Search Engine Recap - April (2025)

This month, the spotlight once again shines on the growing role of AI in search, with updates to AI Overviews, Google Discover, and structured data carousels. Google also introduced new GA4 features, and began consolidating its country-specific domains. Here is an overview.

Google AI Overviews Surpass 1.5 Billion Monthly Users

Kicking things off with a major AI milestone: Google’s AI Overviews now see over 1.5 billion monthly users - a significant moment in the evolution of AI in search.

These dynamic overviews combine summaries with relevant links, appearing directly in search results.

Their growth highlights both new opportunities and challenges for businesses trying to maintain visibility in an AI-first landscape.

Brands that actively align their strategy with modern user behavior and E-E-A-T principles are the ones gaining visibility in AI Overviews. Those lagging behind in content quality and clarity? They're being left out.

AI Overviews Now Cite More Internal Pages - Holistic SEO Matters

New research from BrightEdge shows that Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly citing deeper internal pages - like blog posts and product pages - rather than just homepages.

The average size of AI Overviews has also grown by over 18% in active markets, offering more in-depth answers directly in the SERPs.

This shift underscores the importance of optimizing your entire site, not just top-level pages. A holistic SEO strategy that builds out topical authority and clarity across your full domain is more crucial than ever.

AI Chatbots Highlight the Value of Structured, Machine-Readable Content

As AI agents like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google’s Gemini increasingly assist with shopping and research, new tests show that machine-readable, clearly structured content performs best.

This is particularly relevant for eCommerce, where content like clear pricing, product specs, and concise summaries help AI tools better surface your site.

The takeaway? You’re not just optimizing for users anymore - you’re optimizing for humans and machines. Make sure your content can be easily interpreted by both.

Google Updates Google-Extended User Agent Documentation

Google has also updated the documentation for Google-Extended, the user agent that controls whether your site’s content can be used for training AI models like Gemini and Vertex AI.

The update clarifies that Google-Extended does not affect search inclusion or rankings - meaning you can opt out of AI training without sacrificing visibility in Google Search.

For visibility and ranking purposes, you’ll still want to use robots.txt and other traditional controls.

Google Discover Is Coming to Desktop

Announced at Search Central Live in Madrid, Google Discover - formerly exclusive to mobile - is rolling out to desktop search.

Some users have already spotted the personalized content feed on their browser’s homepage. This opens new visibility opportunities for publishers and businesses, but also reinforces the need to optimize for Discover through relevance, quality, and engagement.

Structured Data Carousels Expand Across EEA (Beta)

Google has updated the beta documentation for structured data carousels, now supporting them across the European Economic Area.

These carousels are now shown for shopping, travel, and local queries on both desktop and mobile. The update offers detailed guidance on implementing structured data for summary and category pages, including paginated and infinite scroll formats.

This update aims to improve visibility and streamline proper implementation - especially for large content catalogs.

Google Consolidates Country-Specific Domains Under Google.com

Google has started consolidating its country-specific domains (like google.dk or google.fr) under a single domain: google.com.

Search results will still be location-based, but from a technical standpoint, all traffic will resolve through google.com.

This change doesn’t impact hreflang implementation - you’ll still need it to ensure correct language and regional targeting across your site.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Gets New Features

GA4 received several updates in April, aimed at improving data completeness and helping users detect issues earlier in the data stream.

Highlights include:

• Improved visualizations

• Faster identification of gaps

• Automatic alerts for data irregularities

These updates further Google's goal of making GA4 more reliable and user-friendly, allowing you to make better, faster decisions based on real-time performance insights.

Takeaways and Recommendations

April was all about momentum in AI search - especially with AI Overviews hitting 1.5 billion users and expanding their footprint. While not yet rolled out in Scandinavia, these updates mirror shifting search behaviors that businesses everywhere need to prepare for.

At Bonzer, we continue to see clear correlations between brands that follow E-E-A-T principles and those seeing strong visibility in AI-driven results.

Beyond AI, the introduction of Google Discover on desktop is a key opportunity. If your content is structured and engaging, this can drive significant traffic. So make sure you’re aligning with Google’s quality guidelines.

Other updates, like enhancements to structured data, GA4, and the consolidation of Google’s domains, point to a need for technical agility. Stay ahead by staying informed.

Need help navigating these changes or improving your visibility in both traditional and AI-powered search? Reach out to Bonzer. As a dedicated SEO agency, we work daily with ambitious businesses to help them dominate search - both nationally and internationally.