How Google’s AI Overviews Is Reshaping Search Results

As of March 5th, 2025, AI Overviews have received a Gemini 2.0 overhaul and will begin appearing to more people – but what does this mean for SEO?

While Google AI Overviews have been around since last May, they’ve been steadily reshaping the search results pages, especially in terms of real estate.

Here’s what one looks like for reference:

The Overview appears at the very top of the page and provides a brief summary of the user’s query alongside a few relevant search results. 

So far, AI Overviews have caused some shifts in traditional search behavior, which is concerning to some SEOs. However, as we’ll soon explore, being cited in an Overview is a promising new form of online visibility. 

Originally penned as Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), Google AI Overviews officially launched in May 2024 after a lengthy experimental phase. 

Up until now, AI Overviews have been sparse and primarily appeared for informational keywords. 

Research from January 2025 found that they appeared for less than one-third of all searches, but that’s about to change with the Gemini 2.0 update:

As you can see, AI Overviews are now bigger, smarter, and more prevalent.

In other words, they’ve become crucial for ensuring better online visibility. 

This article will teach you how to adapt your SEO strategy to include AI Overviews, so keep reading! 

How AI Overviews Change Search Behavior 

Whenever an AI Overview appears for a search on Google, users behave differently than they typically would. 

This was inevitable, as any change to the SERP (search engine results page) landscape causes a shift in user behavior, as evidenced in the past by SERP features like snippets. 

In particular, AI Overviews cause changes in:

Scrolling

AI Overviews occupy the very top of the search results, which is known as position zero. In other words, it’s above the paid ads, SERP features, and most importantly, the organic search results. 

Since the organic results are much further down the page, users may not even see the #1-ranked organic result whenever an AI Overview is generated. 

Let’s look at an example. 

Here’s what the SERP page for the keyword ‘what is SEO’ looks like with an AI Overview:

Traditional organic search results are nowhere to be found. All we can see is the AI Overview and then the People Also Ask section. 

Here’s what the same keyword looks like without an AI Overview (using Safari, which still doesn’t seem to trigger AI Overviews for any queries):

This way, the organic search results are immediately visible, even with the People Also Ask section. Thus, the potential loss of organic visibility due to AI Overviews is definitely concerning.

However, at least in this case, the sources in the AI Overview and the top two organic results are exactly the same, which should give you some hope! 

Clicks

A zero-click search occurs whenever a user searches for something on Google and finds what they need without clicking on any of the results. 

Featured snippets and other SERP features caused zero-click searches to rise in the past, and now AI Overviews are kicking things up a notch. 

At the end of 2024, research showed that nearly 60% of all Google searches ended without clicks. 

The good news?

Zero-click searches are primarily for keywords with informational intent, as 31.6% of all AI Overviews appear for questions. 

Searches with transactional and commercial intent, however, still require users to click on websites to research products and make purchases. Still, zero-click searches from AI Overviews will likely negatively impact TOFU (top-of-the-funnel) content. 

What Does This Mean for Marketers and SEOs?

While it’s undeniable that AI Overviews have shifted certain search behaviors, it’s important for marketers not to panic. 

After all, SEO is something that’s constantly changing and evolving, so learning to be adaptable is one of the best things you can do in this space. 

Here’s our recommended action plan:

1. Alter your content goals (it’s not all about position zero). At first glance, it may seem like you should focus entirely on appearing in AI Overviews, but that’s not recommended. 

Remember, AI Overviews only appear for some queries, and they’re primarily informational. That means you shouldn’t fret over the clicks you may lose to zero-click searches. After all, the chances are high that this lost traffic was never going to convert anyway, so don’t lose too much sleep over it. 

Instead, you should still invest heavily into creating high-quality BOFU (bottom-of-the-funnel) content to increase your leads and sales.  

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t attempt to appear in more AI Overviews, but the evidence so far suggests that traditional SEO best practices will help you get featured more anyway (like exhibiting E-E-A-T and building topical authority). 

2. Optimize your structured data. To pull information online for its SERP features and AI Overviews, Google uses a type of structured data called schema markup. If your schema isn’t in order, you won’t be able to appear in things like snippets and Overviews. 

3. Emphasize accuracy, fact-checking, and trustworthiness. Google’s AI favors content that’s factually accurate, regularly updated, and contains strong trust signals like backlinks and positive reviews. Emphasizing these factors in your content will heighten the chances of A) higher organic rankings and B) getting featured more often in AI Overviews.  

4. Provide an excellent user experience. Lastly, you want users to have a smooth experience whenever they click on one of your links. This means ensuring fast loading speed, proper mobile optimization, and other technical SEO factors. 

AI Overviews in Action: What Makes Them Tick?

Next, let’s take a look at some real-life AI Overviews so that we can pick them apart to learn more. 

Instead of sticking with informational queries, let’s try a keyword that has commercial intent, like ‘best CRM for small business’:

Sure enough, an AI Overview triggers for this keyword. 

More importantly, it has recommended some CRMs for us right off the bat by giving HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, and FreshSales shout-outs at the very top of the page. 

Obviously, this is highly advantageous for these companies, but what led Google to recommend these CRMs in particular?

It’s because they each have:

• Tons of positive reviews on multiple platforms online 
• Topical authority in their area of expertise 
• Extremely authoritative backlink profiles 
• Strong user engagement signals (clicks, shares, dwell time, etc.) 
• Easy-to-read formatting (this is huge for getting featured in AI responses)  

These are the factors Google’s AI considers when formulating its Overviews, and you’ll notice that they pretty much align with traditional ranking factors. That’s why we said earlier that SEO best practices still reign supreme. 

But what about YMYL (your money, your life) queries? Do AI Overviews trigger for them, too?

To find out, let’s ask … Google’s AI Overview:

 According to Google, AI Overviews appear for approximately 50% of YMYL topics, with legal queries taking the cake. 

YMYL AI Overviews also contain important disclaimers letting users know to consult professionals before taking decisive action. 

How to Monitor and Respond to AI Overview Changes 

Before we let you go, here are some helpful tools for monitoring your success with appearing in AI Overviews:

1. Keyword.com. The AI Overview Tracker is specifically designed to keep track of your appearance in AI-generated features, so it earns our #1 spot. 
2. Ahrefs. You can also use Ahrefs to keep track of AI Overviews by using its Site Explorer tool. In the Organic Keywords report, select the SERP Features dropdown and select AI Overview. 
3. Semrush. If you have a subscription to Semrush instead, its Position Tracking feature will let you peep your AI Overviews. To do it, click on the SERP Feature filter and select AI Overview. 

Do you need help updating your SEO strategy to include AI Overviews?

Our expert team would love to help you reach all your goals, so don’t wait to reach out for a free consultation today! 

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