The new era of SEO is here, and it’s all about AI.
Google’s AI overviews now appear in up to 47% of all search queries and take up half the screen on both mobile and desktop devices.
Why does this matter?
Shorter Answer – AI Overviews are trained on your website content, and they’re now stealing your clicks too.
But, they also offer a new opportunity for SEOs willing to spend the time optimising to rank in the AI Overviews.
Think about it this way…
If your content, products, or services are mentioned in those AI overviews – Google is essentially endorsing your business to millions of potential customers.
While there are clearly some (big) negatives for publishers, there are also new opportunities to increase traffic and conversions for your website.
Just take a look at our own AI Overview growth so far the past few months:
And in some cases…
…we have been able to secure both the AI Overview listing AND the traditional featured snippet when they appear (download the free PDF checklist):
We’ve spent a lot of time over the last few months studying AI overviews to see how they impact search and what they mean for SEO in 2025 (and beyond).
In this post, I will explain:
- What AI overviews are
- How and when they’re triggered in the SERPs
- 5 steps to optimise for Google AI overviews
- Exactly how to structure your content for maximum visibility
- How to track your results
And I’ll be updating this post as new AI overview changes occur.
We’ve got a jam-packed schedule, so let’s jump in!
Or you can just download the free PDF checklist and get started straight away.
What Will I Learn?
AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries displayed at the top of the Google organic search results.
They provide a direct answer to the user’s query, combining multiple sources from around the web and using Google’s generative AI to summarise the sources into the answer.
Google first announced AI overviews in May 2023, calling them the “Search Generative Experience” (SGE).
It was officially launched in December 2024 in the United States and later rebranded to AI Overviews in May 2024.
Each AI overview has three core components:
In my search for “how to train a dog to stop barking,” I clicked the “Show More” button and scrolled down the page, and the three sources on the right followed me down the page.
Clicking on the sources takes you directly to the page where the AI Overview got the information for your answer.
There are also links within the AI answer that show where information was sourced for individual sentences.
What’s interesting is that clicking on those answer links doesn’t take you to a source page.
It simply highlights the source (or sources) it was taken from.
This seems to be due to the fact that Google is taking the answers from multiple websites.
There is a video at the end of the AI answer that is clipped to show the section of the video Google thinks will best answer my question.
AI Overviews appear at the top of SERPs above any featured snippets.
This is pretty typical for an AI Overview on an informational query with no ads.
AI Overviews work by having Google Gemini (Google’s large language model) take information from around the web, summarise it and provide an in-depth answer at the top of the SERPs.
This benefits users in two ways:
Google is essentially combining Gemini with other Google systems, such as Google Knowledge Graph and the Google search ranking algorithm, to provide summarised answers to users.
That way, they can still surface information from the best websites and provide a summary to the user.
It represents a significant change in search as AI search engines start to impact how users find information.
As with all changes…
It also represents new opportunities for publishers and website owners.
Now that you know what Google’s AI overviews are and how they work, I will show you how to optimise your site so you can rank for them.
Before optimising and ranking in the Google AI overviews, you must ensure your website has the foundations in place.
Otherwise, anything else you do won’t matter!
Use this quick 4-point audit checklist to make sure your website is technically solid. It should take less than 10 minutes to check off all the points.
Google uses the mobile version of websites to decide what content appears in the AI Overviewso
It works much the same as mobile-indexing first.
But the difference is that your mobile version can’t just be good – It has to be great.
Head over to Google PageSpeed Insights, add your website URL and scroll down to the Accessibility report.
This will list all the issues that have to do with how accessible your page is.
You’re looking for major issues like:
You don’t have to be perfect here, but you should score at least 90+.
Slow websites rarely appear in Google AI Overviews.
The goal of AI Overviews is to offer users faster answers to their questions.
A good rule of thumb is that your site should load within 2.5 seconds and you should pass all of the Core Web Vitals test.
In Google PageSpeed Insights, scroll to the Performance report.
A score of 90+ is considered good. If you’re below that, you’ve got some work to do.
Most page speed issues can be fixed with these quick wins:
I use ShortPixel to handle all the issues with Images and WP Rocket to take care of everything else.
If you’re still stuck, check out my complete tutorial on how to increase website speed.
This goes without saying…
If Google can’t easily read your content, you haven’t got a chance of getting featured in an AI Overview.
Thankfully, it’s easy to verify.
Go to a content page on your site, right-click and select “View Page Source”.
Then, press “CTRL + F” (or “CMD + F” on Mac) and type in a unique sentence from the page.
If the search finds the sentence in the source code, you’re good, and Google can easily read the content.
Google AI Overviews only show content from credible sources.
That means proving to Google you are a trustworthy expert is a must.
How do you do that?
These are the must-haves:
Next, you need to optimise your about page.
It should have:
This proves to Google that you are a real person from a credible, trustworthy organisation with real expertise.
That’s exactly what Google wants to see before sourcing your site in the AI Overviews.
Ready to rank your website in the AI Overviews?
Follow each of these steps to ensure your content is optimised and structured correctly for Google.
The first step in our downloadable checklist is choosing the right content type.
Not all content works well for Google’s AI Overviews.
Our research found that the vast majority of AI Overviews are shown for informational queries. Think of this as your low-hanging fruit.
These are the types of content that frequently get used in AI Overviews right now:
Why are these the best?
Google is looking for clear and straightforward content for AI Overviews. Anything that’s too technical or not easily understandable will not be sourced.
These types of articles are straightforward and easy for Google to understand.
Now you know what type of content regularly gets featured…
It’s time to select a few pieces of content to focus on.
Don’t go overboard here!
I recommend starting with 3-5 articles or blogs, optimising them and tracking the results.
Once you begin to see more inclusions in AI Overviews, you can choose the next batch to rinse and repeat the process.
Scan your site and look for content that has:
On the other hand…
Avoid selecting content pages that are primarily:
Google wants well-sourced facts, not opinions.
They also tend to avoid showing AI Overviews for sensitive information or news.
We’ve tested this extensively…
Pages with clear, factual information are far more likely to be selected for AI Overviews by Google.
This might change in the future, but for now, Google wants stable content that doesn’t quickly become outdated.
Selecting the first 5 content pieces to optimise for AI Overviews is the part that most people struggle with.
So, ask yourself these four questions when choosing a post:
Answering yes to all of these is essential.
Here are some real examples of content that is currently ranking in Google’s AI Overviews.
Example 1:
- Instead Of: “How I Started My Garden”
- Use: “How to Start a Garden: 10 Easy Steps for Beginners”
Example 2:
- Instead Of:” Why I Switched From Woocommerce To Shopify”
- Use: “Shopify vs WooCommerce: Which Platform Is Best In 2025”
Example 3:
- Instead Of: “My Favourite Productivity Apps To Use This Year”
- Use: “The 5 Best Productivity Apps For Remote Teams (with pricing)”
See the big difference?
The optimised versions are clear and specific:
The bottom line is that the content you choose to optimise must present true, quality, factual information.
You can also use Ahrefs Organic Keywords report to find potential opportunities to target.
Just enable the “AI Overview” filter and then select the “Where target doesn’t rank” filter to see a report like this:
Then you will have a list of keywords that your site ranks for, but DOESN’T appear in the AI Overview.
For example the keyword “Google Visibility Score” is ranking number 2 but we are not appearing in the AI Overview.
This would be a great keyword to target for AI Overview optimisation.
Which is further re-enforced when you look at the actual search results:
With just a few minor tweaks to the content, we can likely steal the featured spot in this AI Overview much in the same way we used to steal featured snippets that I taught in this free course.
This might be the most important step in our downloadable checklist.
Your content must be structured clearly and specifically so Google can easily read, summarise, and source it.
Review your content and make sure it follows this basic structure.
✅ Main Heading (H1):
Your main heading should be a clear topic statement that tells Google what your content is about and what you’ll cover.
Include your target keyword in the heading and ensure the page only has one H1 heading.
✅ Introduction:
Answer the user’s main search intent. The entire introduction should be a maximum of 100 words, stating the most important information.
Think of it like giving your own summary of the content on the page.
✅ Sub-Headings (H2):
Break your content into clear sections.
Think of each of these sections as mini-blogs that talk about important aspects of your primary topic.
Use descriptive titles for sub-headings that clearly explain the section.
Ensure that you follow a logical order down the page.
My advice is to create a sub-heading flow that takes the reader from beginner to expert by the time they get to the end.
✅ Sub-sections (H3):
Dive deeper into points to ensure you’re covering each section comprehensively.
Keep all related information together in the same sub-section, maintaining the logical flow of the article.
The sub-sections on your page should bring clarity and deeper information about the topic.
Following this structure will make it easy for Google’s algorithm to understand your content and for Gemini to summarise what you wrote.
That’s the goal!
If I were optimising a piece of content about training a dog to sit, here’s how I would structure it:
H1: How To Train A Dog To Sit In 5 Steps
- Brief answer: 2-3 sentences
- Overview of what the reader will learn
H2: Before You Start
- Required items
- Any key preparation steps
H2: Training Steps
- H3: Step 1
- H3: Step 2
- H3: Step 3
- H3: Step 4
- H3: Step 5
H2: Basic Sit Command
- Step-by-step instructions
- Common mistakes
H2: Troubleshooting
- Problem solutions
- Tips for Success
H2: Conclusion
- 100-word summary of key points
- CTA to help the reader
Simple, right?
You can see that the article follows a logical structure that Google can understand and that Gemini can easily summarise.
The easier you make it for Google, the more likely you’ll rank in AI Overviews.
The last part of structuring your content properly is formatting.
Here’s some simple rules to keep in mind:
Implementing each of these points will create a better user experience, which is great for SEO and conversions.
That’s a Win-win.
🎯 Action Checklist For Step 2
Before moving to the next step, it’s essential that your content is structured and formatted correctly.
Use this quick checklist to make sure:
- Main H1 heading includes the target keyword
- Only one H1 on the page
- The introduction answers the search intent in less than 100 words
- Clear sub-headings (H2) for each section
- Sub-sections (H3) dive deeper into the topic
- Related information is grouped together in each section
- Article has a logical flow from beginner to expert
- Paragraphs are 2-3 sentences maximum
- Sentences are a maximum of 20 words and different lengths
- Bullet points are used as needed
- Created tables for comparisons and data
- Images are added with optimised alt text
If you can check all these points off, you’re ready for the next step…
The third step in our downloadable checklist is understanding how AI Overviews favour content that provides clear and direct answers.
That means it’s essential to review your content and look for opportunities to make your writing clearer.
This might sound tedious, but it can make a huge difference.
It can also help you win featured snippets!
What do you need to look for?
Any time you ask a question within your content, you need to answer clearly. Here’s an example of what I mean:
But that’s not all…
Every new section should start off with a clear answer.
Think of it like this:
If the reader just reads the first sentence under any heading on your page, they will get the most important point of that section or sub-section.
You can even use this within normal paragraphs.
The goal is to make it easy for the AI to skim your content and pull out the answers it needs.
With that in mind, here’s how to format your answers properly…
The perfect clear answer can be broken down into parts:
Formatting your answers this way gives Google the clear information they need and essentially proves what you’re saying is true with the supporting details.
This will make it easier for Google to take what you’re saying and confidently present it to its users in the AI Overviews.
Here’s a few tips to keep in mind:
I like to think about my answers like a newspaper article… The most important information comes first, and the supporting details come later.
We analysed more than 300+ AI Overviews to create a standardised template for your direct answers.
Follow this template for the perfect answer structure:
Key details should contain supporting information and examples of proof or citations. Remember to use specific numbers when possible and confident language.
As always with SEO, you can apply the power of observation to figure out what type of answer to write.
For example, if you wanted to rank in this AI Overview:
You can look at the existing answer and then rewrite it in your brands voice following a similar structure.
This is a very similar process to the featured snippet theft process I taught in the free 28 day SEO challenge.
Take a look at this result for example:
Google is literally telling us what content they expect to see in the AI Overview, so we just need to update our page to give Google what it wants using the power of observation.
Here is an example using our article on teaching a dog to sit:
❌ Bad Example:
There are many different ways to train a dog to sit, and experts have different opinions on the best method. Some suggest using treats and commands, while others resort to using attention and love. It will depend on your situation and type of dog.
✅ Good Example:
To train a dog to sit, hold a treat above their nose and slowly move it back. As you see their head tilt, they’ll naturally start to sit. Say “sit” and immediately give them the treat. Repeat this process 5-10 times per day and your dog will learn to sit in less than a week.
Which one sounds clearer, more confident, and more actionable to you?
It’s the same for Google!
Clear answers regularly get referenced in AI Overviews.
It’s worth spending the time to optimise your content for clarity – Especially at the beginning of new sections and sub-sections.
🎯 Action Checklist For Step 3
Did you implement step 3 correctly?
Use this action checklist to make sure:
- Directly answered every question in your content
- Every section starts with a clear answer
- Direct Answer (1 sentence)
- Key Details (2-3 supporting sentences)
- Active, confident voice used
- All answers are backed by sources, data or examples
If you’ve implemented the previous steps correctly in our downloadable checklist, this should be pretty straightforward.
Google AI Overviews only surface content that the algorithm believes is written by a trustworthy expert.
In other words…
You need to prove that you are an expert on your subject so Google will trust you. Thankfully, it’s not as hard as you think!
Author bios are the place that Google looks to find out who wrote the article.
That means you need to add and optimise them.
Your author bio should include:
Here’s a good example:
You can see the example bio clearly explains the author’s qualifications, professional accomplishments, and more.
You can even click “Read More”, which will take you to a dedicated page with more information about the author and why she is an expert.
Citations are an easy way to demonstrate expertise and trustworthiness in your content.
Think of a citation as borrowing someone else’s expertise to add more credibility to your own content.
But not all citations are equal…
These are the types of citations to regularly include in your content:
Almost all of your pages should have at least 1-2 outbound links as citations.
This adds credibility to your own content and increases the chance of being featured in an AI Overview.
You should also run your content through our free AI Search Quality Rater which will make specific recommendations like this:
You can download it for free here.
Demonstrating experience isn’t hard…
The problem is that most people don’t understand what it is.
If you look at Search Logistics, we publish:
This proves to Google that when it comes to SEO, our team knows what they’re doing.
Then, we reference these at times within the content itself. Every time we reference one of these “expert signals”, we link to the relevant page.
For example, when I talk about case studies within the content, I always link to the case studies section of the site.
I also include real screenshots of client results.
All this helps Google understand our expertise, which builds trust and increases our chances of being referenced in AI Overviews.
You can easily do the same!
🎯 Action Checklist For Step 4
Below is the checklist to complete for this step.
You aren’t going to be able to add every item to every piece of content.
The key is to add the relevant ones!
Here they are:
- Added and optimised author bios
- Included professional qualifications and experience
- Content includes trusted citations and outbound links
- Referenced recent studies or got expert quotes
- Shared examples of case studies, testimonials or client results
- Link to relevant credibility pages on your site
Struggling to find credibility signals?
You need to go and get them…
Join professional networks, create case studies, collect client testimonials and get relevant certifications for your industry.
These signals are important to Google!
Remember: Real expertise can’t be faked – only focus on genuine areas you have actual knowledge.
You’ve done 90% of the work in our downloadable checklist, and your content is ready to be re-submitted to Google.
But just before you do, use this final qualify checklist to ensure you’ve got everything in place.
✅ Technical Check:
- Mobile-friendly site (90+ score in Google PageSpeed Insights)
- Site loads quickly (less than 2.5 seconds)
- All Core Web Vitals passed
- Content is readable by search engines in HTML format
- No broken links or 404 errors
- Images are optimised with ALT text
- Website demonstrates expertise and experience
✅ Content Quality Check:
- Chosen 3-5 topics that can rank in AI Overviews
- Content follows a clear, logical structure
- Added appropriate headings and sub-headings
- Direct answers to start each section
- Facts and statistics are up to date
- Expert sources are cited correctly
- Author bios on the page demonstrate expertise
- Introduction answers search intent
- Content proves expertise (experience, case studies, results etc)
- You checked it with the free AI Google quality rater tool
If you can check off each of those items, you’re ready to submit your URL to Google and have them re-index.
Here’s the fastest way to do that…
Login to Google Search Console and add your URL to the URL Inspection bar.
Hit “enter”.
Google will bring up your indexed page. Now click “Request Indexing”.
Within a few hours, Googlebot should re-index your new content. The updated content may take up to a week to appear in Google’s organic search results.
This is the part that most people want to know…
How long will it take to see results?
Here’s a general expected timeline to keep in mind:
Note: From our experience, the more authoritative your site is, the faster the results will be. If you have a newer or smaller site, it is likely to be on the longer end of these timelines.
AI overviews are more dynamic than traditional search results.
Keeping track of them isn’t easy for SEO tools, and Google hasn’t released any features in Google Search Console to help us out.
So, how do you track results?
The best way is with:
Let me show you how to do it with Ahrefs…
First, search for your domain in “Site Explorer” and click “Organic Keywords” on the left.
Now click “Add filter”, select “SERP Features” and check the following-
Click “Apply”.
Ahrefs will now filter all of the organic keywords your site is featured in an AI Overview for.
You can also see the estimated amount of traffic you’re getting from that AI Overview.
Cool, right?
Scroll down to a keyword, click on “SERP” and open the “AI Overview” dropdown.
Here, you’ll be able to see where you rank in the AI overview and what other sites are also ranking for that keyword.
Now, you can track your ranking in AI Overviews for your target keywords and work to improve your results over time.
Here’s the truth:
In SEO, things don’t always go to plan.
If you’ve optimised your content correctly using the steps above and still aren’t getting any traction after 4 weeks, you’ll need to make some changes.
Here is what to do:
- Check Content freshness – Ensure your content is updated with the latest information, covers the topic comprehensively and uses clear answers.
- Review Competitors – Compare your content to competitors who are ranking in AI overviews and look for topic gaps.
- Audit Your Page UX – Look at key engagement metrics like dwell time, bounce rate and scroll depth to find issues that could be affecting the user experience.
- Review Mobile Usability – Ensure that your page looks great and content is easy to consume on mobile devices.
- Analyse Loading Speeds – Run your page through Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose speed issues and ensure it passes all Core Web Vitals tests.
These elements will help you bridge the gap with competitors and position your content to be featured by Google.
Google favours fresh content in AI Overviews.
That means it’s essential to have a content update schedule in place.
We recommend selecting 5 to 10+ pages that are valuable to your business and updating those frequently.
These pages should be the most commercially valuable to your business – don’t just focus on traffic.
Here’s the schedule we use:
Then, fix any issues that arise with the page immediately and add new information about the topic as it becomes available.
This will ensure that your content is fresh and keeps its place in AI Overviews.
If you’re losing traffic to these AI snippets…
📋 PDF Download: AI Overview Optimization Checklist
Google is only going to keep pushing AI Overviews as AI search engines become more popular.
That means optimising for AI Overviews is no longer just be an option – it’s now essential for search engine visibility.
The good news is that it’s still early…
Most website owners have yet to catch on, which gives you an advantage to claim those top spots so download the free PDF checklist now!
Spend time fixing the technical elements of your site and implementing each of the five steps. Choose 3-5 pieces of content to start with and expand to more pages once you start to see results.
Not only will this boost your chances of being featured in AI Overviews, but it will improve your general website SEO as well.
That means better rankings and more organic traffic!
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