2024 Paid Media Prediction: The Evolution of Search
Search engines like Google and Bing are transitioning to AI-driven models that behave more like chatbots than boxes and links. These large-language models don’t yet have widespread ad inventory available for search advertising, but it’s on the way.
A person seeking information only needs one or two really good answers, so being chosen by a search engine as “the answer” requires the highest-quality content and a conversational tone.
“The proliferation of AI-generated ads will mean that your ads will look very similar to your competitors using the same AI program. AI copy will level the playing field, only further increasing the importance of an optimized landing page experience to gain an advantage over the competition. Paid search ad copy will decrease in importance as landing page experience increases in importance.” — Ryan Schuster, Exverus Director of Paid Search
To learn how to prepare your paid search marketing strategy ahead of the change, read this guest article Schuster published in Adweek.
In 2023, OpenAI launched ChatGPT brand plug-ins, allowing brands to integrate information from their databases into the LLM so a searcher can find brand-approved answers through the main interface. For example, you could ask ChatGPT, “What’s the cheapest flight to Los Angeles next week?” and receive answers directly from Kayak in seconds. This is an excellent way for brands to disperse accurate information to a wide swath of users.
From an organic/traffic perspective, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) seems to be an expanded version of the “Quick Answer” section that already shows below some top-of-page ads.
“SGE showcases content related to the query, so now is the time to double down on content supporting your business goals to rank in SGE. The system still needs users to consume content outside of the search results in order to learn more about the user and expand its knowledge. Similarly, the user (or potential buyer) still needs human reviews and endorsements to make a purchase decision, so SGE is still a starting point in its full capacity.” — Michael Robbins, Exverus Senior Manager of Paid Search
Finally, your paid search and SEO teams will need to work in lockstep to prepare for the changes ahead and keep your brand top of page.
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