Google announced a bunch of new AI Search features including search ads finally rolling out to AI Overviews, the new link format rolling out, AI-organized search results, new AI shopping features, Google Lens and more.

Of course, Google announced this when I am offline, but at least I got a heads up a few hours prior. So I was able to write it up for Search Engine Land and here and schedule it.

Ads In Google AI Overviews

Google‭ Search‬‭ and‬‭ Shopping‬‭ Ads are now rolling out to AI Overviews. These ads will have the “Sponsored” label on them, like other search ads. Google said these ads now‬‭ available‬‭ for‬‭ mobile‬‭ users‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ US after several months of testing.

“People‬‭ have‬‭ been ‬‭fidning the‬‭ ads‬‭ within‬‭ AI‬‭ Overviews‬‭ helpful‬‭ because‬‭ they‬‭ can‬‭ quickly‬‭ connect‬‭ with‬‭ relevant‬‭ businesses,‬‭ products‬‭ and‬‭ services‬‭ to‬ take‬‭ the‬‭ next‬‭ step‬‭ at‬‭ the‬‭ exact‬‭ moment‬‭ they‬‭ need‬‭ them,” Google wrote.

Here is a screenshot of the ads in the AI Overviews, which look like they are under the AI Overviews:

Google is also rolling out Shopping‬‭ Ads‬‭ through‬‭ Google‬‭ Lens. Shopping‬‭ ads‬‭ will‬‭ appear‬‭ above‬‭ and‬‭ alongside‬‭ visual‬‭ search‬‭ results‬‭ by‬‭ the‬‭ end‬‭ of‬‭ the‬‭ year.‬

Google wrote, “For‬‭ example,‬‭ let’s‬‭ say‬‭ you’re‬‭ shopping‬‭ at‬‭ a‬‭ mall‬‭ and‬‭ a‬‭ backpack‬‭ displayed‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ store’s‬‭ window‬ ‭ catches‬‭ your‬‭ eye.‬‭ You‬‭ want‬‭ to‬‭ learn‬‭ more‬‭ — ‬‭ and‬‭ check‬‭ if‬‭ there’s‬‭ other‬‭ colors‬‭ available‬‭ — ‬‭ but‭ you’re‬‭ in‬‭ a‬‭ hurry.‬‭ Simply‬‭ tap‬‭ the‬‭ Lens‬‭ icon‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ search‬‭ bar,‬‭ snap‬‭ a‬‭ photo‬‭ or‬‭ upload‬‭ one‬‭ from‬ ‭ your‬‭ gallery‬‭ to‬‭ learn‬‭ more‬‭ about‬‭ the‬‭ product.‬‭ Lens‬‭ will‬‭ bring‬‭ together‬‭ our‬‭ advanced‬‭ AI‬‭ models‬ ‭ and‬‭ Google’s‬‭ Shopping‬‭ Graph‬‭ — ‬‭ which‬‭ has‬‭ information‬‭ on‬‭ more‬‭ than‬‭ 45‬‭ billion‬‭ products‬‭ — ‬‭ to‬ ‭ identify‬‭ the‬‭ exact‬‭ item‬‭ in‬‭ your‬‭ photo.‬”
‭

Links Updated In AI Overviews

As Google showed us in August, Google has a new link format for AI Overviews that are now rolling out “globally to all countries where AI Overviews are available,” Google told us.

Google also told us, “with AI Overviews, we’re seeing that people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions.” “And when people click from search result pages with AI Overviews, these clicks are higher quality for websites — meaning users are more likely to spend more time on the sites they visit,” Google added.

They said they have seen a positive reception during testing, saying, “we’ve seen that this improved experience has driven an increase in traffic to supporting websites compared to the previous design, and people are finding it easier to visit sites that interest them.”

Here is the illustration Google posted:

Here are the screenshots of this test we posted a few weeks ago:

AI-Organized Search Results

Also previously announced, Google is now rolling out AI-organized search results.

Google wrote, “we’re rolling out search results pages organized with AI in the U.S. — beginning with recipes and meal inspiration on mobile. Y ou’ll now see a full-page experience, with relevant results organized just for you. You can easily explore content and perspectives from across the web including articles, videos, forums and more — all in one place.”

Here is what it looks like:

Plus, as I mentioned at Search Engine Land, there is also more on Google Lens and Shopping:

• New multimodal Lens features. Google is launching the ability to search with video in Lens and ask complex questions about moving images (available through Search Labs) and voice input in Lens, so you can ask questions out loud while snapping a photo (or recording video) to more easily search what you see.
• Shop easily with Lens. Google is now showing more helpful product information when using Lens for shopping, including a product’s price across retailers, reviews, or where to buy.

We had more of the same Google ranking volatility but this time, we broke a record of the longest period of heated search ranking volatility ever. Google may have slapped Forbes Advisor with some sort of penalty. Bing generative search experience is now rolling out. I posted the big Google October 2024 webmaster report. Google Search Console released sticky performance filters. Google Search Console recommendations is now fully rolled out but more people see it. Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Liaison, was interviewed again, this time by Aledya Solis. Google warned about using JavaScript generated product markup. Google spoke again about noindex versus canonical tags. Google said don’t use a generic coming soon page for new pages. Bing Search can get dates and times wrong for search snippets. Microsoft Advertising has a new ad console experience, and new diagnostics and performance snapshot. Bing is testing replacing the ad label with a sponsored label. Google Shopping is testing a new updated interface with expandable refinements. Google Local Service Ads has a new bidding option for target cost per lead. BingBot celebrated its 14th birthday. Google didn’t celebrate its 26th birthday for some reason. I am offline today and yesterday for Rosh Hashanah, so this video and post was pre-recorded and scheduled. The Google AI Overview news did not make it into the video, as I recorded it before I was given a heads-up on this news. That was the search news this week at the Search Engine Roundtable.

Sponsor: BruceClay one of the founding fathers of the SEO space, doing search marketing optimization since 1996. Bruce Clay is big into SEO training, check out seotraining.com to learn more and check them out at bruceclay.com. Also, check out their new product, Prewriter.ai – this tool empowers writers to write better and more efficiently, so check it out.

Make sure to subscribe to our video feed or subscribe directly on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your favorite podcast player to be notified of these updates and download the video in the background. Here is the YouTube version of the feed. For the original iTunes version, click here

Search Topics of Discussion:

Please do subscribe on YouTube or subscribe via iTunes or on your favorite RSS reader. Don’t forget to comment below with the right answer and good luck!

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

We have record-breaking Google search ranking volatility going into October. Microsoft Advertising streamlined its ad interface and added some new features. Google is testing search instead for sections. Google said SEOs can help shape policies and decisions around AI. Google Ads is testing swipable images to map. Bing celebrated the 14th birthday of BingBot. And I am offline, this content was pre-written and scheduled.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• 
  Record-Breaking Google Search Ranking Volatility Continues Into October
  
  
  Surprise, surprise, the heated Google Search ranking volatility has continued into October. This is the longest ongoing period of heated Google Search ranking volatility we had ever recorded according to data provided…
• 
  Microsoft Advertising New Ad Experience, Diagnostics & Performance Snapshot
  
  
  Microsoft announced a new streamlined experience below Copilot’s organic response and two new capabilities, diagnostics and performance snapshot.
• 
  Google Testing Search Instead For Section
  
  
  Google is testing replacing the “People also search for” box with a “Search instead for” box. I think this is just a title change because the functionality looks equivalent to the previous version.
• 
  Google: SEOs Can Help Shape Client Policies & Decisions On AI Bots
  
  
  Google’s John Mueller said that SEOs are in a great place because they understand how crawlers work, how the controls work, and they can help their clients decide on their AI policies and decisions as they navigate this new era of AI bots.
• 
  Google Ads With Images & Map Carousel
  
  
  Google is testing an ad format for Google Ads where you swipe over a carousel of images, eventually leading to a map. When you click on the map, it takes you to the Google Business Profile in Google Maps.
• 
  Happy 14th Birthday BingBot
  
  
  Fabrice Canel from Microsoft posted on X this week that BingBot turned 14 years old. Yea, 14 years of crawling the web. Fabrice wrote, “Happy 14th Birthday, BingBot! You’ve been crawling…
• 
  Google Atlanta Poolside View
  
  
  Here is a photo, I guess of a hotel across the street from the Google offices in Atlanta. I think… So if you want to relax and go for a night swim, while checking your rankings, this might be a good place to do that.
• 
  Programming Note: Rosh Hashanah 5785 – Happy & Healthy Jewish New Year
  
  
  This is a programming note that Thursday and Wednesday are Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and I will be offline the next two days. I will be offline on Thursday and Wednesday, October 3rd and October 4th.

Other Great Search Threads:

Search Engine Land Stories:

Other Great Search Stories:

Industry & Business

Links & Content Marketing

Local & Maps

Mobile & Voice

SEO

PPC

Other Search

Feedback:

Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.

Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Rosh Hashanah.