niche and are able to provide accurate and up-to-date information.

In order for your website to be trustworthy, it must be free of bias and should not make any false or misleading claims. This is essential for user safety, as those browsing your website can do so without worrying about security threats, privacy risks, and engaging with harmful or illegal content.

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The brands that do put in the effort to include things like original data, quotes from industry experts, and brand-specific examples will have the best chance of success, both with search engines and customers.

Let's talk about Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE), an AI-powered search feature that organises web results in a new layout.

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) 
is an AI-powered search feature that organises web results in a new layout, allowing users to get more from a single search. SGE is currently available only to American users and works in English. It expands the traditional Google search experience with rich features, including the ability to ask more complex questions and receive personalised answers. 

Each SERP will include an interactive summary called a “snapshot,” replacing Google’s “featured snippet” ranking. SGE also allows users to ask conversational-style follow-up questions and generate texts, similar to AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

Regardless, domain authority and high-quality content will have a major impact on findability. Brands will need to move away from keyword-driven content to producing authoritative, user-focused content that caters to searchers from many different perspectives. 

Here are four recommendations for how brands can effectively leverage SGE for SEO success:

Focus on quality and building domain authority

The SGE snapshot will decrease click-through rates, making domain authority crucial for citation within the snapshot. Focus on earning backlinks 
and creating high-quality, value- added content. Avoid snippet-
 style answers and provide comprehensive information, rather than a single answer, to increase the chances of your content getting cited.

Cluster your content to cater to many different search journeys

To provide comprehensive answers for SGE, break content into smaller units and subunits, grouping them into interlinked clusters. As well, ensure your content covers multiple possible questions as specifically as possible, making it more meaningful.

Optimise for long-tail, conversational speech

SGE's search results will rely on authentic, interactive exchanges, making content crafting around search intent crucial. Targeting richer, long-tail keywords and understanding user questions is essential. Structure content to feel like a dialogue with target audiences, including examples that resonate with their experiences and questions.

Optimise for engagement and UX

SEO experts predict engagement metrics like time on page and pages viewed will influence content featured in SGE snapshots. To enhance engagement, present information in multiple formats, including infographics and videos, and effectively interlink content for click-through. Focus on core web vitals, reducing load speed, and optimising for mobile for a successful cluster content strategy.

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Brands must go above and beyond. People have higher standards when it comes to what they consume. And if you aren’t serving it up, they’ll find it elsewhere.

High-quality content now vs then

2023

We know all about the basics that make up a decent piece of content: length, grammar, spelling, voice, and readability, among other aspects. But search engines are evolving to champion top-tier content, and this is no longer enough.

The digital world is oversaturated with mediocre content, marred by misinformation and factual errors. People have higher standards when it comes to what they consume. And if you aren’t serving it up, they’ll find it elsewhere.

2024

“The more a website can demonstrate their expertise, put a personal, unique twist on their content, whether it be landing pages, product pages or articles, the more they’re going to stand out,” says Phuwit Limviphuwat, SEO Director and Cofounder at Criclabs.

Now, it’s time to invest resources into making sure your content portfolio not only has depth, accuracy, and relevance, but is also niche, and multimodal. Let’s explore exactly what this means for SEO.

What your marketing portfolio should look like

We know all about the basics that make up a decent piece of content: length, grammar, spelling, voice, and readability, among other aspects. But search engines are evolving to champion top-tier content, and this is no longer enough.

It’s time to invest resources into making sure your content portfolio not only has depth, accuracy, and relevance, but is also niche, and multimodal. Let’s explore exactly what this means for SEO.

Experience design: Be at the forefront of the SEO game

Brands that prioritise experiences will be at the forefront of the SEO game. So, what do we mean by experience? This means designing content, websites, and processes that speak to users’ intent, needs, feelings, contexts and mindsets.
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User experience (UX)

It’s been predicted that engagement metrics, such as time on page and pages viewed, will impact which content ends up in the featured snippet. In fact, you can use AI to your advantage, enhancing user experiences by personalising content recommendations, improving site navigation, and optimising layouts based on behaviour. As time progresses, tailoring websites to individual user preferences can help you improve conversions.

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Customer experience

With SGE, brands should make sure to prioritise CX, as people are more likely to share beaming feedback and reviews online. When you connect with folks on an emotional level, this helps them feel inspired and connected. Nowadays, this needs to happen at every touch point along the customer journey. This means listening attentively to your customers and providing answers to their questions or solutions to their queries via content.

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Core Web Vitals

Brands that build fast, responsive, and user-friendly websites tend to rank better in SERPs. The shift towards SGE is likely to make these metrics even more important in the year ahead. Core Web Vitals provide brands with 
 insight into how effective their UX design is. 
 As Google increases its emphasis on user- centric experiences, it will become increasingly important to ensure websites and content 
 fit the bill.

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Mobile optimisation

If a brand’s website doesn’t fit the bill, it will lose potential customers and damage their relationship with a loyal audience. As well, search engines prioritise mobile-friendly websites, which, combined with other SEO factors, boosts search engine rankings. Since 2018, Google has pursued mobile-first indexing, which means that your website’s mobile version is the primary basis for how Google indexes and ranks your content. 


One last cool take-away: Voice Search Optimisation!

More than 50% of American consumers use voice search on a daily basis. According to recent data from Google, 27% of the global population currently uses this on their mobile device. While this is the case, our experts are divided when it comes to how important voice search optimisation will be in 2024.

Incorporating voice search optimisation into SEO strategies is a proactive step toward meeting evolving user behaviours head-on. It’s about staying aligned with the way your audience interacts with technology, capturing the essence of their spoken inquiries and delivering answers that are useful and relevant.


More tips? Download our 2024 SEO report!

More than 50% of American consumers use voice search on a daily basis.