Google testing waters with AI generated descriptions

James Hussey

Google has begun its rollout of testing how websites are presented in search through AI (artificial intelligence)- generated descriptions.

Search result descriptions are typically taken from either a page’s meta description, or they’re automatically pulled in from content on the page itself. Recent observations suggest Google is testing two new AI powered formats, however:

Replacing the entire snippet with an AI generated summary.
Generating an overview paragraph alongside the original snippet.

These new snippets usually carry the Gemini logo, signalling that they were produced by Google’s AI tool.

If your descriptions are replaced, you no longer have full control over how your site is presented on search engines – meaning it may not appear exactly how you’d like.

Although you can adjust your content, there’s no guarantee that it will appear the same way it is currently. Competitors could therefore gain an advantage that they may not have previously had over you.

This does work both ways, however, so in some instances, it could be a benefit.

With AI summarising content, you’ll need to think about how your page’s copy is structured, and how well Google understands and interprets it to provide as accurate a description as possible.

Despite this experimentation, Google often doesn’t use the provided meta description anyway when creating snippets. So, while this change isn’t entirely out of the blue, it may strengthen the trend toward automated summarisation.

How can you prepare for this?

Firstly, you can ensure your content is clear and well-structured to both your visitors and Google, so that they can both interpret it as you’d like.
You should also keep an eye on click-through rates to help you identify any drops or spikes.

It will, of course, help to continue to focus on meta descriptions to assist the way your AI descriptions are created, but keep in mind that they will be there to support rather than to be the main focus.

This testing process comes alongside Google’s AI summaries, which combined has the aim to try and make the overall user journey and experience more efficient. However, it may come with a cost to those who manage a website, as another element of control will get taken away.

Although this is just a test for now, it could be a permanent feature soon, so it is essential you adjust with these updates, and assess how your website’s performance responds to them.

If you need any help with your website’s performance, you might be interested in our SEO (search engine optimisation) services. Get in touch with the team at Engage Web to discover how we help businesses with generative AI SEO.

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James Hussey

Digital Marketing Executive at Engage Web

Having once gone to school in the Burnage area of Manchester known for being the childhood home of Noel and Liam Gallagher, “Some Might Say” that James is a “Supersonic” presence within Engage Web, happily turning his hand to “Whatever” tasks his role throws at him.

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