AI Overviews May Be Distorting Shopping Ad Performance Metrics
Search Engine Land · Sep 7 · 1 min read
What happenedShopping 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.
Why it matters for marketersThe 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.
Topics: ai overviews, shopping ads, google ads, ctr