Since Google’s AI Overview rolled out in America in May 2024 and the UK in August 2024, it has had a major impact on how people search and find the answers to their queries.
AI Overview uses generative AI to collect information from various sources and create a clear answer, which is typically displayed at the top of the Google results page.
Before AI Overview came about, people usually typed in their query into Google, scrolled through the SERP features or website links to find the most relevant website and then clicked on the site in search of an answer to their query.
AI Overview now means that, over 50% of the time, users can find the answer to their queries without having to make a single click to a site. This means that businesses and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) professionals are now searching for new ways to feature in the AI Overview and increase traffic to their website.
What is Google’s AI Overview
Google’s AI Overview is a new SERP (Search Engine Results Page) feature which uses generative AI to give users an immediate and concise answer to their query. It is classed as ‘position zero’, meaning that it’s usually placed above all other SERP features.
The main AI Overview usually consists of a general summary (1), followed by a breakdown of key points (2). This is typically displayed as either a bullet point list or a clear, point-by-point list with subheadings.
Next to most of the points, there is a small link symbol (3) which, when you click on it, shows a breakdown of the main sites where it has sourced its information. This is a great way for websites to optimise and be featured in the AI Overview.
Studies show that if your website ranks at number 1 on Google, there’s a 53% chance it will be featured in the AI Overview. This shows that whilst it is now important to optimise for AI Overview, optimising a site to reach the top position in the SERPs should continue to be a priority in an effective digital marketing strategy.
Another study by SurferSEO found that 52% of sources that are mentioned in AI Overviews rank in the top 10 searches, demonstrating that in order to optimise for AI Overviews, we must first optimise to reach the first page of Google.
As an SEO agency, we have adapted our strategies to allow us to achieve featured snippets and optimise for Google’s AI Overview.
For one of our clients in the horticultural sector, we have helped them feature in the AI Overview for search queries relating to their services in West Sussex and Hampshire. We achieved this by using localised keywords in the content, a strong SEO strategy and a clear CTA (Call to Action) with contact details and location.
This has hugely helped them to improve their local SEO, as they’ve been able to instantly reach many more local customers who are looking for Japanese knotweed removal services in West Sussex and Hampshire.
AI Overview is frequently now featured in the PAA (People Also Ask) section of Google, in a direct answer to commonly asked questions. While AI Overview can be featured in PAA for any reason, it is more likely to feature when it deems that its own response will be more helpful than any other information that is currently available.
This means that there is an opportunity for businesses to seek out questions that are currently being answered (either by AI or competitors) in the PAA section and write a better, clearer response than anything that’s already there, with the aim of getting featured.
The Impact of AI Overview for SEO’ers
The impact of AI Overview for SEO professionals has been immense, to say the least.
Before AI Overview became so dominant in the SERPs, achieving featured snippets was a key focus for our clients. While featured snippets remain important, Google increasingly replaces many of these with the AI Overview, so we’ve adapted our strategies to optimise for both opportunities.
The difference between a featured snippet and AI Overview is that the featured snippet displays an exact excerpt of content from a particular webpage that’s relevant to the user’s query, whereas AI Overview uses generative AI to create a summary of different pieces of information from different sources.
Here is an example of a featured snippet from a website that provides home and garden services. Due to the uniqueness of this content and how useful it is, Google has not yet replaced this with the AI Overview, instead, it has positioned the AI Overview above the snippet.
AI Overviews have had a huge impact on SEO professionals and businesses all around the world, as it makes it much harder for businesses to rank highly in the SERPs. Not only are businesses competing with other businesses’ content, but they are now also competing with AI generated content.
Whilst we frequently get featured in Google’s AI Overview, we are appearing alongside various other competitors, which ultimately reduces our CTR (Click Through Rate). CTR is a measure of how many times a site or ad gets clicked on, divided by its impressions (how many times it’s shown to users).
When a website is linked within the AI Overview, users are less likely to click through to the linked site to find more information, as the rest of the information is likely to be already included in the AI Overview. Over time, this reduces a site’s CTR, making it much harder for businesses to drive traffic to their website, making it more important than ever for businesses to adapt their SEO strategy.
What is the CTR for AI Overview?
According to a 2025 study by Ahrefs on CTR and AI Overviews, there is a reduction in CTR when the AI Overview is present. Ahrefs compared 150,000 keywords with AI Overview present in the response, with 150,000 keywords without AI Overview present, and found that the average CTR was 34.5% lower when AI Overview was present.
There is currently no way to distinguish AI Overview clicks and impressions from the rest of your data in Google Search Console, making it difficult to determine quite how often your content is being featured in AI Overview.
However, at Fandango Digital, we use a range of SEO tools to help us navigate these changes that are happening within the SERPs. SE Ranking is a fantastic tool that allows us to track where and how our clients’ content is featured in AI SERP Features. This helps us to figure out why certain pieces of content are featured in AI Overviews and how we can incorporate different strategies into our SEO practices to help our other clients feature in AI Overviews.
This signals to SEO professionals and anybody looking to increase their website traffic that they must continue to create content that is as good as or better than the AI generated content. This will allow them to not only feature as a link in the AI Overview, but also to feature in the PAA section and top search positions.
Whilst the idea of creating content that is better than Google’s generative AI can sound pretty daunting, it is important to remember that Google still rates the quality of content based on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness).
Incorporating these criteria into your content marketing will signal to Google that you are a quality source and producing high quality, reliable content, which will ultimately improve your chances of ranking well.
How does AI Overview affect Zero-Click searches?
AI Overview has led to a huge rise in Zero-Click searches over the past year. A 2024 study by SparkToro found that nearly 60% of Google searches ended without a single click. This is likely to be due to the rise in AI SERP features, which present users with instant, concise and clear answers to their search query, often without them having to make a single click onto a website.
Whilst this doesn’t help people who are trying to increase clicks to their website, it just demonstrates that as Google evolves, so must we! As SEO professionals, we must adapt our digital strategy, which will allow us to optimise our on-site and off-site content so that we can reach the top positions of Google, even with the incorporation of AI Overviews.
According to Search Engine Journal, queries that are aimed at solving problems or answering specific questions are likely to trigger an AI Overview response 74% of the time. This gives us a good idea of the sort of content we should be targeting if we are hoping to optimise for Google’s AI Overview.
How to Get Your Site in Google’s AI Overview
To feature in Google’s AI Overview, your content should:
- Be accurate, up-to-date and relevant to the search query.
- Be clear, concise and direct in its answers.
- Demonstrate E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness).
- Follow a strong structure with question-based headings (H2s & H3s).
- Focus on keywords with low difficulty and medium search volume.
- Create a strong link building strategy to increase trust.
- Ensure your site has strong technical SEO.
- Keep up to date with Google’s Core Updates
- Apply traditional SEO strategies to help your content rank in the SERPs.
How to Feature in the PAA Section
To feature in the PAA Section, you should:
Target question based queries
When writing content for a site, research what questions people are asking Google, and aim to answer these within your content.
Write clear and concise answers
Keep the answers to each question clear and concise, making sure to answer it fully in the first sentence or two. Try to keep this answer to about 40-60 words, as Google favours answers that are short and direct.
Incorporate E-E-A-T
Ensure that your content demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Use statistics, facts and experienced authors to show that you’re an expert in your field!
Speak to an SEO Specialist
It is clear that Google’s AI Overview is continuing to gain momentum and often even outcompete other SERP features, but as SEO professionals, it is our job to ensure that we’re staying up to date with all the latest Google and AI trends.
Whilst AI Overview presents new challenges, it also offers fantastic opportunities for businesses to feature in some of the most competitive areas in Google SERPs.
At Fandango Digital, our fantastic team is constantly learning and evolving with Google’s latest updates, giving our clients a competitive edge. We’ve helped our clients feature in AI Overviews, improve their local and national SEO, and reach more of their target audience.
Get in touch with our team today and find out how we can help your business reach the top of Google!
