Artificial Intelligence is quickly revolutionizing many areas of our lives, and search engine results are no exception to the impact of AI. The introduction of AI features into search, such as Google’s AI Overview, marks a major shift in how search results are retrieved and displayed to you. This carries profound implications for publishers and advertisers vying for clicks as well as end-users. And these implications will have both positive and negative effects for everyone.
AI Overview, a feature integrated into the top of Google’s search engine results page (SERP), is meant to provide users with concise, directly relevant answers to their search queries. This new feature often occupies prime real estate at the top of the SERP. This golden Google spot was traditionally reserved for paid advertisements or the best organic search results. Now carving it out for AI is tantamount to adding a new, more expensive property to the Monopoly board, supplanting Boardwalk!
The initial purported benefit of the AI Overview is clear: users get quick, straightforward answers without the need to click through multiple links to find the answer to their question. This “quick answer” efficiency is particularly valuable in this era of instant gratification. However, this approach has broader implications for publishers and content creators.
One of the most significant concerns among publishers is the potential loss of traffic and thus, revenue. Think about it ... Google has always been a means to an end for publishers: users search, and they click on your website. Now, AI Overview has turned Google into the end. The AI Overview feature often summarizes content that publishers have painstakingly researched, authored, and (ideally) monetized. When users find their answers directly on the SERP, they are less likely to click through to any websites for the answer to their question. What’s the best cordless vacuum? AI result (sorry, Consumer Reports). Who has the most RBIs in MLB? AI result (sorry, ESPN). What is cystic fibrosis? AI result (sorry, WebMD and every CF drug manufacturer ... you’re now below the fold). This reduction in click-through rates (CTR) can lead to decreased ad impressions and therefore, lower revenue for publishers who rely on that traffic to monetize their sites in the first place. As a result, search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine monetization (SEM) strategies need to evolve to ensure that content remains visible and relevant.
There is also the issue of content appropriation. AI Overview leverages content from various sources to generate its summaries, which could be seen as a form of intellectual property appropriation. Publishers invest significant resources in producing high-quality content, and when AI tools summarize this content without proper attribution, compensation, or traffic, it raises ethical and legal questions from content creators.
While AI can process enormous volumes of data and then provide quick answers, it is not infallible. Instances of AI-generated summaries providing inaccurate or misleading information have been popping up since its launch. For example, when asked by a searcher how to keep the cheese on a pizza, Google's AI Overview suggested using non-toxic glue to keep the cheese in place, a recommendation sourced from a satirical Reddit post. Such errors, though humorous, can have serious consequences when they involve medical, financial, or other critical information.
This “veracity factor” will become a major concern. Users should feel comfortable in believing the information they receive is accurate and trustworthy. For publishers, this will mean introducing rigorous monitoring of AI Overview results that apply to their lines of business to ensure that information about them is represented correctly. This additional oversight can be resource-intensive but is crucial for maintaining credibility and brand trust.
Creating high-quality, authoritative content will be more important than ever. Content that is well-researched, credible, and authoritative is more likely to be favored by AI algorithms. Publishers should focus on producing in-depth articles, comprehensive guides, and expert opinions that stand out in terms of quality and reliability. By doing so, they can increase the chances of their content being featured in AI summaries and reduce the risk of misinformation.
This emphasis on accurate, human-researched and generated content gains particular importance when considering the AI alternative. When publishers start to utilize AI more for creating content on their websites, that AI content is indexed by AI bots, generating AI search summaries ... which could then be used to source more content. This creates a closed loop of AI-managed content that could become less and less accurate over time.
Fear not. At Syneos Health, we have the resources to counsel you through this new world of AI-driven search results and can help with your reputational monitoring, SEM/SEO approach, and AI considerations. Contact us to ensure you’re covered in all of those areas.
