With the increasing integration of AI into our everyday lives, Google AI Search Overviews are becoming a prominent feature of the search landscape.
These overviews, powered by generative AI, are designed to provide users with concise, instant answers to their queries. Initially rolled out across a small percentage of searches, these overviews are expanding to cover more and more results, changing how users engage with online content.
Jump to:
- What are Google AI Search Overviews?
- Can you Optimise for AI Overviews?
- Understanding how they Work?
- How does Google Select Reference Content?
- How to Optimise for AI Overviews?
- Final Thoughts
What are Google AI search overviews?
Google AI Search Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results, offering a quick, synthesised answer to a user’s query. Instead of scrolling through multiple links, users can get an immediate snapshot of key information, pulled from various web sources. This development signals a shift from traditional search engine results pages (SERPs) towards an AI-curated content experience.
As more users begin to interact with these overviews, it becomes increasingly important to ask: Is it possible to optimise your content to feature in these summaries?
Can you optimise for Google AI search overviews?
The short answer is: Yes, but with limitations.
While traditional SEO practices (optimising for keywords, backlinks, and user experience) still play a role, optimising for Google AI overviews involves a deeper understanding of how the underlying AI technology works.
To succeed in AI-driven search results, businesses must tailor their content not just for human readers but also for how AI systems retrieve, process, and summarise information.
Understanding Google AI overviews – how do they work?
To understand how to optimise content for Google AI overviews, we first need to explore the technology behind them. These overviews are powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), such as Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s GPT models. These models are trained to understand and generate human language, but with some important caveats:
- LLMs Are Updated Infrequently: Due to the high cost and complexity of developing LLMs, they are not updated frequently. For example, the latest model from OpenAI (GPT-4o) was released in May 2024 with a data cut-off from December 2023. This means that optimisation opportunities tied to the AI’s core language processing capabilities are limited, or at least more of a long term strategy.
- Opportunities Tied to Live Search Traffic: Unlike standalone AI models, Google AI Search Overviews are also anchored to live search traffic. When a user submits a query, Google AI performs a real-time search across the web, synthesising this with the core LLM to filter and summarise relevant content. This reliance on current web traffic offers businesses a more real time optimisation opportunity.
How does Google select content for overviews?
AI-generated summaries are not generated exclusively from the top organic results. The AI system follows a structured process to ensure only the most relevant, authoritative, and useful information is featured:
- Query Formulation: Google AI interprets the user’s query and formulates a corresponding search to retrieve relevant results.
- Search Execution: The AI sends this query to Google’s search engine, which returns a list of potential web pages.
- Content Extraction: From these pages, key points and data are extracted, focusing on high-quality, relevant content.
- Summarisation: The AI then synthesises this information with the core model, to produce a concise, readable response for the user, with reference links to the source information.
How to optimise your content for Google AI overviews
While LLMs may not be frequently updated, the real-time nature of Google search traffic offers a dynamic opportunity to optimise your content. Here are some strategies that can help your content get featured in AI-generated overviews:
- Keyword research and usage: Research the keywords most relevant to your audience and make sure they are prominently featured in your content. The AI will favour content that clearly aligns with the user’s query.
- Structure your content: Use clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make your content easy to digest. AI overviews often pull from well-structured content where key information is easily identifiable.
- Include relevant entities: Incorporate named entities like people, places, dates, and statistics relevant to the topic. This helps the AI understand the context of your content more effectively.
- Fact-check and keep content fresh: Regularly update your content to ensure it remains accurate and relevant. AI-driven search engines prefer up-to-date and well-researched material.
- Use authoritative sources: Link to credible and authoritative sources. Google AI weighs the credibility of the information it summarises, favouring content from trusted websites.
Final thoughts
As Google AI search overviews continue to expand, they will become an integral part of how users find information online.
While traditional SEO practices still hold value, optimising for AI overviews requires a more nuanced approach, focusing on structured, relevant, and credible content.
By aligning your content with how these AI systems operate, you can improve your chances of being featured at the top of search results, ensuring your business remains visible in the evolving landscape of AI-driven search.
