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Emma Bennett

Head of SEO

Google Launches AI Overviews in the UK

Related post categories AI SEO
2 mins read

Today, Google has announced an expansion of AI Overviews to six new countries, including the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil.

What are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews are AI-generated answers to a searcher’s query that appear at the top of Google’s search results page. AI Overviews provide searchers with a quick overview of a topic, from multiple webpages.

The AI answer is generated using Google’s Gemini LLM (large language model), which summarises information from various web pages into a single response.

Unlike ChatGPT, Google’s AI results highlight where they have taken information from, and link to sources. If you click an arrow next to text in the AI answer, you’ll see a carousel with an overview of web pages used.

These AI-generated search results were officially launched in the US on 14 May 2024, and are due to appear worldwide by the end of 2024.

What is the impact on organic search?

AI Overviews are both an opportunity and a threat to websites' organic performance.

They are a significant threat in that they take up a huge amount of space on the results page, pushing down existing organic results. With AI Overviews, ranking ‘number one’ within the traditional organic results is not as powerful as before, because the results themselves are further down the page, requiring additional scrolling on mobile. This can result in fewer impressions and click-throughs to your website.

On the other hand, being featured as a source in AI Overviews is an opportunity, particularly as Google doesn’t always use top-ranking websites as the sources for the information. It is equivalent to ranking within the ‘featured snippet’ position which essentially leapfrogs all other organic results.

AI Overviews are the new position one in the UK.

"Search engine results page with a query 'what is the best way of donating to Gaza'. The page features an AI overview suggesting ways to donate to Gaza. The methods listed include UN Crisis Relief, which is managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and Oxfam, which has been working in the region since the 1950s. Additionally, there's a featured snippet to donate to the British Red Cross' Gaza Crisis Appeal.

AI-Generated Health Information

We are concerned to see AI Overviews consistently appearing on health-related queries, such as symptoms terms, condition names and treatments.

Despite Google insisting that ‘additional guardrails’ are in place for high-risk searchers, health information has never been off the table for these AI results, even in early testing.

Search engine results page with a query 'what are the symptoms of meningitis'. The page features an AI overview detailing symptoms of meningitis which can vary by age and cause but often include fever, severe pains in limbs and joints, a stiff neck, and a blotchy rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it. Additionally, a featured snippet from the NHS explains symptoms such as headache, dislike of bright lights, drowsiness, unresponsiveness, and seizures. The information is complemented by an infographic visually summarising these symptoms.
Search engine results page with a query 'what are the symptoms of diabetes'. The page features an AI overview explaining that diabetes symptoms vary depending on the type, including rapid onset for Type 1 diabetes, gradual development for Type 2 diabetes which may be mild and not noticeable, and specific checks for gestational diabetes during pregnancy. The page also has a featured snippet from the NHS including symptoms like excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, weight loss, slow healing of wounds, and blurred vision.

For clients with visibility in the US, we have seen decreases in organic search traffic related to AI Overviews, and typically these have been within high-risk 'your money or your life' (YMYL) spaces such as health and medical.

We continue to closely monitor the impact of this rollout for clients in a number of charity subsectors, and our internal research on how AI Overviews behave. You can read our previous updates and analysis below:

Google has also announced additional features for AI Overviews today such as a new right-hand link display for AI Overviews on desktop, a ‘save’ feature in Search Labs, additional links within the AI summaries and multi-language support.

The rollout will happen over the next several weeks, and expansions will continue until the end of the year.

Google has also announced the August 2024 core update today, so we expect potential fluctuations in organic search traffic over the coming weeks.

You can find the full announcement from Google here: New ways to connect to the web with AI Overviews

If you would like to chat about any of these updates or the impact of AI Overviews on your SEO strategy, please get in touch.

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