Google, SEO and AI Overviews in Search

“Ai Overviews” …what are they?
Google’s explanation :
” AI Overviews offer a preview of a topic or query based on a variety of sources, including web sources. As such, they are subject to Search’s preview controls…..
AI Overviews appear in Google Search results when our systems determine that generative responses can be especially helpful — for example, when you want to quickly understand information from a range of sources, including information from across the web and Google’s Knowledge Graph.”

Search EngineJournal has a post about AI “Overviews” with Google’s John Mueller, who shared his insights on how to approach SEO for AI Search in an interview published on YouTube.
“The discussion also touched on what SEOs should do in 2025 given the realities of what users want.
“Mike got straight to the point in the discussion by asking what the search community should be focusing on in 2025, jokingly asking if SEO is finally dead.
While Mueller obviously didn’t say that search was dead, he and a couple of the other participants in the discussion did acknowledge that SEO is undergoing profound changes.John Mueller said that he thinks that many in the general public may wish that SEO was dead but that they don’t realize that search optimization has a positive effect, implying that it helps Google surface the websites the public wants to see.
He answered:

“SEO is Dead… I don’t think SEO is dead. I think one of the challenges is lots of people online wish SEO were dead, but they don’t realize that it’s… it’s almost like driving so many of the things that they’re doing online. Where they they notice when something is weird in search or when something is weird on the Internet and they’re like, oh, this is pesky SEO. And they don’t realize all of the things that actually work well because of some of the work that SEO’s do.”

 

Google Search has more ways to creatively use the AI functionality

What do AI Overviews mean for SEO & Businesses?

However, the fact is AI Overviews show up in 7-18% of searches, mostly for those keywords SEO’s/ businesses are also competing for in rankings.
Google has decided to ‘join the party’ and SEO strategies will need to pivot quickly to stay ahead and relevant to keep showing up in SERP’s with the evolution of AI & SEO

Here’s the Facts:
Your content starts losing traction almost the moment you publish it. Why?
Algorithms change, Competitors try harder- so you need content that evolves continuously 
How?
Naturally, MORE new content, but also think of regular updates on “evergreen” content, re-optimisation and critically, monitoring the data & content performance (Hello Google Search Console!) are essential for sustained rankings.

AI Overviews: The New Kid on the SERP, and What It Means for SEO
Just when SEOs thought they had Google all figured out—bam!
AI Overviews enter the chat. These AI-generated summaries, appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), are changing how users interact with search, often answering queries directly before anyone even clicks a link.
So, where does that leave traditional SEO and small businesses (SMEs) trying to rank?

How AI Overviews Compete with Traditional SEO

In the past, ranking on Google was all about optimising keywords, crafting engaging content (lots of it!) and building links.
But with AI Overviews, Google is now itself the content creator, pulling answers from multiple sources and displaying them front and center.
This means:

• Fewer Clicks to Websites – Users get answers instantly, reducing the need to visit a site. Bad news if you rely on organic traffic.
• Shifting Keyword Value – ‘Informational’ searches (“How do I bake sourdough?”) are more likely to be answered within the AI Overview, making it harder for blogs to capture traffic.
• Trust and Visibility Challenges – If AI Overviews don’t cite your site, you’re essentially invisible, even if you have the best content.
• SEO has always been about playing the Google game, and now, AI is rewriting the rules. So how do you stay relevant?

Winning Strategies: How SMEs and SEOs Can Stay Ahead
Focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)

Remember, AI might summarise information, but Google still values trusted sources.
Establish credibility with expert content, real-world examples and clear author bios.
If AI pulls from your site, you want it to be a go-to source.

Note:
Your site’s content must not only address the main topic, but also anticipate and cover the related questions and angles that the AI Mode is likely to explore
Why?
Because AI Mode’s “search first” approach is running multiple targeted queries per topic- how you structure your content is just as important!
AI Mode scans quickly for relevant, quickly digestible insights
The Basics of SEO here are so needed:

• Organise your content clearly
• Using strong headers ( hTags)
• As well as focused paragraph
• Easy to read wording

This continues as it always has to ensure your information is understood, cited and has the potential then to show up in AI-generated results.
Note: see the Google Content Guidelines for their AI experiences on Search

Go Beyond Simple Answers
AI Overviews thrive on quick responses. Counter this by creating in-depth, insightful and unique content that AI can’t easily summarise.
Think case studies, expert opinions, and original research.

Optimise for AI Citations
AI Overviews pull from structured, well-optimised content.
Ensure your pages are:
✅ Clearly formatted with headers (H1, H2, etc.)
✅ Packed with well-sourced, factual content
✅ Using schema markup (structured data) to help AI understand your content better

Leverage Multimedia & Unique Formats
AI can summarise text, but engaging videos, infographics and interactive tools still drive traffic.
TIP: Create content that AI can’t replicate easily—think proprietary insights, behind-the-scenes videos and expert interviews.

Target Transactional & Long-Tail Keywords
If AI Overviews dominate informational queries, shift focus to transactional searches (“Best budget microphones for singing 2025”) and long-tail keywords that users still need human insight on.
Local SEO is also key—AI is less likely to give definitive answers on “Best Tasmanian eco-tours near me.”
Engage Your Audience Directly

AI can summarise, but it can’t build relationships.
Foster brand loyalty through email marketing, social media engagemen and community building.
The more people trust you, the less likely they are to rely on AI answers alone.

Final Thoughts: Adapt or Get Left Behind
AI Overviews are here to stay, but they don’t spell the end of SEO. Instead, they shift the focus from just ranking to being the source AI relies on
By creating authoritative, unique, and engaging content, SMEs and SEOs can still carve out their space in an AI-driven search world.

So, is AI a friend or foe? Maybe a little of both.
Either way, the game is changing—let’s make sure we stay ahead of it!
What do you think? Have AI Overviews affected your SEO strategy yet?

Update June 7th 2025

A great post on SEJ by Roger Monti writes about SEO vs GEO and  AI …. and how much has actually changed… with ‘old timers’..

“One of search marketing’s SEO Rockstars recently shared his thoughts on SEO for generative AI, calling attention to facts about Google’s search results, explaining how the new AI search really works, and calling out fear-based marketing that overstates disruption in order to sell so-called “GEO” services.
Greg Boser is a search marketing pioneer with a deep level of experience that few in the industry can match or even begin to imagine.
I agree with Greg to a certain extent that AI Mode is not a threat to SEO.
The same principles about promoting your site, technical SEO and so on still apply. The big difference is that AI Mode is not directly answering the query but providing answers to the entire information journey. You can dismiss it as just PAA (People Also Ask) above the fold but that’s still a big deal because it complicates what you’re going to try to rank for……..
Michael Bonfils, another old timer SEO recently observed that AI search is eliminating the beginning and middle part of the sales funnel, observing about AI search:

“This is, you know, we have a funnel, we all know which is the awareness consideration phase and the whole center and then finally the purchase stage. The consideration stage is the critical side of our funnel. We’re not getting the data. How are we going to get the data?”

So yeah, AI Search is different than anything we’ve seen before but, as Greg points out, it’s still SEO and adapting to change is has always been a part of it”

Precisely… It’s still SEO – and you need to have an experienced team to assist you, that understands what SEO REALLY means!

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