Google AI Overviews are becoming increasingly important for signed-in users, according to recent data analysis from enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge. This information is crucial for marketers and businesses to understand, as it could impact the amount of organic traffic they receive. Different industries are experiencing varying levels of impact, with ecommerce queries being particularly affected.
The data reveals that signed-out users are seeing Google AI Overviews triggered 10-20% less frequently compared to signed-in users. Ecommerce queries, in particular, are triggering AI Overviews 90% less often for signed-out users. This discrepancy is significant and highlights the importance of understanding how AI Overviews are rolling out in specific industries.
Breaking down the numbers, the analysis from BrightEdge shows that the education industry experiences a 21% decrease in AI Overviews for signed-out users. B2B tech follows closely with a 17% decrease, while healthcare sees a 16% decrease. These variations highlight the industry-specific impact of Google AI Overviews.
In addition to the frequency of AI Overviews, BrightEdge also discovered interesting findings related to ecommerce. Product carousels for apparel-related queries increased by a staggering 172% in August. This emphasizes the growing importance of visual elements in ecommerce search results. Furthermore, the use of unordered lists across industries rose by 42%, indicating a shift towards more structured and organized information in search results.
Another significant finding is Google’s shift in citation sources for healthcare-related searches. The search engine is leaning away from consumer-focused media and blogs and favoring specialized, expert, authoritative, and trustworthy domains. General health sites, such as verywellhealth.com, saw a decline in citations, while domains like arthritis.org experienced substantial increases. This shift demonstrates the importance of establishing expertise and authority in specific niches.
In other AI search developments, BrightEdge revealed that their customers, particularly large and Fortune 100 brands, are receiving more referral traffic from SearchGPT than Perplexity. This is noteworthy considering that OpenAI introduced SearchGPT in July and it is still in limited data. While BrightEdge did not have specific data to share at the time of publication, this trend suggests the potential of SearchGPT in driving traffic and engagement.
Overall, the data analysis from BrightEdge provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of Google AI Overviews and their impact on organic traffic. Understanding the industry-specific variations and the importance of visual elements, trusted citations, and AI search developments can help marketers and businesses optimize their strategies for improved search visibility and user engagement.
