August was a busy month for Google AI Overviews (AIOs), bringing significant changes in how AI-generated results are rolled out for searches across different industries and user types. From variations between logged-in and non-logged-in users to shifts in rank overlap and product viewer trends, we observed fascinating new developments that indicate Google is continuing to refine its AI-driven search capabilities.

Here are the top 7 takeaways from what we observed in August.

1. The AI Overviews rollout to non-logged-in users is not evenly distributed across industries.

One of the most striking changes in August was the rollout of AI Overviews to non-logged-in users, which began around the middle of the month. This marks the second phase of the AI Overview rollout.  The first phase began around May 15th when AIOs started showing to logged in users who had not registered to Google Labs during the previous testing phase.  Between now and then we’ve witnessed numerous adjustments and fine tuning to results which we’ve tracked in our Ultimate Guide to AI Overviews. With this second phase where AI Overviews now appear for non-logged in users, we can finally consider AI Overviews officially live.   

BrightEdge Generative Parser™ shows that while some industries experienced relatively consistent integration of AI Overviews between logged-in and non-logged-in users, others, particularly eCommerce, saw significant discrepancies. Overall, the data suggests that Google is rolling out AI Overviews with fewer keywords for non-logged-in users during these early weeks. The main points we observe in these first couple weeks of rollout are:

• AI Overviews are less visible on average (~10%) for non-logged in users- this suggests Google is being more cautious on where to deploy them. It could also be that for non-logged in users, Google is operating on less insights into the users’ preferences and thus, only deploying AI Overviews when the query intent is very clear. 
• For Ecommerce in particular, the difference between logged in and non logged in users is significant, with only 1% of keywords showing an AI Overview. There are a few reasons this could be happening which I’ll layout below.
  
•  B2B Tech: AI Overview presence for logged-in users was 5 percentage points higher compared to non-logged-in users, resulting in a 17% relative drop.
• eCommerce: The most significant gap was observed here, with non-logged-in users seeing 90% fewer AI Overviews compared to logged-in users. This suggests that Google is taking a much slower approach to rolling out AI Overviews in eCommerce.
• Education: There was a 9 percentage point drop in AI Overviews for non-logged-in users, translating to a 21% relative change.
• Healthcare: AI Overview presence was 10 percentage points lower for non-logged-in users compared to logged-in users, resulting in a 16% relative change. This smaller difference suggests a more deliberate rollout in the healthcare sector.
  
  Overall, the data shows that AI Overviews are rolling out unevenly across industries, with eCommerce queries experiencing the slowest adoption among non-logged-in users. The complexity of product searches and the need for more refined decision-making frameworks likely contribute to this slower rollout.

Why the Slow Rollout for eCommerce?

The massive 90% drop in AI Overview presence for eCommerce queries among non-logged-in users is striking. This could be due to the complex nature of eCommerce searches, where users are often comparing multiple products, prices, and reviews. Google may be taking extra care to ensure that AI Overviews in this space provide accurate and useful information before fully rolling them out to non-logged-in users. With e-commerce one of the largest industries for Google Ad Revenue, it makes sense they would be cautious with anything that could potentially alter the search result page.

Another possibility is the evolving role of product viewers in regular search results. BrightEdge Data Cube X data shows significant increases in the product grid, which takes up substantial screen real estate for non-logged-in users and is highly transactional. It may be that, for non-logged-in users, Google assumes a more transactional intent compared to logged-in users, where they may have more data on individual user behavior. The chart below shows the top share of clicks across eCommerce queries tracked via Data Cube X:

An example of how this discrepancy between a logged in and non-logged in search experience appears is for the term “Chinos”. When logged in, an AI Overview appears with an apparel product carousel along with fashion guidance on what wear with chinos :

When this query is done without logging in, there is no AI Overview but the product grid now occupies a significant portion of the search result page:

As Google gathers more data on how to effectively deploy AI Overviews for non-logged-in users (i.e., without historical knowledge of the user), we may see them being rolled out more frequently.

2. Rank overlap fluctuations correspond to Google's August core update.

Google's August 15th Core Update has introduced noticeable shifts in how AI Overviews overlap with regular search rankings. Google’s John Mueller confirmed that these core updates will impact AI Overviews, as they are part of search (although he did not specify how exactly). BrightEdge Generative Parser™ reveals that the overlap of URLs cited in AI Overviews with those ranking in the top 100 increased from 37% to 41% post-update. Notably, the data now indicates that Google is incorporating more organic results into these citations, specifically pulling from lower-ranked results in the SERPs to leverage relevant but less prominent links more effectively.

This insight also suggests AI Overviews do have some nuances that separate them from organic results. Contrary to claims that optimizing for organic search would suffice for inclusion in AI Overviews, our data does not support this conclusion. This misunderstanding could stem from an oversimplification of how AI Overviews are generated. AI Overviews do not solely rely on top organic rankings; instead, they involve a more complex selection process that considers a variety of factors beyond standard SEO practices. This includes the relevance and authority of the content, what the AI anticipates will be the second and third query to address, and its overall utility in a given context, which may not always align with traditional SEO metrics.

This increase in rank overlap suggests that Google is prioritizing content already performing well in traditional search rankings for inclusion in AI Overviews. However, the average rank of URLs in both AI Overviews and regular results has dropped slightly—from 10 before the update to 11 after—indicating that lower-ranking pages may now be featured more prominently in follow-up AI Overviews.

This change also impacts different industries in distinct ways:

• B2B Tech and Entertainment saw improvements in rank overlap, with B2B Tech climbing from an average rank of 6 positions, suggesting these sectors are benefiting from the update. For example, for the keyword ‘access control entry’ the domain calcomsoftware.com is cited in the AIO and ranking in the 6th position. In entertainment, for the query ‘mysteries’ the domain history.com is cited in the AIO and ranking in the 6th/7th position.
• Education and eCommerce, on the other hand, experienced declines, with Education dropping 12 positions on average and eCommerce slipping 3 showing that these sectors may need to focus more on optimizing for follow-up queries or AI-driven referrals rather than traditional rankings alone. In ecommerce, an example of this movement is with the query ‘October birth stone’ in which the domain jewelryofstuart.com which ranks in the 12th position is now cited in the AIO.  For Education, the query “Cyber security salary” tends to draw on data from sites such as Glassdoor which ranks on the second page on Google.

For marketers, this means that lower-ranking content could still gain visibility if it addresses user queries following the initial search. Optimizing your pages for related and tangential questions will be key to capturing traffic from AI Overviews in the post-update landscape. This performance boost also highlights how core updates can deliver incremental value beyond rankings. As the overall quality of the index improves, the chances of deeper-ranking content being sourced by AI Overviews increases. Ensuring that your content follows Google’s guidelines not only enhances your traditional organic ranking opportunities but also increases the likelihood of being cited in AI Overviews.

3. AI Overviews are evolving in how they present information.

August brought some noticeable shifts, with changes aimed at presenting information more efficiently and in a user-friendly manner. Our data at BrightEdge reveals a series of significant adjustments between July and August, particularly relevant for marketers optimizing content related to products.

1. More Efficient Information Presentation
   We observed a 172% increase in product carousels for apparel-related queries. This suggests that, rather than focusing on a single product, AI is increasingly providing users with broader choices and comparisons, offering a more comprehensive view of available options.
   
    
2. Smarter Content Organization for eCommerce Products
   We also observed a 42% increase in the use of unordered lists across industries. In the eCommerce space, this means AI Overviews are better organizing product features and specifications, making it easier for users to scan through options and make informed decisions quickly.
   
   In addition, comparative content is becoming more prevalent, with a 12% rise in product comparisons in AI Overviews. This shift indicates that products are being evaluated not just on their individual merits but also in relation to similar items, allowing users to make side-by-side comparisons more easily. These include complex queries and products that may require more research before making a decision.
   

These changes reflect a broader trend toward more comprehensive, comparison-based content in AI Overviews. By adapting your strategy to these evolutions, you can enhance your content's visibility and engagement in an increasingly AI-driven search environment.

4. AI Overviews are exposing more citations

On August 20th, AI Overviews changed how they displayed citations.

Historically, Google’s AI-powered results provided citations through a chevron within the answer as well as a citation box to the right of the result:

Potentially in response to the launch of SearchGPT and its expanded citation panel, Google has updated its citation boxes to make it easier for users to explore more content related to a topic. Now, the citation box looks like this:

Interestingly, these new sources do not increase the size of the AI Overview panel on their own, as the box is scrollable, making it easy to read both the AI Overview response and browse for more information. Additionally, users can now click on the link icon to get a specific view of the citations for that section of the answer. This is particularly useful for informational queries, such as 'lupus,' where the intent may be ambiguous. Now, if users find exactly what they want to learn more about, they can pinpoint it directly in the result and dig deeper into the subject.

For marketers, this means there is an even greater chance for content to drive referrals for long-tail queries that users may not have originally searched for, as the AI Overview attempts to surface deeper content on broad topics like this one.

5. After months of shrinking, AIO are getting bigger

One of the most notable changes observed in August is the significant increase in the height of AI Overviews. This is important because, for several months, BrightEdge Generative Parser™ had detected a continuous reduction in the size of the AI Overview panel. However, the average height of AI Overviews rose by 10%, from 647 pixels in July to 712 pixels around August 18th. This increase may seem subtle at first glance, but it has profound implications for how AI Overviews present information and what it means for marketers looking to optimize their content for visibility. Additionally, this height increase coincides with the rollout of AI Overviews to non-logged-in users.
What Does a Larger AI Overview Panel Mean?

The increase in AI Overview height suggests that Google is making more room for rich, detailed content within the AI Overview itself. Here’s what this trend tells us:

1. More Room for Comparisons and Lists
With additional space, AI Overviews can now accommodate more comprehensive, comparison-based content. This aligns with the rise in unordered lists and product carousels we’ve observed, particularly in industries like eCommerce. The added space allows Google to present products side-by-side, including more product features, comparisons, and visuals that help users make better decisions more quickly.

2. Increased Visual Content
The extra real estate is also being used to incorporate more visual elements. The trend toward larger, richer images—especially for product-related searches—is becoming increasingly important. For eCommerce marketers, this means ensuring that product images are optimized not just for quality but for visibility within AI Overviews’ product carousels. High-quality images are essential to drive clicks, particularly when they are used in carousels alongside other products.

3. Deeper, More Nuanced Information
Larger AI Overviews also indicate a shift toward more detailed, nuanced information. Instead of simply providing a brief answer or product summary, AI Overviews are now offering users expanded explanations, deeper insights, and additional context. This benefits users by allowing them to access more comprehensive answers directly within the search results, without needing to click through multiple pages.

6. Domain Citation Changes: Shift Toward Specialized Sources

BrightEdge Generative Parser™ data reveals some interesting fluctuations in domain citations between July and August. While certain domains saw notable increases in citations, others experienced reductions, indicating a preference for more specialized or authoritative sources in specific fields.

1. Medical and Health Domains
   There was a significant shift in health-related citations, moving away from general health information sources towards more authoritative and specialized medical sites. General health platforms like verywellhealth.com and everydayhealth.com saw substantial decreases in citations (-77.9% and -95.6% respectively). In contrast, authoritative medical sites such as mayoclinic.org (+32.4%) and nih.gov (+83.2%) experienced notable increases. Even more striking was the surge in citations for specialty health sites, with spine-health.com seeing a 266.7% increase and arthritis.org an 89.5% rise. This pattern strongly suggests a focus on higher authority, more specialized health information in AI Overviews, with a growing preference for both comprehensive medical resources and niche sites providing in-depth content on specific conditions or treatments.
2. Government Domains
   While nih.gov saw a significant increase in citations (+83.2%), other government domains like fda.gov saw a slight decline (-10%). This suggests selective use of government sources, with an emphasis on health-related institutions.
3. News and Media Outlets
   There was a 3% decrease in citations for usatoday.com and a 3.1% decrease for nytimes.com, indicating a possible shift away from general news outlets. In contrast, specialized news sources like bloomberg.com saw an increase in citations, reflecting a preference for more focused, industry-specific information sources.
4. Technology and Product Review Sites
   Tech review sites like techradar.com (-47.3%) and tomsguide.com (-16.4%) saw declines in citations. This aligns with the overall trend of AI Overviews relying less on consumer technology information and more on industry-specific or expert sources.

These changes suggest that AI Overviews are becoming more selective, favoring highly specialized, authoritative content over general sources. In particular, the healthcare and educational sectors saw shifts toward more trusted, expert-backed information.

7. Keyword Presence: Emphasis on Specific and Technical Content

BrightEdge Generative Parser™ data reveals significant changes in AI Overview coverage based on keyword characteristics between July and August. The analysis shows a clear trend to show AI Overviews on more specialized, technical, and factual keywords across various subjects.

1. Medical and Health Keywords
   There was a substantial increase in AI Overview coverage for specific medical conditions and symptoms (+118.0%). For example, the keyword "acl tear symptoms" gained AI Overview coverage, reflecting the trend toward more comprehensive, expert-backed health information in AI Overviews.
2. Technical and B2B Concepts
   Keywords related to technical concepts, security, and data processing in the B2B tech sector saw a significant increase in AI Overview coverage (+71.4%). An example is "what is continuous integration," demonstrating the growing emphasis on providing AI-generated overviews for complex, industry-specific topics.
3. Product Specifications in eCommerce
   Keywords focusing on product features and specifications experienced the highest percentage increase in AI Overview coverage (+125.7%). For instance, "tv stand with fireplace" gained AI Overview coverage, indicating a strategic focus on detailed, factual product information rather than broader, less specific product descriptions.
4. Financial and Stock-related Terms
   Finance keywords, particularly those related to stocks and financial metrics, doubled their AI Overview coverage (+101.4%). An example is "wtrh stock," suggesting a careful expansion into more specialized financial topics.
5. Entertainment and Travel Topics
   In contrast to the increases in technical areas, entertainment, travel, and restaurant keywords saw a complete removal of AI Overview coverage (-100%). For example, "things to do in Sacramento" lost its AI Overview coverage, indicating a move away from more subjective or rapidly changing content in favor of more stable, factual information.
6. Specificity Across Domains
   Across all categories, specific or technical keywords (e.g., "data aggregation") saw a substantial increase in AI Overview coverage (+77.7%), while broader or general interest topics (e.g., "restaurants near me") experienced only minimal growth (+11.3%). This disparity underscores a clear strategy to prioritize AI-generated content for more complex, specialized queries that benefit from comprehensive, objective overviews.

These changes in keyword characteristics mirror the changes observed in domain citations, pointing to a cohesive strategy in AI Overview generation. The focus continues toward providing in-depth, authoritative information on specific topics, particularly in fields like healthcare, technology, and finance. This trend suggests that AI Overviews are being optimized to serve as reliable sources of specialized knowledge, catering to users seeking detailed, expert-level information rather than general overviews or subjective content.

We are at a crucial inflection point with AI search. Not only has OpenAI entered the marketplace, but AI Overviews are also expanding their presence beyond logged-in users! As we monitor how this transition is unfolding, it's fascinating to see how AI deployments are refining their focus to be most effective for users. For marketers, these advancements present amazing opportunities as the worlds of search and AI continue to converge!

As we approach the final weeks of summer, BrightEdge has an exciting new resource to share with you!

Today, we're thrilled to launch the Ultimate Guide to SearchGPT!

As I discussed a couple weeks ago, OpenAI made waves in the search landscape with its prototype rollout of SearchGPT on July 25th, 2024.

• This new AI-powered search engine represents a potential revolution in how information is found and consumed online.
• With its limited release to 10,000 users and publishers, OpenAI is gathering crucial feedback to refine the system before a broader release.

At BrightEdge, we've been closely monitoring SearchGPT since its announcement. We've observed fascinating developments in how it creates new search experiences and leverages AI to understand and generate responses to user queries. The rapid pace of change is both exciting and full of new opportunities for digital marketers!

Introducing the Guide to SearchGPT

To help you prepare for this new search paradigm, we're sharing our comprehensive findings in a guide now live on our website and accessible to all. This guide aims to be your go-to resource for understanding SearchGPT and its impact on search results.

SearchGPT excels in providing detailed, well-structured content that anticipates follow-up questions

I strongly encourage you to dive deep into the guide to learn more about:

• What SearchGPT's interface looks like and how it displays cited sources.
• How SearchGPT compares to other AI-search platforms like Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity.
• Where SearchGPT excels in providing comprehensive, multi-faceted content across various industries.
• How SearchGPT handles different query types, from informational to e-commerce.
• What strategies you can employ to prepare your content for this new search ecosystem.

Innovating to Keep You Ahead in AI and Search

This guide is the result of our ongoing commitment to innovation in the face of evolving search technologies. Our analysis provides insights into how SearchGPT processes queries, its preference for in-depth, authoritative content, and its unique approach to presenting information.

As SearchGPT continues to develop, we at BrightEdge are dedicated to tracking its progress and providing you with the most up-to-date strategies for success. Our guide offers actionable insights on optimizing your content, leveraging schema markup, and creating comprehensive resources that address multiple aspects of a topic.

Stay ahead of the curve with BrightEdge as we navigate this exciting new chapter in AI-powered search!

What a big month for AI Overview evolution July has been!  We’ve witnessed some significant enhancements that appear to show Google is paying attention to what’s working with competitors.  By incorporating successful elements from AI-first search engines like Perplexity, AI Overviews are becoming more specialized and user-focused. This month has seen AI Overviews dial into the areas where they are most useful, enhancing decision-making processes with strategic frameworks and providing more tailored information.

One of the key areas BrightEdge Generative Parser™ measured is "When" statements in AI Overviews. These statements provide users with clear frameworks for considering various topics, particularly in decision-making processes.

Additionally, AI Overviews are increasingly focusing on long-tail, specific queries rather than broad, general searches.

Furthermore, the integration of facets in AI Overviews represents a significant advancement. This feature, which allows users to filter and refine search results based on specific attributes, mirrors the functionality found in advanced e-commerce platforms.

There was a whole lot more BrightEdge Generative Parser™ was able to identify in July! In fact, here are ten key developments which highlight how AI Overviews are evolving:

1. AI Overviews are getting more dynamic and tailored to specific nuances of queries

   BrightEdge Generative Parser™ is now tracking how AIO guides user thinking. One of the most prevalent is with “When... you may consider...” statements. These statements provide users with specific frameworks for considering various topics, especially in decision-making processes and currently show up mostly for 25% of the eCommerce search queries. This is very similar to the experience Perplexity uses to help users shop.
   
   (Perplexity query using “when purchasing” for the query “All weather outdoor TV”)

   

   The AI Overviews in July reveals several key patterns in the use of "When" statements:

   1. Product Selection Guidance: The most common pattern, appearing in 64% of the added AI Overviews, is the phrase "When choosing a [product], you can consider things like..." Example: "When choosing an all weather outdoor TV, you can consider things like picture weather resistance, display brightness and screen size."

      Example: "When choosing an all weather outdoor TV, you can consider things like picture weather resistance, display brightness and screen size."

      
   2. Usage-Based Considerations: About 18% of the AI Overviews with “When” will use the phrase "When choosing a [product], think about how you plan on using it most." This pattern is often seen in electronics and appliance categories.

      Example: "When choosing a bread maker machine, think about how you plan on using it most."
      
      
      These "When" statements are not limited to high-volume searches. We see them applied across a wide range of search volumes, from as low as 320 monthly searches for "chandelier ceiling fan" to as high as 368,000 for "washing machines”. This suggests that AI is being used to enhance user experience regardless of the popularity of the query.
      
      The expanded content following these "When" statements typically includes:

   3. • No related list or suggested query 55% of the time. These are the cases where the “when” statement contains all the information about the choices, for example “When choosing an armchair, you may want to consider its comfort, material, and size.”
      • Facets (present in 21% of cases)
      • Unordered lists of features or factors to consider (present in 16% of cases)
      • Product viewers with detailed specifications (present in 8% of cases)
      
      This structure allows AI Overviews to provide more actionable information to users, guiding them through complex decision-making processes. For instance, the AI Overview for "adjustable mattress" not only suggests considering "material, size, and slats" but also provides a detailed product viewer comparing different options.
      
      By providing structured, scenario-based advice, these AI Overviews are becoming more adept at anticipating and addressing user needs across various industries and search volumes. If this trend continues, we can expect to see even more refined and targeted guidance in future AI-generated content.
      
      A feature that’s common with ‘when statements is facets. As with the “when” statements, this is functionality that is present in other AI-first search engines such as Perplexity. In July, BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has identified patterns that are likely to trigger them. This feature, which allows users to filter and refine their search results based on specific attributes, is becoming more common for certain types of products and keywords. It’s also a way to initiate a new search:

      

      Primarily, we're seeing facets appear for products that are:
      1. Technologically Complex: Electronics, smart home devices, and advanced appliances frequently trigger faceted navigation. Think smart TVs, air purifiers, or multi-function kitchen appliances.
      2. Facets (present in 21% of cases)
      3. Highly Specific: When a search term includes particular product types, sizes, or technological features (e.g., "32 inch smart TV" or "cordless hand mixer"), facets are more likely to appear.
      4. Home and Lifestyle Oriented: Many products related to home improvement, kitchen essentials, and personal comfort seem to warrant faceted navigation in AI Overviews.
      5. Requiring Comparison: Items that consumers typically compare across multiple features, like washing machines or coffee makers, frequently have facets.

      This feature shows how AIO adapts to provide more nuanced, user-friendly information for complex purchase decisions. By offering faceted navigation, these overviews are mimicking the filtering options you might find on advanced e-commerce platforms, making it easier for users to narrow down their choices based on specific criteria.

      It's worth noting that more general or simple product terms are less likely to generate facets. This indicates a level of sophistication in the AIO’s understanding of when detailed navigation would be most beneficial to the user.

      For marketers and e-commerce professionals, this trend underscores the importance of providing detailed, well-structured product information. As AI Overviews generate helpful navigation tools, ensuring your products are accurately and comprehensively described becomes even more crucial for visibility and user engagement in these environments.

2. AI Overviews in July: Shifting Towards Specialized Knowledge and Complex Queries

   Throughout July, BrightEdge Generative Parser ™ identified patterns in new keywords triggering AI Overviews. Here are the key trends we noticed:
   
   Increases:

   • Explanations for highly technical terms: There was an increase in AI Overviews for complex, technical keywords (e.g., "confirmatory factor analysis", "tokenization data security"). This suggests a focus on providing in-depth explanations for specialized topics.
   • Salary Information: AIOs jumped from 7% to 85% for queries related to salaries (ex: “nurse salary”, “human resources manager salary”) and from 13% in June to 53% in July for queries related to degrees (ex: “computer science degree”, “online history degree”). We usually don’t see such large changes across entire categories of searches. This then led to a surge in citations for ziprecruiter.com and bestcolleges.com with both domains becoming top 10 cited domains for education in July.
   • Long Tail Keywords: AI Overviews appeared more frequently for longer, more specific search terms (e.g., "what is ci cd pipeline", "types of data analysis"). This suggests a focus on addressing nuanced user intents.
   • Product Features and Specifications: In e-commerce, AI Overviews increased for queries about specific product features rather than broad categories (e.g., "gooseneck electric kettle" instead of just "kettle").

   

   Decreases:

   • Brand-Specific Queries: Similar to June, we saw fewer AI Overviews for brand-specific searches, possibly to avoid potential misinformation.
   • Basic How-To Queries: Simple instructional searches saw fewer AI Overviews, likely because traditional search results suffice for these queries.
   • Healthcare is still the industry with the most AI Overviews due to a large quantity of high authority sources that can be used reliably by the Large Language Models. However, in July the presence of AIOs decreased from 68% to 61%. This was caused in large part by Google removing AI results for keywords related to rare, genetic, and complex disorders.
   • Product Features and Specifications: In e-commerce, AI Overviews increased for queries about specific product features rather than broad categories (e.g., "gooseneck electric kettle" instead of just "kettle").

   By focusing on long-tail, specific queries, Google appears to be leveraging AI Overviews to address the nuanced information needs that traditional search results might not fully satisfy. This strategy seems aimed at using AI to enhance the search experience and reduce the amount of searches required to research a topic. It suggests that Google's intention is to position AIO in the growing AI-search space as a tool for deep learning and understanding, rather than for basic information retrieval or simple decision-making processes.

3. AIO's grew from 8% to 12% in July, but experienced a decline at month's end

   

   As we moved from June to July, we observed a notable uptick in the presence of AI Overviews, climbing from 8% to above 9% of search results for most of the month. This growth wasn't just about quantity, but quality too. For much of July, the data revealed a more stable deployment pattern, with AI Overviews fluctuating less than in June. What's particularly intriguing is the evolution within July itself. The month kicked off modestly, but we observed a significant shift starting July 18th. This marked the beginning of a week-long surge, peaking on July 21st when AI Overviews appeared in 12.05% of search results. This sustained period of elevated AI presence suggested a deliberate expansion by Google, possibly testing user reception or rolling out improvements to a broader set of queries.

   However, the end of July brought an unexpected twist. On July 30th and 31st, we saw a sharp decline in AI Overview presence, dropping to under 8% of search results. This drop also coincided with the announcement of OpenAI’s foray into search with SearchGPT which may suggest Google is exercising more caution with how AI Overviews are deployed.

   This sudden drop raises interesting questions about Google's strategy. It could indicate a recalibration of the AI Overview algorithm, perhaps in response to user feedback or performance metrics. Alternatively, it might suggest a more cautious approach as Google evaluates the impact of the mid-July surge.

   Despite this late downturn, it's important to note that AI Overviews still maintain a stronger presence compared to June levels. This volatility underscores the experimental nature of AI integration in search results. Google appears to be actively adjusting its approach, balancing the value of AI Overviews with other considerations such as relevance, user experience, and computational resources.

   As we continue to track this trend, it's clear that Google's implementation of AI Overviews is still in a state of flux. The company seems to be fine-tuning its strategy, potentially seeking the optimal balance between AI-enhanced results and traditional search offerings. This recent fluctuation serves as a reminder of the dynamic nature of search technology and the ongoing process of refining AI integration in search results.

4. AIO’s deployment fluctuated by industry with different degrees of volatility

   While June witnessed declines in AI Overview presence for several industries, July painted a more complex picture. We observed substantial increases, fluctuations, and even last-minute declines across various sectors, with Google refining its approach to AI Overviews based on user engagement and information needs.

   To understand these changes better, we analyzed not just the growth but also the volatility of AI Overview presence. We used the Coefficient of Variation (CV), a standardized measure of dispersion that allows us to compare the relative variability across the industries. A lower CV indicates more consistency in AI Overview presence throughout the month, while a higher CV suggests more fluctuation. As mentioned above, BrightEdge Generative Parser detected a CV of 14.22% in July for all the keywords tracked.

   Let's dive into each industry:

   Healthcare: Dominant but Showing Late Decline

   Healthcare maintained a high AIO presence around 65-68% for most of July, but saw a significant drop in the last few days. Volatility: CV ≈ 5.7% for most of July, increasing substantially at month's end

   

   Healthcare continued to dominate in terms of AI Overview presence and showed the lowest volatility for most of the month. New additions included:

   1. Mental health conditions (e.g., "schizophrenia," "impulsivity")
   2. Medical specialties (e.g., "orthopedic," "psychiatry")
   3. Specific medical conditions and treatments (e.g., "osteosarcoma," "dialectical behavior therapy")

   
   
   The extremely low volatility for most of July suggests Google had a well-tuned approach for health-related queries.

   Finance: Modest Growth with Steady Implementation
   Finance saw a modest increase from 6% to 6.5% by the end of July. Volatility: CV ≈ 10.5% (Below average volatility)
   
   Finance showed below-average volatility, with new AI Overviews added for:

   1. Investment vehicles (e.g., "derivatives," "reit")
   2. Financial services (e.g., "cash management services")
   3. Estate planning (e.g., "living trust," "probate")

   

   The low volatility indicates a cautious, steady approach to implementing AI Overviews in finance-related topics, suggesting Google has specific guidelines for when to display them in this sector.

   E-Commerce: Strong Growth with Late-Month Volatility

   AIO presence on E-Commerce keywords increased from 11% to 17% in July, but showed significant fluctuations at month's end. Volatility: CV ≈ 13.7% for most of July, increasing notably in the last few days

   
   
    

   E-commerce saw significant growth for most of July with moderate volatility, covering a wide range of products:

   1. Electronics (e.g., "iphone 11," "google pixel 7")
   2. Home appliances (e.g., "washing machines," "bread makers")
   3. Furniture and home decor (e.g., "recliner chair," "dining table")

   

   However, the last few days of July and early August showed increased volatility, with AI Overview presence fluctuating between 14% and 16.8% before dropping sharply to around 11% on July 31st. This late-month instability suggests Google may be fine-tuning its approach for product-related queries, potentially in response to user engagement data or as part of a broader adjustment across multiple sectors.

   B2B Tech: Notable Growth with Late-Month Decline and Volatility.

   B2B Tech increased from ~29% to ~45% for most of July, but saw a significant drop and increased volatility at month's end. Volatility: CV ≈ 18.9% for most of July, increasing substantially in the last few days

   

   B2B Tech saw notable growth for most of July with moderate volatility, particularly for:

   • Advanced technical concepts (e.g., "confirmatory factor analysis," "natural language programming")
   • Cybersecurity topics (e.g., "cyber security salary," "zero trust security")
   • Data analysis and management (e.g., "data clustering algorithms," "data anonymization")

   

   The moderate volatility indicates ongoing experimentation with AI Overviews in this sector, possibly due to the rapidly evolving nature of tech-related topics.

   Insurance: Significant Growth Followed by Late-Month Decline and Volatility

   Insurance jumped from 15% to over 35% in the second half of July, but saw a significant drop and increased volatility at month's end. Volatility: CV ≈ 37.8% for most of July, increasing further in the last few days

   

   • Insurance saw high volatility throughout July, with new AI Overviews primarily related to workplace issues:
   • Work culture (e.g., "organizational work culture")
   • Employee benefits (e.g., "legal breaks at work," "fringe benefits")

   

   However, the end of July brought even more dramatic changes. AI Overview presence fluctuated significantly, dropping from a peak of 27.4% on July 28th to 20.4% by August 1st. This represents a decrease of about 25% in just a few days.
   
   The high volatility throughout the month suggests Google was actively testing and adjusting AI Overviews for insurance-related queries. The sharp decline in the last few days could indicate a reevaluation of this approach, possibly due to challenges in providing accurate or valuable AI-generated content for insurance topics.
   
   Education: Significant Growth Followed by Late-Month Decline and Fluctuations

   AIOs Presence for Education surged from 16% to 38% in the second half of July, but experienced a decline and increased volatility at month's end. Volatility: CV ≈ 43.7% for most of July, with continued high volatility in the last few days

   

   Education experienced a remarkable turnaround and very high volatility throughout July. New AI Overviews focused on:

   • Degree types and requirements (e.g., "associate degree," "bachelors in science")
   • Career-specific education (e.g., "cyber security salary," "nurse salary")
   • Specialized fields (e.g., "mha degree," "psyd")

   

   The high volatility suggests rapid changes in how Google applied AI Overviews to educational topics, possibly in response to user engagement or to cover a wide range of educational queries.
   
   Travel and Entertainment: Brief experimentation followed by removal
   
   Travel increased from near 0% to about 2%, with a brief spike to 9.4% before dropping to 0% by July 31st. Entertainment maintained a very low presence around 1% throughout July before disappearing entirely. Volatility: Travel CV ≈ 163.7%, Entertainment CV ≈ 76.8% (Extremely volatile).
   
   These sectors showed the highest volatility among all industries, with dramatic changes at the end of July:
   Travel:
   July 20th-21st: Brief spike to 8.5-9.4% AI Overview presence
   July 29th: Dropped to 2.7%
   July 30th-31st: Further declined to 1.9%
   
   Entertainment: Maintained very low presence (around 1%) for most of July
   July 28th-31st: Fluctuated between 0.3% and 0.6%
   
   This extreme volatility, followed by complete removal, suggests that Google was in the early stages of experimenting with AI Overviews in these industries but ultimately decided to halt their use, at least temporarily.

5. AI Overviews overlapped with regular Google Results more in July
   
   BrightEdge Generative Parser™ detected that there was more overlap in July and August with regular results and citations compared to June. Moreover, these recent months proved to be significantly more volatile, with citation sources fluctuating dramatically throughout the period.

   

   When assessing volatility, we calculated the standard deviation for each ranking cohort. July showed higher volatility across all ranking cohorts compared to June. For the top 10 rankings, the standard deviation jumped from 242.8 in June to 336.0 in July. Similar increases in volatility were observed across all other ranking cohorts.
   
   A closer look at the data reveals some notable trends:
   
   -While the top 10 saw slight decreases in overlap at times, it also experienced significant spikes.
   -The 31-100 rankings experienced a general increase in overlap, sometimes exceeding 3%, indicating that Google is diversifying its sources for AI Overviews, pulling in more information from lower-ranking pages. -Mid-range rankings, particularly the 11-20 cohort, while generally more stable, also saw notable fluctuations corresponding with the top 10 spikes.
   -The 21-30 cohort showed more variability than initially observed in July.
   
   The increase in overlap for lower rankings highlights the growing importance of pages related to primary keywords, even if they're not in the top 10. High-quality content can still be valuable for AI Overviews, regardless of its ranking position.
   
   For digital content marketers, these trends underscore the importance of content related to the core targeted keywords. Strategies should focus on creating comprehensive, high-quality content that addresses user needs across various topics related to your industry, as opportunities for visibility in AI-generated content are becoming more widely distributed across regular rankings.

6. Features in AI Overviews fluctuated throughout the month of July
   BrightEdge Generative Parser™ detected fluctuations in content presentation and user experience. Features within AI Overviews show insights into how they are adapting to maximize value to the user.
   
   

   Versus Tables: These showed a 175% increase in average daily occurrences from June to July, this feature expanded its presence significantly. While still appearing in less than 1% of keywords, its growth trajectory suggests an increasing emphasis on comparative content in AI Overviews.

   

   Product Viewers: The Product Viewer as a standalone (outside of a carousel or a breakout), particularly for shopping-related content, experienced a notable downturn. Previously appearing in about 13% of our keywords in June, it saw a 70% decrease by July. This shift represents one of the most substantial changes for features, suggesting elements like faceted results and unordered lists with breakouts being preferred for AI Overviews

   

   Warnings correspond to category growth: Medical Warnings, which are the most common warning type experienced a 10% increase from June to July, consistently appearing in about 13-15% of keywords. Financial Warnings, less common but still significant, decreased by approximately 40%. This suggests Google is dialing in which queries are able to deliver the most trustworthy results.
   
   Volatility Analysis July showed increased volatility compared to June across several features:

   1. Versus Tables: 85% more volatile in July, though this volatility is amplified by its low occurrence rate.
   2. Product Viewer: 40% increase in volatility, significant given its relatively high representation in the dataset.
   3. Reviews: Showed extreme volatility in July, with a coefficient of variation 300% higher than in June, despite its low overall presence.

   Conversely, Medical Warnings showed 25% less volatility in July, suggesting more consistent application of health-related cautions across a substantial portion of our keyword set.
   
   These trends point to a dynamic shift in AI Overview content strategy. The move towards comparative content, coupled with a reduction in product-centric elements, suggests an evolving focus on diverse information presentation. The increased volatility in key features indicates ongoing experimentation, highlighting the fluid nature of AI-generated content in search results.
   
   The substantial decrease in Reviews and Product Viewer features, alongside the growth in Versus Tables, may indicate a shift from individual product focus to broader category comparisons, albeit affecting different proportions of our keyword set. Meanwhile, the consistent and substantial presence of Medical Warnings underscores a continued emphasis on providing cautious, health-related information across a significant portion of queries.
   
   This evolution in AI Overviews reflects a broader trend in search engines' approach to information delivery, prioritizing comparative analysis and health awareness while reducing emphasis on direct product reviews. As these features continue to evolve, we can expect further refinements in how AI-generated content is presented to users, potentially affecting an even larger proportion of search queries.

7. Top Cited Domains Fluctuated across categories in July
   
   Comparing data from June to July, BrightEdge Generative Parser™ identified changes that suggest a refinement in where AI Overviews cite information the most.
   
   Wikipedia, often considered a cornerstone of quick information retrieval, showed a slight decline of about 5% in daily search volume. This marginal decrease might indicate that AI Overviews are diversifying their sources rather than relying heavily on this encyclopedic giant.
   
   Health-related top content sources saw some fluctuations. While some major players like mayoclinic.org and clevelandclinic.org experienced declines of 12% and 7% respectively, others like hopkinsmedicine.org saw a significant boost of 30%. This trend suggests a pivot towards more specialized medical institutions over general health information hubs.
   
   Interestingly, government health resources weren't immune to this shift. The CDC's website, for instance, witnessed a 15% decrease in citations. This could reflect a broader trend of AI systems favoring a more diverse range of expert sources over centralized authorities.
   
   The most dramatic change was observed in news and media outlets. USA Today, for example, saw a 60% drop in citations, while Forbes experienced a 30% decline. This substantial decrease might indicate that AI Overviews are prioritizing more specialized or academic sources for current information, rather than relying on general news outlets.
   
   On the flip side, BrightEdge Generative Parser™ detected an uptick in citations for technology-focused websites, with tomsguide.com enjoying a 40% increase. As we see increases in AI Overviews for broader terms and more sophisticated technologies, these sources are likely preferred over general news sites or sites such as Wikipedia.
   
   Academic sources also gained ground, with yale.edu seeing a 25% boost in citations. This trend towards more scholarly sources aligns with the overall shift towards specialized, expert content that we're observing.
   
   These changes paint a picture of AI Overviews evolving to provide more nuanced, specialized information. The systems appear to be moving away from broad, general sources and gravitating towards expert, academic, and niche content providers. This could result in more in-depth, specialized responses to user queries.
   
   However, it's crucial to remember that these trends can be influenced by various factors, including seasonal variations in search patterns, changes in user behavior, and ongoing refinements to AI algorithms. As we continue to track these developments, we'll gain a clearer picture of how AI systems are shaping the information landscape and what it means for content creators, SEO strategies, and user experiences.
8. AI Overviews Continue to Shrink: July Sees a Further 12.5% Reduction in Size, with a Big Drop at Month's End
   
   The trend of AI Overviews becoming more compact continues, with July marking another significant milestone in Google's ongoing refinement process. Our data from BrightEdge Generative Parser™ reveals:
   
   AI Overviews shrunk by an additional 12.5% during July, following June's 13% reduction

   

   While June was characterized by volatility and notable fluctuations, July presented a different picture. The month showed a more stable trend with gradual changes for most of the period, suggesting that Google may have found a sweet spot in terms of AI Overview size. This stability was particularly evident in the first three weeks of July.
   
   As we move further into August, we will watch to see if this new size range (about 6-7% smaller than the July average) represents a new baseline or if Google will continue to experiment with AI Overview dimensions. The continued reduction in size does suggest that Google is optimizing AI Overviews to fit alongside other elements in the search result.

9. AIO’s experimented with citated sources differently across industries
   
   BrightEdge Generative Parser™ shows patterns in content volatility, with eCommerce emerging as the most dynamic sector. As AI search technologies are still earning trust with the public, with some acknowledged issues with factual statements early on, we see AIO’s are varying how much they change citations by industry. This suggests that for some industries trusted sources are dialed in while others are still being tested. Looking at the domains that are cited by AIO across industries, we see that some are more consistent than others:

   eCommerce: eCommerce demonstrated the highest citation volatility among all industries tracked. From mid-June onwards, eCommerce experienced dramatic fluctuations, with some days showing increases of up to 135% compared to early June figures. This extreme variability suggests that AI systems may be rapidly reevaluating the relevance of eCommerce content across various queries.
   B2B Tech: maintained a moderate level of volatility. While generally more stable than eCommerce, it wasn't immune to significant shifts, experiencing a 26% dip in mid-June before recovering. This sector's fluctuations underscore the evolving importance of technical content in AI-generated responses.
   Healthcare: Despite its large keyword representation, Healthcare showed surprising volatility. A notable dip of about 20% in mid-June, followed by a rebound and stabilization, indicates that even well-established content areas are subject to AI reassessment.
   Finance remained the most stable, with day-to-day variations rarely exceeding 10%.
   Education showed moderate fluctuations, with a maximum variance of about 31% between its highest and lowest days.
   Insurance fluctuated where it cited domains significantly with some days seeing up to an 85% increase from its lowest points.
   
   July was an amazing month of innovation and focus for AI Overviews! As we start to look to planning for the fourth quarter and the holiday season, we will continue to monitor these trends to ensure marketers are prepared for the expanded role of AI in search! We’re excited to see where these innovations take our eco-system!

OpenAI has just unveiled SearchGPT, a prototype AI-powered search engine that could revolutionize how we find and consume information online. For marketers who depend on search to connect with new and existing customers, this opens up new opportunities as well as threats to their current marketing initiatives.

SearchGPT is tapping into a need for alternative searches not serviced by traditional search engines. This is evidenced by our findings that showed that Perplexity, an AI-first search engine, saw its referrals to brands and publishers grow by 40% monthly in Q1 and 30% in Q2 2024. We even noticed Claude (Generative AI from Anthropic) appear as a traffic referrer for the first time in June. And Google itself has been adding AI Overviews to its traditional search results, and is constantly fine-tuning those AI-generated results as we reported using the BrightEdge Generative Parser™

Let's dive into what SearchGPT brings to the table and why digital marketing professionals need to pay attention.

 

What is SearchGPT?

SearchGPT is OpenAI's entry into the search market, leveraging their powerful GPT-4 family of models. Unlike traditional search engines, SearchGPT aims to provide direct answers to queries, combining AI capabilities with real-time web information.  Its conversational interface allows for follow-up questions, maintaining context throughout the search process, which could revolutionize online shopping experiences by making them more intuitive and user-friendly. The company plans to integrate SearchGPT's best features into ChatGPT, suggesting that this innovative search functionality could extend far beyond the initial SearchGPT platform. Furthermore, the recently announced partnership with Apple with ChatGPT’s integration into iPhone 18 could present an even wider installed base for SearchGPT.  

Key features of SearchGPT include:

1. AI-powered summarization and organization of search results
2. Real-time access to information across the internet vs. a finite index
3. Follow-up question capability for deeper exploration
4. Clear attribution and links to sources
5. A sidebar with additional source links for further exploration

 

The Prototype Phase

Currently, SearchGPT is in a prototype stage, with access limited to a small group of 10,000 users and publishers. There is currently a waiting list, which you can sign up for here. This controlled testing allows OpenAI to refine the system based on real-world feedback. This approach is similar to Google's search generative experiences which were in Google labs several months prior to the launch of AI Overviews.

 

Collaboration with Publishers

OpenAI has developed SearchGPT in collaboration with major news partners, demonstrating a commitment to working alongside content creators. Several organizations were featured in the announcement including The Atlantic and News Corp.  This approach addresses concerns raised by publishers and digital marketers that Large Language Model (LLM) vendors are using their content without any compensation. It also opens up the door to win-win relationships between publishers and LLM vendors.  These relationships are similar to the ones currently in place, where traditional search engines reuse web content in exchange for referrals from users looking to connect with brands.

Key aspects of this collaboration include:

• Publishers can manage how they appear in OpenAI search features
• Option to opt out of having content used for model training while still being surfaced in search results
• Clear, in-line attribution and links to sources which should ensure SearchGPT will be a source of referral traffic

 

The potential business implications of SearchGPT

The introduction of SearchGPT represents a significant shift in the search landscape, with far-reaching implications for digital marketers and businesses.

Given the explosive growth of OpenAI's flagship product, ChatGPT, there's a strong possibility that SearchGPT could see rapid adoption once fully launched. Moreover, OpenAI's plan to infuse the best features of SearchGPT into ChatGPT means that the insights gained from this prototype could have broader applications across their product suite, potentially reaching tens of millions of users. And the partnership between OpenAI and Apple, integrating AI capabilities into iOS 18, could further alter search market dynamics. This collaboration may challenge Google's current dominance, especially considering Google's substantial distribution via iPhones.

There are important considerations for digital marketing strategies.  For starters, AI summarizes content directly in search results. This will change the role of websites in the customer journey. The user experience on websites gains added importance for conversion and retention, as AI handles much of the initial discovery phase. While clear attribution in SearchGPT will drive referral traffic, companies should expect visitors to be more informed and closer to making a purchase decision when they visit a website.  High-quality intuitive user experiences will matter more than ever.

This evolution does not diminish SEO; on the contrary, it makes it even more critical! Understanding query intent and keyword research now must account for questions and concepts that the AI may anticipate and choose to cite. Furthermore, establishing brand authority becomes more crucial than ever, as AI systems are likely to favor well-established, trusted sources.

However, challenges remain. The absence of ads in current AI search results raises questions about sustainable monetization models. Additionally, the high operational costs associated with AI-powered search, as noted in Google's recent financial results, present a hurdle for both new entrants and established players.

Ultimately, this new era of AI-powered search underscores the need for digital marketers and businesses to stay agile, data-driven, and focused on providing genuine value to their audience. The lessons learned from SearchGPT could rapidly influence the broader AI and search ecosystem, making it crucial for businesses to remain adaptable and leverage data-driven insights to navigate this evolving landscape.

 

SEO Factors Made Even More Important by OpenAI’s Foray into Search

At BrightEdge, we have been helping businesses navigate new trends in search for over 15 years.  OpenAI’s move into search is an exciting development and there are things we’ve equipped marketing professionals with to prepare.  There are six areas where SEO will play a critical role as AI-first engines like SearchGPT enter the marketplace.

1. Quality Content Reigns Supreme: SearchGPT’s AI is summarizing content that it cites.  If your content is to be cited, then creating high-quality, authoritative content becomes crucial. SEO strategies must focus on developing comprehensive resources that address user needs thoroughly. This includes not just addressing their immediate query, but the follow-ups that they may have. For marketers using BrightEdge, Copilot for Content Advisor ensures they have what they need for briefs and first drafts to achieve this.

2. Structured Data Becomes Critical: Clear, structured data helps AI systems understand and categorize content.  As SearchGPT dissects the needs of users, hints that help the AI understand how the content applies to a query will be essential.  Implementing proper schema markup and structured data will be essential for visibility in AI-powered search results. This also means marketers need to understand what schema is most prominent in their markets. BrightEdge users can do this quickly and easily with SearchIQ which defines exactly what schema matters most for search results you are competing in.

3. Topic Authority Matters More than Ever: Instead of targeting individual keywords, SEO strategies should focus on building topic authority. Comprehensive coverage of subjects increases the likelihood of being cited by AI search engines. Building this topical authority can be time-consuming, but fortunately, AI can help automate this process. At BrightEdge, we created Autopilot to do this without adding manual work, dynamically calibrating your topical authority to the latest search trends.

4. User Intent and Context are Essential Inputs for Content: As AI gets better at understanding user intent, SEO professionals must ensure content addresses various stages of the user journey and provides context-rich information. This requires precise data on search volumes to differentiate long tail keywords and see how different intents stack up. Data Cube X is the most powerful keyword research platform in the world with simple filtering and exact match keyword volumes so marketers never have to guess where the demand is.

5. Authoritative Citations Matter More: With AI systems potentially evaluating source credibility, the quality of citations and backlinks becomes even more critical. Focus on earning links from reputable, relevant sources. Marketers need to understand what the authoritative news sources, review sites, and publications are in their respective marketspaces. Only BrightEdge's Share of Voice technology allows this at scale across multiple topics.

6. Technical SEO Remains Crucial: Site speed, mobile-friendliness, and overall user experience will continue to play a vital role in search visibility, both for traditional and AI-powered search engines. By leveraging BrightEdge Instant for speed insights, Content IQ for sitewide technical governance, and Oncrawl for deeper technical insights, marketers can pinpoint technical issues that could impact crawlability for both traditional and AI Search.

 

Looking Ahead: The Future is AI

The introduction of SearchGPT represents a significant shift in the search landscape, with far-reaching implications for digital marketers and businesses. The prototype phase is just the beginning. Given OpenAI's popular ChatGPT, as well its partnership with Apple and the potential integration with iOS 18, SearchGPT could see rapid adoption, challenging Google's dominance.
As AI begins to summarize and present content directly in search results, businesses must adapt their strategies:

1. Develop comprehensive, authoritative content that addresses both primary queries and potential follow-up questions. This evolution amplifies the importance of SEO research, requiring a deeper understanding of query intent and AI-anticipation of related concepts.
2. Strengthen brand authority and trustworthiness, as AI systems are likely to favor well-established, trusted sources. This becomes crucial as the AI search ecosystem diversifies, evidenced by Claude (from Anthropic) appearing as a traffic referrer for the first time in June 2024.
3. Optimize user experience for both conversion and retention. As AI handles initial information retrieval, website UX gains added importance.
4. Prepare for shifts in traffic patterns. While clear attribution in SearchGPT may drive referral traffic, traditional patterns may change, as Gartner predicts a 25% drop in traditional search volume by 2026.
5. Stay informed about emerging AI technologies and their impact on search behavior. This includes monitoring developments in monetization models, given the current absence of ads in AI search results.

Challenges remain, including sustainable monetization models and high operational costs associated with AI-powered search. However, by staying agile, data-driven, and focused on providing genuine value, businesses can effectively navigate this new era of AI-powered search. The lessons learned from SearchGPT’s prototype phase could rapidly influence the broader AI and search ecosystem, making it crucial for businesses to remain adaptable and leverage data-driven insights in this evolving landscape!

It’s been over a month since Google officially rolled out AI Overviews to broader users.  The transition from SGE to AI Overviews yielding some interesting changes that we anticipated and tracked with BrightEdge Generative Parser™. As with any new technology, there were some challenges right out of the gate that Google swiftly addressed and today we’re seeing some of the effects of those changes.

It's still very early days, but we can already see that AI Overviews are evolving quickly. Some changes are subtle, while others impact entire industries. AI Overviews are increasingly focusing on specific queries and delivery methods that effectively help users obtain the information they need to make the best decisions.

To help you better understand what AI Overviews are and how to optimize content for them, we’ve published our Ultimate Guide to AI Overviews, which you can read here. We encourage you to bookmark it, as we will be making regular updates as new data becomes available.

Here are ten findings we observed with BrightEdge Generative Parser™ over the month of June that highlight how AI Overviews are evolving:

1. AI Overviews presence went from 11% to 7% of queries in June

A month before Google officially rolled out AI Overviews in mid May, we observed a rollback on AI results in the Google labs. That trajectory continued through May, and throughout June, we saw that they scaled back even further.

We saw a slight uptick in AI Overviews around the 17th that continued until the 25th. This increase was almost entirely related to education and e-commerce queries. The data points to Google continuing to refine and deploy AI Overviews with greater precision to help users most effectively.

2. Some Industries had big swings in their AI Overview presence.

In some industries, AI Overviews were consistent throughout June. However, as the month went on, we observed dramatic drops in visibility for keywords related to certain industries. This suggests that, for these industries, users were not finding the AI Overviews as helpful.

AIO Presence goes from 26% to 13% of Education keywords in June:

In education, we observed the most significant changes pertaining to broader informational queries related to degrees and specific tests. However, there is a higher likelihood of AI Overviews appearing when users search for specific skills, such as business development skills or prompt engineering skills.

AIOs Presence for Entertainment went from 14% to nearly 0% in June
 

 

Just before the end of May, we observed roughly 14% of entertainment queries showing AI Overviews. Interestingly, there was a positive correlation when users searched for golden age Hollywood celebrities. However, by the beginning of June, these AI Overviews disappeared. This is likely because many of these queries also featured knowledge graphs and universal results, where AI Overviews did not add significant value to the user.

Traditional search result of a golden age Hollywood actor that already features extensive

enhancements and summaries.  AI Overviews are no longer appearing for results like these.

AIO presence on E-Commerce keywords went from 26% to just 9%
 

We saw significant reductions in queries specific to e-commerce in June, although there was a brief uptick from the 17th to the 25th, which, as mentioned above, impacted overall visibility.

3. AI Overviews became 13% smaller during the month of June

Google’s test with showing more education and e-commerce AI Overviews from the 17th to the 25th also resulted in slightly larger AI Overviews—presumably due to product viewers and carousels taking up more space on the page. However, once that test completed, we saw the overall size reduce again. This continues a trend we've been observing with BrightEdge Generative Parser™ since March, when AI results were still in the lab.

In fact, at the end of June, AI Overviews are half the size on average compared to Google's SGE results at the beginning of March! This refinement suggests AI Overviews are getting better at distilling content down to what is needed and eliminating unnecessary or unhelpful content from the results. For marketers, this also demonstrates how AI Overviews do not crowd out other important aspects of a search result, such as traditional organic or paid listings.

4. AI Overviews are continuing to reduce information that overlaps with traditional results

When AI Overviews were launched, one of our findings was  that the overlap in AI Overview citations and traditional organic results was significantly reduced. We correlated this with Google’s description of AI Overviews as being able to do the searching for you, which would eliminate the need to cite the same sources you’d already see in traditional results. Instead, AI Overviews anticipate the second and third searches you may do and source information from those places. In June, AI Overviews appeared to get better at this, reducing the overlap in results by an additional 3% across all queries.

Note that during Google’s test on the 17th, we observed a slight uptick in citations and traditional rank, which corresponded to the e-commerce lift. As Gemini—the LLM that powers AI Overviews—gets better at anticipating queries and AI Overviews are deployed with greater precision, we expect this disparity in overlap to continue on its current trajectory.

5. There are patterns where AI Overviews appear for certain keywords more than others

Over the course of June, we observed that AI Overviews were either increased or decreased for specific search behaviors. These changes are particularly helpful in understanding the role AI is intended to play in a user's purchase journey. Here are some noteworthy changes observed throughout the month of June:

Increases:

• For "best" keywords: There was a 50% uptick in the presence of AI Overviews for keywords such as "best men’s shoes", "best watches", etc. (this could then be followed by a potential explanation).
• For "what is" questions: There was approximately a 20% AIO increase in keywords starting with "what is" (e.g., "what is data analytics", "what is EDR", "what is a mutual fund"). This suggests an increase in informational queries.
• For "how to" queries: There was about a 15% AIO increase in keywords beginning with "how to" (e.g., "how does cloud networking work", "how to prevent kidney failure"). This indicates a rise in process-oriented searches.
• For "symptoms of" searches: There was roughly a 12% AIO increase in keywords containing "symptoms" or "signs of" (e.g., "syphilis symptoms", "signs of Crohn's disease"). This shows a growing interest in identifying health conditions.
• For keywords related to data governance, analytics, and cloud technologies: There was approximately a 10% AIO increase in keywords such as "data governance", "what is data analytics", "how does cloud networking work".
• For "treatment" related queries: There was approximately a 10% AIO increase in keywords including "treatment" (e.g., "shoulder tendonitis treatment", "hip tendonitis treatment"). This suggests increased interest in medical interventions.

Decreases:

• For "Vs" comparisons: Similarly, there's approximately a 20% AIO decrease in keywords containing "vs" for product or concept comparisons. This could be a result of avoiding hallucinations.
• For Brand-specific queries: AIOs appeared for 15% fewer keywords contain specific brand names (e.g., fewer mentions of companies like "Samsung", "Google", or "KitchenAid"). Similar to vs, this could be an area where Google is concerned about hallucinations
• For general product categories: AIOs were present for about 14% fewer keywords relate to broad product categories (e.g., fewer mentions of "shoes", "furniture", "appliances").
• For lifestyle-related queries: Approximately 12% less keywords related to lifestyle, fashion, and home decor included AI Overviews.
• For Product model numbers: Roughly 10% less keywords containing specific product model numbers or technical specifications displayed AI Overviews. These are purchase intent queries so AI may not be adding value given all the other features of the search result that are present.
• For Seeking general tech support: AIOs presence was reduced by approximately 25% for basic tech support queries. It could be that AI Overviews have difficulty adding value to these queries when Featured Snippets and other features are already present. For instance, examples where AIO no longer appears are keywords such as:
  •    - "how to reset router"
  •    - "troubleshoot printer issues"
• For Seeking basic health advice: AIOs were removed in approximately 15% of general wellness queries.  Similar to above, these queries may likely not see value from an AI Overview due to volatility of the answers. Examples of keywords where AIO’s do not appear at the end of June include:
  •    - "how to lose weight"
  •    - "natural remedies for common cold"

These changes suggest that AI overviews are more likely to be triggered by users seeking in-depth, specialized information, particularly in medical, technological, and financial domains.

This shift indicates a trend towards using AI for complex, knowledge-intensive topics rather than for everyday consumer decisions or basic troubleshooting that could be solved by elements in universal results.

6. Reputable sites are sourced by AI, with much less reliance on UGC content.

One of the challenges in May that Google addressed was the reliance on trustworthy content for AI citations. In June, the data shows that, particularly for medical content, AI Overviews are relying on authoritative and trustworthy sources to help users understand symptoms and other healthcare queries that show AI Overviews.

• Citations for cdc.gov show an overall increase of approximately 35% from the beginning to the end of the month. This suggests a growing reliance on official public health guidance in AI-generated responses.
• Citations for wikipedia.org declined 28% from the start to the end of the month. This may indicate a shift away from general knowledge sources towards more specialized, authoritative references.
• Citations for medicalnewstoday.com decreased by approximately 40% from the beginning to the end of the month. This could suggest a reduced focus on current health news in favor of more established medical sources.
• Throughout June, there were day-to-day fluctuations of up to 30% in citations for individual domains, even though the top sources remained consistent. This suggests that AI Overviews adapt their sources based on daily query patterns while still prioritizing established, reputable sources.

Concurrently, we’ve witnessed a steep decline in the citations from UGC sources that might contain content that is hard for the LLM to distinguish from authoritative ones. In fact, near the end of May, we saw Reddit and Quora citations fall off almost entirely in AI Overviews. This drop corresponds to statements Google has made comments about some difficulties AI has in detecting sarcasm and other linguistic nuances that make it difficult to understand when a source doesn’t necessarily mean what it says. On May 30th, Google’s Head of Search Liz Reid made a post on the official Google Product blog stating that they were limiting the use of user-generated content in responses. The data shows that this limitation resulted in a near complete drop-off for Reddit and Quora.

We saw a similar trajectory for citations for Quora occur:

For marketers, this should mean AI Overviews are less prone to hallucinations and giving customers false information.  It also reinforces the need for trustworthy content that demonstrates E-E-A-T. 

7. Comparison tables appear for half as many queries as they did on June 1

As noted above, one area where we see AI Overviews appearing less is around specific brand queries. This could be to avoid the possibilities of hallucinations. As a result, when users are comparing brands or specific products, AI Overviews appear less frequently, and we see fewer modules for pros/cons or versus comparisons.

Interestingly, this drop-off appears to occur around the same time we saw a reduction in e-commerce queries. We are now seeing a slight uptick in keywords that only show the "pro," which could indicate Google is looking to avoid hallucinations that could say negative things about brands.

8. Product Viewers and Carousels are appearing significantly less

Since the beginning of June, we are seeing less keywords that feature product carousels or product viewers in the results:

As this chart shows, there was an uptick when we saw an increase in e-commerce keywords showing AI Overviews. However, when that uptick decreased, so did the carousels showing AI Overviews. This doesn’t necessarily translate 1:1 with e-commerce, as we still find instances where AI Overviews provide guidance for the user without showing them product viewers or carousels.

(example of a query Google interprets to be e-commerce but does not serve a product carousel in the AI Overview)

9. Ordered and Unordered Lists are appearing less:

One of the most common types of modules in AI Overviews are unordered lists. We describe in detail how they work and what marketers can do to help increase the likelihood of a citation for them in our Ultimate Guide to AI Overviews. However, throughout June, we observed a significant decrease in their presence.
 

This may be a result of Google preferring snippets and paragraphs for broader queries that are on the rise (e.g., symptoms) which lend themselves to narratives and bullet points as opposed to unordered lists.

AI Overview showing simple bullet points and paragraphs

Unordered List as they appear in AI Overviews

This may also contribute to the smaller space AI Overviews are taking up. As Google looks to find ways to deliver more compact results that distill information, we expect the modules they deploy to be more precise in where they are used.

10. 10% increase in Financial Warnings

For YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) queries, AI Overviews offer a warning in addition to cautions about generative AI being experimental, advising that professional advice should also be sought. These warnings have been mostly prevalent for healthcare queries, but throughout June, the data showed Google was increasing these for financial queries. After an uptick in the middle of the month, we are now settling at a rate that is 10% higher than on June 1:

These financial warnings are a snippet that is appended to the disclaimer about generative AI:

This uptick may suggest that Google is protecting AI from liability around sensitive topics.

It’s an exciting time as AI Overviews unfold, and we can learn more about how they will help customers and shape digital marketing! It’s clear from the data that AI Overviews are carving a unique role in the search landscape that doesn’t simply duplicate elements that already work well. Marketers have a great opportunity to expand their reach and leverage AI to address their customers' needs before they even click on a website!

It’s been roughly two weeks since Google announced AI Overviews! BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has been tracking SGE for nearly 8 months now, and we’ve logged our findings in our Ultimate Guide to SGE.   We have been able to observe the transition to AI Overviews in real-time.  The code base and many of the modules that power the AI remain the same, there are some attributes of AIO that have implications for marketers.  So what can we say about how AIO is different?

AI Overviews are deployed where most helpful

The other change BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has detected is that AIO is showing for significantly fewer queries than SGE. We observed this drop in April, and it was widely covered when we reported that 65% of queries were not showing SGE. This was the culmination of almost a year of testing and learning about where they added the most value. At the time, I said this was about striking a balance between intelligent AI responses, user experiences, and advertising opportunities. Fast forward to after AIO was rolled out, and that figure jumped all the way to 90%!

This means while AI Overviews may not be on as many keywords, when they are visible it is because the data suggested these are where users prefer them.  For marketers, this means your job is to make sure you’re present in these results. When I spoke with Wired a couple weeks ago, I said the effect is that AI-powered search essentially gives an informed opinion about your brand and the topic at hand. Being the source for that opinion not only creates a new engagement opportunity for your brand, but it also helps you get into a new conversation with your customers.

AIO is better suited to share the screen with traditional results

The first thing that stands out is that AIO takes up less space on a screen than SGE has. They are presented as collapsed views, so users who want them can expand (AIO isn’t showing any opt-in or full results, which we observed with SGE). When AI Overviews rolled out, we observed that the space on the screen shrank by 30% compared to what the SGE results for the exact same keywords were showing just two weeks earlier!

Google is looking to deliver AIO in the most efficient manner possible. For marketers, this means your traditional organic rankings will continue to play a central role in driving traffic.  Clearly, AIO isn’t intended to force users to use AI, but provide both traditional and AIO experiences.  For marketers, this means your traditional SEO efforts remain as important as ever. 

For example, let’s say I search for security lights. The traditional component of that search result assumes I want to buy security lights and ranks places where I can do that. This is ideal for a customer who knows what they want and needs to get to the product as quickly as possible.

 

However, this result also shows an AI Overview that serves customers who need to have a broader understanding of security lights. As you can see, in a very conversational way, it addresses some concepts I’ll need to know about security lights and offers an informed opinion on some products I may like based on what it’s explained:

Throughout, AIO cites where it’s getting its information.  Not only do marketers have an opportunity to influence what AIO is going to tell its users, but each of these citations is an opportunity for referral traffic.  According to Google’s CEO, these citations have a higher click through rate than regular search results.  

For marketers, the job is to serve both of these mindsets. To do that, it’s no longer about optimizing for the keyword “Security Lights”; it’s about optimizing for the topic of Security Lights. The benefit is that marketers have an opportunity to better qualify customers and be rewarded with referral traffic as they do it. To make this happen, SEOs and digital marketing teams need to know which aspects of the keywords they are targeting are likely to be addressed by AIO. Then, they need to deploy their content in a way that’s conducive to both AIO and traditional search results.

To drive traffic with AI Overviews, there’s three things that need to be part of your digital content team’s workflow: 

1.  Identify where AIO will impact the buying process - Whether you’re selling security lights or providing a complex surgical procedure, AIO promises to help your customers learn and discern about the topic. You need to know where this is going to happen and how, so you can not only be part of that conversation with your customer but also ensure your content is aligned downstream.  Copilot for Content Advisor was built from the ground up to do this.  It leverages AI to research multiple sources around a topic to build a brief that not only targets a single keyword but also includes all the related content AIO may need to cite and drafts the content for you.  So now, instead of a content strategy that targets security lights, you’re targeting (all of these are factors Copilot has identified as required to optimize to the topic):

• Factors to consider when selecting security lights
• Types of security lights and their features
• Difference power sources for security lights
• Maximum lumens and its importance
• Proper installation and guidelines
• How to maintain security lights 

Armed with this data, SEO and content teams can now build content strategies, product pages, content calendars, and blog posts that address these topics in a meaningful way.

2.  Update your workflows to address AI Citations and Rankings – According to BrightEdge Generative Parser™, 15% of the URLs cited by AIO are ranking in search results. Considering that the role of AIO is to answer questions you may not have directly asked, this makes sense. But it also means that your content needs to be adaptable for AI while also serving the needs of a traditional search algorithm since these two entities are likely looking for different things at the same time. Fortunately, this doesn’t require a new set of skills, but it does require focus on specific data. Schema tags are like hints for both AI and algorithms to understand context for your content. SEO teams need to understand what schema is in play for the topics they are targeting. This can be challenging without the right technology because there are literally hundreds of different tags to indicate what a page is about! BrightEdge solves this challenge with SearchIQ by measuring and correlating which schema tags are most important for each topic. As teams are planning their content deployment, SearchIQ is a critical input to define what the must-haves are for tagging that web page.

In addition to SearchIQ, teams need to understand what formats are most important for both AIO and traditional results. I mentioned earlier how the People Also Ask box was appearing alongside the AIO result for Security Lights, but there are other features in a result that can correlate to AIO as well. For example, Featured Snippets show a high correlation to AIO results. Other formats such as video, image carousels, and news give teams insights into the intents that search engines understand about a query. BrightEdge arms teams with what these different features are using Data Cube X. Data Cube X tracks 28 features on a search result, so as teams determine what content formats are needed, they can immediately see what formats are most prominent in traditional results that could correspond to how AIO may address a topic. They can see what’s on the rise and what’s in decline to make content format decisions.

 

3.  Distinguish Data from Speculation – Similar to any new technology, there is a lot of speculation about AIO and how Google will deploy it. Marketers need to discern between speculation and actionable data-driven insights. Particularly with hallucinations and some challenges in the early days, Google is rapidly refining and innovating how AIO is deployed. BrightEdge’s Generative Parser™ uniquely understands where and how AIO is being deployed, which marketers can use to prove their strategies are sound. This, combined with Data Cube X, allows marketers to see how traditional search features address different intents. By refining strategies based on observable evidence, marketers can ensure their content remains at the top of organic traditional results and meets AIO citation needs.

The question isn’t what AIO is doing right now, it’s what is has the potential to deliver in the next 12 months.  Marketers have an exciting opportunity to be at the front of a whole way customers will interact with AI assistants and digital content.  BrightEdge is committed to navigating these new marketplaces and fostering innovation at the intersection of AI and search!

What a month it’s been for AI search technology! After almost a year of testing in labs, Google took the step we were all waiting for and began rolling out AI more broadly across search. One week prior to this, based on our BrightEdge Generative Parser™ data, we correctly predicted that Google was getting ready to launch SGE at Google I/O.  

According to Google’s guidance, this replaces Google’s Search Engine Experience (SGE) for those who have been enrolled in it through Google labs.

AI Overviews are built on the same Large Language Model (LLM) as SGE, and BGP is able to track their presence just as it did with SGE. AI Overviews are included to US users who are logged in to Google, regardless of whether they’ve enrolled in the Google Labs, but as of this writing are still not available to any non-logged in users.

This is still very early days as we’re only two weeks into the era of AI Overviews, but I’d like to share some data BrightEdge Generative Parser™ is collecting that tells us a bit about what’s happened since the launch. For SEOs and Digital Marketers looking to realize the opportunities that Generative AI Search offers, there are some important insights about what we could expect!

Here are ten findings that our data helped uncover about AIOs and how they differ from how Google has been testing SGE.

1.  Google went from showing AI on 84% of queries to 15%

We noted that SGE started showing for significantly fewer queries back in April and that trend is continuing in the era of AI Overviews. AI Collapsed results have remained present and stable but AI Opt-In results are now close to non-existent for AI Overviews. This one change explains the decrease from 84% to 15%.

Overall, BGP detects that Google is getting more precise on what queries are best to deploy AI.

2.  AIO provides more information that doesn’t overlap with traditional results

In these early days of AI Overviews, we’re seeing a trend to complement traditional results which helps answer multiple queries in a single result.  In fact, when AI Overviews replaced SGE, we saw this metric jump significantly:

In Google’s official product release blog, they describe Generative AI in Search as a vehicle to “Let Google do the searching for you”.   This makes sense. Why would it give you the same results you’re already seeing in traditional search? Its role is to do the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th search you may do.

For example, take this query for “indoor charcoal grill”:

Here we see that the AI Overview is already anticipating that somebody searching for this might likely also need to search on things like “Best size for an indoor charcoal grill,” “Are indoor charcoal grills safe?,” “What is a charcoal grill made out of?” and so on. It factors that into an original generative AI response for that user. As a result, we see that its citations are not necessarily going to be from things that would be as relevant in a search result for the original query. This phenomenon represents a fantastic opportunity for digital marketers and SEOs who want to drive traffic from search. Now, you have an AI assistant who’s already anticipating queries your customer might have before they even make them. If you are focused on all the nuances of topics you need to win on, you have an opportunity to go even higher in the decision funnel with your customer when AI overviews are present.

Our guidance remains to optimize a topic as opposed to a keyword will help more of your content not only rank for traditional search but also serve as a citation for the AI overview.

3.  AI Overviews are even smaller than SGE

For the past two months, we’ve observed SGE results taking up less and less space on the search results page. When AI Overviews rolled out, we saw them significantly drop again. This is likely because Google is figuring out what is important to be included in AI results: 

Today, AI Overviews are 30% smaller than SGE results were at the beginning of May. We've suspected this size reduction is the result of Google testing and learning what modules are most effective for users and eliminating those that are not. As AI Overviews roll out broadly, it'll be important to get this right to ensure search experiences are as useful as possible.

For websites already doing well with SEO, this is good news because it means AI Overviews are less likely to crowd out organic results. Instead, Google is getting better at serving two audiences simultaneously: those who want AI guidance and those who know exactly what they want — all in a single search result!

For digital marketers thinking about the topic the query represents, this means you have opportunities to reach people in multiple mindsets all in a single session. For users, this is an opportunity to find the right content more quickly and efficiently.

4.  AI Overviews are deferring to more efficient modules

E-commerce is one area where we see AI Overviews appearing more frequently (1 in 5 queries for logged-in users). For most of the SGE period, general product viewers were by far the most common product display module to appear.

When we moved into the era of AI Overviews two weeks ago, almost right away, we saw these types of results decline in visibility and carousel-oriented results began to rise.  

Now, carousel groups are on the rise. If this trend continues, we may see these two evenly distributed in the next month. Given Google's announcement of ads for AI Overviews, the carousel format is an ideal way to display the results since they are very similar to shopping carousels.

For digital marketers and SEOs, the shift to more carousels in AI Overviews aligns with the trend of decreased pixel depth. This format allows for the display of more products in less space, offering vendors increased visibility and opportunities to appear in search results. The carousel format accommodates more products within the limited screen space, maximizing exposure for various vendors. Additionally, the integration of paid strategies and organic results becomes more crucial as AI overviews enable users to accomplish more with less screen space. The coordination between paid and organic efforts ensures that users can easily find and access relevant products, enhancing their overall search experience.

5.  Modules that are transactional have been deprecated

At one point during SGE, the "Places" module was very common in search results. In fact, for a period in January, it was the most common module to appear. However, within days of rolling out AI Overviews, the "Places" module disappeared completely.

Given that Google states the mission of AI Overviews is to help users explore a topic further, it makes sense that the "Places" module may no longer be necessary. The module itself offers few details that can't already be found in the local pack. In addition, there isn’t much value added by Generative AI.

The disappearance of modules like "Places" suggests that Google AIOs are less likely to show content already present in organic search results or be present when Generative AI does not significantly improve the search experience.

6.  Elements in traditional search correlate to the likelihood of an AI Overview appearing.

Beyond these macro trends, BGP has also detected some interesting correlations and conditions specific to industries. By cross-referencing BGP data with organic search data from Data Cube X, we have identified correlations between the presence of AI Overviews and attributes occurring in traditional searches:

 

We can see that Featured Snippets and whether or not the keyword is a question are the most likely conditions to correlate to an AIO. Conversely, we are seeing that the presence of site links (typically brand queries) and the local pack have a strong negative correlation to AIO. This aligns with how Google has described the role of AIO. That is to say, they are meant to help users when it is determined they may want to explore the topic further. With brand queries and local packs, these are navigational and transactional queries predominantly. As a result, there are fewer reasons for AI Overviews.

For marketers, this is a very critical insight. Isolating your keywords where a question is present and where a featured snippet is present are most likely to feature an AIO. Armed with this information, you can now plan your optimization strategy to serve both the mindset in traditional results and those that may be triggered from AIO.

7.  AI Overviews vary across industries

As I mentioned earlier, it’s apparent from the data that AI Overviews are being shown on fewer queries than SGE on average. However, this is not uniform across all industries. In fact, when we dig in, it appears some industries are far more likely to serve an AI Overview: 

Other observers of AI Overviews have noted that, despite being a Your Money or Your Life category, Healthcare curiously returns a high number of AI Overviews in its search results. This was previously the case as well with SGE. We suspect this is because for health advice AIOs rely on expert opinions from highly authority sites such as mayoclinic.org, nih.gov, clevelandclinic.org to provide high quality answers. In addition, users looking for medical advice are likely to consult a professional for additional information before making a decision.

We also see that B2B Tech, Ecommerce, and Insurance are above average. Based on Google’s guidance on AIO, the goal is to help users with more complex queries. These categories may be ones where users are doing searches where more context is determined to be helpful.

8.  Specific keywords in particular industries are more likely to trigger an AIO

BGP was able to analyze the nature of keywords that are currently serving AIO, and there are specific attributes that stand out across the industries we measured:

• B2B Tech: Currently, 32% of B2B tech keywords are showing AIO. Keywords that contain “vs” (comparing products/services) are even more likely to show an AIO.
• Ecommerce: On average, 23% of Ecommerce queries show an AIO. Queries related to Jewelry and Small Kitchen Appliances and more likely to show AIO, 45% and 35% respectively. That is to say, if you are selling jewelry products, you can expect right now, nearly half of your ecommerce keywords are likely to show an AIO.
• Education: We observed that on average, 14% of education keywords are showing an AIO. However, when the keyword contains the word “skills,” that likelihood jumps to 75%.
• Entertainment: BGP has detected the presence of AIO on 14% of the keywords tracked. We also noted that when the keyword has “best” in it, we see the presence of AIO jump to just over 40%. And when users are searching for actors or actresses from the golden age of Hollywood, that figure jumps to 60%. For modern actors or actresses, the percentage falls back to the average of 14%.
• Finance: Only 5% of keywords related to finance are showing AIO, which is similar to what we observed during the SGE testing. However, if that keyword is a question, the figure jumps to 45%. We also observed that if the SERP features a video, the likelihood of AIO jumps to 20%.
• Healthcare: This category already has a high likelihood of showing an AIO at 63% of queries showing them. However, when that keyword is a question, the figure jumps to 80%.
• Insurance: While far fewer of the queries BGP tracks in Insurance show AIO, it has a similar pattern as healthcare. The category only shows AIO 18% of the time; however, if the keyword is a question, that figure jumps to 50%.

9.  The rank overlap between AIO and Traditional Results is not evenly distributed across industries.

Across all keywords, we are observing that 85% of the citations in AI are not ranking in organic results. However, when we look at specific industries, we observe fluctuations in this metric:

For Healthcare, we see that one in four citations is also ranking in the top 10 results. This does correlate to what we know about Your Money or Your Life queries in that the category requires a higher degree of trust. Overall, it seems that Google treats this category differently than other industries. Conversely, we see that none of the entertainment citations are featured in organic results (and we are seeing very few AIOs in Restaurants or Travel). For marketers in these industries, it will be critical to monitor search result features such as Featured Snippets, as these could be indicators that AI Overviews may be coming to your keywords.

10.  Ecommerce and Entertainment AIO results are the largest on the screen.

As I mentioned earlier, on average, we’re observing AIO is 30% smaller than SGE results. However, the size across industries varies. For Ecommerce, the size of AIO is still roughly going to occupy the space above the fold, whereas Finance queries are roughly half that size.

The difference in the space on the screen between these two results is striking when compared to each other:

As we can see, AIO not only provides information before a user clicks “show more” about Security Lights but also offers suggestions about products to consider. The Finance Query is strictly informational, featuring a typical unordered list that we see most often in AI results on Google. For Ecommerce marketers, this means that you may experience a greater impact from the presence of AIO than a finance marketer would. It is critical to identify where those attributes around the SERP features correlate to AIO in your industry to ensure you are planning accordingly.

What an exciting time to be in SEO! It’s fascinating to watch this rollout with BGP as we have a front-row seat to observe how Google is honing in on how AI can be most helpful to users. It’s apparent that AIO is being selectively deployed based on the intents in each industry. Furthermore, it’s clear from the ways AIO differs from SGE that they will work alongside other elements of the search result page to help users. For marketers, this presents a great opportunity to unlock new value and reach more mindsets from a single search!

There’s a lot of evolution in AI search happening in April!. As we move into May, we are seeing strong signals that Google is refining SGE to go live. BrightEdge Generative Parser™ continues to monitor how AI is changing search with a focus on Google SGE as well as AI-First engines like Perplexity.  In fact, we are seeing Perplexity work more on honing its trusted sources and anticipating the follow-up questions users have .

To date, we still don’t have an official general release announcement from Google, but from what our BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has detected over the course of the month, there is evidence that a lot of changes are still happening.  We’re seeing SGE become more concise and even withdraw from areas that could make way for paid results. For marketers who are considering how to manage their paid and organic channels, this could provide some clues on how to optimize between the channels.

1. SGE started showing for significantly less queries at the end of the month

Starting around the middle of the month, we saw Google significantly pull back on the results where they were showing SGE results. The drop was largely at the expense of Opt-In results, which are usually the most common type of result to appear. Collapsed results seem largely unaffected by this shift.

There is no official word from Google on this drop, but it does suggest that marketers may see less impact when it goes live. We saw Google increase Opt-in results on the 21st of April, which suggests that this could still be part of an ongoing test. Regardless, such a drastic shift in visibility for SGE indicates that experimentation is still occurring, which could be due to stress testing SGE for deployment or making way for new formats of SGE in the future.

2. A sharp drop in product viewers on SGE

Since we began tracking Google SGE results in November, we’ve observed various modules emerge and then sunset. Currently, there are four primary types, each serving specific types of queries: a viewer specific for apparel queries, a carousel that groups products together, a standalone product viewer with expanded content and a value card which is like a condensed version of a product viewer. The product viewer, a general array of products that SGE displays, helps users browse through them. This has been the most common way for SGE to display products. However, on the 21st of April, we saw a significant drop in this type, while Product Carousels (which occupy less space on the search results page) and Product Viewers specific to apparel began to increase.

Product Viewer Results like these started to decline on April 21st:

Apparel Carousels began to increase:

Product Viewers Specific to Apparel Began to Increase:

 

There are a couple of reasons this could be occurring. One, it could suggest that Google is looking for ways to reduce the space that SGE results occupy in the search results (more on this later). It could also indicate that space is being cleared to test paid results. This would make sense, as we saw Google experiment with inserting product listings into SGE results late last year.  To date, we haven’t detected a result specific to paid. Regardless, if this trajectory continues, we may see Product Carousels overtake the product viewers in May, which would significantly reduce the real estate on a search result page for product searches. For more details on how to ensure your content is optimized for a product carousel in SGE, refer to our Ultimate Guide to Google SGE.

3. Sharp increase for Yelp on Perplexity

One thing that differentiates Perplexity from Google SGE citations is that, rather than relying on the entirety of Google’s index, Perplexity gives priority to a curated group of trusted sources. This means that marketers interested in driving referral traffic from Perplexity need to pay attention to which sites Perplexity is citing most frequently. In April, the BrightEdge Generative Parser™ detected some significant jumps in visibility for Yelp:

This has a couple of implications. First, it implies that Perplexity is increasingly relying on user-generated content to support their answers. It also suggests that locations are playing a more significant role in how Yelp addresses queries. For marketers who need to drive traffic to specific locations, this indicates that Yelp will play an increasingly important role in how Perplexity assists users. Ensure your presence on Yelp is optimized and up-to-date, as it becomes more crucial in this emerging engine’s responses!

4. SGE continues to get smaller 

Last month, we observed that Google SGE results were appearing smaller on the screen. This trend has continued, with Google experimenting with smaller display sizes towards the end of this month. As mentioned earlier, we are witnessing a shift to carousel-style shopping results, which tend to take up less space on the screen, a change that seems to be validated by recent observations. Ultimately, as we approach a broader release, this trend towards a smaller footprint suggests that traditional organic results will continue to play an important role and remain visible for most users. It also indicates that SGE is becoming more effective at delivering valuable answers in concise ways.

5. Warnings about Generative AI being experimental

Since Google rolled out SGE, it has supplied certain queries with warnings about the nature of the results. These warnings mostly concern content that could be misconstrued as medical or financial advice. Warnings are also issued for queries that could potentially relate to illegal activities or things that may be dangerous. However, a new warning emerged in April that seems to be broadly applied. Now, Google is reminding users that Generative AI is experimental:

This warning is being broadly applied across keywords in all the industries that BGP is currently tracking:

While this doesn’t necessarily warrant actions from marketers, it does suggest that Google is exploring ways to differentiate generative AI results from traditional search results. This could be a necessary step for advancing SGE results to live deployment, stemming from feedback gathered during tests conducted outside of the experimental phase last month.

The future of AI Search looks promising!

With more concise and deliberate results in SGE, coupled with prominent user-generated content in Perplexity, it appears marketers have plenty of opportunities to unlock value in both traditional and AI-powered results. With the broader release of SGE pending and Perplexity's continued growth, it's important to stay informed about the latest trends and learn how these new technologies are delivering results. To keep abreast of these advancements, we recommend regularly consulting our Ultimate Guide to SGE and our Guide to Perplexity, ensuring you have access to the latest insights and thorough analyses.

 

AI Optimization (AIO) is becoming increasingly important — and for good reason. Traditional search augmented with Generative  AI like Google’s Search Generative Experiences are now being tested outside of labs and are expected to impact 84% of search queries. AI-first search engines like Perplexity are experiencing a monthly growth rate of 40%. These innovations have the potential to connect customers with brands in new and exciting ways.  While traditional engines rely on indexing, Generative AI employs a different approach — surfacing content from different domains. As a result, AIO  involves optimizing content specifically for these cutting-edge, AI-first engines. AIO shares similarities with traditional SEO but has its own unique nuances. To harness the full benefits of AIO, marketing leaders must understand what their teams need to do to succeed in this new medium.

Understanding AI Optimization

AIO marks a shift from the traditional goal of securing higher rankings in search results to the fine-tuning of content for AI models that provide direct answers to users. This shift is paving the way for new and unique interactions with users that would not have been possible in a traditional search model.  For example, with AI-first search, a user can say they are planning a vacation to Paris and are interested in architecture and then request an itinerary for a 5-day trip. The engine can render that itinerary just as it was asked. This kind of dynamic and personalized result is not possible in a traditional search model. The models behind AI search engines like ChatGPT, SGE and Perplexity, are tasked with identifying reliable sources of knowledge to address queries like the one above. Thus, AIO extends beyond SEO basics like optimized title tags and keyword placement; it leverages content that aligns better with the user’s intent and the context of the query. Achieving success with AIO necessitates that digital marketing teams are equipped with the right data and are operating in a way that makes it optimal for AIO to take place.

Three Ways to Start Operationalizing AIO

The good news for marketers already doing SEO is that by creating relevant and engaging content, most of the heavy lifting is already done.  But marketers can take some extra steps to ensure their digital assets are ready for AI-powered search engines: 

1. Learn How AI-Powered Engines Work: Understanding and leveraging AI-driven search engines is crucial for SEO teams aiming to stay ahead. BrightEdge Generative Parser™ is an industry-first technology that explores how AI-powered search engines are rendering results.  Our comprehensive Ultimate Guides to Google SGE and Perplexity are designed to demystify the complexities of these advanced engines. They are regularly updated with the latest modules and emerging patterns, are filled with hands-on examples and strategic advice, equipping teams to refine their SEO strategies for peak performance.


2. Prioritize  Intent-Based Content Creation: In AI-powered search optimization, the objective is not just to rank highly, but to become a trusted source for dynamically generated answers. As search engines develop deeper understanding through AI, they strive to grasp the searcher's intent and generate responses that not only address the immediate query, but also anticipate subsequent related queries.  It's essential that the content closely aligns with the intent of the the topic, in order to establish your website as an authority. Large Language Models (LLMs), like those powering advanced search engines, prioritize content from sites recognized as authoritative in their respective fields, making it crucial to enhance your topic authority.
   
   Additionally, it's important to understand and prepare for the "intent neighborhoods" that AI models will likely generate. These are clusters of related queries and concerns that search engines predict users will explore next. Enterprise platforms like BrightEdge provide the data needed to map out these intent neighborhoods. When creating content, make sure you address not just the immediate need or primary query of users, but also their evolving queries. For instance, when optimizing a web page about learning to play the guitar, it's important to consider not just the playing techniques, but also other relevant needs such as what guitar accessories to purchase, how to store and maintain the instrument, and the various musical styles learners might be interested in. AI can use these varied intents to generate comprehensive answers that users will see when they search for guitar learning tips on AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, ChatGPT or SGE.
   
   BrightEdge's Copilot for Content Advisor simplifies this process in the initial content planning stage. Moving beyond traditional keyword dependencies, Copilot assesses related queries from standard searches and reviews thematic content from top-ranking pages, resulting in a content plan that covers the entire scope of a keyword or subject. Beginning with such comprehensive insights enables teams to produce content that fulfills the requirements of AI search models. Content Advisor uses AI to generate briefs that draw from user intent and matching web content, guiding the development of content strategies that are in tune with the sophisticated needs of AI-driven search engines.


3. Enhance Topical Authority through Intelligent Clustering: Establishing your site as an authoritative source on relevant topics is paramount in the landscape of AI Optimization. It's not enough to rely on citations and backlinks alone; a strategic approach to connecting thematically similar content is also essential. AI-powered search engines like Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) are shifting the paradigm. They do not solely rely on traditional ranking factors, as evidenced by the fact that only 38% of pages sourced by SGE also appear in the top 10 of traditional search results. This suggests that even content not highly ranked can gain visibility if it is thematically coherent and well-connected.
   
   Technology such as BrightEdge Autopilot, plays a crucial role in this process by using AI to intelligently group related content on your site. This not only benefits SEO, but also optimizes your content for AIO by demonstrating clear thematic relationships between pages, which is critical for AI-driven search engines to understand and trust the authority of your content. Additionally, BrightEdge technologies such as SearchIQ and Oncrawl analyze and fill gaps in your structured data to ensure that every piece of content is correctly categorized and easily interpreted by search algorithms, further enhancing your topical authority.

AI Optimization has the potential to unlock new ways to refer traffic, pre-qualify customers, and create better experiences . Marketing leaders can take some steps now to ensure their teams and their digital assets are well-positioned to win as this new frontier evolves.  Here at BrightEdge, we’re at the forefront and measuring how these new technologies are unfolding. We look forward to navigating them with you!

The world of search is undergoing a massive transformation, driven by the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI models. Like most, I have been closely monitoring these developments and their potential impact on the search landscape. 

In a recent post on AI and SEO, I wrote about the evolution of search behaviors and the development of new generative AI-based experiences. Today we see a massive influx of new investment and innovations from traditional and non-traditional search players, signaling that we are entering the next generation of search and AI. 

You can learn more on How AI is reshaping Google’s search page via Fast Company.

The Evolution of Search in a Post-Generative AI World 

One of the most significant changes we are witnessing is the integration of AI into search engines. Generative AI models, like ChatGPT and others, make the average searcher much more proficient at finding relevant information. These models can take a single keyword and expand it into multiple related queries, providing a comprehensive and well-summarized search experience. 

This is a momentous change for the end user, as it enhances their ability to find what they are looking for.

Search engines can utilize AI to take a single search query and turn that into many formats of answers. They do this is by assembling the entire related areas of conversation, run those searches, summarize that with the AI, and give you a well-researched and summarized point of view. As I mentioned in an interview with Forbes recently, it makes the average person that searches 100 times better at search.

You can learn more on How Google’s AI Search Will Change Marketing Strategy via Forbes

Moreover, the rise of AI-powered search engines has created a massive opportunity for disruption in the industry. Companies like Google, OpenAI, and Microsoft are investing heavily in developing their own AI-driven search experiences. 

Each of these players brings unique assets and capabilities to the table, setting the stage for a new era of innovation and competition in search.

Last week I had a great conversation with Kanad Bahalkar, Co-founder of Potion. I want to summarize our discussion on how AI is reshaping search and what it means for businesses, entrepreneurs, and marketers.

 

 

 

As AI continues to advance, I believe we will see search engines become increasingly specialized in different use cases. 

Google, for example, has a strong advantage in real-time indexing, location-based information, and user reviews. On the other hand, platforms like Perplexity are focusing on the research use case, providing powerful tools for citation and information summarization.

Just as people today use different search engines for specific purposes (e.g., Google for general queries, Amazon for products, YouTube for videos), I anticipate that the AI-driven search landscape will further fragment, with users turning to different AI engines for diverse types of searches. 

I share more of my thoughts on this below, including BrightEdge Generative Parser™ research on Perplexity showing 40% MoM growth in referrals. 

Read more: Perplexity’s growth upends SEO fears, reveals crack in Google’s dominance, VentureBeat. 

The Importance of Being an Authority

For businesses and marketers, the rise of AI in search underscores the importance of being an authoritative source in your domain. As AI models become more adept at surfacing and citing the most relevant and trustworthy information, it is crucial to establish your brand as a go-to resource in your area of expertise.

This means doubling down on your core competencies and creating high-quality, informative content that highlights your unique value proposition. Whether it is Google's AI engine or Perplexity's, if you are consistently producing valuable content in your niche, you will be well-positioned to be cited as an authoritative source.

The Challenges of Content Moderation

Of course, the integration of AI into search also presents new challenges, particularly in the realm of content moderation. As platforms like Reddit begin licensing their datasets to train large language models, questions arise about how to effectively police the quality and appropriateness of the content being used.

 

 

Moreover, as AI engines start to assert their own informed opinions and present pros and cons for various queries, there is a risk of bias and misinformation. Striking the right balance between surfacing diverse perspectives and maintaining accuracy and credibility will be a key challenge for AI-powered search engines moving forward. This is something I discussed with the team at TheNewStack just last week. 

The Future of Search and AI is Bright 

I am incredibly excited about the future of search and the role that AI is playing in shaping it. We are entering a new era of innovation and disruption, where the boundaries of what is possible are being pushed every day. 

At BrightEdge we are committed to helping you stay at the forefront of these developments and helping businesses navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.

By understanding the implications of AI for search, focusing on your core strengths, and consistently producing high-quality, authoritative content, you can position your brand for success in the age of AI-powered search. 

The future is bright, and I cannot wait to see what it holds.

 

You can read more of my vision for the future and how BrightEdge is innovating to keep marketers ahead below, or follow me on LinkedIn.

Helping you Navigate the New Multi-Search Universe with New Perplexity Research

Reinventing Search in an AI-First World

Helping You Stay Ahead of Changes in AI and Search in 2024

BrightEdge Copilot: Interacting and Collaborating with Generative AI

Pioneering the Generative AI Future