Google’s AI Overviews have faced criticism since their debut, but that hasn’t stopped the tech giant from moving forward with their implementation. In fact, Google recently made updates to AI Overviews that may please publishers. One significant change is that the relevant sites section has been moved to the right-hand side of the page, rather than being below the AI-generated summary as it was before. This new interface allows relevant pages to be displayed right next to the summary, while other sites populate the page below in the classic format.
On mobile devices, relevant sites are slightly less prominent, but users can still access them by tapping on the site icons located on the upper right corner of the page. This change aims to provide a better user experience and make it easier for people to find the information they are looking for.
Additionally, Google is experimenting with a feature in its testing ground Labs that directly links to relevant sites. The goal of this feature is to make it even easier for people to click out and visit the sites that interest them, ultimately driving more traffic to publisher sites.
Initially, the introduction of AI Overviews received backlash from publishers who rely on search traffic for revenue. They feared that the AI-generated summaries would discourage users from clicking through to their sites, resulting in a decline in traffic and ad revenue. However, Google’s recent updates and announcements suggest that they are trying to position AI Overviews as a tool for discovering more content by clicking out to publisher sites. According to Google, AI Overviews have contributed to a greater diversity of websites being visited and a higher quality of clicks on those sites.
To further support their claims, Google plans to expand AI Overviews to six countries, including the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil, with local language support. They are also introducing new features for users enrolled in Labs. These features include the ability to save specific AI Overview responses for easy access and the option to “simplify” a response if it is too technical or complicated.
While it would be interesting to see the data behind Google’s claims, it is not publicly available. However, the expansion of AI Overviews and the introduction of new features suggest that Google is committed to improving the user experience and providing value to both publishers and users.
In conclusion, despite the initial controversy surrounding AI Overviews, Google has made updates and announcements that indicate their commitment to improving the feature. By moving the relevant sites section to a more prominent position and experimenting with new features, Google aims to provide a better user experience and drive more traffic to publisher sites. The expansion of AI Overviews to six countries further demonstrates Google’s dedication to the feature. While the data behind Google’s claims is not publicly available, their efforts suggest that AI Overviews have the potential to benefit both publishers and users.