What is Google AI Overviews and how will it affect marketers and your brand?

If you’ve searched for something on Google recently, you’ll have likely been met with a new feature that goes by the name of Google AI Overviews (previously named Google SGE).

These new features present a change in the way users will receive information, but they also change how marketers and brands will approach their content strategies.

Join us as we give an overview of Google AI Overviews.

What is Google AI Overviews (previously Google SGE)?

Simply put, Google AI Overviews is a new way for the search engine to present information to the user. Using AI, it will now gather sources of information, amalgamated from multiple sites to present a text-based answer at the top of Google.

Will Google AI affect how people search?

The new AI overview is an evolution of the search engine. Over time, we’ve seen Google add new features to improve user experience, and this latest update follows in the same steps.

However, this is one of, if not the biggest change, in recent times and is likely going to have a big impact on how people search and use Google.

With information now presented right at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), rather than a stack of web links, the user is more likely to have their answer a lot quicker and easier.

The stack of links will still be available, but it’ll be further down the page, which can bring its own complications like less traffic and a greater reliance on Pay Per Click.

Will there be a reduction in website traffic because of Google AI Overviews?

In all likelihood, yes – so brands should be aware of that. With listings now being bumped further down the page and search questions answered in the overview, it’ll likely reduce the need for the user to click through to your site.

Spinning this into a positive, however, will likely result in better-quality visits to your site. Your audience is now going to be more educated on the subject, having received greater levels of detail from the AI overview on the SERP.

Should I put more budget into Pay Per Click because of Google AI Overviews?

Not necessarily, but it is early days, meaning things could change.

There is a scenario where brands become more reliant on PPC to appear towards the top of search engines, with AI Overviews pushing the paid links further down the page – meaning competition to be towards the top could grow, and with greater competition comes a higher cost per click.

It’s certainly something to be mindful of in the future.

What should brands and marketers do to adapt?

We can’t change what Google is doing, we can only adapt to it.

If your website is already appearing towards the top of Google, you shouldn’t need to worry a great deal. If you’re in and around the top ten organic posts, the chances of your brand name and information appearing in the AI overview are likely.

With users adapting the way they search, brands and marketers should be mindful of the way they approach their content strategy. Long tail keyword phrases are much more likely to show, so make sure you answer those in your copy.

As always has been the case with good SEO, content writing should be approached with Google’s EEAT in mind. For a reminder that is, Expertise/Experience, Authority and Trust.

Nailing your content is vital to having a good user experience, think about FAQs, useful articles, etc.

Google are becoming much stricter on quality control, where the finer details matter – they’re clamping down on ChatGPT and other chatbot content that isn’t unique and valuable.

Google will also look at external factors outside your website to determine your authority, with social media channels and Trust Pilot profiles being considered in your trustworthiness. So it’s vital all of those are just as high in quality as your website.

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier, there’s nothing we can do about the changes, we can only adapt to them.

The top three takeaways are:

1. Be aware of what is happening, these advancements are BIG!
2. Review your existing copy, is it answering the questions your potential customers have?
3. Don’t be shocked by the reduction in traffic, see it as higher-quality visits to your site.

We’ll be sure to stay on top of any further advancements, so check back on our blogs regularly to stay in the loop.