How Google AI Overviews are Shaping the Future of SEO

AI is a buzzword that you will have seen appear surrounding many different industries, and SEO is no different. The impact of AI generated content has been the main topic of conversation so far in SEO, however recently we have started to see Google begin to leverage it within search themselves.

Google's AI Overviews are set to redefine search dynamics. These AI-driven summaries appear at the top of search results and aim to provide users with concise answers by pulling content from multiple websites. After initial testing in other regions of the world, Google plans to bring this feature to the UK soon, and it will undoubtedly impact the approach SEO specialists take.

 

How does Google AI Overview work?

Google's AI overview will be leveraging new generative AI technology, specifically powered by their own large language model (LLM) named Gemini, to generate direct answers to users' questions at the top of the SERP. Below the provided answers, you will find links to the sources of information that helped formulate the answer. In several ways this creates a similar impact on the SERP environment which the introduction of featured snippets had.

The AI overviews appear like this. In this specific search, we asked Google ‘what is a digital marketing agency?’. The AI overview tool pulls in information from sources across the web, to provide you with an instant answer to your query.

It takes up the entire top section of the SERP’s once opened, so you can imagine how site owners may have felt when first seeing this, particularly in areas where they used to rank #1. But how much impact does this really have?

 

What impact will AI Overview have on SEO

Whilst the AI overviews are expanding to the UK among other countries, it still remains on an opt-in trial basis for now making it difficult to know the full extent of its SEO impact. Despite this, from the information Google has provided we can make some assumptions so that when this feature releases in full you are ready to navigate a new SERP environment.

Firstly, Google has highlighted that this technology is particularly beneficial for users who ask long, complex questions. These users are reportedly more satisfied with their search results, suggesting that as AI Overviews become more widespread, we may see a shift in how users interact with search engines.

Specifically, there could be an increase in the popularity of longer and more detailed search queries, as users become accustomed to receiving detailed AI-generated responses. Optimising for these factors should not require too much strategy adaptation because Google’s recent algorithm trends emphasise creating high-quality content that is relevant to target users. If your website’s content meets these standards, Gemini may incorporate it into its overviews, potentially earning your site a spot in a new type of featured snippet at the top of the SERP. Essentially, it’s likely that if you were ranking #1 for these longer-tailed search queries, you will be part of the AI overview that Google provides, as they trust you as an information source. Google’s research has also confirmed that clicks generated from these overviews tend to be of much higher quality than average which will also boost your on page behaviour metrics.

 

Which websites will be affected most

With the high degree of variety in website content that exists, naturally some types of content will be more susceptible to AI overviews than others and will therefore be impacted greater by the rollout of AI overviews. We believe that the greatest impact will be seen for blog style content, where the goal is to address user questions within a larger topic - like this one. Often blog content is used as a method of targeting users asking specific questions about a topic, however as Google Overview teaches people that they can ask increasingly detailed questions user search terms will be difficult to accurately target. This will make this style of content more likely to be included as one information source among others in an AI summarised overview.

On the other hand, product and service specific web pages seem as if they would be much less likely to be affected by AI overviews. These pages typically focus on direct conversions, such as purchases or service inquiries, which involve user interactions beyond simply gathering information. As such, their relevance in search results may remain more stable, particularly if AI Overviews prioritise general information rather than transaction-focused content.

 

How will AI overviews affect your organic traffic

Despite a rise in the quality of clicks coming from AI overviews, the flip side is that this will likely reduce the amount of total organic traffic you receive. In 2024 nearly 60% of current Google searches do not result in a click. By design, these new AI Overviews will be providing users with an increased amount of relevant information directly on the SERP, potentially further reducing the number of clicks that come about from searches. It is important to note though that AI overviews will not appear for all queries, and until the feature is more widely available it is not possible to have a concrete answer to what the knock on impact will be for organic traffic.

To ensure your website is in the best state for success in an AI infused SERP environment, make sure that all of your relevant pages are in your sitemap, are indexed, and that the content is of the highest quality possible. For help navigating your website to organic traffic success we offer high quality SEO services, making sure that you aren’t negatively affected by updates like these.