Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a dynamic field that is as exciting as it is challenging. Technologies rapidly evolve, requiring SEO professionals to keep abreast of the changes and how they impact SEO. They must stay ahead of the curve to remain competitive.
Google is the leader in this evolution and has introduced its newest Artificial Intelligence (AI) model, Google Gemini, which promises to change many, if not all, facets of SEO and digital marketing. This article defines Google Gemini, describes its robust features, and provides predictions about how it will impact SEO.
What Is Google Gemini?
Gemini is touted as Google’s most powerful, multimodal AI model to date and is said to surpass even ChatGPT-4. It is the first AI model to outperform humans in Massive Multitask Language Understanding (MMLU). It’s actually a family of high-performance multimodal models that are jointly trained in audio, video, image, text data, and even code, resulting in formidable generalist capabilities across all modalities. That also results in a striking reasoning and understanding performance in each domain.
According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Gemini and its follow-on versions are intended to be “incredible universal personal assistants.” They will assist with daily tasks like work, travel, and entertainment. Gemini’s sophisticated programming means it’s set to evolve into an essential system embedded into our daily routines. Of course, this impacts business marketing strategies in ways not yet defined. Regarding SEO, the concern is Gemini’s role in Search Generative Experience (SGE). SGE may claim a significant portion of organic clicks, thus affecting website ranking.
Gemini is set to deliver in three sizes: Ultra, Pro, and Nano. Ultra will be for complex tasks. Pro is the highest performing and will be for a broad range of functions. In fact, Google Bard has already integrated a version of Gemini Pro, which adds advanced reasoning, planning, and understanding to Bard. The addition of Gemini Pro makes this the most significant upgrade since Bard’s original launch.
Nano is for on-device tasks that will support Android phones such as Google Pixel. These three models enable Gemini to adapt as needed, making it a supremely versatile tool for marketers.
How Google Gemini Works
As defined, Google Gemini 1.0 is designed to handle multiple types of information seamlessly. Set for integration with Google Search and Ads, Gemini promises to revolutionize how users interact with search results. Currently, in the testing phase with Google Search, it’s showing its might by reducing SG response times by as much as 40% for English queries in the United States. This percentage is significant and promises faster and more precise search experiences for users.
Because Google developed it, Gemini can work across all Google products, making it a foundational model for Google. Gemini, therefore, is not limited to search functions only. It extends into and enhances Google’s other products. It is a native solution for making search multimodal, which essentially eliminates the need for other development endeavors.
How Google Gemini Impacts Search and SEO
SEO experts’ most common prediction regarding Gemini is that it will likely shift SEO practices from being keyword-centric to concentrating on user intent and entities. As an SEO concept, an entity is anything definable, like a thing, a noun, or a place. Further, an entity is distinguishable and unique so that it can be precisely defined. In this sense, an entity does not need to be a physical thing. It can be anything really: money, an idea, or an abstract concept. The key is its uniqueness. Whatever it is, it can be described and distinguished from anything else. Entities and user intent are interconnected, as we will explain next.
Entities Over Keywords
Search results will soon revolve around the connections and relationships between entities and not depend on isolated keywords. A website should become a valuable hub of interconnected knowledge rather than related content with strategic keyword placement.
When it comes to content optimization, you’ll need to restructure your websites to reflect these connections. In essence, you’ll build topical authority around a select group of entities. This requires that you build comprehensive content that covers and connects related entities and subsequent subtopics. Pages will need to be connected by ideas and concepts more so than sitemaps and menus.
Keywords won’t go away entirely. However, creating keywords means going beyond individual keywords. You’ll have to take a step further to identify relationships between entities. For example, if your keyword is “clutch purse,” you’ll want to think more comprehensively and include phrases such as “evening gowns” and “black tie events,” or think a little deeper and come up with “vegan formal wear,” and so on. The idea is that covering related topics will better reach your target audience.
From Keywords to User Intent
User intent, also called search intent, is what searchers want to accomplish after they conduct a search. For example, if a user searches for “athletic shoes,” they intend to purchase shoes. If someone searches for “benefits of vitamin C,” they may want to purchase a bottle, or they may just want to learn more about vitamin C. Google’s goal has always been to answer queries as quickly and effectively as possible.
With Gemini, Google is focusing on user intent. Gemini goes beyond matching keywords to web pages. The new goal is to deliver comprehensive answers to users’ core questions. As a result, search results will become more relevant. SEO will focus less on high-volume keywords and more on content that answers users’ questions specifically. Moreover, Google will answer those questions using natural language that reflects the search intent.
So, you’ll need to identify more long-tail keywords related to the identified entities. In addition, you’ll need to consider the context in which users are searching for your products or services. Going back to our athletic shoes example, consider that users may be searching for “Best athletic shoes for women over 50” or “How to choose athletic shoes for getting in shape.”
More Personalized Search
For more personalized search results, Gemini will take the user’s search history and preferences into account. SEO strategies must adapt to ensure they create content that meets users’ needs. More than ever, content must remain up-to-date, engaging, and relevant. Long-tail keywords are also critical here, ensuring that keyword phrases reflect the users’ specific needs and geographical location.
Adapt Your SEO Keyword Strategy to Google Gemini
Based on Gemini’s features and focus on entity-based SEO, the way to adapt to this evolution in search is to understand entities and adjust your keyword strategy accordingly.
Understanding Your Entities
Be sure to identify the main entities relevant to your niche, whether that be your products, brand, services, geographical location, and so on. Next, it’s time to define your entity further, performing research as needed. Gather additional information about each entity, its properties, user search intent, and related entities.
Keyword Research with an Entity-based Focus
Instead of just focusing only on individual keywords, incorporate long-tail keywords related to your identified entities. These could come from related concepts, variations of current entity names, and associated queries and search questions.
Google has some tools that can assist in expanding your entity list or incorporating entity data into your SEO strategy faster. One is Google Cloud Natural Language API, which can help identify entities, analyze sentiment, and classify your text. It uses Google’s knowledge graph to identify entities and the relationships between them.
Google Knowledge Graph Search Engine is another tool that enables you to search Google’s entire “Knowledge Graph” database for a company, product, person, place, or any other entity.
Finally, Gemini can help you with keyword research. You can prompt Gemini to enrich your keyword list. You draft your prompt in a conversational way, similar to ChatGP.
A sample prompt is: “I’m writing a blog post about raised garden planting, and I want to learn more. I want to optimize my content for search engines and relevant long-tail keywords related to the phrase “raised garden planting.” Can you suggest 25 long-tail keyword ideas that address topics that are helpful for my readers and will also rank high on Google?”
You may receive this result: “I generated 25 long-tail keyword ideas for raised garden planting by considering current trends, user intent, and search relevance. I used simulated keyword brainstorming, research, and user persona development to create a list targeting specific information needs and optimizing for search engines.”
Integrate Your Results into Your Content Strategy
Once you collect all your entity-related keywords, start mindfully incorporating them into your content plan. To do this, organize your content in entity clusters by creating a central piece of content. That becomes the entity center or hub. From there, develop content containing related subtopics that support the hub. All content combined should comprehensively cover your chosen entity and provide value and insights. This applies to any content format, guides, blog posts, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and even product descriptions.
As an example, Gemini does away with the concept of individualized blog posts. Articles contain topics related to your brand, but the topics tend to be randomized. With entity-centric concepts in play, you’ll add blog posts in accordance with selected clusters. Continuing our raised planter gardening example, you’d have a cornerstone “how-to” guide and then articles that support it, with topics like the best flowers or vegetables to plant, planter gardens around the United States, tropical planter gardens, etc.
Of course, you will continue to apply internal and backlink strategies to link your content. Now, however, you’ll be doing so with entities in mind. You’ll connect the entity content (not just individual pages) using internal linking and schema markup. Using schema markup is a way to further strengthen the connections between your content and entities. As search engines adapt to Gemini’s focus on entities, proper linking and schema markup will help Google understand the relationships between your entities. It will also identify your website as a source of authority and expertise.
SEO Challenges Associated with Gemini
Anytime Google comes up with something new, it takes SEO professionals time to adapt to the changes. As Google Gemini integrates into the search experience, it will bring about some initial challenges for SEO. Some of those anticipated challenges are listed here.
A Continuous Learning Curve
Google Gemini is another evolution in SEO that requires ongoing education and adaptation. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it does require you to dedicate time and resources to learning about Gemini’s functionality and features, how it impacts Google’s algorithms, and the combined impact on search results. From there, of course, you’ll have to adjust your SEO strategies accordingly to keep up with the changes as well as the competition.
User behavior is in itself dynamic. So, how it responds to Gemini and how Gemini will, in turn, adapt means adding to the complexity of understanding the technology as well as anticipating proper SEO response to it. User preferences change constantly, and Gemini will quickly pick up on these changes. You will have to keep a close watch on social trends, user browsing habits, and shifts in search queries and adjust your strategies as quickly as possible.
Added Competition
Google Gemini is exceptionally good at understanding and interpreting user intent and context. The goal is to create a highly refined and personalized search experience for everyone. While this is undoubtedly beneficial for users, it also means that your SEO must be precise to compete for visibility in search results. It’s already a challenge to maintain the top spots in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), and Gemini promises to add to it.
Also, consider that the Gemini SGE takes up a good deal of screen space, pushing the organic results down lower on the page. This only adds to the competition because there’s less room for results to appear. Rather than a top 10 or 20, only a few will appear in the SGE snippet, and a select few more below it.
More Than Just Another AI Model
Google Gemini is more than just another AI model. It is another major Google launch that is a robust catalyst for broad digital marketing and SEO changes. It’s another evolution driving the search experience toward a more conversational, comprehensive approach to search queries. Rather than searching for topics and keywords, Gemini calls for grouping content into entities to provide a more precise and customized user experience.
As Gemini settles into the digital marketing landscape, it’s essential to prepare for the changes this multimodal model will spark for SEO. Gemini will change how users interact with information online, and we must adapt our SEO strategies accordingly.
