How to Optimize for AI Overviews and AI Powered Search

Google’s AI Overviews (formerly known as Google Search Generative Experience) started rolling out in the US from May 14.  

In spite of this rollout being the first iteration of AI powering search results, businesses are trying to figure out how to optimize their online presence and how users will interact with search results in future.  

Search Results are Evolving 

Going beyond the traditional format of merely displaying links to websites started with Google’s Answer Box, Knowledge Panel and other rich results like Featured Snippets and People Also Ask listings.  

Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) aim to provide users with direct answers and summaries of information on SERPs. The influence of artificial intelligence on search results presentation is transformative.   

At present, AI Overviews are focused on long-tail informational queries and answering questions directly, making the search process more efficient and user-friendly. 

Personalized and Secure Search Experiences 

AI Overviews bring the concept of “Google will do Googling for you” to life. Users can expect personalized search results pages, tailored to individual preferences and search history.  

When initially rolled out, between 30% and 45% of all queries triggered AI Overviews before Google dialed them back. Currently, only about 16% of all queries return AI Overviews, and 80% of the sites featured do not rank traditionally, indicating a broader range of sources being highlighted in search results. 

Google is expected to expand AI Overviews to more queries and geographies as Google adds layers of verification and security to the summaries generated by AI. 

AI is influencing how people search and find solutions to their needs. Some of the more popular AI powered search channels include: 

With AI Overviews and AI Powered Search, is SEO Finally Dead? 

The rise of AI Overviews does not signify the end of SEO but rather its continued evolution. Marketers must adapt to the changing search landscape, from traditional SERPs to conversational chat results pages (CHERPs) and now to AI-driven prompts (PROMPTS) and overviews. Some of the changes marketers will need to make include: 

• Saturating AI powered search results with your content and maximizing search visibility needs to become the goal instead of ‘rankings’.  

• Organic and paid strategies can no longer work in silos. Businesses will need to co-optimize across marketing channels towards maximizing search visibility. 

• Diversifying content to answer audience questions (FAQs) and visual optimization (images and video) to enhance user engagement and improve overall visibility in search results will have to become a priority. 

Impact of AI Overviews on Businesses and What They Should Do 

1. More Content Within Search Results: 

With AI Overviews, it’s crucial for businesses to ensure content from their website features in these results. Ensuring your content is helpful, unique, and consistent increases the chances of being featured prominently in AI Overviews. Content types businesses need to invest more in include: answering questions, creating definitions, social mentions, images and videos. Content needs to demonstrate authority with a point of view, proprietary data and charts, and ‘how to’ content that informs and educates searchers. 

2. Reduced Top Funnel Traffic: 

AI Overviews are focused on answering searcher questions. With more content around early stage research queries being served within the search results, 0-click searches are expected to increase. Top of the funnel traffic is expected to decline and visitors to websites are expected to be more intent-driven. With fewer, but more qualified visitors, it will be crucial for businesses to engage and convert every visitor effectively. Employing personalization, conversion rate optimization (CRO), A/B testing, and co-optimization strategies can significantly enhance engagement and conversion rates. 

3. Personalized and Blended Search Experience: 

Diversifying content with images, videos, FAQs, and other media types enriches the user experience. This blend of content formats ensures a more personalized and engaging search experience, aligning with AI’s capabilities to deliver varied and relevant information. 

Organic and Paid Can No Longer Work in Silos 

To truly capitalize on the potential of AI Overviews, businesses must abandon the siloed approach to organic and paid strategies. The goal is to saturate search across the entire buying journey through all channels: 

• Upper funnel (Discovery): Focus on creating content that attracts and engages users at the discovery stage. Use SEO and paid strategies to increase visibility and drive traffic. 

• Mid-funnel (Experience): Enhance the user experience with rich content, such as videos, blogs, and interactive elements, to keep visitors engaged and guide them through the decision-making process. 

• Lower-funnel (Conversion): Optimize for conversions by combining targeted paid ads with high-quality, conversion-focused organic content. This approach ensures a seamless transition from interest to action. 

Building on an SEO-first CMS is crucial. An AI-powered search platform can seamlessly integrate with both paid and organic efforts, enhancing the overall search experience and improving performance across all stages of the buying journey. 

6-Step Guide to Improving Visibility in AI Overviews

AI powered search is in its early stages. There are no guidelines from search engines for optimizing for AI Overviews. There is very little data on AI Overviews visibility. Optimizing for AI powered search will evolve with time, but you can give your business a head start by adopting the following 6-step process: 

1. Research & Intent Mapping:  

Identify which queries are triggering AI Overviews. Analyze Google Search Console (GSC) data for changes in impressions and clicks. Analyze user intent and questions being asked can guide your content creation and optimization strategies around branded and informational queries. 

2. Closing Content Gaps: 

Analyze the rich results – especially Featured Snippets and People Also Ask queries – and identify any topical and entity gaps in your content. Diversify your content with images, videos, and other formats to close these gaps and provide comprehensive answers to user queries. Since AI Overviews are primarily focused on long tail queries, prioritize content generation around queries with a high relevance to your business instead of focusing on high search volumes. 

3. Content Clusters: 

Google evaluates page level content in the larger context of site-wide topical authority. It is important to create content clusters and interlink related content. This will demonstrate topical authority, provide related content to visitors improving engagement and also give other related content a chance to appear in AI Overviews. 

4. Structured Data: 

Mark up all your content with advanced nested schema architecture. Structured data helps search engines better understand the context and entities within your content, increasing the chances of being featured in AI Overviews for the right queries. 

5. Search-Friendly Architecture: 

Ensure your website’s crawlability and indexability with a search-friendly page and site architecture. A well-structured website facilitates better interaction with search engine algorithms, enhancing visibility in AI-driven search results. Contextual internal linking can improve on-site engagement and help you build topical authority around related queries. 

6. Performance Tracking: 

Monitor user engagement, interactions, and conversions to gauge the effectiveness of your strategies. Regular performance tracking helps identify areas for improvement and adapt strategies for better results. 

The Future of AI Overviews and AI Powered Search 

Looking ahead, the influence of AI on search is only expected to increase. During Google I/O 2024, Google talked about AI-organized search results page coming soon, delivering comprehensive and relevant information in a succinct format. In his interviews, Sundar Pichai, (CEO of Google), talked about Google and AI acting more like a search agent indicating a move towards an agent economy. 

As AI continues to reshape the search landscape, the potential for innovation and improvement within digital marketing and online success is immense. 

In conclusion, AI Overviews are setting the stage for the future of search results. By embracing this evolving technology and optimizing strategies accordingly, businesses can ensure a strong online presence and effectively engage with their target audience in the AI-driven search environment.