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Google Shutting Down Buy On Google Program In US

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Woman Google Shutters

Google sent merchants an email yesterday informing them that Buy on Google in the United States will be closing on September 26, 2023. Google is piloting a new feature to skip right to the checkout page for merchants, but the Buy on Google will be gone for Google Search, however, will remain on YouTube.

This Buy on Google program, I think, launched in 2015 but there similar features as early as 2011.

Google posted, “You should continue to fulfill and deliver all orders placed on or before that date, and honor cancellations, returns, refunds and warranties as stated in your store policies.”

Here is a copy of the email which I received from Menachem Ani on Twitter:

click for full size

It reads in full:

Building great checkout experiences is something we’re focused on, and are always evolving. We’re writing to inform you that, as of September 26, 2023, the current Buy on Google program will be ending in the United States. We have some new channels that we’re excited to be testing (more info below), however, we wanted to share some key details about Buy on Google.

  • Your participation in Buy on Google will end on September 26, 2023 and no listings on Search or Shopping will show the Buy on Google option. If you are currently onboarding, you will be removed from the process today.
  • All orders received through September 2023 should be fulfilled with return policies honored, regardless of program termination.
  • You have the option to terminate your participation in the program sooner than September if you feel this choice is more beneficial for your business. Please reach out to support for assistance with doing this.
  • Order data will be available for one year post program ending. You can access your reports via the instructions here.
  • No action is required from you to end the program.

We will continue to introduce new ways to optimize the way users navigate to checkout on our platforms, and look forward to continued engagement with our retail partners on other products such as our new checkout pilot and all other areas of collaboration through our tools, insights and training.

We’re excited about the streamlined checkout experience we introduced last year, wherein consumers who are ready to buy will have the option to go directly from a listing on Google to the checkout flow on your website. Once there, they will see the chosen product already in their shopping cart and can checkout on your site with whatever payment method they select. *Merchants using the new Google checkout feature see an improvement in gross merchandise value (GMV) between 1-10%

*Source: Google Data, US, Retail, March 2023. [Caveat: Data pulled for existing pilot merchants]

Learn More:

  • If you are interested in joining the checkout pilot, please complete the interest form here.
  • Please note, if you are selected to join the checkout pilot ahead of September, any current Buy on Google experiences you have running will stop showing effective immediately.
  • For those not selected to participate in the pilot, we will reach out to you once the solution is more widely available so you can onboard then!

For any questions or support regarding terminating your participation, please contact our support team or reach out to your Google contact.

The Buy on Google Team

— — —

That was the email text.

A Google spokesperson told us, “Our goal is to support an open ecosystem by connecting shoppers directly with merchants, and this is a big priority for us. We developed a new streamlined checkout process that allows shoppers to go directly from Google to the checkout flow on a merchant’s website when they’re ready to buy. We’ve received great feedback from merchants and users. Buy on Google was a small feature that a very limited number of merchants used, so we’re investing in this new buying experience instead.”

Here is a copy of that email sent to merchants of the pilot program from earlier:

click for full size

Forum discussion at Twitter.



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Google Shopping Researched with AI

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Google Robot Shopping

Google Shopping is testing a new AI Overview answer titled “Researched with AI – Experimental.” This seems to pull together reviews for specific products based on Google Gemini AI.

I am told this was displayed in the Google Shopping interface for the query [TV] – I cannot replicate this.

But Khushal Bherwani shared a couple screenshots on X – here are one of those screenshots:

Google Shopping Researched With Ai

Bordie Clark was then able to replicate this and post this video of it in action:

Here are more:

This seems to replace the “AI Overview” with this “Researched with AI” specifically in Google Shopping. Although, it looks a lot like an AI Overview, just with a different title.

Forum discussion at X.



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Google AI Overview Ads, New Link Format, AI Organized Search Results & Plus More

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Google Robot Typing

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 Ai Overview Ads

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:

Google Ai Overview Links

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

Google Ai Overview Links Desktop

click for full size click for full size

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:

Google Ai Organized Results

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.

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Google Ranking Volatility Record, Forbes Advisor Slapped, Bing Generative Search Experience & More

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Google Ranking Volatility Record, Forbes Advisor Slapped, Bing Generative Search Experience & More

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.

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