Search engines have made major advancements in how search queries are conducted. Users can now ask questions and receive explanatory answers without needing to click a single link. This development comes with an element of unpredictability for small and medium-sized businesses in the UK.
Writing with the goal of appearing as one of the top search results for an important question has become a thing of the past. The main goal should be providing clear, concise and most importantly, quality answers. Search engines rely on AI to compile their search results. Clear answers and functional pages are important. The goal should be visibility, and being visible to customers means being able to provide an answer to their questions and offer a service or product.
Change in AI has an effect on search; instead of links being the only answer, search results may include a summary or a list of related questions. For example, one could search “do I need planning permission for a loft conversion in Leeds?”, and an answer may include a summary of the response and a list of suggested questions.
The goal here is not to be found for the simplest of search queries. Businesses must provide pages that go beyond easily answerable searches. Each page must serve a function in the entire process from landing a customer to fulfilling a service.
AI Overviews are not a new form of search
AI Overviews likely look new because they operate within a channel and contain an optimization method that is ‘secret.’ However, they will always be aligned with the broader search engine market, meaning they’ll likely change more in the future. There’s no reasonable way to guarantee a specific text, structure, or system will be included.
You need to strive to be a source that is easily comprehensible and credible. This means explaining what is included on the page, stating your answer to the question, and including supporting context. You should endeavor to do all of this while maintaining and furthering your understanding of timely information. Users of search engines do not like seeing pages that have almost identical content, just ordered in a slightly different way.
Use real customer questions to create new content
Small businesses in particular have a great opportunity here. That’s because, thanks to the work done by employees, they hear questions every day. They hear their customers’ questions on sales calls, but also in emails, visits to the site, or inquest support requests.
Make a list of what customers ask you before, during, and after making a purchase. For a trades business, that could be questions about how long a particular scope of work will take, what access will be like, how much of a guarantee they’ll give, and what will affect the price. For a professional service, that could be questions about the eligibility process, the documents and what the next steps in the process will be. All of these types of questions can be great topics to write full service pages, FAQs, or individual articles.
Each should have
one primary goal
Determine the understanding or action you want the user to have. You can describe a primary service by including the who, what, how, where, and cost. An ancillary document may address a single query and signpost the user to the correct service. Use language and headings that allow for easier reading. More complicated scenarios should be placed toward the bottom of the page, with essential information in the top section. This allows the user to make a decision. The location of essential information also aids service robots in understanding your content.
Assess how well your website does at providing the information your potential clients are seeking. If your website has a few pages that are very thin, and are poorly optimized, it is better to work on those pages before posting superfluous content weekly. Good UX design directs a user to the most relevant information, and helps the user understand it quickly.
Local business customers are looking for small, local businesses that service their area. They are looking for businesses that provide the service they need, and understand their project type. Ensure that you have all relevant business contact information and a complete Google Business Profile, and provide your service area in the profile.
If you are unable to be open and clear due to legal reasons, provide what information you can. Other forms of work that provides an example of your staff or firms can give a better idea of your service. These should describe the situation in a realistic way without overstating the problem, work, or outcome. Be prepared to back up any statements you make.
Trust information must
be easy to verify
Users need to be able to quickly and easily authenticate the author of a webpage. Include your business name and contact information, your main credentials, and sought after expert advice, where applicable. Also, publish time-sensitive advice and guidance, and revise old content.
Do not use anonymous, overconfident copy to create authority. A clear, and somewhat humble, description of how your business operates is more effective than a page full of empty superlatives.
Maintaining Technical Foundations
If a website is difficult to access or navigate, the content will not be functional. All of the necessary core pages need to be indexable, and easily accessible, from all logical navigation, on both desktop and mobile. Make sure all the forms and CTAs are working, and pages are loading quickly enough for users to complete their goals.
It is possible that many technical improvements need to be done at the same time as web development. Good marketing is undermined by broken forms, incoherent URLs, inaccessible navigation, and slow loading components.
Use AI cautiously throughout your content process
AI tools may help with an outline or a preliminary draft of internal notes, but they cannot fully substitute knowledge of the subject, fact checking, or editorial discretion. AI tools usually produce regurgitated, outdated, or confidently incorrect information.
When using AI, treat the output as a rough draft and add your own insights.
Remove excess details so consumers get the actual information they need.
Also, do not post drafts.
Focus on the essential metrics, not rankings.
The declining importance of rankings doesn’t mean we can stop tracking them.
Useful visits indicate the pages that get the most meaningful interactions. You can also use calls or form submissions to engage with the users. Incompletes can be tracked to signify interested leads. A combination of Google Search Console and web analytics can help you spot patterns when there are inconsistencies in data reports.
Content should be reviewed when there have been significant changes in the business. When the services or areas you cover have changed, update your pages. Delete duplicate pages. Learn from your customers. This is a more sustainable practice than responding to every search update.
AI searches increase the need for clarity and usefulness but will never replace a small business website. Focus on the pages that generate the most inquires. Answer their questions and present your offers without hindering contact potential. Supportive content should follow where it is most helpful to the customers.
If you’d like to know how search content and your website can be more integrated, reach out for a more tailored analysis. We can talk about your business and your priorities.
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