Inside Google’s Generative AI Upgrade to Google Search Engine in 2023

Google was reportedly shaking in its boots last winter when Microsoft announced that the New Bing would be AI-powered, promising to change search as we know it.

This was not long after ChatGPT’s viral debut. Plenty were able to connect the dots as to where Microsoft got its newfound confidence in Bing, which had long been the Whopper to Google’s Big Mac search engine. Except more people probably eat Whoppers than use Bing. Really, Bing is kind of like the burger your uncle makes on his grill to sell at tailgates as a side hustle.

The New Bing was going to change all that, until Google declared a code red on AI to catch up. And catch up they did.

Google Catches Up And Has AI Upgrades for Search

Now, pretty much half a year later, Google has announced the exciting development that generative AI (i.e., the kind of artificial intelligence platforms that can create text and images and video and the like based on human-given prompts) will be coming to Google Search.

This is an announcement that every business that uses Google to advertise—this should be every business, really—should pay attention to, because Google’s generative AI it can change the way you dominate search.

What Changes Are Coming to Search?

Generative AI offers some important upgrades to Google’s popular search engine, which we will detail below.

Get Your Answers from a Chatbot

When potential customers get onto Google to search for whatever service(s) and/or product(s) your company offers, they are going to be able to do so with the assistance of Google’s generative AI chatbot.

What this ultimately means is that users’ eyes are going to first go to the answer offered by the chatbot at the top of the page.

This chatbot will be like their little guide to the Internet—as well as the marketplace that you are trying to compete on.

So, instead of browsing the many different links to websites, the user is more likely to simply scan the chatbot’s answer for, say, “plumbing companies near me.”

Of course, you are going to want to make sure your business is included in that answer.

Users Will Be Able to Ask More Detailed and Complicated Questions with Google’s Generative AI

Another key feature is that users will be able to ask more complex questions and get more specialized results right to them.

The chatbot can quickly answer a question such as “Which plumbing companies in Indianapolis offer the best rates for sink repairs?”, empowering users to further narrow their searches based on their needs.

How Can Your Business Adjust to These Search Changes?

Right now, these search changes are only available to a small number of people.

Once it is widely released, then marketers will be able to get a better idea as to how to best rank on Google, which will include the chatbot answers.

We anticipate that good Google My Business reviews, trustworthy content output, and keywords will be important. So, really, the same stuff that matters now will matter in the future—it will only get more competitive.