Local Memo: Google I/O Highlights, AI Search Insights, and Video’s Rising Dominance on Social
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Google Expands AI Capabilities in Search
The News Google announced major upgrades to its search engine at Google I/O, significantly enhancing its Gemini AI capabilities. The key update, AI Mode, provides users with personalized, interactive answers to complex questions, including contextual follow-ups and related web resources.
Additional AI-driven features unveiled include:
- Deep Search: Offers exhaustive, fully-cited summaries by running numerous searches simultaneously.
- AI-powered shopping: Enables virtual try-ons and streamlined, guided checkouts.
- Personalized suggestions: Provides recommendations based on users’ Gmail data and search history.
What This Means Google’s shift to AI-driven search suggests traditional keyword-based search visibility will continue to decline. Local marketers should adapt by optimizing for more interactive, context-rich search experiences.
Study Reveals User Behavior with Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs)
The News Growth Memo released the first comprehensive UX study of Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs), analyzing interactions of 70 users performing various tasks.
Key findings include:
- Users typically skim AI Overviews, with median scroll depth around 30%.
- Click-through rates remain low, with desktop CTR at just 7.4% and mobile at 19%.
- Younger mobile users (ages 25-34) frequently treat AIOs as definitive answers.
- After viewing AIOs, users often turn to social platforms (Reddit, YouTube) for additional social validation.
- AIO-generated content is trusted by most users, with fewer than 4% reporting distrust.
Source: Growth Memo
What This Means Local brands must prioritize trust-building in their SEO strategy and strive for prominent positions in AIOs. Ensuring visible, trustworthy content is crucial for capturing user attention in this new search environment.
Meta Trial Highlights Growing Importance of Video and Private Messaging
Source: Meta
The News Documents from Meta’s ongoing FTC trial reveal critical trends shaping social media:
- Video, particularly Reels, continues to dominate engagement on Facebook and Instagram, while traditional content (e.g., News Feed posts) declines.
- When TikTok temporarily faced a U.S. ban, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube significantly benefited from redirected traffic.
- Users increasingly prefer private messaging, sending 63 times more direct messages compared to public posts, boosting popularity of Click-to-Message ads.
Source: Meta
What This Means Local marketers should shift toward video-first strategies, incorporating short-form videos like behind-the-scenes footage, product demonstrations, and testimonials. Additionally, marketers should leverage private messaging channels and paid promotional strategies to maintain visibility as organic reach declines.
