Google AI Overviews: 8 Tips for Ranking in the AI Snapshot

Storytime!

The year 2024 has unofficially marked the world’s Artificial Intelligence age in my books. 

How so?

ChatGPT became a massive hit; some users even considered it to eclipse Google as the primary go-to for information. That year, various generative AI and LLMs rose to prominence, and even Google had to ride the hype. The search engine released Bard (now Gemini) as their chatbot-style AI-powered competitor to the Microsoft-funded ChatGPT.

However, unlike standalone AI tools, Google still dominates the global search real estate. They decided to take the competition further by incorporating artificial intelligence into organic Google search results with Search Generative Experience. 

They renamed the SGE to AI Overviews since, but the concept remains. Google’s new brainchild is set to radically change search engine optimization and content marketing as we know it.

So, how can you ensure your content makes it into the AI snapshot? Stay tuned because everything will be discussed today.

What is Google AI Overviews (Formerly SGE)?

AI Overviews generative AI into organic search. It offers concise summaries from multiple reputable sources to give users the gist of a topic more quickly. 

This new AI-powered search aligns perfectly with Google’s mission: “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Instead of going through numerous organic results as in traditional search engines, the AI Overview does the heavy lifting, extracting the essential information from search queries.

Currently, AI Overviews is only available if you toggle the feature on Search Labs. However, we expect the AI search to roll out before the end of the year.

How Will the AI Overviews Affect Search Results and SEO?

AI Overviews directly benefit the average searcher because it aims to expedite information delivery and acquisition. However, it’s a different story for websites vying to dominate search engines like Google.

For one, the AI search results will change Google’s interface. It will show at the top of Google search, pushing the Featured Snippet and organic result #1 further down. In other words, for queries with AI Overview integration, it is more beneficial to get featured in the AI snapshot than to rank high organically. 

Here is an example:

Secondly, introducing AI results will mean radically changing decades-worth of SEO culture of competing for first-page SERPs. New best practices and proposed ranking factors will also be introduced to ensure that your content makes it into the AI snapshot (and we’ll discuss some of them later!)

While Google’s AI Overview might seem negative at first glance, it poses an opportunity for many websites, especially those that do not rank on Google’s first page.

Benefits of Being Featured in AI Overviews

Here are some advantages when websites rank in SGE:

It gives a chance to low-performing organic results

Google AI Overviews creates a summarized answer using information provided by websites to answer a search query. Source links are listed on the right-hand side of the generated content.

Unlike traditional search, Google does not discriminate against websites with low search engine positioning. If a page features content relevant to the query, it can appear in an AI overview regardless of its organic rank.

Take a look at this example:

Organically, Android Central holds the featured snippet section but is not even used as a source link on the Overview. The sequence of organic SERP goes as follows: 

1. Reddit
2. Quora
3. CNET
4. Wired
5. The Washington Post
6. Cyber Security Center for the Isle of Man
7. Android Authority
8. Bitwarden Community Forums
9. Google Help

Only CNET, Wired, and The Washington Post made the list of sources from the top 9 results. The other two resource pages are Računalniške Novice (which appears on page 3 of the SERPs) and Microsoft Support (which is not visible from pages 1-10 of the SERPs).

In other words, low-ranking pages can appear on a Google AI Overview with the right content.

It may increase a website’s CTR and organic traffic

People use Google as an information hub. The average user does not care about SEO or any site metrics; what matters to them is satisfying their search query.

Theoretically, users will no longer need to scroll and click through SERPs if Google’s AI Overviews are enough to satisfy them. This suggests organic traffic and the CTR of organic results will decline. Conversely, those pages that make it into the Overview might drive more traffic and clicks. 

We asked Google about the best way to dispose of old phones, and this is what the AI Overviews show:

As you can see, AI summaries show the reference websites for each section. This allows users to select and click through which websites they think are the most relevant. Ranking in Google’s AI Overviews can be the SEO game-changer that inferior websites seek.

You know the most exciting part? None of the references shown are on page 1 SERPs!

It enhances the user experience

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, accessibility to the world’s information is not enough. Websites must deliver the necessary information to users as quickly as possible. Thanks to Google’s AI overviews, the future of search seems bright.

Its AI algorithms favor reader-focused content optimization and prioritize answering the query without the fluff. This means websites vying for inclusion on the snapshot must align their content strategy toward helping users rather than satisfying search engines.

8 Tips to Rank in AI Overviews and Bypass Organic Search

Let me be candid: Google says users don’t have to do anything to appear in AI Overviews. Site owners must simply do what is covered in Google Search Essentials to be considered.

There’s one problem: just as Google’s ranking algorithms are still an enigma to all SEOs, we cannot trust everything the search engine says. Sometimes, we must take matters into our own hands and figure things out ourselves. 

Here are some actionable tips we found that might help get your website included in Google’s search generative experience section: 

1. Enhance content E-E-A-T signals

E-E-A-T, short for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, is the updated search quality rater guidelines Google implemented in 2022. These guidelines are used by a select group of more than 10,000 people worldwide who manually assess if search results return relevant links to a user query. 

Here’s a quick summary of what each of the E-E-A-T represents:

• Experience: Does the author have first-hand experience on the topic?
• Expertise: Does the content demonstrate technical knowledge on the topic?
• Authoritativeness: Is the website or author reputable in the industry to discuss such topics?
• Trustworthiness: Is the information shown on the content reliable or credible?

Needless to say, E-E-A-T is a ranking factor on Google. If websites showcase those qualities in their content creation efforts, their content is more likely to rank higher on SERPs.

Given Google’s stance on “helpful content,” we can infer that those same qualities matter if pages want to appear in AI Overviews. 

2. Create content for long-tail keywords

Not all queries return an AI Overview. Basic questions often revert Google back to its default format.

For example:

During the announcement of AI Overviews in May 2024, Google encouraged readers to ask “their most complex questions.” Instead of breaking your query into several searches, you can just ask one complicated question and let the AI Overview compose a complete summary. 

More complex questions equal longer tail keywords.

In other words, Google’s AI model works perfectly for long-tail keywords with low keyword ranking difficulty and monthly average search volume. While these may seem like drawbacks, the exposure of being featured in Google’s AI content more than makes up for it. 

3. Establish topical authority

Going back to search rater guidelines, authoritativeness is crucial when ranking content on Google. One way to build topical authority is by focusing all your content on a single niche. 

For instance, if you’re a social media marketing website, focus on publishing content about SMM. This allows you to niche down and create deeper roots in your industry versus diversifying and covering a wide range of unrelated topics. When Google notices your website, your content will be front-runners for any query related to social media marketing.

Another way to build topical authority is to create topical clusters. Topic clusters are sets of interlinked web pages covering a specific subject. It involves creating one pillar page, which becomes the central piece of your cluster, and several cluster pages. Internal links connect the pillar page to each cluster content and vice versa.

Here’s what they look like:

In addition to publishing niche content, linking related articles together creates dedicated information hubs within your website, further establishing your topical authority.

4. Try getting into Google’s featured snippets

Bagging the featured snippet section does not always ensure your content enters the AI Overview results. 

But Featured Snippets are often bite-sized, fluff-free nuggets of information that answer questions straightforwardly. This increases the likelihood of Featured Snippets making it into the snapshot.

In any case, even if you don’t, bagging the Featured Snippet means your content sits second, right below the AI Overviews section.

5. Be straightforward and increase content readability 

Google values user experience and satisfaction above all else. That must reflect on how you create your content. Not only does that impact your position on search engine results pages, but it also increases your chances for AI Overviews.

One solution is optimizing content for natural language processing (NLP). Google uses NLP to understand and process human language. While Google’s algorithms are highly advanced, they might fail to understand the nuances of human speech. Using NLP in our content helps Google better understand the meaning and context of search queries and web content.

Here are some tips to optimize for NLP:

• Use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or overly complex sentence structures.
• Use relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally throughout the content
• Use headings to create structure and establish a logical hierarchy among topics
• Use schema markups to provide additional context for search engines 
• Use short answers to questions (in case you have an FAQ section)
• Use a conversational tone when writing content, even formal ones

By doing so, Google can understand your point better, making it easy for them to rank your content accordingly. Of course, ensure your content covers all the essentials.

6. Optimize content for voice search SEO

Voice Search Optimization is rising in popularity because of the prominence of voice search technology. As the name suggests, voice SEO involves optimizing your website for queries done via voice search. 

Unlike traditional searches, which are short and less contextual, voice searches offer a more natural and intuitive way to seek information.

For one, they use natural language processing, as users don’t have to limit how many words they say for a query. Voice searching also gives users the benefit of adding additional context to help tools like Google understand their questions. This allows for increased accuracy that traditional Googling might miss. 

Voice searching and long-tail queries are essentially synonymous. When you optimize content for voice SEO, you create NLP-friendly content that targets long-tail, highly niche queries. We know that Google’s AI favors content using NLP language and thrives in answering complex questions.

7. Build highly relevant backlinks

Backlinks are considered votes of confidence from other websites. When your page receives many backlinks, it helps Google understand that your content is probably high-quality and should be better ranked in its AI-organized results pages.

In addition to ranking high organically, backlinks influence a page’s “authoritativeness” and “trustworthiness” among the E-E-A-T signals. While AI Overviews are generated based on many factors, including the quality and relevance of content, backlinks may play a supporting role. 

AI evaluates source links according to their content and reputation. If the content is equal across pages, reputation will be the deciding factor. That is where backlinks come in.

Backlinks increase your website’s visibility and traffic, boost your domain authority, and improve your trustworthiness. This makes it easier for AI Overviews to consider your website a reliable resource.

You can also use SEO tools, like Linkody, to monitor the performance of your backlinks and analyze your competitors’ backlinks. 

8. Experiment, experiment, experiment

AI Overviews is still in its early stages, which is why it hasn’t rolled out globally yet. This gives SEOs enough headroom to conduct experiments and find out what works.

One good tactic is choosing content on your website that you feel okay experimenting with. Optimize that page based on all the tips written in this resource. Make sure Google sees the changes you’ve made by going to Google Search Console and asking Google to re-index the page, as seen below:

Keep experimenting until you figure out the ideal content types appearing in search generative experience. 

Ready to Optimize Content for AI-Driven Search Engines?

SEO is evolving, and the introduction of AI Overviews is just a taste of how search will drastically change in the coming decades.

To stay ahead of the curve, website owners and SEOs must prioritize creating high-quality, relevant, and NLP-friendly content. As AI advances, we can expect to see even more sophisticated search features that will revolutionize how we find and consume information.

Need any help in ranking in organic search and AI Overviews? 

Nine Peaks is a full-service B2B SEO agency dedicated to helping SaaS, tech, and IT companies elevate their SEO performance. Book a free SEO strategy session if you’re ready to dominate your market.