Google is making a groundbreaking move into uncharted SEO territory: introducing an AI Sales Assistant directly in search results.
Imagine this – a virtual sales clerk embedded in the SERPs, guiding users with product comparisons, highlighting features like Teflon vs. stainless steel vs. cast iron, and showcasing a curated list of 10 products tailored to their needs.
While still in testing and not fully rolled out, this feature appears right beneath your Google listing and is poised to reshape how users shop and interact with your brand.
Hat tip to Brodie Clark, whose video has alerted the industry. (I couldn’t see the Google Sales Assistant in my search results, so the screenshots below are from Clark’s video.)
What is the Google Sales Assistant experience?
Imagine your next Google search for “non-stick pan,” yielding an interactive assistant right beneath the organic listings, guiding you with tips, product recommendations and even a product carousel – all without leaving the search results page.
That’s what’s happening.
At a high level, here’s the gist of Google’s Sales Assistant:
It’s positioned directly below organic listings: Users engage with it as they scroll, like a digital assistant that’s always one step ahead.
It mimics an in-store sales pro: Ask it for a “non-stick pan,” and it’s already advising you about coating types, durability and heat tolerance – basically like the store expert who always knows just what you need.
A product carousel shows up in the SERPs: In the search results, users can scroll through relevant products, which are currently limited to those from the site being searched.
Product images and descriptions show up in the SERPs: There is no need for users to visit your website.
Based on Clark’s documentation of the experience, here is how a user interacts with the AI sales assistant:
A search for “kitchen warehouse” results in an extra SERP feature under their listing.
When the Shop button is clicked, a panel on the right appears, with the Google Sales Assistant asking what the searcher is looking for.
The user tells the Google sales assistant what they are looking for. (In the video, the user entered the query “looking for a non-stick pan.”)
The assistant asks about the size the user is looking for, followed by a list of different pans.
Each pan is described with approximately two sentences outlining its features, finish, typical size and other details, appearing as though particular products sold at Kitchen Warehouse were being listed.
Scrolling down, the user sees a carousel of products organized by the Google Sales Assistant, which is not likely in the order defined by merchandisers (or algorithms) in the product grid pages.
What’s concerning is that Kitchen Warehouse has over 170 nonstick frying pans.
The 10 suggestions in the carousel can be assessed, but they may not necessarily represent the brand’s best image to users, as Google generated them using its AI.
In the video, the user clicks on a product, and the Sales Assistant panel displays the product photos and description, along with a link to the website.
With this feature, the SERPs could hijack your product grid page’s SEO traffic.
What are the risks executives need to hear?
While this new feature holds exciting potential, it also raises several important “what ifs.”
Whose inventory will be displayed in the carousel?
In the video, all the products were from Kitchen Warehouse.
But what will the future hold?
What will happen if a product is out of stock?
What did the customer ask for that the store doesn’t have?
Will the Sales Assistant be like Zappos and suggest a competitor website that sells what the user is looking for?
Detailed product knowledge
Right now, your organic listing reflects only what you’ve put out there.
But as AI-driven assistants learn to respond in richer detail, Google may lean on other sources if your content lacks specificity or depth.
Will it be correct?
Is it messaging you want to communicate?
Is it on brand?
If your product is missing unique, detailed information, you may lose control (or influence) in messaging displayed in AI-led interactions.
Users may never see product specs/descriptions
The sales assistant showed a short description (1-2 sentences) for each product. That isn’t really enough to properly sell a user on your product.
Users will like this
Company websites often display 1-3 popups during the shopping experience, which can be annoying. However, this experience eliminates those interruptions.
It’s fast, and it offers a consistent shopping experience across many sites, making the user’s shopping journey simpler and quicker.
If you divest in SEO because of this, your competitors will gobble up market share. And if you don’t shine in the Google Sales Assistant, your customers may buy from sites that do.
Dig deeper: Retailers: Google is becoming your new category page
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Adapting to the evolving search landscape
SEO is not dying, and it’s important to communicate this to executives.
SEO remains a vital channel, but it may require a facelift – or even a full overhaul – on certain sections of your site, especially those that Google will use for its Sales Assistant feature.
I think of SEO in a few buckets:
The SERPs have evolved significantly. Unlike in the past, you now need both a strategy and specific tactics to succeed.
A dedicated SERP SEO strategy is essential.
Creating a SERP SEO strategy
Many companies focus their SERP SEO strategy on title tags, meta descriptions and structured data.
However, you must expand beyond these areas and collaborate with teams that may not be eager to make the necessary changes.
To optimize for the Google Sales Assistant portion of your SERP SEO strategy, here’s where to focus.
Product descriptions need a robust, detailed summary sentence
No marketing fluff here. When Google borrows content for the Sales Assistant, your goal is to have it sell the product in a single sentence. A second sentence is a bonus if Google chooses to display it.
Start small – focus on one product line or the top 10, 20 or 50 products to establish standards, find the right tools to scale and define workflows. Later, you can decide how to prioritize which products get special imagery and which don’t.
Aim to secure real estate for this content outside of the main description section or, at the very least, place it before the main description.
You want Google to view this text as a standalone entity, front and center. That said, Google is quite adept at identifying quality content for extraction in the SERPs.