2024 Predictions Review
A Wave Of AI Improvements
I expected concrete features and feature improvements from AI – and I got it right. A lot of big sites shipped better experiences thanks to AI: Tripadvisor, Booking, Expedia, Trip.com, Nextdoor, Ebay, Amazon, and more. As I highlighted in my latest Travel deep dive, we’ve seen the first real results from AI Features: TripAdvisors review pages doubled in organic traffic after adding AI-generated review summaries.
The bigger picture: AI trickles through all aspects of Product. The key to monetization is making it useful – not just cool. And 2024 is the year we’ve seen the first prototypes, like natural language search or AI reviews.
AI-Driven SEO Tools
In 2024, the major SEO tool vendors added multiple AI features to their platforms:
- Semrush (source):
- Demand forecast.
- Personal Keyword Difficulty.
- Keyword Strategy Builder.
- Ahrefs (source)
- AI Keyword Suggestions.
- AI Search Intent.
- AI Content Helper.
- AI Translations.
AI doesn’t just transform the search experience but the tools SEOs use every day.
Google/Microsoft Build Powerful AI Agents Based On Your Emails
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What:
- The new, AI-personalized shopping experience behind Google’s shopping tab will become the default search experience in the main tab for shopping-related queries.
Why:
- Google often treats tabs as a beta environment for new experiences. In 2020, Google already made the shopping tab the default experience before.
- Google wants to break Amazon’s e-commerce dominance to unlock more revenue growth, especially as AI disrupts the classic search results.
Implications:
- Personalized results are harder to track. If the current shopping tab becomes the default, average search results might become even harder to track than they already are due to product grids. As a result, marketers need to optimize based on the little data Google still provides or lean on other ways to understand whether they optimize in the right direction or not.
AI-generated Audio And Video Hits Mass Adoption
What:
- We’ll see a lot more Youtube channels and podcasts use AI-generated b-roll and ads.
Why:
- The technology is getting there: Elevenlabs launched a new voice generator like NotebookLM and Google’s Veo 2, and OpenAI’s Sora should soon come off the waitlist.
- If the success of NotebookLM’s podcasting feature has shown us one thing, it’s that multi-modal AI output is getting ready for showtime.
Implications:
- Production cost of video and audio formats will sink dramatically.
- Deception and clickbait could reach new highs.
Google And Apple Divorce
What:
- Google ends exclusivity agreements with Apple, Samsung and other suppliers amid the DoJ antitrust lawsuit.
Why:
- Google itself suggested loosening its agreements (source) in an attempt to mitigate possible remedies.
- The DoJ antitrust lawsuit initially focused on those agreements. The ruling judge (Mehta) made it very clear in his memo that he’s not a fan.
Implications:
- Google won the search game, so I don’t expect remedies to change that. Instead, any remedies will impact Google’s position in the AI game.
- Losing exclusive distribution agreements could mean that Google has to fight for its position instead of winning by default on over half the market.
Apple Or OpenAI Announce Smart Glasses
What:
- Apple or OpenAI will join the smart glasses market with a device announcement to compete with Meta.
Why:
- Meta seems to be running away with smart glasses. Meta Ray Bans make up 60% of purchases in Ray Ban stores.
- The smart glasses market is on track to hit $4 billion by 2030, offering a billion-dollar opportunity for the winner.
Implications:
- Owning a successful hardware device with mass adoption could be a valuable defense to OpenAI or another fruitful business to Apple.
- For marketers, the implications could be a change in consumer behavior, like more live streams, or new content formats, like smart glasses answers. However, adoption is still so far out, and the implications are so unclear that it’s hard to predict where things are going.
Conclusion
In 2024, we saw a wave of AI improvements, AI-driven SEO tools, and the emergence of new AI-powered features. The implications of these trends are far-reaching and will continue to shape the future of marketing, search, and technology.
FAQs
Q: What are the key takeaways from the 2024 predictions?
A: The key takeaways are the wave of AI improvements, AI-driven SEO tools, and the emergence of new AI-powered features.
Q: How will AI impact the search experience?
A: AI will continue to transform the search experience, making it more personalized and relevant to users.
Q: What are the implications of Google and Apple ending their exclusivity agreements?
A: The implications are that Google will have to fight for its position in the AI game, and Apple may gain a new business opportunity.
Q: What are the implications of AI-generated audio and video hitting mass adoption?
A: The implications are that production costs will sink dramatically, and deception and clickbait could reach new highs.
