August Recap

Optiversal's Newsletter: August Recap

As a true millennial, I HAD to secure tickets to see the Backstreet Boys in Vegas 😍. Obviously, my top priority was figuring out what to wear. The dress code: white Y2K 🤍. So I searched: “Y2K white clothes for women, not too hot for Vegas in the summer,” and I expected the results to be all Amazon and Reddit. But I didn’t want Amazon because everyoneeeee was going to have the same outfits. I wanted something a little different that was still comfortable, but didn’t feel like full-on rave wear. And then I saw Tillys competing right alongside all those Amazon links. 😱 NICE! But what was even more exciting was realizing that not only was Tillys showing up for my weirdly specific search, but it was because of Y2K landing pages built by Optiversal.

I LOVE seeing our product working in the wild for our clients. Especially when it helps a retailer show up for the exact, highly specific thing a real human is actually trying to find. Also, low-key, Tillys had some genuinely great options. Now I just have to pick one (or two) because, obviously…I want it that way. 🎶

🔍 What Happened This Month: The August Search Recap

🤖 Google is giving retailers a clearer view of AI search visibility. Search Console’s new report shows impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode. Check whether your account has access, then look at which product and category pages Google is surfacing in AI results. Learn about the report

📱 Social search is now measurable in Search Console. You can connect Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X to see which posts and queries are generating visibility across Google. Connect your retail accounts and use the data to guide social content, SEO and seasonal campaigns together. See how it works

🛍️ ChatGPT added product carousel ads. The new format typically shows five products from one retailer in a Google Shopping style carousel. Early examples include L.L.Bean, VistaPrint and Walmart. Make sure the titles, descriptions, images, prices and availability in your feed can stand on their own. Read more

💬 ChatGPT is testing descriptive headings above ads. These headings may give shoppers more context about why an ad is relevant to their conversation. Review how your copy and landing page read within a specific shopping question, not just as a standalone ad. See the test

🎯 Google’s “Strong Match” ad labels are appearing for some users. Google is testing “Strong Match” and “Strongest Match” labels on mobile Search ads to highlight relevance. The test does not change the auction, so there is no reason to adjust bids, but retailers should keep ad copy closely aligned with the searches and products behind it. See an example

🛡️ Google completed its August spam update. The global update ran from August 18 through August 21, but Google did not identify a specific type of spam it targeted. If your traffic changed, compare which pages gained or lost visibility and check them against Google’s existing spam policies before making major changes. See the update

📊 Merchant Center changed how it reports product performance. Google is aligning Merchant Center metrics more closely with Google Ads and YouTube. Annotate the change in your dashboards and make sure August comparisons use consistent definitions. Review the reporting update

👀 Younger shoppers are clicking fewer search results. One large study found that 52.3% of searches from 18 to 24 year olds ended without a click. Make your product and category content specific enough to answer detailed questions, and track impressions and citations alongside website traffic. Explore the research

📅 Be careful when using unavailable_after on seasonal pages. Google may not re-crawl a page in time to notice that you extended or changed its expiration date. Do not rely on the attribute alone for holiday collections or limited-time campaigns. Update it early, request indexing and monitor the page in Search Console. Read Barry Schwartz’s explanation

🏷️ EU rules now require labels for certain AI-generated content. This does not mean every AI-assisted product description needs a label. Retailers publishing synthetic media or certain public-interest content in the EU should add human review and confirm whether disclosure is required. Read the EU guidance

Podcast Spotlight: Voices of Search

"AI search isn’t replacing traditional search. It’s expanding how people discover."

Our CEO, Lucas Tieleman, joined Tyson Stockton on the Voices of Search podcast to talk about why winning in AEO starts with getting the fundamentals right.

A few priorities for eCommerce teams:
• Make your product data clean, structured, and machine-readable
• Optimize product feeds for how people actually shop
• Start with real customer needs before creating more content
• Use AI to scale unique value, not generic information
Anyone can create more content now. The advantage comes from creating content that’s genuinely useful to customers and easy for machines to understand.

Watch the full episode here.

ICYMI: See how leading brands like Kendra Scott and Mattress Firm are preparing for Holiday

Product Spotlight: Conversational Filters

The best stores have someone who asks the right questions.

Online, shoppers face a wall of products and a row of rigid filters. Conversational Filters put a guide on the page that asks smart, contextual questions and narrows the products to match, the way a great store associate would.

Embed a guided shopping experience anywhere on your site, so shoppers can answer a few natural questions and quickly narrow down to the products that fit. This guided discovery keeps shoppers from bouncing off a page that felt overwhelming, and walks them to a confident purchase instead.

See a LIVE example here.