If you started using Google more regularly over the last year for either personal or business use, you’ve likely started to notice some changes in the user interface. A significant change that has emerged in recent years is the incorporation of AI into search results.
While AI technology has been continuously incorporated into various elements of Google Search, particularly in indexing and ranking web pages, some new AI-driven features are gaining prominence. One of these features is known as an AI Overview, and it completely changes how users search for and find new information when using Google.
For businesses, any significant disruption to the digital marketing status quo should raise eyebrows, especially considering the potential impact it can have on brand visibility and organic web traffic. To help ease your mind, we’ll take a deep dive into this new AI Overview search format and how you should optimize your website accordingly.
What Are AI Overviews and How Do They Work?
Traditionally, when you would search for something on Google, the format was always the same. You would immediately be given several pages of search results ranked from most to least relevant. While this format hasn’t changed completely, AI Overviews have added a more user-friendly way to quickly find the information you’re looking for.
AI Overviews display above the fold of search results pages and utilize AI algorithms to summarize key points or relevant answers extracted from top-ranking web resources. Now, when you ask specific questions or present your queries in the form of a command, Google will try to serve you results in the same way a home assistant would, providing you with direct, summarized answers with source links to the websites they pulled the information from.
Different Formats of AI Overviews
When returning AI-powered search results, Overviews don’t always have the same format. Depending on the type of query given, Google may use different layouts when presenting information. Some of these formats can include:
- Short written paragraphs
- Bulleted or numbered step-by-step lists
- Side-by-side comparison tables
- Summaries that include images or short video clips
- Product suggestions
How Source Links are Incorporated
The information presented in an AI Overview is typically sourced from some of the top-ranking web pages on search results pages. AI Overviews will directly link back to these sources either by hyperlinking them directly in the text or by providing a scrollable list of sources following written summaries.
The Technology Behind AI Overviews
For years now, Google has been gradually developing various AI models used to power many of its new features. Gemini has now become Google’s flagship AI product and is now incorporated into a wide range of Google products and services, including Search.
Gemini leverages technology such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to break down the intent expressed in a user query, while retrieving results that are most likely to support their needs.
Not only does this allow Google to serve the most relevant results found from other websites, but it can also create its own answers based on the learning models used to develop the underlying technology.
Why AI Overviews Matter for SEO and User Behavior
Today, many people search for and consume new information in a manner that differs significantly from how they have in the past. Most of the time, people don’t have a lot of spare time on their hands to go on a fact-finding mission. They want relevant answers quickly and presented to them in smaller, bite-sized chunks.
AI Overviews help to answer this need. However, this more condensed format for finding information online is also leading to certain impacts on SEO initiatives.
AI’s Growing Role in Search Results
Many people today are becoming accustomed to using AI tools for various tasks they perform at work and home. It’s only made sense that AI technology has begun transforming how search engines operate.
For businesses, getting your websites featured in AI Overviews has now become incredibly important. While ranking high on search engine pages is definitely helpful for added brand visibility, over time, AI Overviews will gradually continue to reshape how searches are conducted and where users go to find their information.
How People Are Changing Their Search Habits
Due to the availability of AI search tools, the way users enter their queries is evolving. Previously, most individuals were very specific about the keywords or phrases they used when searching for information. This gave them the best chances of finding relevant answers.
However, now that many people have become accustomed to using AI chatbots and virtual assistants, their queries are increasingly being formulated as commands, rather than a collection of thoughts or ideas. This can have major implications for businesses when planning and executing their digital market initiatives.
The Rise of “Zero-Click” Searches
One of the biggest challenges any website owner now faces with the increased reliance on AI Overviews is zero-click searches. In the past, Google users would need to explore various website links after a search query to narrow down exactly what they were looking for. This is where the fundamentals of SEO would pay off, making sure your website was one of the first results users saw and were more likely to click on.
However, now that AI Overviews are providing relevant information above the fold, users often don’t even need to navigate to a website to find the answers they’re looking for. This can significantly decrease the amount of organic traffic websites receive.
How to Optimize for AI Overviews
With AI Overviews still a relatively new feature on Google, it’s important to know that certain SEO tactics and their effectiveness may still be subjective. However, there are certain proven correlations between how web content is structured and the likelihood of getting listed or referenced in these AI-powered search summaries.
Below are four effective optimization strategies for AI Overviews:
1. Ensure Content Relevance and Readability
Content relevance and readability have become crucial elements to master on your website in order to rank your web pages higher in search engine results. The relevance of your content is evaluated against other websites when determining whether to use your information in generating an AI Overview. The more thoroughly you fact-check your information, the more likely it is that the content will be perceived as something worth showing to users.
Another thing to consider is how easy the information you’re presenting is to understand. While users may come from diverse professional backgrounds and possess the acumen to understand complex information, it’s better to write your content for a broader audience type, as Google will likely be trying to appeal to a large demographic.
2. Optimize for Different AI Overview Types
The way you structure your web content can impact whether it fits certain AI Overview formatting types. Below are some best practices you can follow to help keep your content scannable and easier for AI search tools to reference:
- Use Bullet Points and Numbered Lists - Creating bulleted or numbered lists throughout your content helps keep information more scannable. This can also help AI algorithms more easily extract key points from your content to serve it on AI Overviews.
- Create a Content Hierarchy - Another important element your content should have is a clear and organized content hierarchy. Utilize H1-H6 tags throughout your content to help structure and prioritize different topic ideas.
- Incorporate Schema Markup - Schema markup has become another crucial SEO element, particularly in helping AI-powered search algorithms index and display your content on search engine results pages. Using structured data helps categorize different types of content, such as product summaries, step-by-step guides, recipes, instructions, and other referenceable information.
3. Prioritize User Experience (UX)
It’s essential to remember that AV Overviews are in place to enhance the user experience. Because of this, you should look for ways you can do the same on your website and in the content you develop. This can be done by focusing on Google’s content guidelines, namely E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Many people use search engines for informational searches. This means they’re typically typing in queries that start with “how to” or “what is.” When users want a simple answer to a question, it's essential to provide answers in a clear and concise manner.
When Google recognizes that you’re able to answer certain questions clearly, they’re likely to serve these same answers in AI Overviews. By considering what your users are actually looking for and providing the answers they need, these improvements only help to add more credibility to your site.
4. Secure Backlinks and Build Authority
While you can spend a lot of time trying to draft your content so it’s easy to understand and provides real value to readers, much of this effort won’t matter unless you’ve proven your site to be a credible source of information. To achieve this, it is essential to focus on securing high-authority backlinks to your site.
A great way to start establishing more authority on your site is by getting more involved with online communities. For example, you could create a branded profile on Quora or Reddit where you can share your expertise or opinions on various topics related to your business. This helps to give your brand more exposure by providing helpful resources that answer the questions individuals have.
Technical SEO and Structured Data for AI Search
When structuring your site for AI search, ensure that various technical SEO elements are in place. Some of these include:
Maximize Site Crawlability and Indexability Using Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a helpful tool that can help you do a health check on your website’s crawlability and indexability. Both of these elements are vital when optimizing for AI search.
When accessing your Search Console, you should regularly review your Index Coverage report to see if there are any potential issues in your website’s current structure. You’ll also want to ensure that you regularly submit an XML sitemap through the tool to help Google understand when new content has been created and request indexing.
Follow E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Google’s E-E-A-T principles have continued to be a critical framework businesses should follow when creating new web content. This is what Google and AI Overviews use to evaluate whether or not the information they’re serving to users is both valuable and comes from a credible source.
You want to ensure that all the content you create effectively highlights your expertise on specific topics and demonstrates your knowledge and skills in relevant areas. You should also ensure that you are following best practices when updating and posting privacy policies on your sites and encrypting website connections using HTTPS.
Track AI Overview rankings with SEO tools
Sometimes it can be challenging to determine whether your SEO efforts are having an impact on whether you're being listed in AI Overviews. The good news is that there are now numerous free and paid SEO tools available that enable you to track your appearances in AI-powered search results.
Platforms like Semrush and Ahrefs are both popular tools that businesses can use to track a wide range of their search metrics, including tracking AI Overview listings. Keeping an eye on these over time can help you gauge whether your optimization efforts are working and make improvements as needed.
Staying Aware of the Risks and Limits of AI Overview Optimization
While AI Overviews aren’t designed to be a direct replacement for search engine results pages, there are some important things to keep in mind when continuously optimizing your site for better visibility.
Potential Losses in Search Visibility
While the inclusion of AI Overviews into Google’s search result pages is still relatively new, there are early signs that businesses may start experiencing less visibility on their direct links on search engine results pages.
Although AI Overiews currently takes a smaller piece of real estate above the fold on the first page of results, there’s a good chance that they may want to expand this space further. If this happens, it may be more challenging for users to disregard the AI Overviews and manually search for the information they need.
Less Predictable Search Results
Right now, AI Overviews don’t carry a consistent structure. Depending on the type of queries users make, the formatting of the Overview can vary considerably. In some cases, they may not display at all.
This lack of predictability can be particularly challenging for businesses when attempting to develop a structured SEO approach. It’s important to keep an eye on the ongoing improvements of AI Overviews and adapt your strategies over time
Potential of Feature Rollbacks and Volatility
As with most newer technologies, there is always the chance that certain historical search features may return as Google tests user perception or looks for more ways to improve their user experiences.
Because of this volatility, it is essential for businesses to regularly assess the effectiveness of their SEO efforts to ensure they remain effective in the long term. It’s essential to stay agile and regularly monitor new AI search features as they emerge, ensuring your efforts remain relevant.
Preventing Your Content from Appearing in AI Overviews
As you create new content, you may have a certain reason for wanting to eliminate it from AI Overviews altogether. For now, Google has made this possible by adding certain tags to your site map. These tags include:
- “Noindex” - Removes a page completely from all search engine indexing.
- “nosnippet” - Requests Google not to display text snippets, which should prevent inclusion in AI Overviews.
- “data-nosnippet” - Allows you to mark specific sections of text on a page that you don’t want used in Google snippets
- “robots.txt” - Allows you to fine-tune pages you want included or not included in search results.
Start Optimizing Your Site for AI Overviews
Google’s inclusion of AI algorithms in its search results is making it much easier for users to find the information they’re looking for online. While AI Overviews haven’t eliminated the need for businesses to focus on core SEO elements, they do require a certain amount of adaptation.
By following the strategies discussed, you’ll make sure your website and the content you produce are structured in a way that increases your likelihood of being found through these new AI search features.