When you visit Google’s About Us page, this line will greet you: “Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
And it’s true.
Google’s continuous quest to improve and optimize its search engine ranking algorithms is proof of that. As the mission statement says, their goal is to make the world’s information universally accessible and useful to searchers.
Sadly, with every major and minor update, SEOs and websites are left scrambling to recover from possibly unfavorable changes.
AI Overviews is the latest and greatest of Google’s series of SERP enhancements.
The question is: how will this new AI-generated snippet shake up the SEO industry? Read more to find out.
What is Google’s AI Overview?
AI Overviews, formerly Search Generative Experience, combines generative AI with Google’s search capabilities to deliver informative summaries to searchers. Instead of going through multiple links to find the needed information, searchers receive an AI-generated snapshot of the most relevant content right away.
How Does the AI Snapshot Work?
AI Overviews uses a custom language model with access to Google’s search results and core web ranking systems. This allows it to perform traditional searches and choose the most relevant results for the given query.
The AI snapshots revolutionize search by answering complex questions that typically take multiple searches or follow-ups.
Here is an example:
I asked Google why my car was rough idling, and it provided me with a comprehensive answer that listed and explained all possible reasons.
The screenshot also shows that Google puts accuracy above all else, hence the multiple source links from which the answers were taken. Users may explore specific web pages displayed on the right-hand panel.
Google also says its AI Overviews do not “hallucinate,” as observed with other LLMs, like ChatGPT. Since it can access Google search, the feature only extracts the best possible answer from the top results on Google’s index.
Why Is Google’s AI Results Important?
AI Overviews is Google’s attempt to move closer to its mission of making information universally accessible. With it, users learn whatever they need right away.
However, some lifelong disciples of traditional SEO might feel like this transition is an attack on the familiar. After all, the battle for online search visibility just became tighter as websites will now compete for some AI snapshot real estate.
Clearly Google’s AI Overviews is more searcher-oriented than it is website-focused. But there are also some benefits to website owners that we’ll cover below:
Provides concise and informative summaries
Have you ever had a simple query, but most results show you a 1000-word fluff for what could’ve been answered by a simple sentence?
AI Overviews seek to address this.
This new SERP feature gives users AI-generated informative summaries to answer a search query directly. It uses the content from the top results to generate a comprehensive response. With AI snapshots, users can quickly access the required information without the need for website hopping.
Access data from a variety of sources
AI Overviews owes its answers to the best results that address a user’s query. Google pays homage to the source links by including them as clickable sidebar links in the snapshot.
In other words, users may still click through and read a website’s entire content if the Overview fails to satisfy the inquiry. This is an additional traffic source in addition to organic search results.
Gives a chance to low-performing organic links
Given the amount of content on the internet, it’s not surprising that most links fail to make it to the first page of SERPs. This is especially true for websites targeting short-tail, high-competition keywords, which household brands already dominate.
However, there are cases when low-ranking organic links offer more value or answer questions than high-performing results. AI Overviews can recognize and include these links in the snapshot if their content is relevant to the query.
How Does Google’s AI-powered Snapshots Affect SEO?
AI Overviews does more than simply change the SERP layout. It can also shake things up in the SEO industry. Here are a few ways:
1. It may overshadow traditional search results
For decades, brands have competed to rank for position #1 or, at least, bag Google’s featured snippet. It’s no longer the case when AI Overviews roll out globally.
SEOs and site owners will now try to reverse engineer Google’s AI Overviews and find ways to include their websites in the snapshot while also making their way up the organic search results.
We’re not saying organic results will lose their purpose— not at all. But we have to understand the average searcher’s thought process. If the Overview gives them the necessary information, why bother looking through organic results?
Considering this possibility, it would make more sense to optimize content for AI Overviews.
2. It will change a user’s search behavior
Here’s the thing: the average Google user doesn’t care about SEO.
What matters to them is having their questions answered in the most convenient way possible, and AI Overviews might make that possible.
Users will stop scrolling past the AI Overviews when they are inadvertently satisfied with the summary.
This means search links that qualify for the snapshot will experience the most benefits, such as increased CTR, more monthly organic traffic, and higher overall site visibility.
3. It shifts focus toward creating content for complex questions
Google AI Overviews will not be a default search feature (well, at least not yet). As of writing, the snapshot only shows when users ask complex questions with equally complex answers. AI
The Overviews do not appear for simple questions answerable by a yes or no or queries requiring no complicated explanations. As shown below, Google’s featured snippet sufficed to address my inquiry.
If this is the case, the competition for AI Overviews will concentrate on long-tail, highly niche keywords or complicated queries requiring layers of explanation.
4. It emphasizes Google’s E-E-A-T requirement
E-E-A-T (short for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) has been the core principle of Google’s quality rater guidelines since 2022. While not a ranking algorithm per se, E-E-A-T is the benchmark human raters use to assess the quality of search results. Content exhibiting E-E-A-T is more likely to rank positively on SERPs.
So, how does this impact AI Overviews?
Google’s AI snapshots mainly address complex questions. Therefore, they will need content that exhibits the four quality rater guidelines to answer them.
For example, consider the query, “What is the best workout routine for building muscle mass?”
AI Overviews will more likely feature content from health and wellness websites rather than a business selling gym equipment, even if both have content regarding the matter.
Health and wellness websites are more authoritative and trustworthy in the niche. They are also likelier to feature case studies and scientific resources, giving them the edge in experience and [medical] expertise.
Let’s experiment with the query:
The snapshot’s executive summary was extracted from three health and wellness websites (two fitness websites and one medical website).
In other words, website content showing surface-level knowledge of a subject matter wouldn’t cut it. Content writers must be deeply immersed in their niche to create content that actually gets featured in AI Overviews.
5. It will introduce new SEO metrics and best practices
AI Overviews is a relatively new feature on Google. It still hasn’t rolled out globally and is only accessible by signing up on Google Search Labs.
As of now, the userbase is limited to enthusiasts who wish to participate in Google’s development. When this rolls out globally, more SEOs will be able to try, test, and strategize about ranking in the AI snapshot. This will inevitably result in more SEO metrics to track and best practices to squeeze websites into the Overview.
Actionable Tips to Rank in Google’s AI Overviews
According to Google Search Central, creators don’t have to do anything special to get into the snapshot. And following their search essentials is enough to be considered.
Of course, Google would say something like this. After all, their search algorithm and ranking factors are still a big mystery. We only have correlational studies and speculations as to what they are.
But following their advice, here are the Google Search Essentials best practices you must follow:
Allegedly, implementing the above on your content is enough to be part of Google’s AI Overviews.
Let us know how that works for you.
So, Will the Google AI Overviews Change the SEO Landscape?
Yes, but not massively.
For years, Google has emphasized the importance of E-E-A-T-exhibiting, high-quality, people-focused, helpful content to rank on the first page of SERPs.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Google’s AI Overviews is the culmination of that advice.
If the AI snapshot changes anything, it’s how the search results will be laid out once the Overview becomes default.
Unfortunately, while the changes in SEO are minimal, the impact of AI Overviews on businesses might sting.
If searcher behavior changes as speculated, i.e.:
- Users are satisfied with the content on AI Overviews
- Users only click links featured in the snapshot
- Users no longer scroll beyond the AI-generated summary
Unqualified organic results will suffer a downturn in clicks, organic traffic, and overall visibility.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… or are we?