Will Critchlow (CEO, SearchPilot) sat down with renowned SEO expert Aleyda Solis to explore how e-commerce brands can thrive amidst the evolution of Google search results and the growing impact of generative AI (GEO).
Useful resources:
- SEO vs GEO Checklist
- Key traditional vs AI search differences
- The AI search content optimization checklist
Here's a breakdown of key insights from their insightful conversation.
Google's E-Commerce Evolution: From SERPs to Product Listings
Google wants to be the primary product discovery platform, transforming traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) into robust product listing experiences. This trend is especially pronounced in the US market, with features like filter sidebars, top navigation, and product carousels redirecting traffic straight to product detail pages (PDPs). Retailers must now adapt by optimizing their product pages to align with these enhanced Google experiences.
Will also highlighted the importance for SEO professionals outside the US, particularly in the UK and Europe, of using VPNs to simulate searches in the US market. This helps them preview the future state of product search and adapt strategies proactively. He underscored Google's evolution from paid-only shopping results to a blended approach largely powered by product feeds.
Importance of Merchant Center Feeds in SEO
Optimizing Merchant Center feeds has become critical. Google has made it easier than ever to integrate and monitor product feeds, even offering Merchant Center integrations within Google Search Console. Structured data and comprehensive feeds now directly impact a retailer's inclusion in Google's product packs, carousels, and shopping knowledge panels.
According to Aleyda’s SEO Week 2025 presentation, "Popular Products" is the product SERP feature with the highest year-over-year growth, now appearing in over 71% of mobile product SERPs and 67% of desktop ones. Structured data and product feeds are essential to appearing in these increasingly dominant product features, making their optimization one of the top ecommerce SEO priorities in 2025.
AI Powered User Experiences and Their Impact in GEO
Aleyda highlights how generative AI will further personalize product discovery, suggesting brands need to prepare for deeper integration of AI-driven personalized agents. The immediate actionable strategy is to enrich PDPs with unique user-generated content (UGC) and reviews, enhancing the likelihood of providing the machines with the information and context they seek to be able to answer detailed questions.
Structured Data vs. Content: Balancing SEO Priorities
When considering where to focus efforts across structured data, on-page content, and Merchant Center feeds, Aleyda recommends aiming for parity between all three. However, if brands must prioritize due to resource constraints, she suggests starting with the product feed. This is especially true for large retailers with fast-moving inventory, where ensuring accurate, up-to-date product information via the feed is critical to visibility in Google's shopping features.
In her words, Google "might not crawl or refresh all of the inventory frequently," meaning the Merchant Center feed becomes the most reliable and scalable source for product inclusion in SERPs. Additionally, she highlights the risk of relying too heavily on JavaScript for structured data, which can prevent proper indexing. Instead, brands should ensure that structured data, on-page elements, and product feeds are all well-aligned to maximize visibility in shopping carousels, product knowledge panels, and generative summaries.
Leveraging Reviews and Expert Content
User reviews and expert-generated content have always offered immense SEO value. Integrating expert advice, usage guides, and detailed user reviews directly on PDPs not only enriches page quality but increases visibility in both traditional SERPs and AI-driven summaries. Brands must ensure this content is easily accessible and crawlable.
Harnessing UGC and Forums for Brand Authority
Aleyda identified significant visibility for user-generated content and forum discussions in current SERPs, noting that Google prioritizes authentic user experiences and community-driven content. Brands should actively engage with forums and ensure accurate, positive brand representation to bolster their authority and mitigate potential negative exposure.
Preparing for Future Search Trends
Both Will and Aleyda agree that the lines between informational and transactional searches will blur significantly. PDPs optimized with rich, authoritative content can now rank for queries traditionally reserved for informational pages and vice versa. This convergence demands an agile SEO strategy focused on continuous content testing and improvement.
Will also noted that we’re entering a world where queries are no longer static. Users increasingly type paragraph-style prompts, and search engines rely on passage-level understanding rather than ranking full pages. This observation aligns with the "next trillion" concept, death of the keyword: the 10 trillion search revolution, where he explores how the explosion of complex, conversational queries is reshaping SEO as we know it.
Rather than relying on implicit context alone, we’ve now moved into an era of "extreme explicit context," where searchers feed highly specific demands into AI systems. As a result, optimizing for passage-level understanding and preparing content to serve increasingly granular, intent-rich prompts will be key to future success. Aleyda emphasized that optimizing “chunks” of content within PDPs or guides can help earn visibility in generative search responses. This evolution will also challenge traditional tracking and attribution, as every user journey becomes more unique and AI-personalized.
The Essential Role of SEO Testing
In a rapidly evolving search landscape driven by AI, continuous testing becomes essential. Aleyda emphasized the need to regularly test content strategies, UI improvements, and schema optimizations to verify their actual impact on both traditional and generative search visibility.
She also shared how many e-commerce teams are cautious about adding more content to PDPs due to conversion concerns. However, SEO testing often proves that these enrichments boost, not hinder, performance. Testing allows marketers to move beyond gut feeling and confidently implement data backed improvements, even in high stakes environments like product pages.
Staying Ahead with SearchPilot
Successfully adapting to this new AI driven search ecosystem requires rigorous testing and data driven decision making. SearchPilot specializes in SEO A/B testing, helping brands navigate uncertainty by making informed, confident decisions that enhance both traditional SEO performance and generative AI visibility.
As Will and Aleyda discussed, the SEO landscape is no longer one-size-fits-all. Different verticals see different SERP features, and what works in fashion may not apply in electronics. That’s why testing in your specific context is crucial. SearchPilot’s platform is built for this type of experimentation, allowing businesses to test safely and scale to find out what works.
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