Summary: Traditional search is preparing to take its final bow. It is quickly being replaced by the Search Generative Experience. As such, SEO companies and in-house marketing teams need to adjust their strategies to ensure their websites can compete in the AI space.
San Diego’s digital landscape is changing. From Sorrento Valley’s tech hubs to La Jolla boutiques and storefronts, business owners are discovering that the way their customers find them online is undergoing one of the most significant transformations since the dawn of mobile search. This is the era of the Search Generative Experience (SGE).
The days of traditional search are quickly fading. In its place is an AI-driven replacement that does not return a list of static links. Instead, SGE curates information to synthesize answers, offers detailed comparisons, and even generates conversational insights that lead to further queries.
The question for SEO companies and in-house marketing teams is no longer, “How do we get to the #1 spot?” It is “How do we become a trusted source for AI search tools?”
A New Frontier for Local Discovery
Local search has always been a priority given the fact that the majority of small businesses in the U.S. are local-first. So it makes sense that SGE will have a profound impact on how San Diego businesses go about marketing. It is imperative that both SEO companies and in-house marketing teams understand exactly what SGE is and what it does. It is the new frontier for local discovery.
Traditional search matches keywords to indexed pages. Thus, the focus on keywords and their associated content over the last decade or so. SGE goes one step further. Fueled by large language models (LLMs), SGE scrapes the internet to curate data capable of providing cohesive summaries of information on search engine result pages (SERPs).
Consider a local resident searching online for the ‘best sustainable roofing company in San Diego’. SGE will not merely return a list of websites along with a map pack. It is more likely to generate a paragraph summarizing sustainable roofing options and what they offer. A number of local roofing companies will be cited as sources for the data.
San Diego businesses should know that if their companies are not cited in AI summaries, they are losing more than just clicks. They are also losing out on the opportunity to increase brand authority.
Information Units and Entities
In order to get those AI citations, the in-house marketing team or SEO company needs to know what to feed algorithms. In traditional search, keywords and phrases are the food that feeds algorithms. AI-driven search needs a different kind of food. It prioritizes what we refer to in the industry as ‘information units’ and ‘entities’.
This applies to local search in a very specific way. The San Diego SEO companies must now focus on the entity and its expertise rather than just keywords. From the search engine’s perspective, AI attempts to make a connection between the entity (a San Diego business), that company’s location, and its expertise in relation to search intent.
The Pillar and Cluster Strategy
Keywords and phrases still matter, as they are the primary information source that explains to search algorithms what a particular page discusses. The best way to take advantage of keywords and still feed AI-driven search what it needs to employ the pillar and cluster strategy. This is a two-point strategy as follows:
- Pillar Posts – Pillar posts are long-form posts (1,000+ words) that act as comprehensive guides on relevant topics. Here is an example: ‘The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Roofing in San Diego’. Pillar posts establish authority and credibility.
- Post Clusters – Post clusters are collections of related, long-form articles that feed into a particular pillar post. Using the previous example, one article in the cluster might discuss specific details about different roofing materials.
The goal is to saturate a company’s website with accurate, deeply researched, and interconnected content. Do this successfully, and an organization signals to AI-driven search engines that it is the primary authority for information within that specific niche.
Optimizing E-E-A-T: It’s a Smart Idea
Adapting to AI generative search doesn’t mean completely abandoning traditional SEO. And in fact, optimizing AI citations is a lot more productive when E-E-A-T principles are incorporated into newer SEO strategies.
E-E-A-T is an acronym that stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a strategy SEO companies have been working with for several years. It is considered a traditional practice, although it is one that incorporates very well into AI search. The reason is found in the fact that generative search engines tend to include source links in their summaries.
Optimizing for E-E-A-T includes the following three things:
- Advanced Schema Markup – Advanced schema markup helps local San Diego businesses better inform search engines through structured data that clearly distinguishes the quality of a page’s content.
- Data-backed Content – AI search engines prioritize verifiable data. San Diego businesses can take advantage of this trait by generating original data or tapping into already published studies and surveys.
- Conversational Language – SGE is conversational by nature. Content should be structured to answer the questions searchers would ask in language they speak. Including FAQs with clear, concise answers is also a big plus.
E-E-A-T is more about helping search engines understand and evaluate content than anything else. But there is a hidden benefit: optimizing for E-E-A-T also results in content that website visitors can actually use. It is content that offers real value.
Incorporating Multimedia in the AI Era
One last thing to consider is that SGE isn’t a text-only strategy. AI-driven search pulls in all sorts of data, including social media, images, and videos. So it’s important that SEO providers begin incorporating multimedia. Examples include:
- Localized video addressing topics that concern San Diego customers.
- Local images that San Diego residents instantly recognize.
Leveraging localized multimedia connects your entity (organization) to local geography (San Diego) to establish more brand authority when San Diego residents are searching for businesses in your industry.
Here at Pixsan, we are heavily leaning into AI-driven search. We need to. Legacy search is quickly fading away. We are pursuing SGE with the knowledge that ‘AI slop’ will not cut it. To win in San Diego, we need to feed SGE the food it needs to establish our clients as authorities in their fields.
FAQs
Does SGE have any bearing on the traditional local pack?
The local pack is not completely obsolete in SGE, but search engines give it less priority. Being referenced in an AI summary is deemed more important.
How does SGE impact organic click-through rates?
AI-driven searches always have the potential of producing zero-click summaries. However, it is less of a problem for high-intent local searches. When customers are searching local, SGE acts more as a high-level click filter.
Does traditional keyword research still matter?
Absolutely. Search engines still need keywords to do what they do. But with SGE, search engines are more interested in entities and search intent than long strings of keywords and phrases.
What is information gain and how does it help local search?
In SGE, ‘information gain’ is the practice of adding new information not found on similar authoritative sites. New information instantly solidifies brand authority. AI search engines prioritize it.
