Good SEO means making Google search work for you
In the AI era reshaping search rules, only by elevating SEO to "Search Experience Optimization" can we achieve sustained growth across cycles
Google's (traffic) market share remains unshakeable
Core Value of SEO
Why Conduct Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
- Traffic Entry Control
- 68.3% of initial internet traffic originates from search engines (BrightEdge research)
- As a content distribution hub, search engines don't produce content but aggregate 92% of global netizens' information needs
- Growth Channel Foundation
- First response path for user needs: 87% of consumers prefer Google search when encountering new categories (Think with Google data)
- Cross-industry applicability: from B2B tech solutions to consumer products, search behavior covers all category demand scenarios
- Business Ecosystem Fit
- Positive cycle between algorithm and experience: Google Core Web Vitals directly reflect user experience quality (e.g., every 0.1s loading speed improvement increases conversion by 8%)
- Long-term value accumulation: quality SEO assets can generate traffic dividends for 3-5 years, significantly reducing customer acquisition marginal costs
Why SEO = Google Optimization?
Global search engine market share distribution (2025), data source Statcounter
- Market Dominance Validation
- Global coverage: 91.05% search market share, covering 200+ countries and regions
- Business decision dependency: 94% of B2B procurement decision-makers use search as research starting point (HubSpot research)
- Technical Ecosystem Authority
- Algorithm iteration leadership: AI models like BERT and MUM continuously reshape search quality assessment standards
- Cross-platform integration advantage: traffic aggregation effects in vertical scenarios like YouTube/Maps/Academic search
Irreplaceable Traffic Value
- Conversion Efficiency Validation
- Organic search contributes 43% of website conversions (Semrush 2024), significantly higher than social media's 11%
- Ranking economic effect: #1 position CTR 27.6%, over 10x that of #10 position (2.4%) (Backlinko)
- Cost Advantage Analysis
- LTV/CAC optimization: SEO user lifetime value is 3-5x higher than paid ads (Ahrefs research)
- Risk resistance: traffic recovery speed after algorithm updates is 47% faster than social media (Moz data)
SEO is essentially building "digital real estate" — establishing defensible traffic positions in search engines through continuous optimization. When your website becomes the "standard answer" for specific needs, it's equivalent to Google delivering precise customers to you daily. This passive customer acquisition capability is the decisive factor in modern business competition.
Current SEO Challenges
Structural Changes in Search Ecosystem
- Zero-Click Search Impact
- Google directs 30% of search traffic to its own platforms (Maps/Videos/Flights, etc.), users can complete information acquisition without jumping to websites
- Core impact: vertical entries like YouTube/Google Maps rise, enterprises need to expand SEO to video optimization, local service optimization, app store ASO, etc.
- AI Search Reshaping Ecosystem
- Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) coverage: reached 12.7% in US market in June 2024 (AWR research data)
- Short-term impact: AI summaries haven't formed large-scale threats (current coverage <15%); but affect SERP CTR, mainly TOFU search terms (what, why, when, where, how) see click decline
- Long-term trend: traditional 10 blue links model will be gradually replaced by AI-driven direct content presentation
- Algorithm Turbulence Normalization
- Annual algorithm update frequency: over 5,000 times (including core algorithm/quality guidelines/anti-spam updates, etc.)
- Typical impact case: March 2024 core update caused 65% of websites to experience traffic fluctuations over 20% (SEMrush monitoring data)
Zero-click search data by Sparktoro
almost 30% of all clicks go to platforms Google owns. YouTube, Google Images, Google Maps, Google Flights, Google Hotels, the Google App Store, and dozens more
However, the general consensus seems to be that once June hit, AI Overviews show on under 15% of SERPs. The most recent study, by Philip Petrescu at AWR, showed AI Overviews in June on 12.7% of US Google results.
Google algorithm historical "intensity" changes by Moz: warmer tones indicate greater impact
Traffic Acquisition Dilemma
- Platform Traffic Siphon Effect
- Google-owned product click share: increased from 21% in 2020 to 29% in 2023 (Statcounter data)
- Hardest-hit areas: travel booking (Google Hotels CTR 42%), local services (Google Maps CTR 38%)
- Investment Relationships Binding Search Fairness
- Reddit traffic surge: Google invested $60M and reached agreement, its post exposure rate surged 230% YoY (SEMrush data)
- Not bound by traditional content standards: anonymous content doesn't need to follow E-E-A-T guidelines; indexing speed 3.2x faster than independent sites (Moz testing)
- SEO Marginal Benefit Diminishing
- Organic CTR changes: homepage #1 CTR dropped from 31% in 2019 to 19% in 2023 (Ahrefs research)
- Traffic fluctuation amplitude: monthly organic traffic fluctuation rate over 35% has become the new normal for medium-sized websites
Especially when entering the AI product field, we often face Google's "dual-role competition dilemma" — Google is both the rule-maker (referee) and a competitor through its own products (player). Typical performance: in search scenarios, Google's algorithm prioritizes its own AI services:
- AI Search – Google AI Overview
- AI + Travel – Google Hotels/Flights
- Recruitment Software – Google Jobs
At least 75+ independent products
Third-party AI tools struggle to break traffic blockade even with SEO optimization – Don't be within Google's firing range
Personal Experience & Recommendations
Combine SEO with other growth channels to maximize effectiveness:
- SEO and Ads: Use ad campaigns to quickly gather feedback, identify effective keywords around high CTR topics, create content with variants for long-tail effects; use Ads Remarketing and Retargeting to target previous visitors
- SEO and Influencer Marketing: High-quality backlinks and brand mentions
- SEO and Social Media: User-generated UGC content can be embedded on websites or shared externally
- For plugins or Apps: Design functional links that bring users back to the website, improving User Engagement
Is It Necessary to Build an SEO Team?
- Use Cold Outreach Emails or ads for cold start, gaining first batch of seed users, rather than SEO
- SEO difficulty is increasing: SEO involves all aspects with fine granularity (content, backlinks, technical, website experience)
- Investment costs are also increasing (SEO is not zero cost): qualified SEO talent is not cheap and hard to retain in teams; overseas teams (especially SMBs) rarely build dedicated SEO teams, instead using outsourcing or Contractors
- New site SEO effectiveness time is lengthening (changes need time to show effects), there's Sandbox; penalties are strengthening: algorithms fix vulnerabilities, manual strikes on black hat; Google is not a free traffic pool
Don't do SEO for SEO's sake, don't fight against Google rules, value real user feelings; techniques and experience are tactics, user-centric approach is SEO's way!