Google AI Overview: Should Your SEO Strategy Target It?

Top tech platforms have slowly integrated AI across their tools — and Google is no exception. You may have noticed that in some of your Google search results, an “AI overview” has appeared at the top of the page.

Whether you’re on board with it or not, AI is here to stay. So, as marketers, the best thing to do is learn how it works and how we can work with it to leverage it to our advantage. 

And that’s why you’re here, to understand whether or not to put AI at the focus of your SEO strategy to keep your brand pages visible within these newly designed AI Overview search pages. 

Below, we give a more detailed explanation of what Google’s AI Overview is, how it works, its impact on organic performance, and how to evolve your brand’s SEO approach in response (we’ll give you a hint: our opinion is that you shouldn't rush into anything just yet — but more on that below!). 

What Is AI Overview on Google?

Google’s AI Overview is the use of “generative AI” in search results, where AI technology presents quick answers to user queries directly in search results, without them needing to click on a link. 

According to Google, AI Overviews are designed to meet user intent faster and more efficiently, providing short, relevant summaries, along with a link to the primary source. 

This feature was first announced on May 14th, 2024. As of September 2024, the feature has rolled out in major regions with local language support, including the US, UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil. 

Below is an example of what an AI Overview looks like when a user searches “Is my skin dry?”.

As you can see, the user receives a brief AI-generated summary of the top symptoms of dry skin, along with a source link to a website for each symptom. The AI Overview occupies “position zero” on the search engine results page (SERP), the featured position where snippets usually are. 

How Does AI Overview Work?

Google’s AI Overview pulls relevant key points from high-ranking content to address user search queries, often with a focus on optimized, reputable sources. Unlike featured snippets, AI Overviews aren’t limited to factual information or definitions, they’re capable of summarizing more complex information and answering nuanced questions.

AI Overviews can appear for a variety of searches, including informational, question-based, planning, e-commerce, and Your Money Your Life (YMYL—sensitive topics requiring particular expertise) searches. The Overview links to a source article that Google deems reliable, giving that page premium visibility in “position zero”.

As with Google’s previous SERP layouts, content must adhere to Google’s E-E-A-T standards to rank highly — experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. 

How Might AI Overview Impact Your Website's Organic Performance?

Google’s AI Overviews introduce several implications for SEO, particularly for websites that rely on organic traffic. 

The feature takes up prime real estate directly at the top of SERPs. While this drives exposure for the featured source, the other pages that also rank for this keyword are pushed further down the page, potentially reducing their organic click-through rates (CTRs). This makes it more important than ever for brands to land the top spot on SERPs. However, as the AI Overview aims to answer the user’s questions directly on the page, the primary source may also receive fewer clicks. 

Brands that rely on high-ranking organic results may feel the impact as users receive direct answers from Google’s AI. 

But this isn’t the first time Google has introduced a new feature that’s negatively impacted organic traffic. Back when local packs and featured snippets were introduced, it also reduced clicks from users. 

Brands had to adapt and evolve their SEO strategy with these changes, and so the question remains…

Should Your SEO Strategy Target the AI Overview?

AI Overview might be getting a lot of PR attention and hype online, but at Block & Tam we’re always skeptical about blindly pursuing the latest fads. Instead, we recommend holding off on rashly re-allocating your marketing budget towards this until the AI Overview’s impact and benefit are proven with data. 

Here’s why we’re not taking any action towards this yet…

INACCURATE RESULTS

When Google first rolled out AI Overviews, it didn’t exactly go to plan. It gave incorrect answers and even dangerous misinformation, advising some searchers to use glue to make their pizza hold onto toppings better. 

Following that viral mishap, it looks like Google has scaled back on the feature, at least until it can work out the kinks. 

According to the Semrush Sensor, they now appear for just 1.28% of search queries in the US. This would suggest that while AI Overviews are coming, they’re not quite ready to take over SERPs just yet. 

DUPLICATE CONTENT AND PENALTIES

AI has also been criticized for copying content without proper attribution to the original source, something which has always been penalized in SEO and content in general. You only need to see what happened after Google’s March and November 2024 Algorithm update to see the impact of poor performing, duplicate content.

SKEPTICAL USERS 

Google’s own data reveals that it’s not just SEO marketers who are wary of AI Overviews, but their users are skeptical too. Searches like “remove AI Overview from Google search” have gained notable traction, though the feature can’t currently be switched off. 

As a result of the above, it’s not advisable to gear your entire SEO approach towards the AI Overview alone. SEO is a strategy in which the foundations are laid and progress is seen over a certain period. So, rather than tearing up these foundations, you just need to make a few upgrades. 

So, How Should Marketers Approach the AI Overview?

As we’ve said, in our opinion there’s always a risk in targeting your entire strategy towards a new focus or fad, without first assessing the data and proving value. Instead, our advice is to keep following SEO best practices to make content as informative and valuable as possible — something which Google has never stopped encouraging content creators and SEOs to do. 

Not only will this help your brand to rank higher in the organic results, but it will also increase your chances of appearing in the AI Overview with no further effort needed on your part. 

STEP 1: IDENTIFY TOPICS AND PAGES THAT RANK FOR KEYWORDS WHERE AI OVERVIEW APPEARS

First, let’s see if your brand’s pages are ranking for queries where AI Overview works. Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help identify trends where AI Overviews are most active.

STEP 2: CHECK IF THESE PAGES FEATURE IN THE OVERVIEW

Do your web pages rank well in searches that display AI Overview? How does the content perform? If they’re low down on the organic results page, it’s worth taking another look at your content to assess whether it’s high quality and optimized for search engines. 

STEP 3: WRITE COMPELLING, INFORMATIVE, AND WELL-RESEARCHED CONTENT THAT CATERS TO THE SEARCH INTENT

To capture Google’s attention, your content should be comprehensive, well-researched, and aligned with Google’s E-E-A-T standards. 

If any existing content isn’t ranking well organically or isn’t making it into the AI Overview sources, then reevaluate it based on E-E-A-T. 

STEP 4: THOROUGHLY ANSWER ALL RELEVANT CUSTOMER QUERIES RELATING TO THE TOPIC

AI Overview content is both concise and informative. When creating informational content that answers user queries, aim to answer each relevant question comprehensively. Ensure that you’re breaking down complex ideas into digestible pieces while covering the topic’s nuances. 

Remember, it’s not just about creating content that search engines will like, it’s about being as helpful to the user as possible. 

STEP 5: MAKE THE PAGE READER-FRIENDLY

Making your content user-friendly helps Google understand and organize your text. Use headers, bullet points, and short paragraphs to improve readability. 

Don’t forget general SEO optimization, such as improving your page speed or using structured data markup to make it friendly to search engine crawlers too. 

Keep Your SEO on Point With Block & Tam

Google’s AI-centric updates are complex, but Block & Tam’s expertise keeps our clients’ SEO strategies updated accordingly — all with the right level of skepticism and adaptability that should be applied to brand-new features. 

Work with us today to maximize the SEO value of your website in the new age of AI.