The Impact of Google’s AI Search on Ecommerce
Discover how Google’s experimental AI-powered search results could potentially influence ecommerce and impact website traffic. Learn about the Search Generative Experience (SGE) and its implications for online businesses.
Understanding the Search Generative Experience (SGE)
Google’s SGE aims to provide conversational search results that resemble human interactions. While it shares similarities with featured snippets and carousels, SGE introduces novel and mostly unexplored territory. Despite its experimental nature, experts in search engine optimization (SEO) have been speculating on the potential effects of SGE on website traffic, particularly in the ecommerce domain.
Exploring New Perspectives and Prioritized Answers
Google’s SGE may seek fresh perspectives from social media platforms, potentially influencing the selection of products displayed. The process of determining which products appear in SGE results remains uncertain, as they do not necessarily overlap with products shown in the organic shopping carousel. This suggests that adopting an “answer optimization” strategy could be a powerful approach to improving visibility within SGE results.
Analyzing the Impact on Performance Advertising
Notably, shopping ads continue to occupy the top positions in SGE results, similar to Google’s regular search results. It is crucial to recognize that advertising plays a significant role in organic search traffic. A well-crafted ad has the potential to dominate search results, surpassing even the highest-ranking organic listings. When conducting a search using SGE, advertisements appear first, followed by AI-generated responses, and finally, traditional organic search results.
The Role of Google Merchant Center
Upon clicking a product within the generative results, desktop users are presented with a new panel showcasing a list of online stores that offer the queried product or related items. This development brings positive implications for ecommerce businesses. The store listings likely originate from the product data uploaded to the Google Merchant Center. As a result, ecommerce SEO practitioners who have diligently provided product feeds to Google might already have a head start in optimizing their content for SGE.
Leveraging Reviews and Public Relations
Kevin Indig, in his analysis of SGE, highlighted the significance of product reviews as a crucial source of content. SGE results often include a section featuring recommended products, which is a departure from previous practices where Google did not explicitly endorse specific products. It appears that SGE incorporates customer reviews as well as reviews from online publications. This shift emphasizes the importance of prioritizing both customer reviews and media coverage for brands seeking to enhance their visibility within SGE results. Consequently, media relations has increasingly become intertwined with the domain of SEO in many ecommerce companies.
Beyond Plain Links
In SGE results, products are not always associated with HTML anchor tags. Instead, JavaScript is employed to display a panel containing relevant information. While SEO tools can handle JavaScript, identifying anchor tags becomes comparatively more challenging. For instance, the top SGE result for a search query like “wireless headphones” may not be a direct link. Instead, clicking it opens a right-side panel on desktop devices, which includes links to three online stores. SEO tools might not effectively trigger this panel to identify the linked pages, posing a potential obstacle for optimization efforts.
Anticipating Future Developments
Google emphasizes that SGE remains an experimental feature. However, it is reasonable to expect that AI-enhanced search results will continue to evolve and extend their influence to other areas of product discovery, including voice search. Search optimizers should vigilantly monitor SGE’s progression and continue providing valuable information to search engines, AI foundation models, and ultimately, their target audience of shoppers.
By adhering to these guidelines, businesses can adapt their SEO strategies to navigate the evolving landscape shaped by Google’s AI search capabilities, improving their online visibility and driving organic traffic to their ecommerce websites.