Google's SGE is making ecommerce confusing

🔎 Google’s Search AI

Google’s AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE) understands your questions in a natural way and makes finding info easy, without needing to click on actual links.

But for ecommerce businesses, SGE seems like a double-edged sword with both challenges and opportunities, according to some studies on the tech.

❓️ How it works

Imagine searching for "best running shoes for flat feet." Instead of a jumble of websites,

• SGE gives you a breakdown curated by Google's AI

• It could highlight top picks based on reviews (reviews seem to be an important source for SGE), discuss features like cushioning and material, and even show shipping options

🚩 Bad on Search?

A recent study by SE Ranking, an SEO platform, analyzed 1 billion queries across nine industries to see how SGE impacts ecommerce. The results:

• For ecommerce queries, SGE displayed an answer 49% of the time.

• Among those, 72% were "opt-in" – meaning that the user had to click on a button to see the SGE result (this could potentially push ecommerce sites further down the search page).

A post by Malte Landwehr, Head of SEO at idealo, found that 6 out of the top 10 losers in ranking were ecommerce sites. 

No ecommerce site made it to the top 50 winners in terms of ranking changes due to SGE, according to the same post.

🛍️ Yet good for ads?

On the other hand, a new study by SE Ranking looked at 100,000 keywords and found that shopping ads are mostly placed above the SGE results, suggesting Google prioritizes their visibility.

So, what does this mean for online retailers? The good news is SGE has good and bad use cases for shoppers. They can discover new products and find helpful comparisons, all within the SGE results.

Plus, shopping ads seem to be displayed often alongside SGE, sometimes above the SGE snippet itself, making price comparisons easy.

Reviews are also a big part of SGE’s results, meaning companies should make their reviews public and, if possible, get them as high rated as possible.

Disclaimer: The information provided is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. Consult with a qualified professional for specific guidance related to your business.