Google AI overviews are starting to appear in search queries for a “small portion” of users logged in in the UK.
Google’s generative search experience is being tested as a Labs experiment in the US from May 2023. SGE has never been available in the UK.
Why we care SGE overviews, AI, whatever you call it, could change the way people search and the amount of organic traffic your site receives from Google. It’s still unknown how often (if ever) searchers click on citations in Google’s AI-generated answers.
Future of SGE. Google began testing SGE’s AI overviews on a “subset of queries, in a small percentage of US search traffic,” as Search Engine Land reported on March 22. This looks similar to the UK search traffic test.
Some have speculated that SGE could be widely released at Google I/O, but Google has not confirmed a date. And Elizabeth Reid, vice president of Google Search, has indicated that there likely won’t be a “light switch moment” when SGE replaces Google Search as we know it.
Could SGE be paid? Meanwhile, Google is considering making AI-powered search features available only to subscribers, according to a report in the Financial Times. It is not clear if this is specific to SGE or other AI search features. Perhaps these “premium” features would be part of the Google One paid package that comes with Gemini.
Essentially, the report indicated that “classic” Google search would remain free. Ads will continue to appear next to search results even for subscribers. No decision has been made on if or when it will be released:
Google said the company was “not working on or considering” an ad-free search experience, but that it would “continue to build new capabilities and premium services to enhance our Google subscription offerings.”
– Google is considering charging for AI-powered search in a major change to its business model (subscription required)
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