Your competitor’s rapid ranking success likely stems from leveraging Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and its emphasis on AI-powered results, particularly utilising structured data and Google Business Profile (GBP) optimisation, which are increasingly influential as of December 2025.
Google’s ranking algorithms currently prioritise websites that provide clear, concise information directly answerable within SGE ‘AI Overviews’. This is achieved through Schema markup – code added to a website to help search engines understand content. Specifically, FAQPage, HowTo, and Product Schema are heavily weighted. Google Business Profiles, crucial for Australian businesses, now include advanced features like AI-powered post suggestions and performance insights, impacting local search rankings. Google’s rollout of the Helpful Content System continues to favour content demonstrating expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T). In December 2025, Google is also testing ‘Web Stories’ integration within SGE, offering another avenue for visibility. Australian businesses should note that Google’s policies regarding data privacy (aligned with the Australian Privacy Principles) influence how user data is used for personalisation within SGE.
Essentially, Google’s systems now prioritise websites that provide easily digestible, structured information and a strong, optimised Google Business Profile presence, allowing AI to quickly extract and present answers to user queries.
