Marketing is tricky. But you know what’s trickier? Staying up-to-snuff with Google’s ever-changing search engine refinements.
Google is good for about two to three Broad Core Updates a year, which has many SEOs wondering how said refinements will affect their website(s). Already punishing the search industry with these non-descriptive, unidentifiable updates, Google has now administered a new era to search – AI Overviews.
What are AI Overviews? Let’s get started.
AI Overviews: What to Know as a B2B Manufacturer
AI Overviews are answers served at the top of Google’s search engine result page (SERP) that are a direct result of a user’s search. AI Overviews are engineered (through AI models) to provide a user with a complete answer based on their query. These answers are derived from trusted online resources that have established themselves as subject matter experts, are knowledgeable in their field, and have repeatedly provided relevant and accurate content.
Think of online resources as a legitimate source – like MSNBC, Yahoo, Forbes, etc. Now, based on your (and rightfully so) opinion, you may not consider these sources credible or reliable…which is where AI Overviews get tricky. Although most high school or college students may collect their research information from sources like Wikipedia, a more seasoned researcher would consider Wikipedia reckless or unpredictable.
Considering we’re a marketing agency for manufacturers, let’s do a real-time search for “best machines for injection molding.” We were provided the following by Google:
Having direct communications with our manufacturing clients, we’d more-or-less agree with this data set. While this wasn’t a specific example of an AI Overview result, let’s consider the relevancy of this list if a user were new to injection molding machines or manufacturing in general.
Under Top 10 injection molding machines reads “From sources across the web.” Who are these sources? Who created this list? Who’s responsible for categorizing these injection molding machine manufacturers? Your curiosity is fair! While AI Overviews was built to make search quick and painless, be mindful of the accuracy, for the time being.
AI Overviews: Some of the Latest from Google I/O
While the accuracy thing is cause for concern, there are some pretty cool advancements in search through the power of AI Overviews. To put it briefly, Google does the Googling for you. No longer will users need to piecemeal answers together with five tabs open, an influencer’s Instagram page, and one of the latest threads from Reddit. Need an example? Here’s one of Google’s latest videos sharing the impressive approach to answering your questions.
So go ahead, be confusing! Ask Google whatever you’re looking for (or think you’re looking for) in any format, any order, run-on sentence, or not! Let Google do the Googling.
AI Overviews: Manufacturing Examples
Injection molders in Wisconsin
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- Result: Too broad of a list to narrow down.
Injection molders near me
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- Result: Most likely a list of injection molders within a 5–20-mile radius.
Injection molders near Racine with 30 vertical injection molding machines
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- Result: Extremely broad SERP response. Thomasnet/Indeed/Reddit.
At this point, the user is probably annoyed with the results and various tabs open to find the answer they’re looking for.
How do AI Overviews enhance this journey?
New User Search Journey:
Injection molders in Wisconsin, within 15 miles of Racine, that have 30 vertical injection molding machines in-house. And for giggles, is there an ice cream parlor nearby?
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- Result: Fewer results – better accuracy – more concise – effective answers.
How can you improve the likelihood of Google serving your website as a top search result? While this question would take us a whole other blog to answer, the quickest response would be to craft content that is direct and provides answers to common questions. In fact, the alignment is synergistic to middle school English class best practices: Answering Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
A few examples of upgraded website content could be:
Home Page
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- h1: Southeastern Wisconsin-Based Injection Molding Company
- h2: 30 Vertical Injection Molding Machines
- h2: Serving OEMs from Racine Wisconsin
From these improvements alone, Google can identify that you’re:
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- Southeastern Wisconsin-Based
- An Injection Molding Company
- Have a Capacity of 30 Vertical Injection Molding Machines
- Serve OEMs
- From Racine, Wisconsin
Takeaways
We find it too common that B2B manufacturers fall short when it comes to creating compelling content that boosts their chances of ad or organic search relevancy/visibility.
Have a feeling you’d fall into that category? No problem – that’s where Vive comes in! We’ve happily served the manufacturing industry for 16+ years as the go-to marketing partner for manufacturers and service providers in the plastics and metals industries.
Ready to tackle another Google update? Let’s do it together. Here are a few areas where we can help:
Contact our team of marketing experts for manufacturers today!
