BrightEdge Data Shows Industry-Specific Improvements in Google AI Overviews
August 13 2024 - 11:00AM
BrightEdge, the global leader in AI-driven organic search, content,
and digital marketing automation, has released new data from the
BrightEdge Generative Parser™. Insights reveal that Google is
actively enhancing its AI Overviews (AIOs), tailoring changes by
industry to boost AI quality while maintaining its core focus on
business and revenue.
“New entrants such as SearchGPT offer a very interesting
alternative to traditional search by becoming answer engines.
However, they have a huge task ahead to compete directly with
Google, which has proven time and time again that it never stands
still on innovation,” said Jim Yu, Founder and Executive
Chairman of BrightEdge. “Our July data shows that Google
has been heavily utilizing its vertical knowledge, expertise, and
reach to improve its information delivery and experience in AI
Overviews.”
BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has detected a new set of patterns
as part of its monthly monitoring of AI Overviews. Key trends
indicate that particular attention is being paid to the education
and e-commerce sectors as marketers enter critical
revenue-generating periods such as back-to-school and the upcoming
holiday shopping season, which McKinsey has reported commences in
October or earlier.
Industry-Specific Findings
Fluctuating AI Overview Presence as Google Tests to
Learn and Adapt
- In July, overall AIO presence started
at 8% and grew to 12% before settling back under 8% at the end of
the month.
- This trend indicates Google is
continuing to test and adjust.
- It could also indicate that Google is
fine-tuning its strategy, potentially testing to find an
equilibrium between AI Overviews and traditional search
results.
E-commerce Sees Strong Growth Amidst Ongoing
Experimentation
- The e-commerce sector remained stable around 17% AIO presence
for most of July. This is despite significant daily
fluctuations.
- Notably, 40% of e-commerce queries now include helpful AI
guidance through upfront statements like “When choosing…, you can
consider…” statements followed by selection considerations,
improving user search experiences. For example, “When choosing a
front load washer, you can consider things like capacity, energy
efficiency, and noise level.”
- Additionally, Google introduced facets to AI Overviews. Faceted
navigation mirrors advanced e-commerce platforms and allows users
to filter and refine search results based on specific attributes
enhancing the search experience for complex purchase decisions. For
example, “When choosing an air purifier, think about where and how
you plan on using it most: For Home, For Pets, For Dust, For Large
Rooms.”
- Some late-month instability suggests that Google may fine-tune
its approach to product-related queries. This could potentially be
in response to user feedback or as part of a broader
adjustment.
Significant Focus on the Education Sector
- In the education sector, AIOs saw some dramatic increases.
- AIOs in queries related to salaries
(e.g., “nurse salary,” “human resources manager salary”) jumped
from 7% to 85% during the second half of July.
- For queries related to degrees (e.g.,
“computer science degree,” “online history degree”), AIOs similarly
rose from 13% in June to 53%.
- This surge also boosted citations for
ziprecruiter.com and bestcolleges.com, placing them among the top
10 domains for this industry.
Healthcare Sector Adjustments
- Despite being the industry with the
highest AI Overview presence due to a wealth of reliable
high-authority sources, healthcare decreased slightly from 68% to
61% in July.
- This was primarily because Google
removed AI results for rare, genetic, and complex disorders
keywords.
- It also suggests that Google had a
well-tuned approach for health-related queries.
Consistent B2B Sector Performance
- The B2B sector also demonstrated
periods of stability in July, with AI Overviews presence hovering
around 29% for the first half of the month, growing to 45% in the
second half before giving up these gains in the last days of the
month to end around 27%.
- Mid-month experiments saw AI Overviews
presence rise mainly for security and data-related searches before
settling back down.
Further Findings from BrightEdge Generative Parser™ in July
Refined Source Citations
- AI Overviews are diversifying their
sources, favoring specialized, academic, and niche content
providers over general information hubs. This shift ensures more
nuanced and expert responses to user queries.
- Notable changes include decreased
citations from Wikipedia and increased citations from specialized
medical institutions and academic sources like hopkinsmedicine.org
and yale.edu.
New AI Trigger Patterns
- New patterns and keywords that trigger AI Overviews show they
now address more complex queries.
- Increases in queries were related to
explanations for highly technical terms, salary information, and
product features.
- Decreases were related to basic how-to
questions, broad product, and brand-related queries.
Introduction of “When choosing… you can consider…”
Statements to Help with Complex Decision-Making
- These statements guide users through complex topics in areas
where thoughtful consideration is required.
- This includes product consideration guidance and usage-based
considerations.
“AI Overviews are becoming more specialized and user-focused,
dialing into the areas where they are most useful, enhancing
decision-making processes with strategic frameworks, and providing
users with more tailored information,” states Albert
Gouyet, VP of Operations at BrightEdge. “'When' statements
in AI Overviews now provide users with clear frameworks for
considering various topics, particularly in decision-making
processes, creating a new challenge for brands to adapt to.
Organizations within the affected sectors should closely monitor
their online marketing and brand strategies to maintain visibility
and ensure they meet the evolving criteria for AI Overviews.”
Full findings and all new insights can be viewed at
www.brightedge.com/ai-overviews
About BrightEdge
BrightEdge, the global leader in Enterprise SEO and content
performance, empowers digital marketers to transform online
opportunities into tangible business results. Its all-in-one
platform provides organizations with crucial market insights and
intelligent AI-driven solutions. The BrightEdge platform contains
the industry's most unique and extensive data set that connects key
search, social, content, and digital media data points. Its
deep-learning engine, DataMind, has been powering SEO AI-driven
solutions since 2015, allowing marketers to benefit from
high-fidelity data-led insights and automated action. Over 57% of
Fortune 100 companies and nine of the top ten international
agencies trust BrightEdge to help them provide the best performance
by becoming an integral part of the digital experience.
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