Google AI Overviews: What They Are and How They’re Changing Digital Marketing
If you have searched for anything on Google in the last year, you will likely have seen the AI Overview section at the top of the search results. But what are they? How are they formed? And what do they mean for the way that search impacts the marketing of your business?
What are AI overviews, and how do they work?
Google AI Overviews are auto-generated summaries mined from the content within search results. Their information is taken from the long-form content within web pages, the summary data used to power featured snippets, and the tags and meta-data attached to their code. They are usually displayed at the top of the search results page, and it is not possible to turn this feature off.
This feature builds on the concept of snippets, which generates a preview of the content for a given search item and displays this within that search result by combining the information from multiple sources.
What are the positives of AI Overviews?
AI overviews in Google search results are powered by Gemini. The same technology powers all of their AI tools, and as such, has the potential for much more sophisticated applications to be developed over time. Since its release, this has included the ability to handle much more complex queries than its competitors.
More recently, Google have introduced the simplify function which enables users to take complex information and present it in a way which is more accessible for newcomers to a subject.
A key concern around AI tools has been the uncredited use of content. In contrast, Google’s implementation is more transparent. AI Overviews include links to the original pages they’ve drawn information from, so source material is still credited, giving some peace of mind to content creators.
Are there any drawbacks?
Because the AI Overviews are positioned at the top of the page, they have a much greater visibility over the actual search results. This greatly increases the importance of maximising your search rankings since there are fewer results immediately visible without scrolling. For information-based search queries in particular, there is the risk that users will stop at the generated summary without ever clicking through to any of the content featured in the search results.
Additionally, there have been instances where the information presented in the AI Overviews is factually incorrect. This is largely because the information being gathered is not verified. Since all prospective sources have equal weighting, the answers provided can sometimes be internally conflicting or even wholly inaccurate. It is likely that the effects of this will eventually be mitigated, as more emphasis is placed on the E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) rather than solely on the inclusion of SEO keywords.
Is it possible to opt out of this?
If you’re using an Android device, you can turn off certain AI features, but not AI Overviews specifically. From the perspective of a website owner, it is technically possible to opt out of being featured by using preview controls, which also remove your content from being included in featured snippets. However, this comes at the cost of decreased visibility and fewer organic traffic opportunities, so in most cases, it’s not an advisable strategy.
How should you optimise your content for AI Overviews?
For the most part, optimising your content for search rankings will also optimise it for AI Overview inclusion. The overviews make much greater use of pages which feature within the top 10 search results than any others, so SEO keyword inclusion and making sure that your website is search engine friendly are still key strategies.
As the technology continues to develop, more emphasis is being placed on the veracity and trustworthiness of content, so making sure that your website adheres to Google’s E-E-A-T quality guidelines will progressively have a much greater impact on inclusion in AI overviews and can also influence search rankings.
What does this mean for marketers?
For digital marketers, the implications are twofold. On one hand, AI Overviews may lead to fewer direct visits, especially for informational content. On the other hand, they introduce a new opportunity, being featured within the overview itself.
That means marketers need to think beyond just ranking and start considering whether their content contributes value to the wider conversation around a topic. Well-structured articles, clear answers to common questions, and strong trust signals can all increase the chances of being referenced by the AI, even if indirectly.
Additionally, keep an eye on analytics. If your traffic starts to dip, it may be worth revisiting how your content aligns with Google’s evolving expectations and whether it could better position itself to contribute to these summaries.
Final thoughts
Google has already invested considerable time and resources into the development of its AI products, both for their own sake and as feasible competition for other products in this area. So, it is safe to say that it isn’t going away – the choices are really either to embrace it or work around it.
Fortunately, the steps that you can take to optimise your content for inclusion within the overviews are also the same steps that will help with improving search rankings and general content visibility, as well as helping you to produce better content. And any tool which helps improve both the quality and the visibility of your business’s marketing can only be a net positive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are AI Overviews accurate?
While often helpful, AI Overviews can occasionally present incorrect or conflicting information, as they treat all indexed sources equally and don’t verify facts in real-time.
How can I optimise my content for Google AI Overviews?
Focus on high-quality SEO practices, including:
- Targeting relevant keywords
- Adhering to E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines
- Structuring content clearly with concise answers to user questions
- Using schema markup where appropriate
Will AI Overviews impact my website traffic?
They might reduce traffic for certain queries, especially informational ones. However, strong SEO and content alignment with user intent can still attract valuable visits.
Do AI Overviews link to the original content?
Yes, AI Overviews include source links, giving credit to the content creators and allowing users to explore the original information further.
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