The Declining Value of Being Number One on Google
The letters “AIO” may not have made it yet to your list of top-of-mind marketing terms like SEO, PPC, TikTok or Facebook, but it represents the biggest change in digital marketing since the use of mobile phones.
AIO stands for “Artificial Intelligence Overview” and it is the AI generated summary provided by Google now at the top of many Search Engine Results Pages.
AIO Is Redefining the Top of Google Search
For many years the value of being the number one organic rank on Google for the right phrases meant a sizable amount of direct leads or sales. It wasn’t uncommon for a number one rank on Google to be a part of a valuation in an acquisition. Domains with a prior history of ranking high on Google sold for amazing prices.
Today, if you are the number one Google organic ranking business, you may be two-thirds down on the page, replaced by the now consumer-satisfying “AIO” and a list of questions under “People Also Ask,” also generated by AI.
The Shift from Organic Results to Instant Answers
We’ve gone from Google returning websites where they were algorithmically confident you would find the answer to your query, to returning web pages where they were even more algorithmically confident you would find your answer, to providing the answer for you on the Google Search Engine Results Page through AI.
Some studies now report that 60% of all Google searches do not result in a click to a website — compared to 26% in 2022.
That 60% is probably more accurate for “what is” type searches than searches for providers and businesses, but make no mistake, there are less clicks going to businesses who rank highly on Google.
What This Means for Your Marketing Strategy
The implications for businesses are:
- Google Ads becomes even more important because it is the most controllable way to be at the top of the page and consumers are still attracted to things at the top.
- Local Search becomes even more important because on most — not all — search pages, the Google Local Map appears above the AIO.
- A new part of your strategy should be being the source of one of the answers in the AIO.
Aligning Your Strategy with Google’s Ad-Driven Priorities
Remember that as enormous as Alphabet’s (Google) is, 77% of their revenue still comes from ad sales (including YouTube). Draw your own conclusion on whether this change was at least in part, designed to drive more businesses to Google Ads.
Is SEO dead? No, but it does have a different purpose now. Make sure your digital strategy is aligned to this new era of Google search.
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