How are Changes in Search Results Impacting the Electronics Industry?
- Zac J.
- Jun 6
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 11
In recent years, and especially the last 12-18 months, Google has made some big changes including more emphasis on advertising, AI in search results and algorithm updates. These changes are changing how users find information and how businesses including those in the competitive electronics space connect with their audience. This report covers these changes, looks at the impact on keyword rankings for some of the key players in the electronics industry.
Recent Changes in Search Results
Two big things have happened recently: core algorithm updates and AI generated summaries in search results.
Google March 2024 Core Update and Spam Updates
In March 2024 Google rolled out a big Core Update and Spam Updates which continued to roll out over several weeks with the core update finishing around April 19, 2024.
These updates were designed to improve the quality and relevance of search results by favouring user friendly, trustworthy content and penalising content designed to manipulate search rankings. A big goal was to reduce low quality, unhelpful and unoriginal content with Google promising a 45% reduction of this type of content in search results.
One of the key things in the March 2024 Core Update was the deeper integration of Google’s “Helpful Content” signal into their core ranking systems. This evaluates content based on its usefulness and relevance to the user. So websites with low informational value, misleading information or clickbait tactics got penalized.
The update also intensified the fight against “site reputation abuse” also known as “parasite SEO” where third parties exploit the reputation of established websites to promote their own content, often of lower quality.
Google also tightened up on scaled content abuse where large volumes of content, often AI generated or scraped, are published for ranking purposes rather than user value and the misuse of expired domains.
The rollout was characterized by increased volatility in search rankings as multiple systems were updated and harmonized. The long term goal is a big improvement in the overall quality and relevance of search results so users find more reliable and trustworthy information.
Websites that prioritized search engine manipulation over user value lost a lot of rankings.
Google AI Overviews (formerly Search Generative Experience)
Building on its AI capabilities Google started rolling out its AI powered search results, called AI Overviews in the US in May 2024.
These AI Overviews provide AI generated summaries at the top of the search results page to answer user queries. Unlike traditional featured snippets that pull content verbatim from one page, AI Overviews synthesize information from multiple web pages to provide a full answer.
The introduction of AI Overviews is a big change in how information is presented and consumed. Google says citations in these overviews can drive higher quality clicks but many have seen a drop in click through rates (CTR) to organic listings, especially for informational queries.
This is because users may find their answer in the AI Overview and don’t need to click through to individual websites. This pushes organic results further down the page and can even make them less visible for top ranking content.
Website Trends
We wanted to look at potential keyword ranking declines that might have happened in the last year when considering the recent changes described above. We looked at 10 companies’ total number of ranking keywords to see if there was an impact due to changes in search results.
Now we have to consider that not all improvements / declines in total ranking are due to search result changes. Some big changes could be due to website updates, redesigns or even acquisitions of other domains.
Note: None of the companies listed below currently work with RankRealm on SEO initiatives.
Digikey's total keyword rankings show a peak around October 2023, followed by a noticeable decline leading into December 2023.
There appears to be some recovery and then stabilization through early 2024. A dip is observable around March-April 2024, followed by a slight upward trend into June 2024.
The March-April 2024 dip could potentially align with the March 2024 Core Update's rollout period.
A notable decline is visible around March 2024, which could be linked to the impact of AI results or algorithm March 2024 updates.
Similar to Mouser, Arrow Electronics' chart shows a decrease in ranking around March 2024, potentially correlating with the March 2024 Core Update and the evolving continued decline from there could be associated with AI overviews showing more often over time.
Avnet's keyword rankings exhibit a decline around March 2024, though decline started in January / February which indicates that it could be tied to website changes, on top of algorithm and AI Overview updates. In the last few months Avnet is seeing improvement to their keyword ranking however.
Future Electronics shows a more fluctuating pattern. While a decline doesn't align precisely with March 2024, a potential impact from AI results is still considered plausible. The graph indicates a drop after February 2024 which could be tied to a separate algorithm update.
Master Electronics experienced a dip around March 2024. Interestingly, there was a rebound around August 2023, followed by a sharp decline after. The March 2024 dip is consistent with the timing of the Core Update.
Sager Electronics had been experiencing a loss in total keyword rankings since August 2023. An additional decrease is noted around March 2024, potentially linked to AI results or algorithm changes with the observed trend; it is hard to tell exactly the full impact.
Allied Electronics has a similar trend to Sager, where we observe a secondary keyword decline around April 2024 which could be tied to the tail end of the Algorithm or AI overview rollout.
TTI also shows a potential impact from AI results, with a decline that isn't precisely aligned with March 2024. There was a slight rebound in ranking around August 2024, but has since been on the decline.
Texas Instruments, also shows a potential impact from AI results, with changes not exactly lining up with March 2024. There was a significant dip around October 2023 with some recovery, and then a more gradual decline from February 2024 onwards (and a steeper drop after April 2024).
Interpreting The Declines
Keyword declines for several electronics companies around March 2024 likely correlate with the Google March 2024 Core Update, which penalized low-quality and unhelpful content.
The rollout of AI Overviews in May 2024 also impacted visibility. While not directly affecting rankings, AI Overviews can reduce clicks on organic results by appearing at the top of search pages.
The primary cause of ranking drops around March was likely the Core Update. The varied timelines of these drops across different companies are expected, as algorithmic updates affect sites differently based on their specific content and SEO profiles.
The March 2024 update aimed to reward content demonstrating high levels of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
The observed drops may indicate that competitors' content was judged to be more valuable. It is also important to analyze the quality of the lost keywords; a drop in high-ranking, high-intent keywords is more significant than a loss of irrelevant ones.
AI Overviews introduce new challenges and opportunities. Content can be featured in an AI Overview even if it doesn't rank in the top organic results, offering a new path to visibility. This could allow smaller, niche sites with highly specific and valuable information to be surfaced more prominently.
Is SEO Still Worth It?
People still use search engines with intent, to learn, to find or to buy.
Organic search traffic is a valuable and cost effective way to get qualified leads and customers. The core of SEO (understanding and meeting user needs at every stage of their journey) is a principle that remains true even as the mechanics of search change.
Unlike paid ads that stop when the budget runs out, a well executed SEO strategy builds long term digital assets and authority that can pay dividends for years to come.
SEO also gives us valuable market research into customer search behaviour, unmet needs, competitor strategy and emerging trends. That’s strategic business intelligence that goes way beyond rankings. As algorithms evolve, the constant is user intent; users want fast and relevant results and brands that rank well meet that expectation.
The future of search will be more competitive, more complex and more AI driven. Success in this environment will be for those organizations and professionals who adapt, who create real user value, who demonstrate their expertise and who proactively adjust their strategy.
The fundamentals of good SEO, a deep understanding of user needs, creating valuable and authoritative content and technical excellence, aren’t diminished by these changes, they’re amplified.
By sticking to those principles and embracing the new reality of AI powered search, businesses in the electronics industry and beyond can push for long term visibility and success.
Want to know if your site was affected by an algorithm update or AI Overviews rollout? Let RankRealm perform a preliminary site analysis (free, on us) which will determine algorithm impact and find areas needing improvement. We can work with you to create a technical and on-page SEO strategy for your business, no matter the industry.
Contact us today!
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