AI can't replace everything and Google just doesn't get it
📰 NoGood News | Vol. 74
Hi NoGoodies,
Before we jump into another round of the NoGood News, here's a quick TL;DR of what's below:
AI can’t replace creativity and real human emotion
Google AI Overviews have been fully rolled out for 4 months
Figma announced a host of new features at Config Conference
Ready? Let's get into it.
🤖 AI can’t replace creativity and real human emotion
Google receives backlash with its latest ad for Gemini
Google released the Gemini ad “Dear Sydney,” which featured a child using AI to write a letter to Olympian Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The ad faced immense backlash as people felt some things are better accomplished by humans (like a child expressing admiration for their favorite athlete).
Tech giants like Google are creating AI assistants to simplify tasks. While these chatbots can be helpful, there is hesitance that they may go too far.
AI replacing human creativity is a fear Google is failing to grasp.
Did you think the Gemini ad was insensitive?
📈 Google AI Overviews have been fully rolled out for 4 months
These are the most important strategies to rank higher
Google’s search algorithms use AI to enhance their ability to interpret and respond to user queries and, as a result, improve user experience.
RankBrain, introduced in 2015, was Google’s first AI component. It was designed to understand the intent behind search queries by analyzing previous searches and their outcomes.
This helps provide relevant results even for queries that do not explicitly match the keywords. BERT, another AI model, improves the understanding of natural language by considering the context of words within a query, allowing Google to interpret complex or conversational searches better.
One significant change driven by Google AI is the rise of zero-click experiences. These occur when users find the information they need directly in the search results without clicking through to a website.
As a result, marketers must adapt their SEO strategies to remain visible and valuable, where user engagement might not always translate into website visits.
3 best practices for navigating AI Overviews:
Content quality: Google AI favors content that provides in-depth analysis, clear answers, and trustworthy information. High-quality content that is informative, well-structured, and authoritative is more likely to be featured in AI-generated summaries.
User experience: Google AI assesses how users interact with content via metrics like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and overall site usability. Websites that offer a seamless and engaging experience are more likely to rank higher in search results.
Zero-click results: Because more users find the information they need without leaving the SERPs, a trend driven by AI’s ability to generate instant answers, businesses should rethink their SEO strategies. Become a recognizable and trustworthy brand by constantly pushing out helpful content (that users can’t get from an AI summary). You can offer free downloadable content that you promote in your meta description.
Head to our blog to learn more about AI overviews and how to optimize your SEO strategy.
🎨 Figma announced a host of new features at Config conference
Here are the ones our design team is most excited for
Figma just announced that a bunch of new features are coming.
We asked our design team what feature they're most excited for — here's what they said.
Helena: I’m most excited for the AI features like auto-naming layers— a task that can be super tedious. Excited for the new features to help save time and keep pages organized.
Jack: I’m excited to work with the new slides feature! Using Figma for presentations is something I’ve been doing for years because it lets me design my slides exactly how I envision them. With this new feature, I can collaborate with coworkers on decks more efficiently without the need to export and upload assets to other platforms.
Daniel: I’m excited to see how the AI tool for generating and removing backgrounds in images works! It could make the design process much more efficient by editing straight from Figma instead of having to bounce back and forth from Photoshop.
Tara: I’m excited to play around with the new AI tools; it looked so easy to quickly develop app ideas, screens, and flows. Figma has done so much to make design more accessible, and I think this feature will change things up for UI/UX designers!
What do you think of the new features Figma announced?
🎙️ Q&A with an expert
A bi-weekly interview series with the best in the game
Q: Do you think the Google antitrust ruling is serious?
A: Yes, it really is. We have a federal judge saying Google is in violation of antitrust laws. As a result, Google may have to give up its dominant position as a default search engine on browsers and operating systems, which is something they recently had to do in Europe.
Q: What are some ways in which Google has been answering these threats?
A: AI overview is an answer. Gemini is Google’s loudest answer thus far. It’s created its own answer engine that competes with other AI search engines. The real question is: are these advancements sufficient, and will they be enough for Google to defend its $2.5 billion golden goose, which is its search business?
✍️ We wish we wrote this
A curated list of the past 2 weeks’ must-read articles:
Uber’s ad business is set to hit $1B this year
AI search engines can’t compete with Google
Google found guilty of running a monopoly of the search business
👀 Keeping up on the socials
Because we know you like to stay in the know:
Customers are the new influencers — at least Refy thinks so
We’re going for the gold with Office Olympics again
Influencers vs creators - which one should you work with, and for what?
🚀 Ready to meet your NoGood partner?
Tell us where you are and where you want to be — and we’ll help get you there.