Changes are happening rapidly in the world of digital marketing. One of the latest and potentially groundbreaking innovations to enter search engines is Google's AI Overview . But what exactly is AI Overview, and how does it impact online strategy? Is it a threat to traditional SEO or a new opportunity? Let's take a closer look, based on the available information.
What is AI Overview?
AI Overview is a query response generated by artificial intelligence. Its primary goal is to provide users with quick answers to their queries directly in search results, often eliminating the need to click on a link.
AI Overview combines elements already known from Google results, such as:
- Direct Answer – a piece of content displayed at the top of the search results,
- Knowledge Panels – windows presenting summarized information about people, companies, places or concepts,
- Excerpts from the FAQ – sets of questions and answers displayed directly in the results thanks to structured data.
Visually, the AI Overview typically appears at the top of the results, sometimes just below the ads. It presents a concise summary (40-60 words) based on information from the top 10 sources. Importantly, the AI Overview includes clickable links to the original articles from which the information was derived. A "Show more" option is also available to expand on the answer and suggest related questions for further interaction.
(The rest of the article can be found below the form)
Key statistics from May 2025 show that:
- 99,5 % sources indicated in the AI Overview come from the TOP10 search results,
- 78 % of them uses TOP3 results,
- 13,14 % Google queries trigger AI Overview (up from 6,49% in January 2025),
- 88,1 % The results displayed in AI Overview are informational queries.
AI Overview in Client SEO Strategy: Is It Worth Focusing on?
The emergence of AI Overview naturally raises questions about its impact on SEO strategy . Should we focus on optimizing for generative responses?
On the one hand, NO…
- Focusing exclusively on AI Overview may not bring the expected traffic to your website. Research suggests that only 1-7% users click on source links from AI Overview, and 93-99% is limited to reading the generated response,
- The percentage of zero-click searches remains at a similar level to before AI Overview (approx. 36% according to Semrush). AI Overview does not create a new zero-click problem, but shifts this problem to a new format answers,
- The CTR of traditional results drops when the AIO response is generated to 0,6-2,6%, which means, that over 97% users do not proceed further than the AI Overview.
…but on the other hand, YES!
- Tsimply a new form of brand exposure. Even if the user doesn't click, sees a company name or quote. AI Overview optimization is becoming an element SEO campaign aimed at building brand awareness.
- The quality of traffic is increasing – those few who click further are usually users with high purchase intentionHubspot research indicates that the drop in traffic after AI Overview was accompanied by 21% increase in revenuesThis means that while there may be fewer clicks, the people who do click are more valuable.
- The future of SERPs (search engine results pages) is heading towards multi-channel responseGartner forecasts that by the end of 2025 40 % queries entered into search engines will have an answer generated by AI Overview.
- Most companies don't yet consider AI Overview activities. Companies that implement optimization first have a chance gain a larger share of the generative response market.
In summary, while AI Overview may limit your website traffic from traditional results, it presents a new opportunity to build visibility and brand awareness and attract more valuable traffic.
GEO: generative engine optimization
The emergence of generative AI in search, such as Google AI Overview and chatbots like ChatGPT, has ushered in a new area of optimization called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) . Simply put, GEO is an extension of SEO that includes activities designed to ensure presence in AI-generated responses.
The key difference between traditional SEO and GEO is that SEO results in your rankings being as high as possible in organic results, while GEO results in your rankings being displayed in AI responses. However, the vast majority of AI response impressions are the result of well-executed SEO. In other words, GEO is secondary to SEO, never the other way around.
Comparison of traditional SEO and GEO:
- Contents:
- SEO: extended paragraphs optimized for single keywords, less natural vocabulary,
- GEO: natural Q&A style, conversational language, more natural keyword structure.
- Technical optimization:
- SEO: basic schemas (e.g. Article), no extensive structured data,
- GEO: advanced structured data (FAQPage, HowTo, Article, Product), making it easier for AI to cut out ready-made fragments.
- Link building:
- SEO: building a link profile mainly through blogs and directories,
- GEO: References to expert content (including government or academic research), case studies, statistics, and reports.
You might like it
How is Verseo preparing for AI Overview? PromptRanker!
To address these changes, Verseo is introducing a service called PromptRanker . This is another name for GEO actions . PromptRanker is an extended suite of SEO actions (on-site and off-site) designed to increase the chances of a client's content appearing in AI results , including the Google AI Overview.
PromptRanker's activities focus on optimizing websites and content to meet Google's guidelines—both in terms of structure and quality, as well as building online authority. These activities utilize the GEO method and encompass three main areas:
- Content optimization for AI queries:
- Preparation precise, 40-60-word answers to potential user questions,
- Segmentation of FAQs according to user intentions and creation of thematic clusters,
- Verifying AI access to content – ensuring that AI crawlers (like Bingbot, GPTBOT) can retrieve data from the site,
- Creation thematic clusters (groups of related articles, guides, case studies) building topical authority and making it easier for AI to "scan" the entire spectrum of questions,
- Writing long expert articles (over 10000 characters) – in-depth studies, including numbers, illustrations, tables, and citations. Such content builds EAT's authority and provides material for presentations in AI Overview,
- Creation AI-optimized FAQs – Question and answer sections with structured FAQPage data. Each question and answer is naturally worded, the answer is concise (1-2 sentences), and content optimization extends even to longer (long-tail) queries.
- Structured data implementation:
- Execution structured data audit on key subpages (products, categories, blogs),
- Identifying and repairing missing or incorrect JSON-LD fragments,
- utilization Google Rich Test Results: to verify the correctness of the implementation,
- Delivery additional markers e.g. HowTo (step-by-step instructions), BreadcrumbList (breadcrumb navigation), Article (metadata: author, date, tags), Review (product/service reviews),
- Error monitoring in Google Search Console and Enhanced Results reports.
- Building domain authority (off-site):
- Selecting trusted link sources to increase AI's trust in page content. Examples of such sources include: industry expert portals (medicine, technology, finance), large news websites (Forbes, Bloomberg), local business media,
- Assistance with client marketing activities, including areas such as: cooperation with influencers (mentions in podcasts, webinars, newsletters), guest publications (expert articles, analyses, interviews), participation in conferences and industry events (publication of materials on the organizers' websites).
Customer Questions about GEO and AI Overview (FAQ)
Finally, here are some frequently asked questions about AI Overview and its impact on SEO , along with source-based answers.
- Does SEO still make sense in the age of Google AI Overview? Yes, Search engine optimization is still keyGoogle Overview's AI draws information from websites, and without good SEO, your content won't even make it into AI's answers. In other words, to appear in AI-generated results, your site must be highly visible in traditional search results. Google indicates that AI Overview simply needs to adhere to official developer guidelines for content and website optimization. Measures such as proper indexing, content tailored to user intent, and high quality and expert authority are crucial.
- Will AI Overview take away our organic traffic from Google? Partially yes. AI Overview provides users with answers right away on the results page, and many of them won't click on any links. However, this doesn't mean complete failure. It turns out that "received" traffic is often accidental entries, of little value. On the other hand, visits that do occur may be more qualitativeHubspot saw a decline in organic traffic (-80%), but a rise in revenue (+21%) in 2024. It's important to focus not only on the number of clicks, but also on customer valence.
- How to increase the visibility of your page in AI Overview? Visibility in AI Overview relies on SEO best practices and offering great content. To increase your chances of appearing in AI's answers, you should:
- To ensure indexation pages (no robot blocks, 4XX errors, etc.).
- Create medical content tailored to users' intentions and questions.
- Build high quality and expert authority (EAT – Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) – AI is more likely to use expert, unique, and reliable content. It's worth convincing Google that your brand is a credible source, especially in YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics.
- Apply classic SEO aspects – unique title and description tags, friendly URL, H1-H2 headings with keywords, short summary at the beginning of the article.
- Implement structured data (schema) – e.g., Article, FAQ, Product, LocalBusiness. They help algorithms identify important pieces of information.
- Provide multimedia – AI Overview can present information in various formats (lists, tables, images). It's worth enriching the content with graphics, charts, and tables.
- Take care of links and domain authority – Google values the credibility of sources. It's worth investing in link building and presence in industry media.
- Why are there errors and distortions in AI Overview? AI Overview results should be treated with caution, as errors do occur. This is due to several reasons:
- The model tries to “estimate” some information rather than fully answering the question.
- The lack of a mechanism for final validation of information at the source leads to the presentation of probably strings of words, not necessarily factually correct.
- The versatility of AI Overview means that in YMYL areas (medicine, finance), there may be missed responses or incomplete data submissions. AI Overview is experimental in these areas, so errors are expected.
- Why does AI Overview point to competitors and not the customer side? Identifying competitors may be due to SEO and marketing factors:
- Related directly from SEO: the competitor's website is better positioned (higher visibility in the TOP10), has a stronger link profile, and a longer domain history.
- Related indirectly with SEO: the competition's marketing activities (e.g. links from conferences etc.) build its image as more expert, which may influence the AI's source selection.
Summary
AI Overview represents a significant shift in the way search results are presented. While it may limit direct clicks, it opens up new opportunities for building brand awareness and reaching valuable customers . In the face of these changes, traditional SEO remains fundamental, but it must be expanded to include GEO activities , focusing on optimizing content and structure for generative AI, as well as building expert authority. Verseo's PromptRanker service addresses these needs, offering comprehensive services to prepare websites for the new search landscape.
AI Overview FAQs
AI Overview (Search Generative Experience) is a feature in which Google uses artificial intelligence to generate a direct, comprehensive response to a user's query. A ready-made summary of the phenomenon or issue appears at the very top of search results (above traditional links).
Traffic is expected to decline for very simple, basic informational questions (so-called zero-click searches), as the user will receive an answer without having to click on any links. On the other hand, AI will generate clicks on source links for more complex, specialized, and multi-threaded queries.
Absolutely not. Classic search results are here to stay. Furthermore, for Google's language model to use your content as a source to generate answers in AI Overview, the page must still be highly optimized and enjoy high authority in its field.
Strict adherence to the EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Credibility) guidelines is crucial. Content must be unique, written by experts, directly respond to user intentions, and have a clear structure (e.g., headings, bullet points, tables, FAQ sections) from which AI can easily extract specific data.
Yes, link profiles still play a huge role. Obtaining valuable links from trusted sites sends a strong signal to Google's algorithms, building a site's authority and credibility. Without a strong and natural link profile, the chance that the AI will recognize a site as a credible source to cite drops dramatically.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- what does AI Overview mean in Google Search,
- what is GEO and how does it affect the visibility of websites,
- How Verseo responds to AI changes Overview,
- the role of SEO in the world of Google AI Overview,
- how AI Overview affects search engine traffic,
- how to improve website visibility in AI Overview,
- where do errors in AI Overview come from,
- why your website doesn't appear in AI Overview.
