A New Era of Search is Coming

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2024 is set to be a year of unprecedented

change in Search. Since search engines first

emerged in the 90s, their core functionality

has remained the same – but this is finally

about to shift with recent AI developments.

A NEW ERA OF

SEARCH IS COMING

With new announcements and features coming thick and fast,

staying ahead of the Search game and understanding all

ramifications for digital is now more important than ever.

Amidst the change, one key theme runs throughout. AI is set to

revolutionise Search, providing consumers with tailored results

in extra-quick time, and brands with increased opportunities

to connect with their audiences in a meaningful way.

THE CHANGING SEARCH LANDSCAPE

Estimated to own over 90% of the market, Google currently reigns supreme of the search

landscape. Now under considerable threat from competitors such as OpenAI and Perplexity,

their ownership of the space is likely to take a hit with the rise of new AI-powered tools.

But, with new platforms and enhanced functionalities also come drawbacks.

Here’s how these alternatives differ from traditional search.

DISRUPTING THE MONOPOLY

INTEGRATION WITH LIVE

DATA STREAMS

AI-generated search queries are

likely to offer up-to-the-minute

results thanks to real-time

integration with data streams,

while Google typically relies on

static website data.

PERSONALISED AND

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

AI can deliver highly personalised

results and engage in conversational

interactions by analysing user

behaviour and preferences.

This will allow users to refine their

queries in a natural dialogue,

receiving tailored, contextually

relevant answers.

RELIABILITY AND BIAS

AI is only as accurate as the data

it has been trained on. As AI-

powered search engines are

trained on the whole web rather

than high quality, evidenced

sources, there is potential for

inaccurate or biased results to be

unfairly prioritised.

01.

AI OVERVIEWS

PLANNING

CAPABILITIES

ORGANISED

SEARCH RESULTS

MULTI-STEP

REASONING

ASK WITH VIDEO

At Google I/0 2024, Google announced one of its most significant functionality

shifts ever with Generative AI in search.

drive traffic to relevant online content:- it can generate answers for what the

searcher needs by analysing content on the subject.

Here’s what was announced...

GENERATIVE AI IN SEARCH

Ask your most

complex questions

in a single search

rather than breaking

it down into multiple

searches.

Answering search

queries using AI,

These overviews will

appear at the top of

SERP.

The capability to

create plans directly

in Search. This

functionality will

start with meals and

holidays before

expanding to other

verticals.

AI will organize the

results page,

categorizing results

under unique, AI-

generated headlines,

to make it easier to

explore.

Ask with Video allows

users to ask

questions using

video, then getting an

AI generated

response with steps

and resources to

troubleshoot.

THE CHANGING SEARCH LANDSCAPE

02.

Google Marketing Live, the annual ads innovation showcase, concentrated

on how you can start putting AI to work for your business through their

products and tools offering. But there were also a number of notable

announcements outside of AI to get advertisers talking.

Here’s a few of the announcements that excited us most.

UPGRADED

PMAX

AI-POWERED

SHOPPING

MEASUREMENT

& AUDIENCES

UPGRADED AD PRODUCTS AND TOOLS

Rapidly produce assets at

scale with AI support.

Asset level reporting coming

soon

Conversion lift studies to

measure incrementality

Integrate short-form product

videos into Shopping ads

Virtual try-on for men’s and

women’s tops

New visual brand profile to tell

a brand’s unique story within

the SERP

Maximise profit goal coming to

Smart Bidding

Google Ads Data Manager now

available to everyone

Meridian – new open-source

marketing mix model rollout

globally this year

Competitor benchmarking

coming to GA4

THE CHANGING SEARCH LANDSCAPE

03.

OUR

POV

KEY TAKEAWAYS

MOVING FORWARD

These innovations represent the biggest

change in search functionality in recent

history, their impact likely to completely

transform search behaviours.

Let’s dive into our key takeaways for the

future ->

SEO IS DEAD,

LONG LIVE SEO

AI results taking the top search positions could

spell the end of SEO as we know it. Is there a

business case for brands to invest in content if it

can’t be monetised through driving traffic?

Nonetheless, every threat presents opportunity and

a new form of SEO will rise up, focusing on being

picked up and prioritised by AI. AI’s ability to

understand context, user behaviours and

preferences means that high-quality user-centric

content will thrive.

SEO and content writing will change, but is that

such a bad thing? After all, haven’t we all seen

enough recipe pages resembling a keyword-

stuffed War & Peace by now?.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

EMBRACE THE CHANGE

Brands and advertisers who fail to embrace

innovation will be left behind by their competitors.

Whether it’s enhanced Pmax giving us asset-level

reporting and rapid asset production at scale, or

shopping ads integrating short-form video. we

have more tools than ever to stand out.

By adopting early, businesses can see the impact

and gain insights on exactly what is and isn’t

working for them giving them more certainty to

plot their future strategies. Those who don’t will

always have their thinking clouded by uncertainty

and what-if questions.

USERS WILL DECIDE

In the same way that high-tech voice assistants have

become glorified egg timers, the willingness of users to

adapt their entrenched search behaviours will dictate

how successful AI-powered search will be.

Talking more conversationally, multiple questions in a

single string and searching with video are all significant

departures from how we have grown up searching, and

users may be reluctant to change their ways.

Users will vote with their feet - if they don’t like the

changed functionality they will shun it and continue

using search engines the way they always have.

CONCLUDE

WORK WITH US

As we’ve seen, though consistent changes and new

developments can be daunting, we’re also presented with a

host of new opportunities to power up the way we work and

strengthen our connection with our audience. We can help

advise on media and content planning and develop an

approach to drive the best results for your brand. If you’d

like to talk, drop us a note: ines.casas@eightandfour.com

CONTRIBUTORS

PHILLIP COLE

Media Lead

As the Search landscape continues to change and evolve with the

rise of new technologies, staying at the cutting edge can feel

challenging. With AI dominating the narrative and charting a course

towards a new way of doing Search, it’s vital to adapt media and

content strategy alongside these new platform updates.

Brands who get ahead of the curve and flex to accommodate these

new changes will be the ones to reap the rewards.

KATE HIGGINSON

Content Writer

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