What impact will Google AI Overviews have on a business’s organic traffic?

 

Introduction

Back in May 2024, Google rolled out a new change to the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Pages), which was called the “Google AI Overviews”.
Essentially, this is a brief answer, presented by Google at the top of the fold. The AI Overviews are believed to be powered by AI and provide a precise, yet concise, response to a question.

Whenever Google adds new features to the SERP’s, you must understand that this can impact how many clicks (organic traffic) and visits a website receives.

For example, if someone were to ask a question, the query is answered at the top of the fold; there’s no reason for them to continue. There’s no reason to read various pages on a website, skimming to find an answer to their query.

 

Zero-click searches

Therefore, “zero click searches” are on the rise, that’s where a shopper, or someone who wants to find an answer to a question, finds the answer directly in the SERP’s.

This presents a challenge for some businesses, or an opportunity to adapt, depending on how you view the situation.

In a nutshell, fewer organic views are occurring, as leading agencies globally need to adjust their marketing strategies.

 

How do Google AI Overviews or AIOs work?

People are now talking to Google just as they would ask a friend a question.

If you were to ask us, this is nothing new, as NLP and Google Hummingbird have been integrated into Google’s algorithm. As a result, search strings have started to get longer and longer.

Voice search on smartphones has undoubtedly led shoppers to ask more long-tail keywords. This stands to reason, as when asking a question, you naturally say the query as if you are requesting a real person.

However, with AI Overviews, we are seeing a combination of Google’s efforts all coming together to offer a more exact answer. We are seeing

Google Hummingbird, designed to provide more precise answers. We are also witnessing a combination of NLP and AI, which together form exact and concise explanations.

This may result in a shopper not clicking on three websites to find an answer, but none, because the query’s been satisfied in the SERP’s.

 

Keyphrase logic, search reasoning

When you start to read various blog posts about Google AI Overviews, you begin to hear more and more about how Google is better equipped to understand the question. Have you noticed how ChatGPT sometimes displays its progress as it actively works to answer a question? How does it use reasoning and ask itself questions before presenting an answer?

This AI reasoning is something new, yet it allows for much more precise answers.

Move from search index to general intelligence.

Consider this for a moment: for well over a decade, Google has utilised an index to rank organic results. Businesses are ranked based on how good and how strong the company’s ranking factors are.

Backlinks were described as “the currency of the web” – businesses worked hard to strengthen and build ranking factors, such as establishing a robust set of backlinks.

This remains important; traditional ranking factors are not yet complete. However, general intelligence means the ability to know, well, if you’re talking nonsense, or a lot of sense. The Google Helpful Content Update, combined with AI and Google E-EAT, will result in websites with powerful content marketing gaining significantly more visibility.

Google Business Profile

Google Business Profiles still exist; therefore, it’s likely that local businesses will place much more emphasis on optimising their Google Business account. The reason is that, before, businesses were competing for fewer clicks from the organic results.

Therefore, businesses that were not previously visible in the Google Business results are more likely to want to be visible there to offset a possible drop in organic visits, due to Google AI Overviews and also zero-click searches.

 

What will happen to the organic blue listings?

Here’s the problem businesses will have.

It’s thought that the Google AI Overviews will also appear at the top of the page. Therefore, this is why they capture so much of the shopper’s attention. Plus, their query might be answered there and then, so that they don’t scroll further down the actual page.
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How can we get our business mentioned in the Google AI Overviews?

Businesses that have been writing helpful content marketing for shoppers, rather than just trying to get higher rankings on Google, will most likely be further rewarded.

It’s the helpful content marketing, which has high dwell times and low bounce rates, and has accumulated this over a long time, that will most likely be the businesses featured and mentioned in the Google AI Overviews.

Businesses that have also understood Google E-EAT, therefore showing real-life experience and real expertise on the topic they are writing about, will also gain more visibility.

 

How can we help

We are based in central Cardiff. We work with businesses over the long term to generate more clicks and sales from Google.
Contact us today for further information.