Google’s VP of Search, Liz Reid, sat down for an interview where she talked about the relationship between Google and publishers. When asked about the new rules for appearing in AI search, she said publishers have to publish content that people actually want to read.
Google says publishers’ loss of traffic isn’t just down to AI
One of the points Reid makes is that publishers’ loss of traffic isn’t just about AI. She placed some of the blame on people searching for non-textual content. Her response was in the context of what she would “say to editors about the reality of this new era.”
Reid replied:
“I think, first of all, there are, first of all, several things going on outside of AI, right? One of the things we’re seeing is that people are often opting for new formats, right?”
They want to see videos, not just text. They often turn to social media for content.There was a recent Reuters study on this, which just talks about how people evolve, and so one of the things I would generally say to publishers is make sure that you’re innovating based on what users want and how they want it, right?
Google says publishers must create content people want to read
The next part of his answer to the question of what publishers need to know about the “reality of this new age” is that if publishers want to be seen on AI search, they must not create the kind of sloppy content that is the “1,000th copy” of everything else. It has put the burden on publishers to step up and create better content that people actually want to read.
She explained:
“I think the second thing that’s really important is that people, to the extent that you produce really interesting expert content, we always see that people are interested in it, right?
…And so the more publishers produce content that’s really where they shine, what they bring, the more unique it is, the more it’s not the 1000th copy of the same story, but it’s something that has an interesting vision. The more I think we see people will continue to click and read this.
What publishers can do to be more visible in AI
The hosts of the interview discussed what publishers can do to make content more visible in AI. They attempted to elicit a response addressing the “new direction” AI research is heading, noting that publishers are concerned.
They asked:
“What can publishers or creators do, what can they do to make their content more visible to AI? If that’s anything, if that’s sort of the new direction that this whole thing is taking, which it clearly is, and publishers are concerned about having the right eyes on their content.”
How can they work with the system to ensure they follow the new set of rules and that their content is maximized in the right places at the right time? »
Liz Reid responds that the way to be seen is to create content that people want to read.
She explained:
“Yeah, I mean, I think I would probably divide it into two categories. The first is making sure that we can access your content. For example, if you block content, it’s not going to work. If that makes it difficult to discover, then it’s difficult. We have various tools in the Webmaster Console that give you controls so that publishers can choose. But making it easier for us to access is definitely the first step.
But we’ve also released an updated set of guidelines for website owners and publishers to think about how they create quality content these days. At the heart of it all is really this continuation of, if you want people to click, then implicitly you want people to read your content.
This means you have to create content that people want to read, right? So the more content you create that your audience will enjoy, the more it will work. The more you create content that you believe is only designed for the search engine, but not for the audience, the more people will learn about it over time.
So the more it brings your expertise, it’s kind of fresh, relevant content about what people are interested in, the more it brings that kind of experience and that detail and that richness, it’s really great.
Takeaways
Liz Reid’s comments show that Google increasingly views publisher success in AI Search as dependent on two conditions:
- Let Google explore everything.
- Create content that people actually want to read.
This type of approach ignores the fears of Google Zero that haunt even big brand sites that are experiencing a decline in search referrals. If big brand sites are worried about the decline in search referrals, what about small brand publishers who write recipe blogs, product reviews, travel guides, advice and news?
Watch the interview at around the 18 minute mark:
Featured image by Shutterstock/Roman Samborskyi
