Google is testing AI overview snippets on desktop for users who are not logged in, without providing citations. This new feature was discovered on Google Business Profile (GBP) listings by Joy Hawkins. Previously, AI overviews were only visible to logged-in users in the US, although there were tests on mobile devices showing AI overviews in features like 'top insights' and knowledge panels.
The AI overviews on GBP listings differ from others as they lack citations for the generated descriptions, similar to 'editorial summaries' that have been seen on listings for a while. A significant challenge for SEOs has been the inability to track these AI placements at scale because they were only visible to logged-in users. Tools like Semrush and Ahrefs provide data for non-logged in rankings, making this new development beneficial for SEOs to track placements more effectively.
The increasing visibility of AI overviews outside the logged-in experience suggests that Google might soon extend top placement AI overviews to non-logged in users. Keeping track of these changes is crucial as the space is rapidly evolving.
