Local Memo: AI Overviews Now Matching Google Organic Results

In this week’s update, learn about AI Overviews matching Google organic results; the completion of the August Core Update; and the influence of backlinks on local ranking. 

AI Overviews Now Matching Google Organic Results

The News

New research from Mark Traphagen and seoClarity demonstrates that the links in AI Overviews (AIOs) are matching Google organic results much more closely than before. Traphagen’s team examined the SERPs for 36,000 keywords and found that 99.5% of AIOs contained at least one link that was also found in the first 10 organic search results. Traphagen says this is a “mammoth change” when compared to the earlier days of AIOs, when results often contained completely different links than those found in the traditional SERP. The change may be a response on Google’s part to claims of inaccuracy in AIOs.

What It Means

One obvious takeaway, which Traphagen mentions, is this: “One of the best ways to get mentioned in an AIO now is to rank highly in Google.” However, it’s probably important to take this advice with a grain of salt. After all, if just one link in AIO matches the top 10 organic results, that means potentially 90% of links are still different. Businesses still need to test and monitor competitive and relevant AIO results to ensure they are appearing as they wish. 

August Core Update Completed

The News

Google’s August Core Update has completed its rollout, per a Google announcement on September 3. The update took about two weeks to fully roll out. Search rankings may have fluctuated during the rollout; according to Google’s John Mueller, site owners should wait until the completion of a core update to determine its long-term effects. As with other recent updates, Google’s stated goal with the August update was to reward sites providing useful content and penalize sites whose content was created purely for SEO purposes. Some have observed that this update has corrected unintended effects of earlier updates. 

Mueller also stated that the August core update had an impact on AI Overviews, which are considered a part of search.

What This Means

Google has revised its help documentation to state that site owners, when responding to core updates, should prioritize “substantive, user-centric improvements rather than quick fixes.” Google advises that, if your site was impacted, you should focus on making sure your site adheres to the company’s quality guidelines. 

The Influence of Links on Local Ranking

The News

Joy Hawkins at Sterling Sky has published new research on the influence of backlinks when it comes to local ranking. She notes that Google has long downplayed the importance of links for SEO, even though many SEO practitioners believe in their effectiveness. 

Hawkins’ conclusion is that backlinks do have an impact on organic SEO results in general, but for local the impact is minimal. Her tests indicated that adding just one authoritative link to a business website caused its ranking to improve significantly, moving the website into the top 3 results, while the same business only saw improvement by one rank position in their Google Business Profile ranking. 

What It Means

According to Hawkins, businesses that generate leads directly from their websites should focus on link building, while those that rely more on Google Business Profiles for leads should spend their time on other tactics to improve ranking. We know that for multi-location businesses, local link building can be especially challenging, but again, those businesses that rely the most on website traffic, such as financial advisors and other high-consideration categories, would do well to try to earn links from local sources where possible.