Google is bringing together its two largest businesses – advertising and search – supercharged by AI. The tech giant is introducing ads within AI overviews for relevant queries, essentially connecting users with businesses and products.
AI Overviews in Search are summaries of questions that users have asked and they provide quick information, allowing users to discover answers online.
However, until now, Google did not show any ads in these summaries – like it has been doing on Search results.
“Sometimes you want a quick answer, but don’t have time to piece together all the information you need,” Google said.
“At Google Marketing Live, we shared a demo of how Search and Shopping ads would appear directly within AI Overviews when relevant to both the query and the response provided,” it added.
What is changing in Google AI Overviews
Google claims that the new ad format was designed “to help people discover new brands and make informed purchasing decisions.” These ads will continue to feature the “Sponsored” label prominently.
Google spokesperson Craig Ewer told The Verge that the advertisements will only appear if a question has a “commercial angle.”
For example, your jeans is covered in grass stains and you as Google, “how do I get a grass stain out of jeans?” AI Overviews will provide solutions – ranging from using common household products, to commercial products like stain removers.
It is in this case, relevant Shopping ads appear right within the AI Overview, allowing you to quickly and easily find the perfect stain remover.
“After several months of careful testing, we're excited to announce that Ads in AI Overviews are now available for mobile users in the US,” Google said.