How Will SGE Affect Organic Traffic? (And How to Respond in 2024)

Meet Search Generative Experience (SGE), an experiment from Google predicted to impact organic traffic in a big way. With some sites expecting up to a 60% decrease in organic traffic, it’s become imperative for businesses to understand how SGE affects organic traffic — and how to respond.

Keep reading to learn more about SGE’s organic traffic impact and proactive steps to take now!

How will SGE affect organic traffic?

In search, placement is everything. Repeated studies show that higher rankings increase traffic numbers — 68% of users click on the first five search results. With SGE estimated to create a 140% decrease in organic visibility, it’ll naturally decrease organic website traffic.

Why will SGE affect organic traffic?

SGE snapshots have an average height of 1764 pixels. For comparison, the average screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Search Generative Experience will affect organic traffic for a few reasons, including the following:

• Purpose: While Google wants to “continue to connect people to the richness and vibrancy of content on the web,” it also wants SGE to “help people quickly get an overview on a topic, with factors to consider and helpful information,” which alters the typical user web journey.
• Placement: Search Generative Experience snapshots appear before organic search results. In some cases, these snapshots appear before or after paid ads (as an aside, Google is developing SGE-based ads).
• Size: Google developed SGE to “help [people] get more from a single search.” So, SGE snapshots have an average height of 1764 pixels. For comparison, the average screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

With priority placement, plus an immense size that summarizes and guides a user’s journey, Search Generative Experience acts more like an answer engine than a search engine, which affects organic traffic — something that is more than a metric to businesses but a lifeline for business.

How will SGE affect other organic metrics?

Search Generative Experience will do more than decrease organic traffic — it’ll also decrease metrics associated with organic traffic, like organic revenue. With fewer site visitors, fewer people can convert into followers, leads, or customers.

Because of this expected impact, businesses should consider:

1. Optimizing for Search Generative Experience to maximize potential traffic
2. Investing in conversion rate optimization (CRO) to improve on-site conversion rates
3. Building omnichannel strategies to leverage multiple channels to generate online revenue

Of course, these changes require leadership buy-in, which is why it’s so critical to start educating leaders about Search Generative Experience. With a better understanding of it and its potential impact on digital marketing channels like search, leaders can sign off on the next steps.

How much will SGE affect my organic traffic?

Understanding how much SGE will affect organic traffic for your organization starts with completing an SGE impact assessment. However, research has shown that some industries will experience a more significant impact from Search Generative Experience, including:

While viewing the above data, keep in mind that Google Search Generative is an experiment and is continuing to undergo rapid updates, which means the industries affected can change rapidly. Some SEOs predict that Search Generative Experience won’t even launch.

So, while we recommend preparing for SGE, we don’t recommend letting it dominate your choices.

How to prepare for Google Search Generative Experience

Now that you understand how SGE will affect organic traffic, learn how to prepare for Google’s SGE:

1.     Manage expectations

First, prepare to manage leadership’s expectations when it comes to search traffic.

Complete an SGE impact assessment (check out this free template) to understand better how Search Generative Experience will affect your business. Focus on your organization’s most valuable keywords to generate an accurate assessment.

Based on the assessment, create new performance benchmarks, such as organic traffic growth.

Remember to include visuals when presenting this information to leadership — some might have never heard of Search Generative Experience. These visuals can help demonstrate the “why” behind SGE’s organic traffic impact.

You’ll also want to outline how the team plans to respond (check out the tips below for guidance).

2.     Improve SEO rankings

Sites that practice search engine optimization (SEO) tend to appear in Search Generative Experience plus rank well in Google Search results. That’s why it’s critical to continue investing in SEO and growing your SEO rankings.

SGE “is rooted in our [Google’s] core Search ranking and quality systems.”

For confirmation, Google states that SGE “is rooted in our [Google’s] core Search ranking and quality systems.” These systems include familiar and new ranking factors, like PageRank, Helpful content, and page experience.

Target on-page, off-page, and technical SEO with optimizations like:

• Creating helpful, original content that aligns with your target audience
• Improving the on-page user experience, like through page speed improvements
• Developing shareable, unique tools, research, or studies that attract backlinks

Learn more about improving SEO with our free on-page SEO checklist!

3.     Optimize for Search Generative Experience

Companies with a well-optimized SEO program should also start optimizing for Search Generative Experience. These optimizations often align with search engine optimization, so even if SGE doesn’t launch, they’ll still benefit your SEO strategy.

Effective SGE optimizations that we’ve discovered include the following:

• Acquire a Google Knowledge Panel
• Make content easier to read (our Readability Test Tool can help!)
• Use structured data, like LocalBusiness, Product, FAQ, and How To
• Strengthen E-E-A-T signals on content, like with citations, statistics, and quotes
• Support content with original multimedia, like custom videos and infographics
• Join Google Merchant Center (if relevant)
• Grow third-party mentions, like on directory sites or other reputable websites

Learn more about how to feature in SGE snapshots with our walkthrough on how to rank in SGE!

4.     Leverage conversion rate optimization

With Search Generative Experience expected to decrease organic traffic, improving website conversion rates is even more important. Conversion rate optimization can help. With an effective CRO program, it’s possible to surface quick wins for generating more leads and revenue, like:

• Improving site or page usability
• Optimizing the checkout process
• Incorporating trust signals, like certifications and reviews
• Streamlining messaging for improved clarity

There are plenty of conversion rate optimization tools available, as well as professional conversion rate optimization services if searching for professional help. Remember that working with a professional often results in faster gains because of their experience.

5.     Diversify marketing channels

Next, focus on creating an omnichannel marketing strategy, which can leverage channels like:

• Paid
• Email
• Social
• Online marketplaces

Establishing an omnichannel marketing campaign takes time and expertise, but it’s critical when considering the deprecation of third-party cookies and the development of Search Generative Experience.

With omnichannel marketing, it’s possible to create a more fluid (and more effective) buyer journey.

Adapt to Google’s SGE with award-winning experts

Search Generative Experience promises big changes for search traffic, from decreasing online visibility to lowering search traffic. With a proactive approach, though, businesses can prepare now by improving SGE rankings and expanding their traffic sources.

Get started with the above tips! Or, begin working with award-winning experts by contacting us online today! With our Google SGE optimization services, we’ve developed a proprietary approach for improving Search Generative Experience visibility.