The AI Overviews Earthquake: Who's Shaking the Most?
Did you think SEO was an exact science? Artificial intelligence has decided otherwise. Google's AI Overviews, the automatically generated summaries that appear at the top of search results, promise to revolutionize how we access information. But for content creators, the pill is bitter: a study reveals a drastic drop in organic traffic for many sites.
So, should we panic? Not so fast. Not all content suffers the same fate. Breaking news, in fact, seems to benefit from this upheaval. A paradox that is crucial to understand.
Evergreen Content: The Free Fall
Let's start with the bad news. Evergreen content, those timeless practical guides and articles intended to generate traffic in the long term, are the main victims of AI Overviews. Imagine: you spent hours writing the ultimate guide to choosing the best CRM software. Google summarizes it in a few lines and the user no longer needs to click on your link. The SEO nightmare has become a reality.
The drop in traffic for this type of content is massive, reaching up to 40% according to some studies. A profound rethinking is required for content strategies based on the long term and generic keywords.
Breaking News: The Exception That Proves the Rule
But then, why is breaking news resisting, or even progressing? The answer lies in how Google processes real-time information. When a major event occurs, the search engine favors a "Top Stories" carousel that highlights news media articles, without going through the AI Overview box.
This approach favors the responsiveness and expertise of journalists, qualities that AI is still struggling to match. In other words, Google recognizes that news is an area where human intervention remains essential.
The Crucial Role of Google Discover
Another factor explains the good health of news content: Google Discover. This personalized news feed, which is displayed on mobile devices, has become an increasingly important source of traffic for the media. Even better, it seems that Google prioritizes news articles in Discover, which partially compensates for the drop in traffic observed on the classic search engine.
Winning Strategies: How to Ride the News Wave
So, how do you adapt your SEO strategy to this new situation? Here are some avenues to explore:
- Focus on reactivity: Be the first to cover important events in your industry. Speed is essential to appearing in the "Top Stories" carousel.
- Optimize for Google Discover: Create catchy titles and quality images to encourage users to click on your articles in Discover.
- Develop niche expertise: Focus on specific topics where your expertise is recognized. AI struggles to compete with human know-how.
- Don't abandon evergreen, but rethink it: Regularly update your evergreen content, add recent data, concrete examples, and expert opinions.
The future of SEO is uncertain, but one thing is certain: adaptability will be the key to success. By focusing on news, expertise, and quality, you can not only survive the AI Overview tsunami, but also take advantage of it to stand out from the competition.
The Future of SEO: A Balance to Be Found
The emergence of AI Overviews raises a fundamental question: what is the role of AI in accessing information? Should it simply summarize existing information, or can it also contribute to the creation of new content? The answer to this question will determine the future of SEO and online journalism.
At Dumont Consulting, we are convinced that the future lies in a balance between artificial intelligence and human expertise. AI can help us identify trends, optimize our content, and personalize the user experience. But it will never replace the creativity, empathy, and critical thinking of information professionals.