Google recently implemented a new search structure that utilizes AI-generated responses to answer user queries. The company has now announced plans to introduce ads within these AI summaries, called AI overviews.
This move by Google signifies a shift towards incorporating advertising into the AI-generated responses provided to users. Screenshots shared by Google demonstrate how users asking for tips on removing wrinkles from clothes can receive an AI-generated summary of suggestions from the web, with ad suggestions for cleaning sprays displayed below.
Google’s AI overviews are designed to dissuade users from turning to other AI-generated text services like ChatGPT or Start Perplexity for answers to their questions. The integration of ads into these AI overviews has been a point of interest, as search ads are a significant revenue stream for Google, and any changes in ad placement or design can have a considerable impact on the company’s earnings.
Google has provided some details about the new ad format within AI overviews, indicating that ads will be labeled as ‘sponsored’ and will only appear if they are relevant to the user’s query and the information provided in the AI overview. Advertisers will not have the option to opt out of the experiment entirely and will need to adjust their ad settings and layouts to potentially feature in the AI overviews.
Last year, Google experimented with AI-generated responses in searches, mentioning that ads for specific products would be incorporated into the feature. Early testing showed that users found ads above and below AI summaries to be helpful. While Google’s competitor, Bing, displays product ads on its Bing Copilot search chatbot, no ads were triggered during testing on Bing’s version of AI overviews.
Overall, Google’s decision to integrate ads into AI overviews represents a significant step in evolving search advertising into a new era. As the company continues to refine and expand this feature, advertisers will need to adapt their strategies to leverage this new advertising opportunity within AI-generated search responses.
Article Source
https://www.wired.com/story/google-search-ai-overviews-ads/
