Analysis conducted by Bartosz Góralewicz, the founder of Onely, examined 25,000 ecommerce queries, shedding light on the impact of Google’s AI overviews on search visibility within the realm of online retail.
The research uncovered that 16% of ecommerce queries now yield an AI overview in search results, constituting 13% of the total search volume in this domain.
Significantly, it was revealed that 80% of the entities listed in these AI overviews do not achieve organic rankings for the original query.
Góralewicz emphasized, “Even securing a #1-3 ranking offers merely an 8% likelihood of being featured as a source in AI overviews.”
Shift Toward “Accelerated” Product Experiences
Aleyda Solis, an international SEO consultant, delved into the disjunction between traditional organic rankings and inclusion in AI overviews.
According to Solis, when it comes to product-related queries, Google is prioritizing an “accelerated” approach over merely summarizing existing ranking pages.
Commenting on Góralewicz’s findings, Solis remarked, “… instead of offering overarching summaries of what’s already ranked organically, Google opts to ‘accelerate’ the process by preemptively showcasing what the user is likely to encounter next.”
Solis elucidates that for queries where Google previously highlighted category pages, reviews, and buying guides, it now circumvents these results tiers by presenting AI overviews.
Assessing AI Overview Traffic Impact
To aid retailers in assessing their visibility, Solis has made available a spreadsheet designed to analyze the potential traffic implications of AI overviews.
As Góralewicz observes, this may represent an initial deployment, speculating that Google might broaden the use of AI overviews for high-value queries as it enables ads, citing data indicating their current exclusion for high-cost-per-click keywords.
An extensive report encompassing both ecommerce and publishing is anticipated shortly from Góralewicz and Onely, promising further insights into this evolving search trend.
Why SEJ Cares
AI summaries mark a change in the approach to securing search presence for online stores. Presently, these summaries often extract product details from non-ranking origins, disrupting the typical link between organic rankings and search volume. Consequently, retailers might have to adjust their SEO tactics to thrive in this evolving search landscape.
How This Can Benefit You
Though unsettling for established brands, AI summaries offer fresh avenues for retailers to enhance visibility without battling for highly competitive keywords. By optimizing product data and detail pages for Google’s “accelerated” product displays, ecommerce sites can potentially bypass conventional ranking hurdles. Solis’ comprehensive assessment framework empowers merchants to evaluate their exposure meticulously and prioritize optimization efforts accordingly.
Original news from SearchEngineJournal