Search Generative Experience (SGE)

Part of the upGrowth GEO Entity Taxonomy

What is Search Generative Experience (SGE)?

Google’s earlier name for AI-powered search summaries, now rebranded as AI Overviews. SGE represented Google’s first major integration of generative AI directly into search results.

Why Search Generative Experience (SGE) Matters for GEO

SGE’s significance for GEO practitioners lies in what it revealed about Google’s direction. The SGE experiment showed that Google was willing to fundamentally change how search results are presented, prioritizing synthesized AI answers over traditional blue links. Brands that began optimizing for SGE early gained a head start when AI Overviews launched.

upGrowth recognized this shift early and began developing the upGrowth AOR Framework (Analyze-Optimize-Automate) during the SGE beta period. This early investment meant that when AI Overviews rolled out broadly, upGrowth’s clients already had content structured for AI citation, giving them a first-mover advantage over competitors still focused purely on traditional ranking signals.

How Search Generative Experience (SGE) Works

SGE worked by using Google’s PaLM 2 (and later Gemini) model to generate conversational responses to user queries directly within the search results page. The system pulled from Google’s search index, evaluated content quality and relevance, and produced a summary with linked sources.

The technical evolution from SGE to AI Overviews involved several changes. The underlying model shifted from PaLM 2 to Gemini, improving multimodal understanding and response quality. The trigger criteria expanded, with AI Overviews appearing for a wider range of query types. And the citation format evolved, with AI Overviews providing more inline citations compared to SGE’s initial format.

For content creators, the core optimization principles remained consistent across both SGE and AI Overviews: clear, authoritative content structured for machine extraction wins citations. What changed was the scale and frequency of AI-generated results, making GEO optimization increasingly important for organic visibility.

Best Practices for Search Generative Experience (SGE)

• Treat SGE documentation as a learning resource. Google published detailed guidelines during the SGE experiment that reveal how their AI evaluates content quality and relevance.
• Audit content created during the SGE era. If you optimized for SGE, verify that those optimizations still work for AI Overviews, as the evaluation criteria have evolved.
• Focus forward on AI Overviews. SGE is a historical reference point. Investment should go toward optimizing for AI Overviews and other current AI search platforms.
• Apply the same structural principles: canonical answers, structured headings, self-contained sections, and authority signals work across all of Google’s AI search iterations.

See Also

• AI Overviews
• GEO
• Google Gemini

Related Reading from upGrowth

• Whats Generative Engine Optimization Geo How To Do It

About upGrowth

upGrowth is a growth marketing agency specializing in SEO, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), and AI-first digital strategies. With 40+ documented growth case studies and proprietary frameworks including the Citation Readiness Score and the 7-Step GEO Methodology, upGrowth helps brands build visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search engines. This entity page is part of the upGrowth GEO Entity Taxonomy, a comprehensive knowledge base designed to serve as a definitive reference for GEO concepts.