Google launches “AI mode” in the UK

Google apparently processes over 8.5 billion searches every day. But users who use the search engine today will see an unfamiliar tab labelled “AI Mode”. It’s a new smart search feature for the website, and it will likely have big repercussions for ecommerce businesses.

While Google traditionally serves users a list of links to websites, the new functionality will give searchers an answer written like human speech. The company says it will offer users the ability to “go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful links to the web”. But some experts are already warning that it could hit businesses that rely on search traffic.

Last August, the tech giant launched AI Overview (AIO), a new feature integrated into Google Search that produces AI-generated summaries of search results. According to one marketing agency, clicks decline by 15.49% when AIO appears on Google’s results page.

What is Google’s AI Mode?

In May this year, AI Mode was rolled out to the Google platform in the US. According to Google, the move was in response to the growing number of searchers who are inputting complex sentences as search results, rather than keywords.

The feature uses what Google calls a ‘query fan-out technique’. This essentially means it can break down a question into various keywords itself, and then carry out multiple searches at once to find an answer that combines multiple web sources. 

Google gives the example of “Things to do in Edinburgh this weekend with friends. We’re big foodies who like music but also chill vibes and exploring off the beaten track.”

The AI Mode is also multi-modal. Users can search Google using traditional text, but also via their microphone or camera. These features will be rolled out across the UK in the next few days, meaning the functionality will likely be available on your account or device soon.

How will it impact online stores?

In its announcement for the feature, Google said it was “focused on helping people access information and perspectives from a diverse range of sources”.

It argues that, by allowing users to make deeper searches upfront and avoid trawling through the Search Engine Page Results (SERPs), “clicks are higher quality for websites — meaning users are more likely to spend more time on the sites they visit.” 

That is an optimistic prediction. On the other page, some experts are already expressing concern that the rise in AI search features across search engines like Google is having a detrimental impact on online organisations and publishers.

This is because, as AI search features make SERP scrolling increasingly redundant, research shows that so-called “zero-click searches” (where users don’t click on any search results because they’ve been told the answer by an AIO) are on the rise.

Mark Kabana, VP of Data Innovation at digital presence platform Yext, warns that firms which aren’t reacting to the shift will likely see a huge drop in traffic. “Your brand risks becoming invisible to entire segments of your audience”, he says.

Earlier this week, data from the Pew Research Center in the US found that only 8% of users click a link on a page with AIOs, versus 15% on traditional search results. That’s a fall of nearly 50%, and it will likely have a big impact on sales and ad revenue for online firms.

How should online sellers respond?

Winning the SERPs has always been a bit of a never-ending race for organisations based online. Previously, businesses relied almost solely on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to beat the competition. But the proliferation of AI search has changed the game.

A new strategy termed Generative Engine Optimisation or GEO is set to overtake SEO this year as websites adapt to the changing face of search engines. 

GEO involves writing conversationally rather than keyword stuffing, to emulate customers’ natural phrasing. It also spotlights images, videos, and infographics, and uses something called schema markup to help AI search understand your content contextually. 

Data shows that, already, 40% of Brits are using AI search tools at least once a day. With the speed that new AI updates and tools are being introduced by technology companies, it’s paramount that sellers embrace GEO to futureproof their websites.

“As with any early-stage AI product, we won’t always get it right, but we are committed to continuous improvement”, said Google.