Author: Sebastian Scheplitz
Google has announced that it will implement more AI-inspired updates for its core products – particularly its Google Search offering – off the heels of the buzz generated by rival Microsoft’s recent AI updates for Bing.
The Mountain View, CA-based tech giant announced the launch of its Search Generative Experience – a brand-spanking-new generative AI-powered search engine iteration that can draft prepared answers to open-ended queries while retaining the familiar search results page layout we’ve all “gamed” to know and love.
And here’s a gist of what you need to know about Google’s recent AI update announcement:
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Google’s push for generative AI extends into its other products like Gmail (which will be able to auto-draft messages and responses) and Google Photos (which can automatically adjust image characteristics so users can take better photos).
Search Generative Experience: Optimizing Search with Generative AI
Google’s new Search Generative Experience leverages generative AI in Google Search and makes the tedious work of searching for and poring over resources so users can get a better grasp on a topic and uncover new knowledge faster.
For instance, instead of asking a string of related questions and collating the information manually, Google will be able to do that for you through its AI algorithms.
Microsoft Bing AI search harnesses OpenAI’s ubiquitous ChatGPT AI engine to facilitate smarter, more contextually-relevant searches with AI-powered search algorithms that can produce useful content using past search queries.
That’s what Google Search Generative Experience does for Google.
Since the rise of ChatGPT – which served as the first taste of generative AI to massive audiences – Google has had serious questions asked about its enviable market share as the leading internet portal.
Search Generative Experience is Google laying down a market. The tool will also be able to mark up AI-generated images it produces to help other users determine the authenticity of a photo.
Alphabet executives are excited about the merger of AI and Google Search, which is essentially the future of generative. However, Search Generative Experience is limited only to a select number of users and available only in an experimental mode.
How To Use Generative AI for Google Search?
Search Generative Experience works by providing AI-enabled snapshots depending on your search query. Search Generative Experience can be thought of as a combination between Google Search and Google Bard, where you can get answers to your queries directly on Google SERPs.
In essence, Search Generative Experience enables multi-step conversational queries and gets all relevant results on one page without having to do the tedium of several searches and clicking through pages to see if it is of any use.
Here’s how Google’s AI updates change the game:
1. Get Specific Tips for User Questions
People often use Google to answer very particular questions, for instance, potential customers researching how to make bets on sports or specific rules on how to play baccarat online. You’ll find pointers to information that answers your question and other related questions that you might find useful.
With generative AI, potential leads can easily find pointers for the key info they need to know about a question they might have about iGaming, and take the next step straight from the SERP pages.
There’s plenty of opportunity for iGaming brands, for instance, to improve their position by using generative AI tools for search ranking so that their site can appear among the pointers or on the list of related questions Google pulls each time the query is used.
For instance, iGaming brands can further fine-tune their content or SEO strategy so that potential customers querying on “how to bet on sports” or “what is an accumulator bet” will see their sites first. They can do this by optimizing content for AI-enhanced web crawlers to index first.
2. Transforming the Shopping Experience for Everyone
98% of online shoppers rely on reviews.
That’s why generative AI in Google Search makes it easy for users to know the full context of the specific items they are searching for and options they have about their shopping decisions.
Google draws from over 35 billion product listings from what is easily the largest database of product inventory out in the market today, called Google Shopping Graph. Every hour, almost 2 billion product listings are updated on the Google Shopping Graph to ensure that users get the latest, most relevant results.
For instance, you might be looking for the latest merchandise released by your favorite sports personality or your favorite esports team. If that’s the case, you will also find answers to queries about important factors such as how to procure the branded merchandise, purchase options, prices, reviews, ratings, images, and purchase links.
You’ll be able to ask follow-up questions to your queries with Search Generative Experience under its conversational mode should you have any further questions about the product snapshot you wish to know more about.
3. Transforming the iGaming Experience for Casino Players and Punters
AI can segment casino players into different groups based on their behavior and preferences. This segmentation allows online casinos to create targeted bonus campaigns for specific customer segments.
For example, AI can identify high rollers and offer them exclusive VIP bonuses, or it can identify new players and provide them with welcome bonuses.
By analyzing historical data, AI can anticipate which bonuses a particular player is likely to be interested in. This enables online casinos and casino affiliates to display the most relevant bonuses to individual users on Google.
Google Bard or Microsoft Bing together with ChatGPT could monitor user responses, for which AI algorithms can then determine which bonuses are most effective and optimize the display accordingly. This ensures that the bonuses shown on Google or Bing are constantly tailored to maximize engagement and conversions.
We can even go a step further and expect AI to find the best casino offers for any player at any point in time.
Imagine you’re a Manchester City fan living in Stockholm, which Google already knows anyway. Let’s say you’re traveling to Manchester to watch a game at the Etihad. Not only is Google able to track your movements if you allow your phone to do so, but maybe you even booked your flights through Google Flights too.
Google is now able to send you the best odds for the upcoming game straight onto your home screen.
Sounds too far-fetched? What about you’re just checking for free bets online, and Google knows that you’re a fan of the Cityzens then you will receive a selection of different sportsbooks that currently have promotions specifically for you and your interests.
Affiliates could produce specific content around specific sports teams together with their operator partners. An AI is only as knowledgable as the content you’re feeding it. So, feed it with content that answer a specific search intent.
Obviously, this is where Translation Royale can help as your #1 best content agency for the iGaming industry.
You could procude content around casino bonuses that are only available for certain games, let’s say Mega Moolah. And whenever someone searches for Mega Moolah, your bonus page will be shown by Google – since it’s the most valuable at that time.
Or how about writing articles that target specific regulations. If, in a certain iGaming jurisdiction, you’re not allowed to do any ads around casino or sports betting, your content could make the AI aware to only use your content from, let’s say, 21:00 (9 pm) to 6:00 (6 am).
In the future, prompts at the beginning of the content like “Hey Google, only use this content for Manchester City fans from Sweden and only display it on search when the gambling regulation allows.”
4. Diversifying Voices and Featuring a Wide Array of Sources
Google has developed new search experiences to highlight content that is most suited to search intent and help users inform their decisions to go on a deep dive into topics they wish to know more about. The amalgamation of AI and Google Search won’t change anything as far as sending the best traffic to the sites that deserve it.
AI synthesizes answers for questions that require more nuance, even in questions where there’s no singular “right” answer. Google’s update condenses complex information and different perspectives in easy-to-digest bits and pieces so users can get a bird’s eye view about the topic and learn more using the internet.
In the iGaming context, that means that people searching for iGaming-related topics such as which online casinos offer the best bonuses, football result predictions, or odds on a particular game will find results from sources that provide the best, most contextually-relevant information that users will find valuable.
Google’s AI Update and iGaming SEO
iGaming SEO has evolved tremendously over the past decade. Back in the earlier days of SEO, sites with a high number of backlinks – instead of sites that focus on useful, valuable, high-quality content – used to rank high on SERPs. Fast forward to 2023 – and as AI comes of age – and search engines are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with many search engines emphasizing content quality and UX.
Therefore, the old “dark arts” of implementing an ungodly number of backlinks or relying on keyword stuffing in order to “game” the search engine ranking pages has long been relegated to the dustbin of SEO history.
As Google’s algorithms mature and fine-tuned to accommodate technological advances, one thing about it doesn’t change: its primary focus on truly engaging, evergreen content that delivers an optimal user experience.
It’s important for iGaming marketers to keep an eye on how generative AI and Google Search continue to evolve as the company continues developing the Search Generative Experience. And, more importantly, be prepared to calibrate their iGaming SEO strategy at the drop of a hat.
Here are four ways iGaming companies can shore up their SEO strategy in light of the recent update from Google.
1. Changing Tastes Towards Video Content
Another major change that Google’s AI update will most likely call forth is a greater focus on video-based content. YouTube and other video-sharing platforms like TikTok will be prioritized by Google, tacitly incentivizing sites to invest in video content.
iGaming brands, affiliates, and operators alike ought to leverage such platforms such as TikTok and YouTube to create short-form and long-form video content, respectively, as part of their content marketing strategy.
For instance, iGaming brands can create short-form video content on how to manage their sports betting bankroll, or how to play responsibly. They can also release episodic podcasts about what’s going on in the iGaming world to supplement their online presence, demonstrate their authority, and engage new audiences through the medium.
2. Highlighting the Need to Post on Different Platforms
It’s not just video-sharing platforms brands need to pay attention to in 2023 with the generative AI update looming. The more you post content on different platforms, the higher the chances of your content being picked up by Google’s AI algorithm.
Many iGaming brands can rank significantly higher by publishing content across social media and web platforms by increasing their visibility and establishing themselves online.
3. Redefining the Importance of Schema Markup
The generative AI update gives schema markup an even more prominent role in SEO. Since the new algorithm draws information from as many pertinent sources – even to the real nitty gritty of schema markups.
That said, iGaming sites ought to mark up their content with schema accordingly to take advantage of this new development and improve their likelihood of climbing up the Google SERPs.
4. Affiliate Marketers Need to Adapt
iGaming affiliate marketers, be forewarned: the generative AI update might cause your organic click counts to slide a bit. It’s normal after a far-ranging update such as this.
But that doesn’t mean it has to remain that way. It’s critical to continue finding ways to generate organic traffic.
Following the aforementioned suggestions will go a long way in keeping your site remain relevant and above all visible as the new landscape of SEO crystallizes.
The Final Word: How Will iGaming SEO Look Like in the Future?
As we can plainly see by Google’s AI update, the future of iGaming SEO – as with many industries – will be built on artificial intelligence.
Google has to evolve in light of the challenge raised by OpenAI and ChatGPT. And we can expect that search engines will continue to leverage AI algorithms to determine the quality, relevance, and value of content, leading to an even higher level of granularity in personalization and UX.
SEO specialists in the iGaming industry, therefore, need to stay on top of the developing trends since the shift towards generative AI can have a major impact on how iGaming companies implement SEO to reach their specific target audiences.
Pretty soon, we will see more use of generative AI for online casinos and iGaming SEO as the technology develops.
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How did you like Sebastian Scheplitz’s blog post “Google’s Latest Generative AI Update And What It Means for iGaming Marketing”? Let us know in the comments if you have anything to add, have another content idea for iGaming blog posts, or just want to say “hello.” 🙂
