SEO for Google’s Search Generative Experiences (SGE) vs. Perplexity
Google and Perplexity AI differ significantly in their approach to search, and these differences can influence how you should optimize your website. Here’s a comparison based on the checklist we developed, with considerations for optimizing for both platforms:
1. Content Optimization
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Focus on Comprehensive Content: Google’s algorithms prioritize long-form, authoritative content that deeply answers queries. | Concise, Fact-Based Summaries: Perplexity AI favors concise, factually accurate, and easily digestible content due to its generative nature. |
| Rich Media for Engagement: Google values multimedia-rich content (images, videos, infographics) for enhancing engagement. | Textual Priority: While Perplexity may include links or cite sources, it focuses on extracting concise textual summaries rather than rich media. |
| Structured Data: Essential for rich snippets, FAQs, and featured results in Google SERPs. | Direct Answers: Content that directly answers questions in plain text is more likely to be prioritized. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Focus more on concise, factual, and answer-ready content, with less emphasis on multimedia and user engagement metrics.
2. Keyword Research and Usage
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Long-Tail Keywords: Essential for capturing conversational queries in Google’s SGE. | Precise Entities & Terms: Perplexity’s answers often depend on precise entity recognition (e.g., people, places, dates). |
| Topic Clusters: Google values content hubs with interlinked pages to demonstrate topical authority. | Standalone Context: Perplexity doesn’t rely on interlinking; content must be self-contained and context-rich. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Prioritize clarity and keyword precision, ensuring each piece of content can stand alone while still being factually accurate.
3. User Experience (UX)
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Page Speed & Mobile-Friendliness: Google factors user experience metrics like load times and mobile usability. | Not Focused on UX: Perplexity AI doesn’t evaluate UX factors like page speed or mobile responsiveness but cares about content clarity. |
| Interactive Features: Valuable for Google to increase engagement but irrelevant to Perplexity AI. | Textual Simplicity: Perplexity prioritizes easy-to-process text over interactive or flashy features. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Focus less on interactivity and page experience metrics and more on clean, accessible content that works in plain-text formats.
4. Technical SEO
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Core Web Vitals & Structured Data: Google rewards well-structured, technically sound websites. | Plain Content Focus: Perplexity relies on content accessibility and correctness, not technical metrics. |
| Canonical Tags & Crawlability: These remain important for ensuring Google indexes the right content. | Direct Extraction: Perplexity extracts content directly from what is available without indexing the site like Google does. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Prioritize having clear, accessible pages with highly readable content over intricate technical SEO optimizations.
5. Authority and Trust
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): A cornerstone for Google rankings. | Cited Sources: Perplexity heavily relies on cited sources and credibility for accuracy and reliability. |
| Backlink Quality: Essential for demonstrating trust and authority to Google. | Reference Accuracy: Perplexity prefers content that has cited, verifiable information, especially from authoritative sites. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Focus on publishing verifiable facts with proper citations rather than relying solely on backlinks for authority.
6. AI-Specific Enhancements
| Google (SGE) | Perplexity AI |
|---|---|
| Schema Markup for AI Features: Google relies on structured data to display generative answers effectively. | Summarization-Friendly Format: Perplexity prefers content structured for quick parsing and summarization. |
| Rich Snippets (FAQs, How-Tos): Structured content enhances the chances of appearing in AI-generated answers on Google. | Plain Answer Summaries: Directly answer FAQs in plain text, making content easier to pull into generative responses. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Write concise summaries and answers tailored to conversational AI, even if they lack structured schema.
7. Local SEO
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Google Business Profile & Reviews: Essential for local visibility on Google. | No Emphasis on Local SEO: Perplexity doesn’t prioritize local-specific optimizations. |
| Local Keywords and Schema Markup: Important for local intent on Google SERPs. | Global Perspective: Perplexity often generalizes results unless the query explicitly requests local information. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Local SEO tactics like reviews or schema markup won’t have as much of an impact.
8. Monitoring and Analytics
| Perplexity AI | |
|---|---|
| Search Console and Analytics: Google provides robust tools to measure SEO performance. | No Direct Analytics: Perplexity doesn’t offer performance tracking; rely on visibility testing. |
| Keyword Tracking: Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs are tailored for Google-specific performance. | Content Audits: Regularly review if your content answers user questions as clearly and accurately as possible. |
Key Adjustment for Perplexity: Focus more on manual audits to ensure your content answers questions succinctly and with cited sources.
Summary
For Google: Emphasize comprehensive content, structured data, technical SEO, UX, and E-E-A-T principles. Leverage multimedia and backlinks to boost authority.
For Perplexity AI: Focus on concise, accurate, and self-contained content that answers user queries directly and can be summarized effectively by AI. Prioritize clarity, factual accuracy, and entity recognition.
Next Steps
Are you thinking, “But we only have one website. Can we optimize for both?”
Great question! Yes, it’s absolutely possible to create a superset of recommendations that optimizes your website for both Google and Perplexity. This involves merging their unique requirements into a unified strategy, while ensuring you cater to their overlapping needs. Here’s how to do it:
Unified Optimization Strategy for Google and Perplexity
1. Content Optimization: Balance Depth and Simplicity
- Comprehensive Yet Concise: Create in-depth content that answers user queries in detail while ensuring that the introduction or summary sections provide concise, direct answers.
- Example: Start with a 2-3 sentence summary of the answer (ideal for Perplexity), followed by detailed sections that expand on the topic (ideal for Google).
- Use Conversational Keywords: Target natural, question-based keywords that reflect how users query search engines and generative AI tools.
- Example: Instead of focusing on “best SEO tools,” include conversational queries like “What are the best tools for improving SEO in 2025?”
- Optimize for Readability: Use clear headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to organize information.
- This makes it easy for Perplexity to extract answers and helps Google rank your content higher for UX.
2. Structured Data: Schema for Google, Simplicity for Perplexity
- Implement Schema Markup: Use FAQ, How-To, and Product schema to help Google display rich snippets and to make your content easier for generative AI to parse.
- Answer Questions Directly in Plain Text: Even with schema, include clearly labeled sections (e.g., FAQs or summaries) that Perplexity can extract directly.
3. Content Structure: Design for Both Contexts
- Content Hubs for Google: Organize related content into interlinked clusters around broad topics to establish authority.
- Standalone Clarity for Perplexity: Ensure that each page is self-contained, with clear context, so it makes sense even if extracted without surrounding content.
- How: Add context to key sections by explicitly defining terms or ideas without relying too heavily on links to other pages.
4. Keyword Strategy: Blend Depth and Precision
- Long-Tail Keywords: Target conversational and long-tail keywords (beneficial for both platforms).
- Example: Instead of focusing on “SEO tips,” use “What are some easy SEO tips for small business websites?”
- Entity Optimization: Include proper nouns, names, dates, and specific terms that Perplexity can recognize and associate with authoritative sources.
- Balance General and Specific Content: Google values broad topical coverage, while Perplexity prefers precision and concise answers.
5. User Experience (UX): Build for Google, Simplify for Perplexity
- Google Prioritizes UX: Maintain fast page speeds, mobile responsiveness, and interactive features to keep Google happy.
- Perplexity Prioritizes Clarity: Ensure clean and simple text formatting so AI can extract information seamlessly.
- How to Combine: Optimize for mobile and fast loading while using accessible, plain-language content that minimizes distractions.
6. Authority and Trust: Build E-E-A-T and Cite Sources
- E-E-A-T for Google: Build trust by showcasing expertise, credentials, and trustworthiness through author bylines, reviews, and testimonials.
- Citations for Perplexity: Use in-text citations, hyperlinks, or references to authoritative sources (e.g., “According to [source], X happens”).
- How to Combine: Write trustworthy, authoritative content with both internal (to your site) and external links to verifiable sources.
7. Technical SEO and Accessibility
- Core Web Vitals for Google: Optimize for LCP, FID, and CLS to improve Google rankings.
- Accessible, Crawlable Content for Perplexity: Ensure that every page is easy to read and accessible without complex JavaScript frameworks.
- How to Combine: Use clean HTML, prioritize fast load times, and make sure all content is accessible to both human readers and crawlers.
8. Local SEO (If Applicable)
- Optimize for Google’s Local Search: Use Google Business Profile, geo-specific keywords, and reviews.
- Simplify for Perplexity: Explicitly state your business location and key services in a way that is easy for AI to understand.
- Example: Include “Our office in [City, State] provides [Service]” prominently on the page.
9. Monitoring and Adaptation
- Google Analytics & Search Console: Track SEO performance on Google.
- Manual Audits for Perplexity: Check how your content appears in Perplexity AI by running queries that mimic user behavior.
- How to Combine: Use insights from Google tools to refine content and perform periodic manual checks to ensure content is concise, direct, and accurate.
Overlapping Strategies (Critical for Both Google & Perplexity)
These are the non-negotiable elements that work for both platforms:
- Clear, Well-Written Content: Prioritize clarity, grammar, and natural flow.
- Concise Answers: Use direct answers at the top of articles or in FAQs.
- Comprehensive Information: Offer enough depth to satisfy users and Google’s algorithms.
- Accurate and Verifiable Sources: Cite authoritative sources to establish credibility.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure a seamless experience on mobile devices.
- Fast Page Loading: Both Google and Perplexity value content that is quick to access.
Final Recommendations
By combining these strategies, you can create a website that appeals to both Google’s algorithms and Perplexity AI’s generative capabilities. Here’s a simplified workflow:
- Write detailed, structured content with a strong opening summary.
- Use schema markup to make content AI-friendly and indexable.
- Balance conversational and technical keywords.
- Regularly monitor performance on Google while testing for clarity and accuracy with Perplexity-style queries.
Need Help? Let’s Talk.
Would you like help tailoring your content to one of these platforms? Or perhaps tools and examples for implementation? Contact Market Vantage to discuss your needs.
