July 2024 SEO Industry Updates

Conductor is here to recap some of the latest industry news for website optimizations, from the announcement and launch of SearchGPT to Google not deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome.

The launch of SearchGPT: AI-powered search prototype

The what

The landscape of search engines is constantly evolving, and the recent launch of OpenAI’s SearchGPT marks a significant milestone in this journey. SearchGPT is an AI-powered prototype designed to directly answer search queries, using advanced language models to deliver more conversational responses rather than a traditional list of links.

The why

As Google’s AI Overviews faced a turbulent start and ongoing scaling challenges, the entry of another generative AI search competitor like SearchGPT is particularly noteworthy. According to an article from CNET , The SearchGPT prototype is already being tested by 10,000 users and aims to offer a more streamlined, ad-free, conversational search experience compared to Google’s approach.

This marks a pivotal change for professionals in organic search, as SearchGPT is paving the way toward an AI-driven search environment that prioritizes understanding user intent over exact query matches. The AI-powered engine delivers concise answers directly within search results, minimizing the need for users to navigate through multiple pages to find the information they seek.

SearchGPT’s approach could redefine how information is presented, making it more accessible and reducing the friction within search. For consumers, this means faster, more efficient access to information, but for businesses and content creators, it could represent a significant change in how organic traffic is generated and maintained.

For Conductor customers and everyone else

Do not fret, Conductors. Organic search is not going anywhere. We just need to shift our focus. Prioritize these areas to stay ahead of SearchGPT or other AI-generated search tools:

Prioritize creating high-quality content & optimize for conversational queries

Your content should be accurate, informative, and engaging, while naturally answering the questions that users are likely to ask. This approach ensures that your site provides value to your audience. In Conductor, look at the Questions to Answer section in Writing Assistant and Content Guidance . This feature will help guide you on what questions people are searching for related to your topic. You can also input your questions to ensure you’re answering these questions within your content.

Understand user-intent

Digital marketers will need to understand how people search and what they are truly looking for. By diving deeper into the ‘why’ behind searches, you can better understand user needs and create content based on those needs.

Incorporate structured data

Schema markup can help AI tools identify the most important information on your website. Use structured data for FAQs, products, and any other content that AI tools may reference.

Enhance user experience

Ensure your website offers a seamless, engaging website experience that will keep users interested and is easy for SearchGPT to interact with.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, it’s crucial to remember that organic search remains a vital component of any marketing strategy. While AI-driven tools like SearchGPT are changing how users interact with search engines, they also present new opportunities for those willing to adapt.

Google decides not to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome

The what

Google has decided not to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome. In the summer of 2021, Google published details about their initial timeline for blocking third-party cookies by 2022, but this plan experienced various delays all the way through 2023.

Deprecating third-party cookies was originally part of Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative , which aimed to protect people’s privacy online while giving companies and developers tools to build their digital businesses. An update was published on the Privacy Sandbox website announcing the decision, stating, “Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”

The why

This update has delighted many people within the digital ad space as evidenced by a quick search for “deprecating third party cookies ” on Linkedin. Digital advertisers have favored third-party cookies because they enable user profiling and segmentation, personalized advertising, ad retargeting, and more capabilities that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns.

Without third-party cookies, strategies like retargeting would have become much more difficult without a suitable alternative available for marketers to use. Google cited feedback from a collection of stakeholders and improvements to Privacy Sandbox APIs as driving forces that led to this decision.

For Conductor customers and everyone else

With the potential cookiepocalypsee now averted, digital teams should start discussing any adjustments or changes needed for plans that were counting on Google to deprecate third-party cookies.

While the full impact of this pivot is not yet known, a major decision like this in the advertising space could result in changes to your paid team’s plans and ad budget. Leveraging organic data is a great way to help ensure your paid team is maximizing paid spend efficiency. Creating stronger lines of communication and collaboration between your various marketing teams presents an opportunity for genuine cross-department efficiency.

Conductor publishes the 2024 Organic Search Traffic Benchmarks Report

The what

Conductor recently published the 2024 Organic Search Traffic Benchmarks Report. Reviewing and comparing your website’s organic performance to the latest industry benchmarks is an effective way to better understand your current performance and consider adjustments necessary to your strategies and priorities to ensure you’re set up for success.

Conductor analyzed over 800 domains across seven industries and 26 subindustries to create this report. The 2024 report features an analysis of the education industry for the first time in our attempts to broaden the scope of our analysis compared to previous reports. In addition to organic traffic, the report features an overview of the top 3 rich result types for each subindustry. You can download this report today and leverage it to inform your strategies for 2024 and beyond.

The why

The past year has proven to be extremely eventful in the world of organic search. Given the recent changes in the industry, comparing your current performance to your performance from last year may not provide you with a complete picture of the current state of your SEO efforts.

Reviewing our organic benchmarks report can help you compare your performance to your industry competitors for more accurate insights. Our report will supply the data necessary to evaluate your current organic performance and adjust some of your goals and benchmarks accordingly.

For Conductor customers

After reviewing the report with your team, consider building a Workspace that provides a clear overview of your website’s organic performance year-to-date.

• The Pages report in the platform makes it easy to add widgets to your workspace that measure how well your website and individual pages are performing year-to-date and year-over-year.

• Review your Result Types report in the platform and compare your tracked search performance trends with the rich SERP result type data in the benchmark report. The Result Types report will show you the type of content search engines value for your tracked keywords. You can use that information to identify potential content opportunities to outperform SERP competitors for result-type positions. Try to identify if your site is experiencing trends similar to those of the most relevant subindustries for your business. You can use the data from your result types' performance to find content creation opportunities for keywords where you may be underperforming compared to your industry. If you’re curious about what content strategies can help you increase your ability to rank for different result types, check out this article for helpful guidance and actionable strategies.

For everyone else

You don’t have to be a Conductor customer to download the 2024 Benchmarks Report for free. If you’re interested in receiving the report, simply provide a few details requested in the form submission box at the top of the report page.

Stay tuned

Conductor’s monthly industry updates provide you with a quick recap of the top stories, trends, and information related to website optimization and the world of search.

P.S. It’s not too late to plan your trip to New York City for Conductor’s C3 Conference on October 17th! Join us at our annual website optimization and digital marketing conference to hear winning strategies on how to overcome disruption and accelerate growth from top experts.