- By Ruchi Pardal
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~ 6 minutes read
~ 6 minutes read Scrolling through long answers on Google can feel tiring, especially when you’re just looking for something quick and clear. Google knows that, and now they’ve introduced something fresh called Audio Overviews. It’s a new way to get your answers by simply listening.
Using its Gemini AI models, Google creates short, conversational audio clips that explain the topic you searched for. No more reading pages of content, just tap and hear the overview. This feature is available as part of Google’s Search Labs, and you can try it by opting in. Whether you’re cooking, walking, or just not in the mood to read, Audio Overviews make searching feel a lot more effortless.
Let’s know more about Google’s audio overview.
Google Audio Overviews is a new way to search for audio, no reading. This experimental feature converts AI-sourced answers into short, podcast-like audio files of a congenial voice explaining topics.
Constructed with the most recent Gemini models, the summaries are approximately 30 to 45 seconds long and do not feel robotic but rather natural. Simply sign up through Search Labs, and you’ll see a “Generate Audio Overview” button for some searches.
An even better solution is to provide audio: tap to listen, control playback, and click links if you want to know more. Audio overviews provide a hands-free, screen-free way to receive information, whether in the kitchen, on the go, or just want to step away from a screen.
Are you always on the go, driving, cooking, working out, or commuting? If so, audio overviews are for you. You are allowed to have AI read your snippets of search results to draw upon valuable knowledge without having to gaze at a screen. It’s like having a smart assistant narrating the most relevant bits while you get on with things.
If you are not visually impaired but would rather listen than read, Audio Overviews “burst open” search content in a whole other manner, making online information more accessible and convenient for everybody.
Audio-related interactions have become common in everyday life because of smart speakers and voice assistants. Google is following suit by making its search results accessible by voice.
One U.S. study reports:
Also Read: AI Overviews Explained
Audio overviews use Google’s advanced Gemini model, which is the same intelligent technology that powers features in NotebookLM and the voice tools in the Gemini app.
If you try it out, you’ll hear two more human-like AI voices; it sounds more like a “podcast between two humans” than a “robot and a human.” The ironic part is that, in late 2024, NotebookLM pioneered this format by launching the ability to interact with search results through audio notebooks.
Steps in the process:
According to Google communication during the testing stage, audio overviews are triggered by 15% of informational searches. What that means is that if you’re searching on a general topic, it’s likely you’ll get an audible verbal summary to accompany the text rather than just text, allowing you to obtain the information you are seeking without scrolling through dozens of links.
Users typically play for around 45 seconds before deciding whether to click.
The potential lowering of clickthrough rates caused by audio summaries is concerning to publishers for whom traffic is a means of sustenance. As one SEO professional put it:
“According to Steven, when a Google AI Overview shows up in response to a search, the Mail’s desktop clickthrough rate is 56.1% lower and 48.2% lower on mobile.”
This isn’t anything new—”zero”-click searches” were on the rise already, and now audio only complicates this further.
Also Read: Impact of Voice-based Search on Modern SEO
Google may introduce:
Google plans to offer Audio Overviews not only to English-speaking users in the U.S. This is logical, particularly because other tools such as NotebookLM and the Gemini app have already begun to support additional languages worldwide. As these AI products expand, chances are Audio Overviews will also expand into various languages and territories, allowing this hands-free experience for more people around the world.
Google’s Audio Overviews represent a more general trend of movement from the page to the pod, from text to talk, from type to voice, and from scroll to stream. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for users, creators, and marketers.
Audio overviews represent the next step in making things available online and changing the way people search for things: the space that podcasts have been carving out for content.
Google Audio Overviews is an experimental Search Labs feature that provides AI-generated audio summaries of search results. Powered by Google's Gemini AI models, these short clips (about 30-45 seconds) explain search topics in a natural, conversational tone, offering users a hands-free way to absorb information.
To enable Audio Overviews, visit Google Search Labs (available on Google Search), opt in to the feature, and search using U.S. English. For eligible queries, you’ll see a "Generate Audio Overview" button—simply tap to listen.
Audio Overviews are ideal for multitaskers, such as people cooking, driving, exercising, or commuting. They also enhance accessibility for users who prefer listening over reading or have visual impairments.
Audio Overviews use Google’s advanced Gemini AI models, the same technology behind features like NotebookLM and the Gemini app. The audio sounds natural, resembling a podcast rather than a robotic voice, delivering a pleasant listening experience.
Currently, Audio Overviews are available for U.S. English searches via Search Labs. Google has indicated plans to expand the feature to other languages and regions as adoption grows.
Yes, publishers may experience reduced click-through rates due to users consuming information directly via audio. Reports suggest that AI-generated overviews can lower desktop click-through rates by over 50% in some cases, intensifying the impact of "zero-click" searches.
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