AI in Google Ranking (2025) – Search Generative Experience (SGE) & Helpful Content.
The topic of AI in Google rankings is redefining the landscape of search engine optimization and requires an adapted SEO strategy for the AI age. Google is continuously developing its ability to evaluate content quality through neural networks and language models (LLMs). At the heart of this development are AI-powered systems such as Search Generative Experience (SGE) and the Helpful Content System. These new ranking factors are an invitation to share in-depth knowledge and position yourself more visibly than ever before in the SERPs through high-quality content. This article shows you how to seize this opportunity.
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The foundation of understanding: From RankBrain to BERT and MUM
To understand today’s developments, it’s worth taking a look at the technological milestones that paved the way. It all started with RankBrain, Google’s first AI system that learned to interpret the intent behind unclear search queries. Shortly thereafter, BERT revolutionized language understanding by analyzing the context of words in entire sentences. Later, MUM (Multitask Unified Model) demonstrated as a bridge technology how AI can link information across different languages and formats. These systems laid the foundation for the deep understanding of content on which today’s even more advanced systems are based. They mark the transition from pure keyword analysis to a genuine, contextual understanding of information.
How Search Generative Experience accurately responds to user intent
Search Generative Experience, often referred to as AI Overviews, represents a fundamental shift in the way Google engages in dialogue with users. Instead of primarily offering a list of links as possible answers, SGE acts as an active conversation partner. It responds to the user’s intent by synthesizing information from the most relevant web content into an initial, coherent answer. Think of SGE as an extremely competent research assistant that extracts the key messages from the best sources and presents them directly in an understandable overview, known as an “AI Snapshot.”
How it works in detail: From document to answer
The SGE process can be understood in three main steps. First, the AI analyzes the search query to understand the user’s deeper, often unspoken intention. It recognizes whether the user is looking for a definition, needs instructions, wants to compare products, or has a complex question.
In the second step, the AI identifies a cluster of the most trustworthy and content-rich websites on the topic. From these selected documents, it extracts the key pieces of information: these can be definitions, data, pros and cons, or individual steps in a guide.
In the third and decisive step, the AI synthesizes these individual building blocks into a new, fluently readable text—the AI Snapshot. At the same time, the websites from which this information originates are identified as sources and prominently linked. This opens up a new, valuable form of visibility directly on the first page of search results.
How to prepare your content for inclusion in AI overviews
The SGE’s ability to recognize different user intentions requires you to adapt your content strategy.
For informational queries (thirst for knowledge): If a user searches for “What is local SEO?”, the SGE aims to provide a comprehensive, direct definition. The goal of your content must be to provide an explanation that is so clear and concise that the AI selects it as the perfect building block for its answer.
For commercial queries (need for comparison): If a user asks “Which online marketing agency in Frankfurt is best for tradespeople?”, the SGE can try to summarize the key criteria for this choice. It could extract the specializations of different agencies from their websites and compare them. Your content should therefore clearly communicate who your offering is ideal for and what sets you apart from others.
For instructions (intent to act): If someone searches for “How do I create a Google Business Profile?”, the SGE synthesizes the individual steps from the best instructions into a direct step-by-step list. Your content has the chance to serve as a source for one or more of these steps if your instructions are particularly logical, understandable, and complete.
The overall goal is therefore to design your own content as a reliable and structured information base. Every paragraph, every heading, and every bullet point becomes a potential response unit for the AI. By distinguishing your content with particular clarity, precision, and a well-thought-out structure, you increase the likelihood of being selected as a trustworthy source and prominently cited in the Search Generative Experience.
What the Helpful Content System means for your content strategy
The Helpful Content System represents a fundamental shift in your content strategy from pure content creation to conscious content curation. It is Google’s response to the growing flood of content and acts as a sophisticated quality filter. The system follows a clear philosophy: it rewards content created to help people and downgrades content whose primary purpose is to achieve search engine rankings. This distinction between “people-first” and “SEO-first” content is the core concept that needs to be understood.
How it works: A website-wide classifier
Unlike traditional algorithms that evaluate individual pages, the Helpful Content System acts as an AI-powered classifier that looks at your entire domain. It learns to recognize patterns that indicate an unhelpful content strategy. If the system finds a significant amount of content on your website that it classifies as unhelpful, it can apply a negative signal to the entire domain. This signal acts as an additional weighting factor that can affect the ranking ability of all your content, even high-quality content. The key takeaway here is that individual, neglected, or low-quality pages can drag down the performance of your entire website.
Recognizing and creating signals for “helpful” content
To align your content with this system, you need to understand which signals indicate a positive user experience. “Helpful” content not only answers the user’s original question, but also anticipates and answers the logical follow-up questions. The reader feels understood and leaves your site with the feeling that their search has been successful. In concrete terms, this means the following for the creation of your content:
Depth instead of breadth: Focus on covering a topic comprehensively and from different perspectives, rather than treating many topics only superficially.
Demonstrate experience: Integrate original insights, your own data, or personal experiences that go beyond commonly known knowledge.
Fulfill the purpose: A user looking for instructions should be able to complete the task at the end. A user who wants to understand a product should be able to make an informed purchase decision afterwards.
On the other hand, a negative signal is generated when a user visits your site and almost immediately returns to Google search to click on the next result. This “pogo sticking” signals to the AI that your content did not meet expectations.
The strategic consequence: regular content audits
The strategic consequence of this system is that regular and honest review of your entire content library becomes essential. Conduct audits in which you critically examine each individual page: Does this content still serve a purpose? Is it current and accurate? Does it offer real added value, or does it only exist to cover a specific keyword? Be prepared to either fundamentally revise outdated or underperforming content and enrich it with genuine expertise, or remove it altogether. In the world of the Helpful Content System, a smaller library of excellent content is far more valuable than a huge collection of mediocre pages. This curated approach ensures that your entire domain is perceived as a trustworthy and helpful resource.
How to build trust and authority with E-E-A-T signals
Building trust and authority through E-E-A-T is not a technical process, but rather the core of your digital reputation management. It’s about making your company’s real competence and credibility visible and comprehensible to users and search engines alike. Each of the four pillars—experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness—requires its own well-thought-out strategy to send authentic and convincing signals.
Experience: Proof of practical application
This is the decisive factor that distinguishes your content from generic, purely theoretical treatises. You prove your experience by showing that your knowledge has not only been read, but acquired and validated in practice.
This starts with the integration of original, visual evidence. Consistently replace generic stock photos with authentic images of your team at work, screenshots of your analysis tools, or short videos showing your product in use. Don’t just write that a strategy works, document it in an anonymized case study. Present the initial situation, the measures taken, and the resulting measurable improvements. Such original data and insights cannot be reproduced by competitors and signal extremely high information value to AI. Also, integrate personal anecdotes or “lessons learned” into your texts, which bring a personal, human perspective and offer the reader added value that a machine could never generate.
Expertise: Demonstrating in-depth knowledge
While experience proves practical application, expertise demonstrates a deep understanding of the “why.” You demonstrate expertise by going beyond answering the original question. Anticipate the natural follow-up questions that an inquisitive reader will have and answer them proactively within the same article.
Avoid superficial explanations. When writing about a complex topic, don’t be afraid to use precise technical terms and explain their meaning. This signals that you are well versed in the subject. Go into depth, highlighting exceptions, potential pitfalls, and advanced strategies. Content that exudes expertise leaves the reader feeling that they have received comprehensive advice from a real expert. This depth of content is a clear signal to Google that your site is a reliable source of in-depth knowledge.
Authoritativeness: Recognition by others
Authoritativeness is essentially the external confirmation of your expertise. It is conferred on you by other players in your digital environment. Building authoritativeness is an active process of networking and reputation management.
High-quality mentions are a key lever for this. This goes beyond simple backlinks. A mention of your company or one of your experts in a recognized industry magazine, a guest post on a topic-relevant, reputable website, or participation in a specialist podcast are extremely strong signals of authority. You should also actively promote authentic customer reviews on external platforms such as Google or industry-specific portals. Display awards, certifications, or prizes you have won prominently on your website. All of these external validations are visible evidence to Google that your expertise is recognized by third parties, which significantly increases your credibility.
Trustworthiness: The foundation of credibility
Trustworthiness is the fundamental basis on which all other signals are built. It ensures that users feel safe and in good hands on your website. This starts with technical and formal aspects.
Ensure that your website is easily accessible and transparent. A complete legal notice, clearly worded privacy policy, and easily findable contact options are absolute prerequisites. Show the people behind the brand on a professional “About Us” page with real photos and responsibilities. But technical security through consistent HTTPS encryption and professional, error-free web design also contribute to building trust. Every detail, from a clear pricing structure to positive customer testimonials on your site, helps to reduce potential uncertainties for users and create an environment of trust.
The logical consequences for your content strategy
Analysis of the Search Generative Experience and the Helpful Content System leads to inevitable strategic conclusions. The following four areas of action are not optional tactics, but rather necessary adjustments to not only survive but thrive in an AI-curated information space. We are exploring these steps because they are the direct response to how the new systems work.
1. Niche focus as a response to SGE dominance
The SGE absorbs users with broad, informational search queries through comprehensive “AI snapshots.” This makes attempting to rank for a general keyword such as “marketing” inefficient. The logical consequence is a strategic retreat into the niche. Specialized content, such as a detailed guide to “marketing automation for medium-sized machine manufacturers,” addresses a depth of information that generalist AI cannot synthesize without losing substance. In doing so, you create a range of information that is highly relevant to a highly specific target group. Thematic refinement is your most effective strategy for creating “SGE-immune” content and establishing unchallenged thematic authority that Google recognizes as an expert signal for this specific field.
2. Empathy as a response to the Helpful Content System
The Helpful Content System evaluates whether your content creates a “satisfactory” user experience. It penalizes content that leaves users with unanswered questions and forces them to continue searching (“pogo sticking”). The logical consequence is a radically empathetic approach to content creation. This “people-first” approach requires an in-depth analysis of user intent that goes beyond mere keywords. Ask yourself: What fundamental problem is driving the user? What fears or misunderstandings could be blocking them? Content that anticipates and proactively addresses these unspoken needs feels less like SEO text and more like expert advice. It is the direct answer to the HCS quality criteria and maximizes the chance of a positive rating.
3. Evidence of experience as a response to the flood of AI content
In an era where AI can effortlessly generate fact-based texts, pure knowledge is losing its value. Google’s introduction of the “experience” factor in E-E-A-T is a deliberate attempt to enhance the value of the one thing that a machine cannot replicate: authentic human experience. The logical consequence is the consistent integration of proof of experience. Every article must contain signals that substantiate its human origin. Make authors visible with quantifiable successes (“managed over 50 projects”). Replace stock photos with original images from real work processes. Integrate unique data from your own analyses or case studies. These elements are not just decoration; they are forgery-proof evidence of your expertise and create a level of trust that clearly sets you apart from the mass of automated content.
4. Content curation as a response to the website-wide quality signal
The Helpful Content System applies its negative signal to the entire domain. A single outdated or superficial article can affect the visibility of all your content. The logical consequence is the transformation from pure content creator to strict content curator. Your website is not an archive, but a portfolio of your best work. This requires regular, relentless audits to identify “unhelpful content.” Outdated content must either be brought back to a level of excellence through comprehensive updates or strategically removed to protect the overall signal of your domain. This process of “digital asset management” is a critical risk mitigation measure and ensures that your website as a whole sends out a signal of high quality and trustworthiness.
This starts with technical and formal aspects.
Ensure that your website is easily accessible and transparent. A complete legal notice, clearly worded privacy policy, and easily findable contact options are absolute prerequisites. Show the people behind the brand on a professional “About Us” page with real photos and responsibilities. But technical security through consistent HTTPS encryption and professional, error-free web design also contribute to building trust. Every detail, from a clear pricing structure to positive customer testimonials on your site, helps to reduce potential uncertainties for users and create an environment of trust.
