The Five Most Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
- An article by The Verge detailing this latest A.I.-related decision by Google has a comment by a Google spokesman who said that these ads will only show up in searches with a “commercial angle”.
- As of this writing, the rollout is starting for mobile users in the U.S.A.
- This comes as Google has been gradually revamping its search-engine-results page (S.E.R.P.) through integrations with A.I. One example of this is having A.I. custom-generate a S.E.R.P. with more than just links. (E.g., custom-generating a trip itinerary based off just a search query about taking a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska.)
- Cited webpages will also be more prominent in results, which can mitigate some concerns about the problem of A.I. simply summarizing information without indicating where the information comes from.
- For business owners, this represents the latest advance relevant to the emerging field of “A.I.O.”, or A.I. optimization—what some believe to be the evolution of S.E.O. as online searches become more A.I.-focused.
The “Commercial Angle”
An interesting question to consider is just how Google (and its algorithms) determines whether a question has a commercial angle or not.
The writer of this blog post will guess that, given just how much advertising is central to the income of Google LLC and its parent company Alphabet Inc., there will be a fair amount of search queries that will be interpreted as having a commercial angle.
So, it is certainly reasonable to expect that a high number of AI Overviews results on Google will feature ads.
What Will the Ads Look Like?
Like most well-placed ads, it is meant to look non-intrusive, or even subtly not like an ad at all, in the immediate impression, despite the label that you are looking at Sponsored content.
But just consider the pictures of products with the prices in the lower third. You can tap on the product and go right to its purchase page.
They may very well be relevant—even if only tangentially—to your search, but these are ads nonetheless.
Of course, this is nothing new for Google, as sponsored content almost always showed up in its S.E.R.P.’s.
However, it is well worth considering the nature of the AI Overviews themselves to see how effective these really can be.
The Power of These Ads in A.I. Overviews
S.E.R.P.’s have always been personalized to some degree, of course. Your browsing history and other relevant cookie-stored information about your online habits can inform your search results.
But the AI Overviews offer a stronger sense that the content is personalized just for you, which in turn creates a stronger impression that the products in the results are indeed just for you.
Really, what is readily effective about these ads is that even though the ads are indeed sponsored content, the ads nonetheless are in front of the eyes of the searcher (i.e., you).
So, the basic impression of the existence of the product is made. But of course there is more that makes this method of A.I.-generated advertising effective.
The very fact that these ads are included in the content of the AI Overviews result makes the impression on the searcher that, in some way, the products displayed for your clicking to a click-to-purchase page are indeed relevant to your search, that, however incidentally, they factor into the result that you are seeking.
In other words, the presence of the ads communicates to you that these products are what you are searching for. Of course, ultimately, it is up to you to decide whether the products are indeed actually relevant to your search, but the gambit by Google’s algorithm has already been made at that point.
Other Great GO AI Blog Posts
GO AI the blog offers a combination of information about, analysis of, and editorializing on A.I. technologies of interest to business owners, with especial focus on the impact this tech will have on commerce as a whole.
On a usual week, there are multiple GO AI blog posts going out. Here are some notable recent articles:
For Businesses and Other Organizations, What Makes a Successful Chatbot?
IBM Watson vs. ChatGPT vs. Gemini: How Will Each Affect Search Engines?
Using A.I. to Find Resources for Business Owners
How Would Restricting Open-Source A.I. Affect Business Owners?
The EU’s A.I. Act Has Become Law: The Implications for Business Owners (Especially American)
In addition to our GO AI blog, we also have a blog that offers important updates in the world of search engine optimization (SEO), with blog posts like “Google Ends Its Plan to End Third-Party Cookies”.
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