Earlier this year, Google launched its AI Overviews feature: a new way of presenting information from search results to its users. You’ve probably noticed it popping up for a handful of your queries by now, but what exactly is it? How does it work and what does it mean for SEO? We’ve answered all the big questions below to help you understand them and figure out what to do next.
What are Google’s AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are pretty much what they say on the tin. For some queries, Google produces an AI-generated answer by summarising the information available across the web. AI Overviews appear at the top of the page above the organic results, the goal of this being to remove the need for users to look through multiple websites to get the answer they’re looking for.
The key part of this description to keep in mind is the word “some”; they won’t be appearing for every search. For now, Google is just targeting the more complex queries that would usually have required multiple searches to get the desired answer.
How will AI Overviews impact SEO?
For website owners, all of the above might sound a bit scary and you’ve likely got a lot of questions about its impact on SEO.
AI Overviews are likely to drive an increase in zero-click searches, as users will get all the info they need in the summary. That might sound like bad news for your site’s traffic, but they also present an opportunity, as each AI Overview prominently cites the web pages that it uses to generate its summary.
Therefore, if the overview uses your site to produce its answer, you could see a big influx in traffic rather than a decline, as you’ll be positioned above the organic results – almost like a featured snippet. In fact, testing from Google has already shown that sites featured in an AI summary experience improved visibility and click-through rates.
Not only that, but those who come to your site will be more engaged with your content, as they’ve already been presented with an understanding on the subject from the summary. This makes getting into these AI summaries feel all important, but remember that key term from our description. They will only be generated for some complex searches, so many traditional keywords will likely be unaffected.
How can you optimise for AI Overviews?
There are no established strategies for optimising for AI Overviews at the time of writing, but based on what we know, there are a few things you can do that will probably maximise your chances.
Make sure you’re doing the basics right
First off, you should probably make sure that your site is fully shipshape. Make sure its pages are easily crawlable and indexable, removing any potential issues like 4XX errors, as well as ensuring that the site architecture is well structured and organised.
Check that the basics of optimisation have been done right, making proper use of meta tags and heading tags, as well as correct keyword usage in the content itself. You’ll want your site to be user friendly, too, so be sure that it’s secure, mobile-friendly and quick to load.
Target questions and long-tail keywords
As mentioned above, Google is targeting complex searches when it comes to AI Overviews. This means they’re more likely to be generated for long-tail keywords and questions. If you’re wanting to get into an AI summary, consider the long-tail keywords that are relevant to your site and try to optimise for those. Answering the questions your target customers want to know might help to get you featured.
Refine your content
Content has always been king when it comes to SEO. If you want to rank highly, you need your content to be of a high standard, and this will likely be no different when it comes to AI summaries.
Give your site a content analysis and make sure everything is up to scratch. Are you delivering accurate, informative content that adds value to the user in a way that’s engaging and easy to read? If not, it might be time for an overhaul.
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