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📖 Ecom Sellers Need To Know AIO + AIpple 16 Explained

📖 Ecom Sellers Need To Know AIO + AIpple 16 Explained

Plus new from Apple and Claude

Jo Lambadjieva
September 11, 2024

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The Full Guide On AIO

As Google continues to refine its search experience with AI-driven features, ecommerce businesses are grappling with the implications of AI Overviews (AIOs) on their visibility and traffic. Recent developments in AIO tracking capabilities have shed light on both the opportunities and challenges this new search feature presents for online retailers.

The Evolution of AIO Tracking

Semrush has recently expanded its toolset to include AIO tracking within its Organic Research feature, marking a significant step forward in understanding how AIOs appear for individual websites. This development allows for more comprehensive analysis of AIO rankings at scale, a capability that was previously limited.

However, the landscape of AIO tracking remains complex. Google Search Console (GSC), while providing first-party data, lacks specific filtering for AIOs, leaving many questions about performance and impact unanswered. The discrepancy between mobile and desktop AIO presentations further complicates the tracking process.

Mobile vs. Desktop: A Critical Distinction

On desktop, AIOs prominently display links to publishers, similar to Featured Snippets. Mobile AIOs, however, only show citation links after user interaction. This distinction is crucial for ecommerce businesses to understand, as it likely results in less traffic from mobile AIOs compared to desktop, albeit with potentially higher click-through rates (CTRs).

The Mechanics of AIO Tracking

Understanding how AIOs are tracked is essential for ecommerce sites looking to optimize their presence in these new search features. Based on experimental data and analysis:

Visibility Tiers: AIO citations appear in three tiers of visibility - fully visible, partially visible, and hidden. Each tier likely impacts how impressions and clicks are recorded in GSC.
Impression Triggering: For fully visible citations, impressions are likely triggered upon page load. Partially visible or hidden citations may only trigger impressions when expanded or scrolled into view.
Click-Through Rates: Hidden citations, when expanded, may show higher CTRs due to the initial user interest demonstrated by the expansion action.
Search Labs Data: It remains unclear whether data from the Search Labs experience (opt-in beta testers) is included in GSC reporting.

Implications for Ecommerce

Traffic Patterns: Ecommerce sites may see changes in traffic patterns, with potential increases in high-intent clicks from AIOs, particularly on desktop.

Mobile Strategy: Given the different presentation of AIOs on mobile, ecommerce businesses may need to adjust their mobile SEO strategies to ensure visibility in this format.

Content Optimization: With AIOs drawing from multiple sources, ecommerce sites should focus on creating comprehensive, authoritative content that's likely to be cited across various AIO components.

Performance Measurement: The lack of specific AIO filtering in GSC means ecommerce businesses will need to rely on a combination of first-party data and third-party tools like Semrush for a complete picture of their AIO performance.

Competitive Analysis: Tools like Semrush now allow for competitor comparisons in AIO placements, providing valuable insights for ecommerce businesses looking to gain an edge in this new search landscape.

Looking Ahead

As Google continues to refine and expand AIOs, ecommerce businesses must stay agile in their approach to search optimization. The introduction of AIOs represents a significant shift in how users discover and interact with product information online. While the full impact on ecommerce traffic and conversions remains to be seen, it's clear that AIOs will play an increasingly important role in the search landscape.

Ecommerce businesses should:

Monitor their AIO placements using available tools and first-party data.
Optimize content for potential inclusion in AIOs across various visibility tiers.
Adapt their SEO strategies to account for the differences between mobile and desktop AIO presentations.
Stay informed about updates to AIO functionality and tracking capabilities.

As the search ecosystem evolves, those ecommerce businesses that can effectively adapt to and leverage AIOs will likely find themselves at a competitive advantage in the increasingly AI-driven search landscape.

AIpple 16 Explained

Apple's highly anticipated "Glowtime" event on September 10, 2024, showcased the tech giant's latest innovations and product releases. The event, broadcast live from Apple's Cupertino headquarters, unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4, along with significant updates to iOS 18. Central to this year's announcements was Apple Intelligence and particularly notable was the unveiling of Visual Intelligence.

Visual Intelligence, slated for release later this year as part of the Apple Intelligence suite in iOS 18, marks a significant development in the intersection of AI and commerce. While comparisons to Google Lens are inevitable, Apple's implementation offers some distinctive elements.

At its core, Visual Intelligence allows users to identify and interact with real-world objects through their iPhone camera. By leveraging on-device intelligence and Apple services, the feature can provide information about restaurants, add events from flyers to calendars, and potentially interface with third-party models for broader search capabilities.

The integration with the new Camera Control button on iPhone 16 models suggests a seamless user experience, potentially lowering the barrier for adoption. This ease of use could have implications for how consumers discover and engage with products in physical retail environments, blurring the lines between offline and online shopping experiences.

However, it's crucial to approach this development with measured optimism. While Visual Intelligence shows promise, its real-world performance and adoption rates remain to be seen. The staggered rollout—starting in the U.S. in October, expanding to select countries in December, and reaching more languages in 2025—means that its global impact on e-commerce will unfold gradually.

Beyond Visual Intelligence, Apple Intelligence will offer quite a few new features to enhance various aspects of the user experience. The system will power improved email and notification management, providing summaries and prioritizing important messages. Siri is receiving a significant upgrade, with Apple claiming "a new era" for the voice assistant. The AI aims to better understand less precisely worded requests and guide users through complex tasks on their devices. Apple Photos will leverage AI for improved organization and curation, including an AI-powered photos watch face for Apple Watch.

In short: Lots of change is due and it will re-shape Apple consumers profoundly.

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