Google Launches Generative AI: What This Means for Search

AI’s day in the sun is here. ☀️

It’s been having a moment — but that moment is cemented forever into a very real future now. AI will be a part of all of our lives, going forward.

Because…

If you didn’t hear, the world’s largest source of online traffic, Google itself, has rebuilt its ENTIRE search engine, launching generative AI in its search engine model.

(Wednesday, May 10, 2023 – a landmark day! Rushed to get out these insights that day on LinkedIn 😅 )

And it looks pretty fantastic. 😎

Here’s a recap of the announcement from Google’s VP for Search, Elizabeth Reid.

What does it all mean?

Google is supercharging Search with generative AI — to give more information and context to your searches.

With new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, Google is unlocking powerful features that will transform the way its search engine displays and organizes information.

As Google launches generative AI, let’s look at what’s new, what’s different, and what to expect.

More Helpful Search Results

With generative AI capabilities in Search, Google now provides you with detailed answers so you can understand a topic faster. Related topics are shown below the results if you want to dig deeper, and if you still have questions, you can ask a follow-up in a chat-style interface. The conversation will carry context from one question to another as you continue to explore the topic. 

You’ll also have jump-off points to related web content for more insights and perspectives.

This makes Search so much easier. And valuable.

In the example below, the search query is a long question that you’d probably break down into smaller bits and find the answer by piecing together different search results.

Now you don’t have to.

With generative AI, Search does the heavy lifting for you.

Shopping Made Easy with Generative AI

With generative AI in Search, you won’t just get a list of products when you’re shopping and searching for specific items. You’ll get tips, lengthy product descriptions, ratings, up-to-date reviews, prices, and images to help you make purchase decisions faster.

This new shopping experience is backed by Google’s Shopping Graph — a database of over 35 billion product listings, sellers, brands, and inventory.

Every hour, Shopping Graph adds more than 1.8 billion new listings to give you fresh, real-time results.

Search ads will continue to appear in certain spaces throughout the search result page, with the new format making them more distinguishable from organic search results.

Google Launches Generative AI: What This Means for SEO & Content

Here’s what we’re seeing from this announcement:

Search Results Are Changing

Predictions around Perplexity.ai — which we’ve been telling you all will be the future of search — are turning out to be SPOT-ON. Google is featuring ChatGPT-like “written answers” in its generative AI evolution, showcasing a few key domains next to those written answers. Exactly what was predicted.

The new Google Search is looking very similar to how Perplexity.ai currently works. Screenshot: Perplexity.ai

Those highlighted domains, featuring a consistent killer combo of great content and quality in all the examples I’ve seen, prove that consistency, quality, and authority in web content should continue to be a key focus of marketing.

Nothing new there, folks. Keep building up a strong domain with great content.

If anything, that highlighted spot that’s now up for grabs next to generative search just means the potential for winning in Google is GREATER.

Sure, it’s hard work battling to get to the top… but with the right strategy, and consistency in content, it’s going to be worth it.

The ACT of Searching is Changing

Google’s goal is to help you do MORE with a single search. Now, if the results don’t bring you exactly what you’re looking for, you don’t have to start all over.

Instead, options for tweaking your search will be right inside the SERP.

Along with that, you’ll be able to do more tasks than ever from one search and one page.

For example, you can check Javascript code right in SERPs now. 🤯

You just literally copy and paste your code and ask Google to look for something specific to fix. Crazy stuff.

Help Test Google’s Products with Search Labs

Along with this new Search Generative Experience (SGE), Google is introducing Search Labs which allows you to test new products under development. You’ll be able to try out some early-stage experiments and share your feedback directly with the teams working on them.

These experiments are available on Search Labs for a limited time:

• Search Generative Experience brings the power of generative AI directly into Google Search to help you quickly find information through AI-powered overviews, pointers to explore more, and conversation mode for following up.
• Code Tips harnesses the power of large language models (LLM) to help you write code faster and smarter. You can ask questions about Java, Go, Python, Javascript, C++, and many more.
• Add to Sheets helps you insert a search result directly into a spreadsheet — great for planning a trip or keeping track of information you found on Search.

Want to help make Search better? Test these features and share your feedback as these technologies get integrated into Google Search.

Sign-ups for Search Labs are open in English, US-only, with more experiments rolling out in the coming weeks.

Want to try the all-new Google search engine powered by generative AI? Sign up here.