Dental SEO 101 - Google AI Updates and How to Gauge SEO Success

Google’s AI Overviews & Ads: What’s Changed? Google’s new AI Overviews are now appearing in search results, and surprisingly, advertisers are seeing the same rate of paid clicks whether AI is involved or not. What does this mean for you? Paid ads remain a vital piece of the marketing puzzle—even as search changes. If you’re running ads, you now have three placement options: above, within, or below the AI answer. Make sure you’re taking advantage!Heads Up: Google is pushing “AI-powered” automatic bidding for ads, but Ross Dunn urges caution. These systems are a black box and often give you just the basics—conversions with very little context. A skilled ad specialist can capture granular insights on how your money is spent, which helps you make better advertising decisions.Google Business Profile Updates If you’ve noticed changes in your Google Business Profile Q&A section, you’re not alone. Google is showing these only:If a user clicks a map pack result in searchAcross all searches in Google Maps You can still access all questions and answers via your business profile, so keep them updated! Proactively answer common or potentially deal-breaking questions—this saves time and may help convert more curious searchers into patients.Is Your Data Telling the Truth? Traffic analytics are trickier than ever. With the phase-out of Universal Analytics (GA3), privacy changes, ad blockers, and now AI overviews in search, website traffic data is less reliable year-over-year. The key takeaway: ⭐ Focus your tracking and reporting on conversions, not just general traffic. ⭐Make sure your conversion tracking (calls, form fills, multi-page visits, etc.) is properly set up. If you’re not sure, ask your team or reach out for help!AI Agents & Website Congestion – Is Your Hosting Ready? AI bots are crawling the web more than ever. If you run a larger site or your hosting is on the basic side, be prepared to monitor and upgrade as needed. Limit plugins on WordPress, review your robots.txt, and consider a content delivery network if your site is media-heavy.New in Google Search: AI Mode & “Deep Search” US users now have an “AI Mode” in Google Search—with much longer, more in-depth answers. The new “deep search” can even generate expert-level reports citing multiple sources. Cool, but also full of potential inaccuracies—double-check before trusting important info!The best news? Google Search Console will soon show data from AI-driven searches so you can see how much AI traffic you’re really getting.Final Word: The digital landscape keeps shifting, but a solid focus on conversions and consistent profile management is key. Got questions or need help setting up tracking? Reply to this email or reach out at [email protected]. (00:00) - Intro (00:48) - A Note on the Future of Ads in AI (05:33) - Google testing “recently viewed” label (06:30) - Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up May 29th (07:07) - Google Updates When Local Questions & Answers Display (09:49) - A Note on Traffic Analysis (14:59) - Google’s Gary Illyes Warns AI Agents Will Create Web Congestion (18:46) - Google launches AI Mode to all U.S. searchers (20:42) - AI Mode in GSC (21:45) - Closing & Contact Information