Should you be thinking about “AI snippet-optimized” content?

Google and other search engines are increasingly using generative AI to power the results page. Instead of just a ranked list of links, the top of the Google search engine results page (SERP) is now often dominated by AI-generated overviews or snippets, short AI-generated summaries of multiple sources. While they don’t appear on every search (one study found around 13% of US search queries had an AI Overview in March 2025), they’re likely to grow in prominence. 

So, with the organic positions created by SEO becoming increasingly less relevant due to being forced down the page by AI overviews and sponsored results, what can you do with your content and sites to increase visibility? 

Many brands are now endeavouring to structure their sites and content so that it can be featured in the AI snippets themselves. 

In this article, we will explore how AI-driven search is changing how search engines and consumers behave, how worthwhile it is to optimize a site and its content to be featured in AI overviews, and the best practices for doing so. 

How AI-driven search and AI overviews work and their impact on SEO

Google’s AI Overviews are powered by its Gemini language model, and are AI-generated summaries that directly answer a search query by drawing on information from multiple webpages. Unlike a featured snippet, which pulls a sentence or two from a single source as a direct quote, an AI Overview collects and synthesizes facts and context from multiple sources into a unified answer. 

Basically, this means Google is shifting away from being a search engine, which directs users to relevant sites based on their queries, towards becoming an ‘answer engine’, where queries are answered directly by Google itself. 

AI Overviews appear in the search results when Google’s systems detect that a generative summary would help, typically when it determines that the search query can be answered by a quick summary of information from across the web. In fact, these AI overviews could include information from your website. 

AI Overviews can take various forms (paragraphs, lists, Q&A format) depending on the query. Crucially, they appear above the #1 organic result. When Google provides an instant answer, it often reduces the need for a click. These summaries can cannibalize web traffic: one analysis found that keywords triggering an AI Overview led to average click-through rates dropping by 20–35%. Basically, when Google shows an AI snippet, users may simply read it and move on, leading to more ‘zero-click’ searches.

This doesn’t mean SEO is dead, but it does change the game. Traditional rankings matter less when an answer box dominates. And with Google’s CEO reporting that these AI overview features now reach over 1.5 billion users per month, that’s quite a lot of traffic that could be cannibalized from sites. For SEO, that means fewer clicks for traditional listings above the fold (what a user can see without scrolling on a SERP, which traditionally commanded the vast majority of clicks). 

So what’s the solution? Well, you can pay Google and other search engines for sponsored positions at the top of the SERP. Or, since Google is kind enough to include citations in their AI overviews, you could endeavour to ensure you get featured and cited as much as possible.

But what business impact does featuring in an AI snippet have? Can it help fill the gap left by the decline of SEO?

The business impact of being featured in AI overviews

Google’s AI overviews have been shown to reduce CTR and traffic to websites from organic sources. As a result, many brands are looking at how they can optimize their sites and content to be featured in the AI overviews themselves. But is it worth the effort?

Google still links to sources in every summary, and it claims this makes it “easy for people to click out and explore content on the web.” So, your site can still earn clicks. Even better, these clicks tend to be high-quality: when users click links in an AI snippet, those visitors are more intentional and engaged. They know straight away that the page they’re clicking through to has what they’re looking for, as they’ve seen how you’ve contributed to the answer in the AI overview. 

If your brand does manage to be featured in an AI-snippet, then that can be very good news. Links featured prominently in AI snippets have CTRs comparable to top organic listings. Google also now reports AI Overview clicks in the Search Console, so you can track traffic from those sources fairly easily.

For e-commerce and retail businesses, AI Overviews can be an interesting opportunity. Google is integrating product data feeds and shopping info into AI answers, so customers can browse your products and deals quickly. So while there might be reduced traffic, AI-driven search doesn’t necessarily mean your audience won’t see your products.

Different query types

Not all searches are affected equally. Most AI Overviews target informational queries, and about 88% of AI overviews are triggered in response to factual ‘how-to’ or explanatory questions. So tutorial and advice content is most at risk of being supplanted by an overview. 

Brand or navigational queries, like searching for a company name, trigger far fewer AI Overviews: only 5% of branded keyword searches produce an AI snippet. Interestingly, branded terms that do receive an AI snippet often see a 18% better CTR.

High-stakes ‘your money or your life’ (YMYL) categories like health, finance, and legal are increasingly getting AI Overviews. This means expertise and trustworthiness are crucial: if you produce authoritative, accurate content in these areas, Google may cite you in answers. 

Commercial/transactional queries, such as product searches or local queries, are still mostly served by shopping panels or local results, but Google is testing AI features there too.

Best practices for optimizing content and websites for AI overviews

So it seems that being featured in an AI overview can be good for your brand. So the next question is: how do you go about this? The good news is that most of the SEO fundamentals still apply (so long as you’re not using outdated practices), with some tweaks for AI. Google’s guidance and industry experts stress that you should continue focusing on the user and high-quality content. 

Master the basics

First and foremost, follow SEO best practices as always. Write unique, valuable content that genuinely helps visitors. Optimize your title tags, headings, and meta descriptions to align with user intent. Ensure every page loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and has a clean layout. This makes sure a Googlebot can crawl and index your pages and extract relevant information for an AI overview.

Align your content with intent and format clearly

Your content should understand what your target query is asking. Are people looking for a list, a comparison, a procedure, or a concise definition? Your content should answer that question. Use clear formatting: headings, bullet lists, numbered steps, or tables can help structure information so both users and AI can parse it. An FAQ format or numbered steps are easily understood by Google’s AI. 

Google’s Gemini model prefers structured, authoritative, and conversational content. Furthermore, you need to provide deep insights: LLMs like Gemini will look for sources that help it fill gaps it can’t necessarily work out for itself. In practice, this means you might include a quick summary at the top, break your answer into digestible pieces, and use natural language and avoid jargon. Think of your page as feeding data to an AI: using proper HTML tags (H2/H3 for questions, <ul> for lists, etc.) helps Google’s system identify your answers.

Use structured data and good site architecture 

Wherever relevant, add schema markup to your pages. For e-commerce or product sites, use Product, Review, FAQ, HowTo, etc., schema markup so Google can create rich results from your content. Properly structured data can make your pages eligible for special SERP features (shopping carousels, knowledge panels) that complement AI Overviews.

Your site hierarchy should be structured logically so that related content is interlinked, such as clustering related topics under clear categories or pillar pages. This helps Google see the context of your site and content, and may increase the chance your content is picked up. 

Create comprehensive, fact-based, E-E-A-T content 

AI Overviews often cover broad queries, so your content should be thorough and trustworthy. Write long-form answers where appropriate, backed by real facts. Cite reputable sources or include original research/data that AI wouldn’t have.

This means your content will demonstrate Experience/Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). If your article on a medical topic cites studies or an author with medical credentials, it’s more likely to be picked as a reliable source by Google’s AI. Avoid thin or redundant content and focus on unique insights to cut through the amount of AI-generated fluff flooding the internet.

This also means the principles of high-authority backlinks are still relevant when pursuing features in AI Overviews. If your content is cited by high-quality sites, it indicates its value to Google, making it more likely to cite your content in its AI overviews.

Optimize for other SERP features

Traditional features like featured snippets and “People Also Ask” still matter. Often, the content that wins these features also feeds into AI Overviews. If you format an answer with a clear definition or list and earn a featured snippet, that paragraph may be a prime candidate for inclusion in a future AI answer. 

Try turning key points into bullet lists or FAQ Q&As, since Google often pulls from those. Continue using strategies that have always helped SEO: answer direct questions clearly, use descriptive subheadings, and provide useful visuals or charts if relevant. These not only help rank your page but also signal to AI which parts are answer-worthy.

Update content and analyze its performance

Keep your content fresh and accurate. If information changes (new regulations, product updates, etc.), revise your pages promptly, as AI Overviews will use the latest data available. Use analytics and Search Console to track how your site is performing in the new context. Google now reports AI Overview link clicks in Search Console, so you can see which pages earned clicks through an AI snippet. 

Look for keywords where an AI Overview is appearing (if clicks drop) and review those pages: maybe add more detail or restructure the answer. Also, measure engagement on the traffic you get both organically and through AI overviews. This will tell you not just where traffic is coming from, but also how valuable those traffic sources are to your business.

You can optimize for AI overviews

AI Overviews are rapidly reshaping the search landscape, but the response is straightforward: double down on quality and user focus. Success in AI search still comes from“unique, non-commodity content that visitors will find helpful and satisfying.

In practice, that means well-structured, comprehensive, trustworthy pages — same as always.