SGE’s Impact on Small Businesses
And How to Prepare
Muiz Thomas
Founder & Creator
8 mins read
Published: 24th June 2024
You’ve probably heard about Google’s new SGE, now called AI Overviews?
If not, no worries—feel free to check out the guide above.
Here, I’ll talk about what SGE means for your small business and how to prepare.
Implications of SGE for Small Businesses
Google’s SGE is changing how small businesses do SEO.
With the new layout, your listings might get pushed down, meaning fewer clicks to your site.
Here’s a typical example…
Even if you show up in the SGE results, it might not bring in the usual traffic.
But it’s not all doom and gloom—with the right strategy, your small business can still thrive in this new search landscape!
How Can Small Businesses Prepare for SGE?
1) Optimise Your Google Business Profile
If you’re a small, local business, I can’t stress enough the importance of having an optimised Google Business Profile (GBP).
You can use ProfilePro, an AI chrome extension, to auto-generate business descriptions, optimised review responses, and more with one click!
Once you’ve installed it, go to your GBP and click the purple button.
Then follow the steps and check them off as you go.
Screenshot from ProfilePro, May 2024
Once your GBP is set up and optimised, do these things to keep it fresh:
- Add photos or videos,
- Get more reviews, and
- Post offers—perfect for monthly specials or sales on products or services.
P.S. Local businesses can read our post “SGE’s Impact on Local Search” for tips on adapting to these changes.
2) Measure Your Results
Set up strong analytics to track SEO performance and user engagement.
With GA4, you get to see:
- Where your traffic comes from,
- What keywords drive it, and
- How users behave on your site.
3) Regularly Review Your Content
Use what you learn from SEO and your data to create better content.
This helps you:
- Grab attention
- Attract more readers
- Turn more visitors into customers
4) Work with SEO Professionals
As a small business, you might not have a big SEO team. This can put you behind the competition. To close this gap, hire outside small business SEO experts. Over time, you can build up your internal team.
How Can Small Businesses Capitalize on SGE?
Now you have some broad strategies to prepare for SGE. But you don’t just want to keep up; you want to thrive.
Here are four tips to help you make the most of the new updates:
1) Target Long-Tail Searches
2) Optimise Your Meta Images
Use relevant, eye-catching images with descriptive filenames, titles, and alt text.
3) Maintain Consistency Across Channels
With SGE, users might find your content through AI snapshots and then visit your site, social media, or other digital channels.
Consistency in your brand voice, messaging, and user experience across all these platforms creates a seamless customer journey.
4) Optimise for SGE Follow-Ups
SGE acts like a springboard. It uses AI to give users a snapshot of a topic, which they can explore further through links or follow-up searches.
Say I’m writing about “Why do cats purr softly,” I can target related questions like “Do cats purr when relaxed?” in my content (as long as it aligns with my audience).
This not only adds more value for readers but also boosts my topical authority and improves my chances of appearing in SGE results.
Make SGE Work for You
Despite the challenges SGE brings to websites, it can give small businesses like yours a chance to shine.
I suggest doing an SEO audit to optimise strategies for SGE changes.
And if you need any help or support, feel free to reach out! We offer a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation.
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About the Author
Muiz Thomas
Professionally, I’ve got over 6 years of SEO, copywriting, and design experience. My job in a nutshell? Make your customers sit up, pay attention, and click (in that order).
