Google's major change in AI Overviews (AIO) for search that allowed ads to serve up changed advertising.
Since Google updated AI Overviews to serve ads in early October, BrightEdge has been tracking changes through its Generative Parser. The data shows a 15% reduction in keywords linked to AIO query responses. And while AIOs do not serve up all the time, Google seems to have become more precise in targeting since.
There has been an 8% improvement in day-to-day activity. This means the presence of AI ads has become more consistent and measurable, with less than 1% fluctuating in pixel size used in Google's AIO panels.
Data suggests advertisements appear to be replacing content, not adding to the size of the AIO query response.
Ads are likely to appear at the expense of other content, such as earned media or organic citations, making it more competitive to make any connection with consumers or those searching the web.
The larger the AIO, the more opportunities to serve ads, according to BrightEdge. Advertisers do not have control over how their ads are served. Ads are controlled as part of Performance Max Campaigns, and Google does not yet report to advertisers as to when their ads serve in an AIO.
As Google continues to serve ads into AIOs, two features have experienced significant increases, BrightEdge says. With product carousels in particular, there are direct opportunities for advertisers. As these are not taking up more space, it suggests those ads will likely displace an organic listing if this trend continues.
These trends point to a holiday shopping season where AI will play a bigger role than ever -- but perhaps not in the way marketers originally expected.
BrightEdge also released data on how the technology processes intent around AIOs. By analyzing text in AIOs, BrightEdge used its Generative Parser to identify how Google's technology understands and responds to user queries.
Words commonly found in AIO responses include non-branded or generic words, suggesting the technology often refers to lists, data, and content around trending content. These insights reveal what kind of content may be the most beneficial for marketers to cite.
Key intent patterns focus on research, content structure and the ability to build knowledge about a certain topic. For example, during research the data shows 81.1% of query responses return broad knowledge sharing, with only 1.4% providing step-by-step guidance.
There is a clear emphasis on discovery vs. transaction, and AIOs prioritize educational content over how-to directions.
When it comes to building knowledge on a specific topic, 16.6% of the query results focus on identification and discovery of the topic, while 13.7% explain underlying causes, 12.9% emphasize data-driven insights, and patterns suggest AIOs targets what BrightEdge calls research-phase queries
AIOs are focused on helping with early research of topics, with 81% providing broad knowledge and high-level overviews of the topic. Some 39.8% use list structures that are easy to scan, and 1.4% provide specific step-by-step guidance on a task or product.
Based on how AI Overviews respond to queries, it's clear the focus is on discovery and research vs. transaction. This means the data clearly shows that AIOs are optimized for early-stage research and discovery.
Educational content with expert guidance on what's trending or critical data points is more helpful to cite than specific how-to instructions. And aligning content with a top-of-funnel focus should win the guidance that could be replaced with ads.