October and November AI Overview Trends: What They Mean for Holiday Campaigns
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, we’re really looking forward to seeing how AI performs! Our BrightEdge Generative Parser™ has been tracking October and November’s shifts, shedding light on how marketers can prepare for the critical shopping period ahead.
Our most recent report offers insights into how Google AI Overviews are changing. For all the detailed data points and visualizations referenced in this post, here’s our full October/November trends report.
Key developments you need to know about:
1. YouTube Citations Stabilize After a Surge
After a massive spike in September, YouTube citations in AIOs have stabilized at 115-120% above their August baseline. What’s especially compelling is that AI isn’t just referencing video descriptions—it’s citing spoken content within videos. This makes YouTube a must-focus platform for brands.
What to do: Think unboxing videos, in-depth product reviews, and how-to guides that resonate with holiday shoppers. Use Data Cube X to see how your YouTube Channels are cited in AI
Overviews to get a sense of where your videos could drive AI referrals and what your opportunities are.
2. Travel AIOs Surge by 700%
Travel-related AIOs saw a remarkable 700% increase from September to October. The focus is shifting from broad destination queries to localized, activity-specific searches like “things to do in Uptown Charlotte” or “fall festivals in the Midwest.”
What to do: If you are in the travel industry, think about creating content that helps users plan for things to do when they travel this holiday season. Cover lesser-known destinations and local holiday events to capture this growing demand.
3. Healthcare and Education Are Leading in Stability
Healthcare AIOs maintained the highest coverage at 73-75% of keywords, while education queries shifted toward more specific and complex topics like certification requirements and career pathways.
What to do: For healthcare and education brands, focus on creating structured, well-researched content. These spaces may require regulatory approval to publish content, which can take time, but the stability in these industries suggest time is on your side.
4. E-commerce AIOs Are Evolving
E-commerce AIO presence decreased by 15% in October but stabilized at a lower level. However, the AIOs that do appear are getting more detailed, with richer product comparisons and specifications.
What to do: Optimize your product content for depth. Include clear benefits, detailed specifications, and comparisons to stand out in the remaining e-commerce AIOs. Our data suggests AIO’s job in ecommerce is to help the top of funnel while the regular results drive the bottom of the funnel. You should plan your content citation strategies accordingly.
What This Means for Your Holiday Campaigns:
1. Video Content on YouTube has strong Citation Potential: With AI citing spoken content, now is the time to double down on video strategies. Ensure your videos are optimized for both YouTube SEO and schema markup to maximize their reach.
2. Don’t Rely Solely on AIOs: While AIOs remain important, traditional organic search results are still critical—especially for e-commerce queries. Make sure your citation strategy aligns to the top of funnel while your regular results prioritize the bottom of the funnel.
3. Go Big on Product Details: The more detailed and authoritative your product content, the better chance it has to appear in expanded AIOs. Think rich comparisons, clear specifications, and compelling benefits.
Looking Ahead to the Holiday Season
October’s trends point to a holiday season where AI Overviews continue to evolve, focusing on depth and detail rather than quick answers. This shift gives marketers a clear direction for optimizing their strategies. Want to dig into the full data and see what’s driving these changes? Check out our full analysis here!
