Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) for Advertisers

Jill Goldstein - June 8, 2023

If you were able to tune into this year’s Google Marketing Live, you heard “AI” and “generative AI” quite a bit. This is the future of digital marketing, and with good reason. Artificial intelligence (AI) is making search both smarter and simpler. Before I go into some of the updates to come, let’s quickly go over the difference between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI.

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that creates new content based on learned patterns. Generative AI can produce new content, chat responses, etc. Traditional AI has focused on detecting patterns, making decisions, honing analytics, classifying data, and detecting fraud.

This brings us back to how Google is using Generative AI to improve search. Now open to users through Search Labs, Search Generative Experience (SGE) takes the work out of search and uses AI to summarize search results. It allows you to get the answers you need quicker. This aligns with Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and to make it universally accessible and useful.

In the coming months, Google will be experimenting with adding both Search and Shopping ads into this new search experience. In anticipation of this, they have outlined some commonly asked questions, summarized below.

What should I do for my ads to appear in the new generative AI experience in Search?

No action needs to be taken for campaigns to be eligible to show.

When will ads show with SGE?

Google will be testing different ad placements for people who are participating in the Search Labs experiment. This will include both dedicated ad slots on the page as well as ads weaved into the AI snapshot and conversation mode.

Will I see reporting for my ads that show with SGE?

Ads that show with SGE will appear in search terms reporting based on contextual intent from users in searches. Negative keywords will still be applied and there will not be new reporting based on this new search experience.

As Google continues to change the search landscape, I look forward to seeing how ads are incorporated. On the flip side, I’m also starting to think about what that means for digital strategy and campaign setup. Ensuring you’re using Google products powered by AI is likely going to be the key to future success. Think Performance Max, Responsive Ads, broad match, etc. More to come here…

If you have any questions about Search Generative Experience and the impact it will have on paid or natural search, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts at MoreVisibility.