In the latest case of tell and don’t show, Google VP/General Manager of Advertising (Search Ads/Google Properties) Shashi Thakur was interviewed by Marketing Brew about whether users will click on links in descriptions AI generals. Your answer:
“We’re seeing that happen.”
But when asked if he would share any statistics or research to back up that claim, he replied:
“No statistics to share at this time.”
Why we care Google faces strong criticism over the quality of its search results and from brands and content creators who fear they will get less organic search traffic. Meanwhile, Google is so carefully wording its answers in a PR-friendly way (to focus on how much users “love AI answers”) that it feels forced, inauthentic, or even fake
But that manufactured enthusiasm is wearing thin. where is the proof Why won’t Google share any real data?
“Click Diversity and Top Clicks”. Thakur was asked about publishers’ concerns about their websites getting fewer clicks on Google Search results, which would also affect Google’s advertising business. Thakur, like Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, used a lot of words to say almost nothing:
“We provide links within the AI response. The AI response is not just a piece of text. There is text and there are links embedded within this ad… The diversity of publishers that they click on users is greater with the presence of links within the AI response.” “When you put those two together, there’s still a fair amount of user interest, not just to consume the AI response or the AI overview, as a whole, but to click to understand And those two things I said: the increase in click diversity and the higher clicks for the embedded links within the AI answers… they tell you that users are really interested in going deeper and doing click on editors”.
This non-response is everywhere. He was asked about display ads on publisher sites, but referred them back to AI Overviews, which are not display ads.
Also, publishers don’t care about click diversity. They want traffic, and most of them want to monetize it. More visibility is what leads to more traffic.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Bing’s Fabrice Canel has said that we should expect less click volume, but more “qualified clicks” from AI search. Shouldn’t we expect the same from Google? After all, Google’s AI answers are supposed to reduce the time and searches required to complete tasks.
Commercial clicks. Thakur also wasn’t asked about AI search clicks for business inquiries, but he talked about it anyway. Twice:
“Users love AI responses. They come back for more… When ads appear and complement responses with commercial actions, we see users engage with those ads.” “In business inquiries, things that deserve a business action, there’s always a need to click someone, whether it’s an insurer, a merchant or a travel site. You always need to click to complete the action. Considering that, there’s always an opportunity for advertising to come in and bid for it.”
facepalm
The interview What Google’s VP and General Manager of Search Ads has to say about AI-powered results
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