One year ago, we wrote a blog about generative AI, and how Google intended to use it to “supercharge” its search engine. Now, with Google’s new Gemini model, users are able to ask complex questions and get an AI Overview at the top of the search results, with other useful features slated to be introduced in the coming months. Let’s talk about what all this means for the future of Search and SEO.
Generative AI is essentially a set of algorithms that is trained on existing content in order to generate “new” content (think, AI art), or, in this case, create relevant answers to search queries. Google has continued to grow and evolve its own version of this technology, known as Gemini, and has now begun rolling out AI Overviews to users in countries across the globe.
In the past, users have found answers to complex questions on Search with multiple queries, and a lot of time and energy spent searching through the results to narrow down the answer they’re looking for. For example, say you want to buy a plant that is 1) indoors, 2) able to thrive in the Midwest’s climate. It might take reading through a few articles to find plants that will really thrive in the conditions you’ve laid out. But now, with AI Overviews, users are able to type in their query – even a more complex one, like the example above – and receive a summarized answer at the top of the page. In this case, we prompted Google Search with the following query:
“what are the best types of plants to grow in the Midwest, indoors”
Google’s AI provided a list of options, along with a quick summary of the care required for each.
According to Google, users will soon be able to adjust the AI Overview, either prompting it to simplify the language or go into more detail. Users will also be able to search with video. For example, if you’re encountering a technical error on an old device, you’ll be able to take a video of the error so that Google can better help you to solve the problem. With these major updates to how Search works and will work in the future, your SEO strategy might be in need of a refresh. Be sure to stay up to date on AI's evolving role in Google Search as you continue to optimize.
It is worth noting that, at the moment, AI Overviews are less than perfect. Many users have reported strange and inaccurate results, and Google has released a statement saying that it is working to fix these issues, with over a dozen technical improvements made in the last two weeks. Still, AI Overviews have a long way to go before they’re able to handle some of the more complex queries being thrown their way.
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