AI Overviews May Be Distorting Shopping Ad Performance Metrics
Search Engine Land3h ago·1 min readAdvertising
AI Summary
Shopping ad click-through rates are rising while impressions are falling, a pattern attributed to Google's AI Overviews. This phenomenon, dubbed the 'crocodile effect' for SEO, appears to be impacting Shopping ads differently, potentially masking true performance by artificially inflating CTR due to reduced ad visibility.
⚡ Marketer Insight
The rise in Shopping ad CTRs, driven by fewer impressions due to AI Overviews, could mislead advertisers into believing their campaigns are outperforming when they are simply being shown less often. Focus on impression volume and overall traffic, not just CTR, to accurately assess performance in this AI-altered landscape.
#ai overviews#shopping ads#google ads#ctr
Original article
Search Engine Land