Google To Replace Assistant Featured Snippet Answers With How To Ads?
CNBC reports that Google is looking to get advertisers to create how to content and videos to be used as voice responses for Google Assistant and Google Home queries. CNC wrote “Google has been pitching companies to create videos for a new “How To” feature for its smart assistant. It plans to show the feature at its annual conference for software developers in May, according to a person who’s seen the pitch.”
The “how to” skill would provide videos with step-by-step instructions when a user asks how to do something. For example, Johnson and Johnson could create a video about how to bathe a baby, or Kraft could make a video with a recipe for cheese fondue. The article says while Google isn’t launching this as an ad model, they can use this in the future as such. “While surfacing a how-to video from a brand will be free, initially, Google could eventually charge companies for promotion,” they wrote.
As Glenn Gabe posted on Twitter, wouldn’t it be “wonderful” if your “featured snippets could be replaced by sponsored ‘how to’ videos on Assistant (and a version of Home with a screen). Would be a way for Google to monetize Assistant/Home.”
Of course, this ad stuff is all just speculation on CNBC’s end but how else will Google make money with Google Assistant?
Forum discussion at Twitter.
