Navigating the Evolving Software Review Ecosystem: Why G2 Remains at the Forefront

The world of software is fast-moving and constantly evolving. The same goes for online buyer behavior. So when it comes to how people discover software, change is the only constant.  As G2’s VP of SEO, I find myself at the intersection of all this change – and my team and I have embraced it. 

Google's algorithm updates last year, coupled with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), has significantly impacted how software buyers discover and evaluate solutions. Despite these evolving market dynamics, G2 continues to lead the software review ecosystem.  

In this blog post, I’ll share the steps we are taking at G2 to maintain our leadership status among software review sites as the place you go for software, while catering to both software buyers’ and sellers’ needs.

G2 remains the #1 traffic leader as Google’s algorithm updates impact the software review landscape.

While Google frequently updates its algorithm, the updates made last fall had a negative impact on many websites – affecting the traffic of all review sites, including G2. But because of our nuanced approach to traffic generation and a robust SEO strategy, G2 continued to remain the traffic leader among all software review sites. 

An omnichannel traffic strategy allows us to reach millions of monthly buyers. With G2’s longstanding dominance in the SEO space, today we boast over 20,000 #1 Google rankings (more than any other software review site) and see consistently high organic traffic—approximately 2 million organic visits and up to 2 million direct visits monthly. 

We also attract visitors through an integrated strategy for email, referral, and social media outreach. And with syndication to major cloud marketplaces like AWS and Azure, this enables G2 reviews to reach over 1OOM buyers each year, including employees from 100% of Fortune 500 businesses. 

We’re continuing to evolve in an age of AI, making it easier and faster for buyers to discover the business software that meets their needs.

AI has changed the game for how content is discovered, and G2 is evolving alongside these changes to guide software buyers on their journeys. Those searching on Google now see AI Overviews appear at the top of their search results.  When buyers search for software, G2 shows up well in these AI Overviews — currently ranking for nearly 1,000 AI Overviews on Google today, according to Semrush.

We’ve also implemented AI-powered content features on our site, like Pros and Cons and Category Snippets. These features help surface key insights from a large volume of review content. Another recent update we’ve implemented is including localized content in multiple languages via AI-powered translations. This new localized experience on G2 will not only have a positive impact on SEO but also help connect with an additional 1 million monthly buyers around the world.

And while AI is being used to power translations and content summaries, it’s important to note that G2 takes pride in the authenticity of its content.  Through dedicated SEO, Content Marketing, and Market Research teams, G2’s writers develop timely expert-authored category summaries and other resources for both software buyers and sellers. This content not only helps to guide those in the SaaS ecosystem with informative materials but also contributes to G2’s search rankings – helping buyers easily discover G2 on their journeys.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also highlight G2’s Monty, the world’s first AI-powered B2B software recommendation agent, launched last year. For buyers unsure where to start their research, the AI Recommending Agent has simplified the process. After entering business problems or requirements, buyers receive instant, tailored recommendations customized to their unique needs. 

So whether someone is searching on G2, a search engine, a third-party marketplace, or another channel, they can easily find and leverage G2 reviews and resources to guide their purchasing decisions. G2 is everywhere, powered by our omnichannel strategy. 

As the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, G2 continues its commitment to authenticity and transparency.

Part of being an industry leader is being the most comprehensive. However, our focus on quality is even more important in our approach.  G2’s marketplace features more than 2.8 million reviews, 2,000+ software & services categories, 180,000+ products & services, and 150,000+ vendors. 

For us, it’s crucial that every single review is verified and every new category, product, service, or vendor added is vetted for accuracy and currency. We want to ensure G2.com is the best real-time reflection of the software landscape. With that being said, authenticity and trust are cornerstones of G2's success. Our transparent scoring and methodology are pivotal in building credibility. We rank products by our G2 Score, which is rooted in Satisfaction data from customer reviews combined with public Market Presence data. 

Every review submitted to G2 undergoes rigorous moderation. We verify user identities and use over 43 data points and consistent guidelines to ensure authenticity. In fact, G2 rejects over one-third of the reviews submitted for not meeting those guidelines and standards.  

And while we see the clear opportunity for AI and are using it to fuel our own innovations, G2 maintains that reviews should come from genuine user experiences, only allowing AI for minor content enhancements but not review generation. Our commitment to authenticity and transparency builds confidence so users can trust the voices behind our reviews, making G2 a reliable resource for the software-buying journey. 

We’re embracing continual innovation to adapt to AI, SEO, and buyer behavior evolutions. 

As the software review landscape evolves with AI advancements and changing search algorithms, we will continue to invest heavily in our SEO strategy, omnichannel marketing approach, as well as our Product R&D innovations. And we’ll do this while upholding our commitment to authenticity and transparency. 

We're confident that G2 is and will continue to grow as the global #1 resource for software buyers. Whether you’re a software buyer or seller, know that G2 remains your go-to platform for reliable and insightful software data and insights.