It’s the Google top spot, Jim, but not as we know it. Ah, the days when bagging the first organic result was all that mattered. SEOs promised it, and businesses expected it, but now, landing numero uno ain’t straightforward. So when a marketing strategy involves the Google top spot, I have to ask, which one?
The Google top spot.
When you think of the top spot on Google, you’ll be forgiven for thinking of the first organic website link:
Well, yeah, course. And those still exist, obviously, but in reality, garden-variety website links vie for space with other SERP features. Those cosy, easy-chair SEO days of just website links are long gone. Google is in earnest, throwing every option at users in a vain attempt to provide a diverse search experience. One could argue that such an attempt has resulted in busy—not always accurate—SERPs. (Not me, I’d never say that. I love what Google have done with the place 👀)
Things are NOT what they seem, and the nostalgic Google days of yore are a distant memory. Like Henry VIII, SEOs today have a lot on their plate.
The featured snippet.
The featured snippet was an early doors new-fangled SERP feature. It’s a highlighted chunk of text that sits at the very top of the search results:
The information shown is pulled from a single website. The featured snippet is considered position zero on Google. Even if you smoked your body weight in skunk, you couldn’t get higher than that.
The AI Overview.
Since generative AI went mainstream, and everyone went mad for ChatGPT and friends, Google introduced the AI Overview (AIO):
Google’s LLM (Gemini) populates the overview from several source websites and displays the info as a highlighted paragraph and bulleted list. The source websites are shown at the top right of the page and can also be clicked via the AIO itself.
In a lot of cases, the AI Overview has replaced the featured snippet; that’s what happened with my blog article, Implicit Search Traffic: Smash SEO with Google Maps. That blog is now part of the AIO. Which implies optimising for AIOs is the same as optimising for featured snippets (AKA SEO).
The Local Pack.
The Local Pack is a SERP feature displaying three local businesses:
Local Pack information is pulled from businesses with a Google Business Profile (GBP). Top tip: if your company relies on local trade, set up a GBP.
The People Also Ask feature.
Google’s People Also Ask (PAA) is a useful section, offering insights into related search queries:
When alternative PAA questions are clicked, users can access the source websites that present the answers.
The video section.
I know this is bonkers, but some users prefer video content. When you type a search term, you might notice a video section in the SERPs:
Perfect for folks preferring to watch someone teach them something (why they can’t just read a blog, I’ll never understand).
The Google top spot is a red herring.
Number one on Google is no longer just about website links; it’s also:
- The featured snippet
- The AIO
- The Local Pack
- The PAA
- The video section
How you optimise for the five plus the standard website link has something to do with search intent.
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Googling products and services is driven by commercial search intent (intent to spend money). In that scenario, the SERPs reveal websites of the folks selling shit. If, as a business owner, you were selling shit, you’d want your website link to land at the top of Google, or at the very least, on page one.
Googling for services driven by local intent (intent to find a business in your area) reveals companies in the Local Pack. And any local business owner should optimise accordingly.
Googling for insights and knowledge is driven by informational search intent (intent to learn). Blogs and explainer content are revealed in the featured snippet, AIO, the PAA, and the video section. Creators of educational content capitalise on informational search features.
SIDE NOTE: Here’s a little intel about ‘ranking’ on LLMs. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemmini, and Perplexity don’t crawl or rank websites. LLMs weren’t built to index and store information. They scrape publicly available data. They lean heavily on information supplied by search engines. (And although ChatGPT is Bing’s LLM baby, SEOs have found Google is the search engine it favours.)
However, LLM search results vary drastically from Google. Securing AI citations is a different animal, and one that SEOs are presently learning. LLM user behaviour is key to cracking AI optimisation. What users look for on LLMs vs. what they use traditional search engines for will offer clues as to how we optimise for them.
It’s important to remember that ChatGPT et al are driving a small percentage of traffic to sites. Google remains dominant, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.
So, if you have a website, you’re going to need to be specific about which Google top spot you’re after.
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