Search has changed — again. With the introduction of Google's AI Overviews, the way people find and consume information online is being transformed. These generative summaries, once called Search Generative Experience (SGE), now sit prominently at the top of search results, answering queries in a flash — often without the need to click a single link.
To many, this sounds like the death knell of SEO. But to the savvy marketer, it’s simply a new frontier. If you’re wondering how to still rank, get seen, and earn clicks, this guide will show you how to adapt your SEO strategy for success in this new AI-assisted world.
AI Overviews are Google’s way of using generative AI to respond directly to user queries with synthesized information pulled from multiple web sources. When you ask a complex or multi-part question — like “What’s the best way to reduce cholesterol without medication?” — instead of ten blue links, you might see a compact, conversational answer built by AI.
This answer isn’t just pulled from one site. It’s crafted from various sources that Google’s algorithms consider trustworthy, relevant, and well-structured. These responses can include cited links (sometimes up to three), bullet points, visuals, and even follow-up question prompts.
The promise? Speed and efficiency for the user. 👌
The problem for marketers? Fewer clicks. 😱
According to a SEMrush study, early AI Overviews appeared in about 84% of search results during testing. Although this percentage has dropped as Google fine-tunes the experience, AI Overviews still dominate for informational and question-based queries — the very type most content marketers target.
Backlinko’s recent analysis suggests that even when your website is featured in an Overview, there's no guarantee users will click through. AI Overviews can paraphrase your insights, reducing the need to visit your page. Welcome to the age of zero-click SEO.
But that doesn’t mean SEO is dead. It just means you need to evolve — and fast.
If your content doesn’t ooze Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, you’ll struggle to get featured — or even ranked — in an AI Overview world.
How to do it:
Add author bylines and bios that show real credentials.
Include first-hand experience wherever possible: quotes, personal case studies, behind-the-scenes processes.
Reference high-authority external sources, especially in YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) niches.
Regularly update content to keep it fresh and factual.
Google’s AI relies heavily on trusted sources. Be one of them.
AI Overviews love well-organized, scannable content. That means traditional SEO tactics like keyword density won’t cut it on their own.
Here’s what works:
Break content into clear sections with H2 and H3 tags that answer specific questions.
Use bullet points, tables, and numbered lists — perfect for AI parsing and snippet inclusion.
Write concise summaries or key takeaways at the top of pages.
Add FAQs with schema markup to directly answer long-tail questions.
Think of your content like ingredients in a recipe — Google’s AI needs the right format to “cook up” a perfect Overview.
Structured data is one of the most overlooked but powerful ways to signal relevance to Google.
For AI Overviews SEO, use schema to:
Highlight FAQs, How-to steps, and articles.
Specify author credentials, publish dates, and organization info.
Mark up product reviews, events, and recipes, if applicable.
Even if you’re not featured in the AI Overview summary, rich snippets can help you own the real estate just below it.
Generic content is the biggest loser in the AI Overview era. If your article just repeats what 10 other blogs already say, it’s likely to be summarized away by Google’s AI.
Instead, focus on:
Proprietary data: Share research, stats, or customer surveys.
Personal stories and insights: Humans want what AI can’t write.
Contrarian opinions: If your take differs from the status quo, you stand out.
Multimedia: Video embeds, infographics, and interactive tools add value and reduce bounce.
Ask yourself: Would I still find this content useful even if I read a summary?
Let’s say your page is cited in an AI Overview — that’s great. But the next challenge is to make the click worth it.
Make sure:
Your introductory paragraph is engaging and promises deeper value.
Pages load quickly, especially on mobile.
Navigation is clean and encourages exploration (related posts, CTAs, internal links).
There’s a clear conversion goal on each page — whether it’s a lead form, newsletter signup, or purchase.
You can’t control if someone clicks, but you can make sure that if they do, they stay.
In this new world, traditional metrics like ranking position may not be the most meaningful. Instead, focus on:
Click-through rate (CTR) for Overview-featured pages
Dwell time and engagement rate
Search visibility for long-tail and branded queries
Conversion rate from organic traffic
Return visitors who discover you once — and come back
Winning at SEO today means playing a long game, one where brand equity and user experience matter just as much as keywords and backlinks.
AI Overviews are a wake-up call for content marketers. We’re no longer just writing for users and search engines — we’re also writing for AI summarizers. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
If anything, this evolution filters out the fluff and rewards content that’s truly helpful, structured, and human.
So no — SEO isn’t buried. But bad SEO is.
If you're ready to future-proof your organic strategy, it’s time to rework your content for the AI age. And if you want help doing that, our team at The Orange Box Agency specializes in SEO strategies built for what’s next — not just what worked yesterday.