If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that talk about AI Overviews (AIOs), AI Mode, and AI in general seems to be everywhere. Google’s addition of these features has turned marketers and SEOs on their heads, trying to assess how it impacts their business, traffic, and ultimately their strategy.
So, what do we know about AIOs, and how can we adjust our strategies to account for them?
As a refresher, AI Overviews (also known as AIOs) are a recently introduced SERP feature from Google. Essentially, they use generative AI and multiple sources from around the web to create one response that appears at the top of the search results.
According to Google, “AI Overviews help people get to the gist of a complicated topic or question more quickly, and provide a jumping off point to explore links to learn more. They were designed to show up on queries where they can add additional benefits beyond what people might already get on Search.”
Despite Google’s (alleged?) intent for these to be a jumping off point for more in-depth research, marketers have seen a dip in organic traffic as a direct result of implementing this feature. According to one study by Growth Memo, CTR on desktop has dropped as much as two-thirds when an AIO shows up in the results.
Another thing to note about AIOs is the type of results they typically show up for. Based on Google’s own wording, it comes as no surprise that AIOs populate most frequently in searches with informational intent. My fellow Mozzer, Tom Capper, actually released a Whiteboard Friday earlier this year outlining data around the presence of AI Overviews in different types of searches, which I highly recommend checking out.
So, with all this information in mind, should we change our content strategies and how we measure success? And if so, what could that look like?
Should I change my content strategy based on AI Overviews?
When it comes to making strategic decisions about your content strategy, it pays to consider multiple factors and data points before making any drastic changes. And although I hate to be a cliche, the classic answer to whether you should change your strategy based on the presence of AIOs really is: It depends.
The reality is, AI Overviews will impact your traffic. Their implementation has resulted in a significant decline in clicks from SERPs where they are included. Even if you are featured as a source in the AIO itself, users are still less likely to click through to your website. This means we need to reframe how we measure success and consider when (and where) we may be able to accept that loss in traffic.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when assessing the impact of AIOs on your business and whether or not you should pursue them:
What keywords are driving traffic to my website, and are those visitors converting?
It helps to know where we’re starting before we decide where we’re going and how we’ll get there. So, before making any big changes, assess what keywords are driving traffic to your site and how many of those visits are converting.
In addition to looking at which keywords are driving traffic, take a look at where you’re gaining the most impressions. Are there keywords where you have a lot of impressions but very few clicks? Should they be driving traffic to your site?
Here’s the thing: Not all keywords are created equal. Now is the time to examine what is working and what isn’t. I have two mini frameworks I can use to analyze my target keyword performance in an AIO world.
Analyze target keywords for AI Overview appearances
The first option is to analyze your target keywords. One benefit of analyzing by keyword is that I’ll be able to see if I have target keywords where my content isn’t being ranked or where there are opportunities to create content to better fulfill my goals.
Here’s how I would approach this method:
List my target keywords.
Pull impression and click data from Google Search Console (GSC) and cross-reference that data with my most important keywords.
Identify the primary search intent for my target keywords with Keyword Explorer.
Verify if an AI Overview is present in the search results with Keyword Explorer.
Analyze a list of categorized URLs for AI Overview appearances
Alternatively, I can analyze my data by content. The benefit of assessing by content rather than by keyword is that I will be able to see where my content is currently appearing in the SERPS and whether I have existing content that needs to be updated.
There may be pieces of content that I can update to compete for a spot in the AIO or that need to be moved in a different direction for better results. For example, if I have a piece of content that is meant to be conversion-focused but isn’t getting any clicks, maybe I need to update it to target a different keyword cluster so customers find it at the right time in their journey.
Here is how I would approach this method:
Gather a list of my URLs — blog posts, FAQ pages, product pages, etc.
Identify the content’s intent — is it conversion-focused, informational, instructional, etc.? I may also opt to identify which stage of the sales funnel it is meant to target.
Pull impression and click data for these URLs from GSC.
Use GSC to pull the keywords that are driving those clicks and impressions.
Use Keyword Explorer to identify which keywords include an AIO in the search results.
So, what do I do with this data? I can now examine which keywords and content are being impacted by the presence of AIOs in the SERP and determine whether I want to target those AIOs or if I need to mix things up.
Who is currently featured in the AI Overviews for my target keywords?
As our next step, I’ll need to understand whether it’s feasible (and worth it) to attempt to gain that coveted spot as a cited source in an AI Overview.
First, consider the Difficulty associated with the keyword. If the SERP is highly competitive and the Difficulty score is particularly high, it is likely that it will be much harder to break into the AIO.
Pro tip! You can pull this metric from right within Keyword Explorer in the same view you used to see if an AIO was present.
Next, take a look at who is already represented in the AI Overview. What type of content is featured? What types of sites are cited? The size and type of competitors listed in the AIO will give a lot of insight into what Google is looking for when it answers this query. It will also give you an idea of who you have to beat to get featured.
For example, if you see well-known, highly authoritative sites in the AIO, it will be much harder to take over those spots than if a smaller site or less well-known company is featured. Additionally, if you’re seeing sites like Reddit or Quora listed, this could indicate that Google is looking for first-person experiences to provide its answer.
What if I’m already featured in the AI Overview?
As you do your research and gather information about who is currently included in the AI Overview for your target keywords, you may find that you’re already featured in some. Great work!
Now it’s all about holding on tightly to that position. If maintaining your spot is a key part of your strategy, monitor your inclusion and make sure your content stays up to date and relevant so you can hopefully hold on to that spot in the SERP.
What would I gain from being featured in the AI Overview for my target keywords?
Now we know where AIOs are showing up and who is currently included in them. So here’s the big question — is it worth it to go after them? Or should I adjust my strategy to account for them?
I find that this really comes down to what you expect to gain from being featured in an AI Overview. Knowing that clicks from SERPs that feature an AIO are limited, it’s important to have clear goals (other than traffic) from the outset so that stakeholders and clients know what to expect. AI Overviews are a great way to:
Build brand awareness and authority
Validate that you’re providing content that helps your audience
Build audience trust
For example, here is a query for “How to add keywords to Moz Pro.” This query is clearly answered in the AI Overview, and it is unlikely that a searcher would need to (or want to) click through to moz.com. This keyword and its associated AIO would instead serve to build brand awareness and trust.
