During a recent meeting, we discussed the differences between SEO and content marketing. (Our allegiance lies with the latter.) One of the most interesting trends is that people try content marketing and quickly abandon it. Content marketing has existed for hundreds of years, and if you don’t believe me, look at Poor Richard’s Almanack or the Michelin Guide. SEO, conversely, began in the 1990s.
When people give up on content marketing, they assume it doesn’t work. Many turn to SEO. However, when SEO doesn’t increase the number of clients, the law firm switches to another SEO agency. They fault the company rather than the strategy.
Because SEO is still a relative infant compared to content marketing, it is still evolving. The term “SEO” surfaced around 1997, about six years after the first website was launched. Now that AI has become more commonplace, SEO is morphing into SGE, which stands for search generative experience.
What Is Search Generative Experience?
Google introduced this when it began incorporating AI into its search engine. You will now receive a more conversational and context-driven result when you search for something. Answers are becoming more intuitive and personalized. The SEO model is about connecting your website to specific searches. If you are high enough in the rankings, people will click on your site and look for the information they need. SGE is a direct challenge to SEO tricks.
Information now appears as natural language and appears before website results. Even after generating an initial response, it may suggest follow-up questions to expand your search. Though websites and links will appear, people are drawn to the direct answers that SGE provides.
How SGE Impacts Marketing
SGE is significant because it alters how people search for information and engage with legal websites online. Because AI drives the results, keyword stuffing and technical SEO gimmicks will be less effective. Ironically, useful, well-written, and authoritative content will stand out more in the SGE-dominated landscape. Education content that answers fundamental questions is more likely to be used and referenced in an SGE response. Google itself has said that its algorithms prioritize content from trustworthy sources.
Content Marketing Is (Sort of) Merging with SEO
Even if you favor Google rankings over the more tangible results that content delivers, focusing on people, not robots, will get you there. Writing for people is now appeasing search engines. Publishing evergreen content gives Google timeless, reliable, and in-depth answers that it can use to answer questions. Ensuring that your blogs and FAQs go up consistently increases your chances of being featured in a generative result.
That said, this is all a bonus—icing on the cake. Content marketing works even if Google doesn’t feature your website. There are too many people fighting for limited space. By focusing on delivering educational and authoritative content to your established audience, you will get more referrals and better clients. If you want to learn more about how you never have to worry about your Google rankings again, call us, and we’ll explain why.
Spotlight Branding
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