SGE in Search Labs: A First Look at Google’s AI Answers

If you have been wondering what Google SGE actually looks like on a real results page, the wait is over for some US users. On May 25, 2023, Google started letting people off the Search Labs waitlist, and the Search Generative Experience (SGE) is now live for those testers. In short: SGE puts an AI-written summary at the top of many searches, with links to the pages it drew from, and lets you ask follow-up questions.

It is still an opt-in experiment. Most people searching Google today will not see it. But it shows clearly where Google wants search to go, so it is worth understanding now.

In this first look, I cover how to get access, what the AI answers look like, where websites appear, what Google says SGE will and will not do, and what I would (and would not) change on a site right now.

What Google SGE Is, in Plain Words

SGE is Google’s test of generative AI inside normal search. Generative AI means software that writes new text instead of only picking existing pages. Google announced it at I/O on May 10, 2023, and I covered the keynote in my Google I/O 2023 SGE explainer.

The idea is simple. For some searches, Google writes a short overview that pulls together information from several web pages. You can then keep asking questions in a chat-like way, without starting a new search each time.

Google says SGE runs on a mix of its large language models (LLMs, the type of AI behind chatbots), including PaLM 2 and an advanced version of MUM. Google also says it built SGE on top of its existing ranking and quality systems, not as a separate chatbot.

That last point matters for SEO. SGE is not Bard bolted onto the results page. It is designed to lean on the same signals that already decide which pages rank.

Search Labs: How Access Works

Search Labs is Google’s new program for testing early search features. Google opened sign-ups on May 10, 2023, and its Search Labs announcement describes three launch experiments:

• SGE: AI overviews at the top of results, with follow-up questions.
• Code Tips: AI pointers for coding questions in languages such as Python, JavaScript, Java, Go and C++, plus tools like Git and Docker.
• Add to Sheets: a way to drop a search result straight into a Google Sheets spreadsheet, for things like trip planning.

Right now, Search Labs is for US users, in English. You join through the Labs icon (a small flask) in the latest Google app on Android or iOS, or on the new tab page in Chrome on desktop. Google sends an email when your turn comes.

Once you are in, each experiment can be switched on or off separately. Google also says every Labs experiment is only available for a limited time, and some may never become part of regular search.

Steps to Get Into SGE

1. Make sure you are signed in to a Google account and are in the US. The program is English-only for now.
2. Update the Google app on your phone, or open a new tab in Chrome on your computer.
3. Tap or click the Labs flask icon and join the waitlist.
4. Wait for the email from Google saying it is your turn.
5. Open Search Labs again and turn on SGE (and Code Tips or Add to Sheets if you want them).
6. Run a normal Google search while signed in. If SGE has an answer, it appears above the regular results.

If you work outside the US, there is no official way in yet. I would not use VPN tricks for real research either. You may get odd results that do not match what US users see.

What an SGE Answer Looks Like

Google calls the AI summary a “snapshot”. It sits at the top of the page, inside a shaded box, so it is easy to tell apart from the normal blue links. A label says that generative AI is experimental.

Here is what you usually get inside or around it:

• The written overview: a few short paragraphs or bullets that answer the query.
• Source links: cards for the web pages that back up the answer. On desktop they sit to the right of the text. On mobile they show as a row you can swipe.
• A way to see which source supports which sentence: an expand button lets you check the pages behind each part of the answer.
• Follow-up prompts: suggested next questions, plus a box to ask your own.
• Normal results below: the usual web results, features and ads still appear further down the page.

Not every search gets a snapshot. Google says it is aimed at queries where it can actually help, such as longer questions with several parts. Short navigational searches, like a brand name, often look the same as before.

A Practical Example

Take a query like “which is better for a family with small kids and a dog, Bryce Canyon or Arches”. Today you would open several tabs and compare. Google’s own demo used this type of question.

With SGE, you get a short comparison at the top, with links to the travel pages it used. You can then ask “how long should I spend there” and SGE keeps the context of your first question. That is the “take some of the work out of searching” idea Google keeps repeating.

For a site that publishes travel guides, this changes the job. Your page might still be used and linked, but the reader may get the basic answer before they ever reach you.

Conversational Mode and Follow-Up Questions

When you tap a suggested question or “ask a follow up”, SGE moves into what Google calls conversational mode. It remembers what you asked before, so you do not need to repeat details.

The web links under each answer change as the conversation goes on. In other words, every follow-up is a new chance for a different set of pages to be shown.

Google has been clear that this mode is meant to be factual and tied to sources, not a free-flowing chat partner. That is a big difference from Bard. If you tried Bard during its early access, you will notice SGE feels more restrained and less chatty.

Shopping and Local Searches in SGE

Commercial searches look very different in SGE, and this is where I think many businesses should pay the most attention.

For a product query, SGE lists factors to think about before buying, then shows product options. Each one can include a short description, reviews, ratings, prices and images. Google says this comes from its Shopping Graph, which is its big dataset of products, sellers, prices and stock.

For local searches, Google says SGE adds AI-written context to help people compare places. Think of a search for a coffee shop with outdoor seating near a park.

What this means in practice:

• If you sell online, your product data (feeds in Merchant Center, prices, reviews) becomes even more important, because that is what feeds the shopping panels.
• If you run a local business, your Google Business Profile details, reviews and photos are the raw material Google has to work with.

In my experience, these are the two areas most businesses neglect while chasing blog content. SGE is a good reason to fix that.

Where Ads Appear

Google says search ads will keep appearing in their own dedicated slots on the page, with a bold “Sponsored” label. In the early SGE screens, ads can appear above the AI snapshot.

Google has also said it will keep testing the ad experience in SGE. So I would not treat today’s ad layout as final. If you run Google Ads, it is worth watching but not worth panicking over yet.

What SGE Will Not Do, According to Google

Google published an overview of SGE alongside the launch that explains its limits. A few points stood out to me as an SEO:

• Higher bar for YMYL topics. YMYL (“Your Money or Your Life”) covers health, finance and similar topics where bad advice can hurt people. Google says SGE leans harder on corroboration here and adds disclaimers, such as reminding people not to rely on it for medical advice.
• No answer when sources are weak. If there is not enough reliable information, Google says SGE should not produce a snapshot at all.
• No snapshot for explicit or dangerous topics. For searches that suggest someone may be at risk, Google shows help resources instead.
• No persona. SGE is designed not to talk in the first person or act like a character. Google says it chose factual answers over smooth, human-sounding ones on purpose.

Google also lists known problems. The AI can misread a correct source, state wrong facts (often called hallucination), show a narrower range of views than the web has, or contradict a featured snippet on the same page.

I like that Google says this openly. It is also a reminder to test answers in your niche before trusting them.

What Google SGE Could Mean for Your Traffic

This is the question everyone asks. The honest answer is that nobody outside Google knows yet. SGE is a small opt-in test, and Google has not shared any click data.

Still, a few things seem likely based on how it works:

• Simple fact queries are most exposed. If a reader only needs a quick answer, the snapshot may be enough for them.
• Complex and personal decisions still need websites. People buying a car, picking a school or fixing a specific problem want depth, examples and trust. A summary rarely gives them all of that.
• Source links are a new kind of visibility. Being one of the cards in the snapshot could bring clicks, but we do not know how many people click them.
• Follow-ups create more chances to appear. Each follow-up shows a fresh set of links, which could help pages that answer the next question well.

This is not a new worry. SEOs asked the same questions when Microsoft launched the new Bing with AI chat in February. My view then and now is the same: plan for less traffic on simple questions, and invest in content that a summary cannot replace.

What I Would Do Now (and What I Would Not)

A first look is a good time to learn, not to rebuild your strategy. Here is how I am approaching it.

Do These Things

1. Get access if you can. If you or someone on your team is in the US, join the waitlist. Reading about SGE is no substitute for using it.
2. Test your top queries. Pick 20 to 30 searches that bring you the most leads or sales. Note which ones trigger a snapshot, what it says and which sites it links to.
3. Check the answers for errors. If SGE gets facts wrong in your niche, use the feedback options in Search Labs. That is what the program is for.
4. Look at who gets cited. Are the linked sources the same pages that rank in the top results, or different ones? This tells you a lot about what SGE values for your topics.
5. Strengthen first-hand content. Google added “Experience” to its quality guidance in December, which I wrote about in the move from E-A-T to E-E-A-T. Real testing, real photos and clear expertise are hard for an AI summary to copy.
6. Clean up product and local data. Fix your Merchant Center feed and your Business Profile. These feed the shopping and local parts of SGE directly.

Skip These Things

• “SGE optimisation” services. Google has shared no special rules for appearing in SGE. Anyone selling a guaranteed method right now is guessing.
• Rewriting every page as short answers. That makes your content easier to summarise and harder to need.
• Blocking Google out of fear. SGE runs on Google Search systems. Blocking Googlebot would remove you from normal results too. Google has not announced a separate opt-out for SGE.
• Making big decisions from a few screenshots. SGE changes often during testing. What you see this week may look different next month.

How SGE Compares With Bard and Bing Chat

People often lump these together, but they are built for different jobs. Here is how I see them today.

The key difference is placement. Bard is something people choose to visit. SGE sits on the page most people already use to search. If it ever rolls out widely, that is what would make its impact so much bigger.

Questions I Am Watching

A few open questions will decide how much SGE matters for websites:

• How often will people click the source cards compared with normal results?
• Will Google report SGE impressions or clicks in Search Console, and how?
• Will Google give site owners any specific control over use in SGE?
• When, if ever, will SGE leave Labs and reach more countries and languages?

Google has not answered these yet. I will update my advice when it does, and I would treat any confident claims about them with care until then.

Conclusion: Get Hands-On With Google SGE

Google SGE in Search Labs is an early, limited test, but it shows the direction of Google Search clearly: AI summaries at the top, websites as sources, and follow-up questions that keep people on Google longer.

My advice is simple. Get access if you can, test the searches that matter to your business, and keep building content that shows real experience. For a refresher on what Google rewards, read my guide to the helpful content update and people-first content. That guidance is likely to matter even more as SGE grows.