June was yet another busy month in the land of digital marketing.
Our expert strategists take a look at key events, including what we know about Navboost, the leaked ranking system Google uses to assess user engagement, the rise and fall of Google AI Overviews and the rise of auto-generated creative.
Read the report here
Navboost: what we know so far
Navboost is one of Google’s core ranking algorithms that takes click data to help refine search results into smaller groups. By taking historical knowledge of what queries people searched for and what they clicked on, the algorithm ultimately improves the relevance and quality of search results. Interestingly, it appears that brand interest might be part of the algorithm that informs non-branded search, especially once you’re competing at the top for higher-volume terms.
Google AI Overviews: visibility of AI results drops, now only shows for 15% of queries
In May, Google unveiled AI Overviews, a new feature that includes AI-generated summaries at the top of its search engine results followed by cited articles. This feature, formerly known as Search Generative Experience, previously appeared on 84% of queries. Google’s CEO described it as “letting Google do the Googling for you.” However, recent data shows that Google’s AI Overviews now appear less than 15% of the time, likely due to the volume of incorrect answers during the initial rollout.
Generative AI and the rise of auto-generated creative.
Most major ad platforms are well on their way to an era of creative automation. Google took the plunge in late 2023, with Meta and TikTok following suit. Whilst this is great news for small businesses and e-commerce, relying on AI alone for your creative, your ads will likely look the same as many of your peers leaning into the same technology. Head of Creative, Steve Pannett, warns of the dangers of an AI-only creative approach.
