Google is testing a new feature in its search results called Audio Overviews.
This new feature, first introduced in Search Labs to users who chose to opt in, has now been spotted in Google’s regular search engine results page.
Instead of displaying only written results, with Audio Overviews, Google can now play a short audio clip that provides an answer to a user’s search query. In short, users can start listening to answers instead of reading them.
This is a positive step for accessibility, as audio responses can make search easier for users with visual impairments or reading difficulties. Audio also makes it possible to get answers without needing to stop and read, providing all users with a more convenient search experience. For example, think about how often you’ve had your hands full in the kitchen, and you’ve asked Alexa to find the information you need.
How do Audio Overviews work?
Google uses AI (artificial intelligence) technology to synthesise information from several different websites and combine it into one single, spoken response to a user’s search query.
Below the audio clip, Google shows information on the sources it used, along with links to those websites. This means that the website content included as a featured source of information for these Audio Overviews will gain visibility within the result.
What does this mean for website traffic?
While this type of visibility can be valuable, it is important to note that it does not always lead to more clicks.
Users may see the content from your website appear as a cited course of information, but choose not to visit your website for more information.
As with AI Overviews, which appear at the top of the results page and provide search engine users with a quick, AI-generated answer to their query, these Audio Overviews are designed to give users what they need and may result in an increase in zero-click searches.
A zero-click search is where users get the answer they need directly from the search engine results page, without needing to click through to a website.
Being listed as a source of information can support search engine optimisation (SEO) performance over time, however, as it can help build trust and authority. A user may stumble across the name of a website as a cited source in the initial stages of their research, and then recognise and return to the site later when they are ready to convert.
Being visible at all stages of the customer journey is important. If you need help understanding how zero-click searches can impact your website’s performance, and how to combat this, reach out to the team at Engage Web today.
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