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Search, Media and AI: what impacts on our digital behaviours?

Taoufik Jamil
Posted by:Taoufik Jamil

SEO Expert

Antoine Forêt
Posted by:Antoine Forêt

Media Director

If the frenzied developments of ChatGPT or the recent announcements made during Google I/O in terms of generative AI have raised more questions than they have answered, one thing is certain: our digital behaviours are bound to change.

During its annual I/O event, Google gave us a glimpse of what Search and Media could look like in the near future. In this diffuse flow of information, our experts decipher.

Generative AI arrives in Search (with Taoufik, SEO Expert) 

You have experienced Google Panda, Google Penguin, Google Pigeon... the various evolutions of the algorithm of the Mountain View company. Recently, Google announced its intention to take a step further in the level / quality / comprehensiveness / relevance of its responses to conversational queries with the help of its AI, named Bard. 

First of all, what is a conversational query? It is a question asked to a search engine that is composed of multiple levels of information for which several successive searches are currently necessary before obtaining an overall answer. 

Thanks to generative AI and an enhanced understanding of these complex conversational queries, Google will soon provide much more comprehensive and exhaustive answers with the help of Bard. This represents an evolution not only in the content of the served response but also in the experiential level for the user. 

Visually, during Google I/O, Google presented this addition as similar to a position 0, which will use the most relevant answers from a semantic/ranking perspective as well as from an experiential perspective (review articles, blogs, creator or user-generated content) to provide answers that will produce the most satisfying user experience possible.

Generative AI and Shopping graph for "humanized" shopping experiences

Of course, the goal is not only to inform but also to sell or help the user find the right product to purchase. Google Search will now be able to provide more comprehensive responses to so-called commercial queries while taking into account the initial demand and related constraints.

One can imagine that the responses will now be an even more balanced mixture, served in a more native manner, of informative content and product suggestions. The response will be better contextualized thanks to a better understanding of the constraints related to the base query, along with all the specific information needs it may require.

In addition to the initial query and its constraints, the available product suggestions will also be based on the Shopping graph, which compiles all the product information/seller/reviews/inventory that Google can accumulate through all the Shopping ads running on the network.

This first response, comprehensive as it may be, may require a second level of information for many users. That's why Google includes a new option in its response, through a "Ask a follow up" button, a kind of "tell me more."

Clicking on the "Ask a follow up" will now take the user into a conversation with Bard against the backdrop of search results. It will likely result in a more constructive exchange, similar to interacting with a human salesperson, and thus contribute to more "humanization" in our relationship with Google.

Google Bard
Bard AI

Bard and media on Google: What to expect? (Antoine Forêt, Media Director)

If the integration of Bard proves to be effective, user behaviors are expected to evolve.

Queries (or prompts) may become longer and more precise, which could increase bidding prices but simultaneously raise the conversion rate as the provided answers would be much more accurate.

If users were to increasingly trust the answers provided by Bard, several questions arise:

  • What impact could this have on the volume of traffic generated to a website?
  • And thus, what is the future of display advertising?
  • What impacts on keyword strategies?
  • What new Google Ads formats are to be expected?
  • What about Google Shopping?

As mentioned by Taoufik earlier, Bard will undoubtedly use Google Shopping information to create relevant product comparisons for consumers in the purchasing process. It seems evident that optimizing Google Shopping feeds and product listings will be more crucial than ever to provide Bard with the most accurate information and comprehensive characteristics of a given product, ensuring the best possible ranking in the results served by Google Bard.

There are many "ifs" following these various announcements during Google I/O, but two guiding principles remain relevant for your SEO and Media strategies: relevance and comprehensiveness.

Disclaimer: While there is reason to be enthusiastic about the new possibilities that these developments offer, unfortunately, as of the time of writing (May 2023), Google Bard is still not accessible from the European Union.