SEO After Search Generative Experience (SGE) – What Still Works?

I wanted to bring you up to speed on a major change that’s quietly reshaping how people find information online and what it means for your business.

You may have noticed that when you Google something now, there’s often a big, AI-generated summary at the top of the results page. This is part of Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).  This is a new feature that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to answer questions directly, pulling information from across the web.

While this can be helpful for users, it also means that fewer people are clicking on websites, especially for simple questions. That’s a big shift from how traditional SEO has worked, where the goal was to rank high in search results to drive traffic to your site.

So, what still works in SEO today?

1. Content That Shows Real Expertise

Google’s AI is pulling answers from websites it trusts. That means content written by real experts, with first-hand experience, performs better. If your business can demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (known as E-E-A-T), you’re more likely to be featured even in AI summaries.

2. Clear, Helpful Answers

Your website content should directly answer the kinds of questions your customers ask. Think FAQs, how-to guides, and explainer content. Google’s AI is trained to look for concise, well-structured answers, so clarity is more important than ever.

3. Brand Visibility

Even if fewer people are clicking links, your brand still shows up in these summaries. That means building awareness and trust through consistent branding, high-quality content, and reputation management (like reviews and mentions) can pay off, even without a click.

4. Technical SEO Still Matters

Things like fast-loading pages, mobile optimisation, and clean site structure still play a key role. They help ensure your content can be properly indexed and pulled into AI summaries.

SGE is changing the way people interact with search, but SEO is far from dead. It’s just evolving. The focus now is on trust, clarity, and authority. By continuing to create genuinely helpful content and building your brand’s credibility online, you can still thrive in this new AI-driven search landscape.

So the same principles apply that have always been there – If you create high quality original relevant content, then your website will serve you well.