Google has recently begun rolling out its new AI overviews to Australian search customers, including product overviews for Google Shopping. These AI-generated product overviews provide customers with a brief summary of items that are the most relevant to their product-related search. For this reason, they’re a feature to watch for small businesses in the e-commerce space.
The overview feature is only in its infancy, but Tharindu Gunawardana, SEO Consultant and Founder of SearchMinistry Media, has already noted its impacts.
“We already receive AI-driven traffic to our client’s websites through Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT,” said Gunawardana. “If you are an e-commerce business, optimising your product pages is more important than ever, as Google prioritises Product Detail Page (PDP) data for product-related search queries.”
A Product Detail Page (PDP) is a page on a website that showcases product’s name, images, description, price, reviews, and size/colour options. In other words, you have a better chance of being featured in Google’s AI overviews if you have detailed and up-to-date PDPs across your site. This includes details like shipping, availability, and returns policies.
Some tips to keep in mind
What else should small e-commerce businesses know about the new feature? One tactic to consider is making sure your website directly answers questions that customers might ask Google about your products, explains Adam Hargaves, CEO of Localsearch.
“This update reinforces the importance of maintaining a well-designed, informative online presence,” said Hargraves. “By addressing common customer questions on their websites, local businesses can take advantage of this shift toward more intuitive, conversational search.”
By providing answers to queries like “What services does [your business] offer?” or “How can I book an appointment?”, Google’s AI can quickly scan your site and deliver results to your customers via an overview.
According to Hargraves, Google AI favours results that are community-specific – i.e. that match the searcher’s context and location. Emphasising where you are based, and what communities you serve, could boost your chances of being featured. ISB has already heard anecdotal evidence of AI-powered search tools prioritising local businesses, so this could be something to keep in mind going forward.
Also consider creating pages or blogs on trending or seasonal topics in your industry, Hargraves added.
“As Google integrates AI Overviews into Search in Australia, we see a valuable opportunity for small businesses to reach and engage with their customers more effectively,” said Hargraves. “We’re excited to see how AI-driven tools can further help local businesses connect and thrive in their communities.”
Note that there is still not a lot of information about Google’s AI features and how they work, according to SEO specialists that ISB spoke to last week. However, the above tactics are still relevant regardless of whether you factor in AI-powered or traditional search.
