Featuring in Google’s AI Overviews
Over the past year, there have been countless blogs, articles, and headlines about Artificial Intelligence (AI), and no more so than in our own search marketing industry. With the recent rollout globally of AI Overviews by Google, AI is now featuring in the SERP.
AI Overviews aims to transform the search experience by incorporating generative AI directly into the Google results page. It enables users to answer more specific and long-tail queries and receive highly relevant results. In a nutshell, Google’s objective with AI Overviews is to enhance the search experience by providing users with immediate answers to their questions, eliminating the need to navigate through numerous websites. At Varn, we’ve seen many different types of AI Overview panels. For example, some had fully visible links, others partly visible ones, and we even discovered hidden link panels.
According to Google,
“AI Overviews appear in Google Search results when our systems determine that generative responses can be especially helpful — for example, when you want to quickly understand information from a range of sources, including information from across the web and Google’s Knowledge Graph.”
Interestingly, Google’s Head of Search, Liz Reid, claims the AI Overview usually finds the most useful information and user feedback has shown people are relying on AI summaries to quickly find relevant content; and that users tend to stay longer on these pages.
If you’re responsible for a website’s organic performance, you will have discovered AI Overviews SERP. At the most recent Brighton SEO event, SEO professionals and digital marketeers were intrigued and concerned about this new feature, in equal measure.
An obstacle or an opportunity?
In this article, you’ll learn how to see if your website is featured in AI Overview snippets from Google, and what they mean for your SEO strategy, and we will explore the opportunities they provide your website’s search strategy.
Can you track AI Overview Snippets from Google?
One of the biggest concerns about AI Overviews is how limited the data is. At Varn, we wanted to check if our website was in AI Overviews and to understand more about the traffic they generated. Studies have reported that tracking clicks to AI Overview snippets is only available in the US, and it has not yet rolled out to the UK. So you might be wondering, ‘How can I monitor my performance if I can’t see the metrics?’
Can I See How Many Clicks My Website Has Received from Google’s AI Overview?
To be frank, no. According to Search Engine Roundtable, AI Overview tracking is limited to the US for now. Unfortunately, Search Console’s SERP overview feature has limits for monitoring the site’s performance in AI Overviews. However, experiments in the SEO shown these clicks are counted, but not attributed to AI Overviews. There was a limitation that data was only available for logged-in users. Which meant that searches, made in incognito mode, were not counted. It also limited SEO tools from getting accurate AI metrics for specific sites. However, now also available to sign out users in the US.
Before the latest update, AI Overviews and the standard search results for a keyword were not well correlated. However, recent changes show a much stronger connection. Some reports suggest a 99% correlation between SERP rankings and sites in AI Overviews.
So, in summary, an AI Overview snippet could boost CTR; but, we can’t track it directly in Search Console. Not in the same way we do for other snippets. To work around AI Overview tracking limits, our innovation team are testing third party tools to give a clearer picture. Whether Google will introduce better tracking for this in the future remains to be seen. At this time, Search Console does not provide a way to track impressions, clicks, or traffic from AI Overviews in the same manner it does for other organic snippets or product snippets.
Now we know that AI Overview tracking isn’t available in Search Console, and searches in incognito mode count. We can be aware of the limitations to understand the real impact of AI Overviews on website traffic. Our advice is, don’t let this deter you from staying proactive when it comes to your SEO strategy.
AI Overviews and the SERP will continue to change. A proactive search specialist stays on top of these changes and adapts strategies. Direct tracking of AI Overviews in Search Console isn’t possible, but third part SEO tools like Semrush and AWR can help us see how often they appear. This means you need to be smart about what you can do when it comes to your search strategy and optimisation planning.
Here’s how you can stay ahead.
Zero Click Search Optimisation
A Zero-Click search is when the answer to a user’s question appears directly on the search results page without the user having to click on anything. Zero-click searches are more prevalent, because search engines want to answer the question in the SERP. But why?
Common use of zero click search are:
- Voice search: Devices like Google Home and Alexa have increased voice search popularity. They provide immediate spoken answers.
- Mobile search: Smartphones’ convenience has fuelled the rise of quick answers and zero-click results.
- SERP Features: These snippets have become a cornerstone of zero-click searches. This popularity has been fuelled by the convenience of smartphones, which encourage quick and digestible information consumption for users.
As of 2024 60% of Google searches end without a click. SERP Features are commonly called ‘position 0’. SERP features like snippets, knowledge panels, and local packs are driving this zero-click trend. The different SERP snippets all have different benefits and should be used in a strategic combination to try to get the best coverage on the SERP. On mobile, it was even higher at 77.22%. Mobile-first indexing is likely a big factor here. Is the zero-click search trend driven by AI or user experience?
Think about where your audience is looking for answers. Are they finding your content on mobile devices or voice search? Do they want a quick answer or will they be inclined to explore websites?
How are zero-click searches affecting SEO?
Understanding how to optimise your content for zero-click SERP features like AI Overviews is non-negotiable. Any serious SEO strategy always adapts, particularly as the nature of SEO is continuously evolving. This means the best SEO agencies will align your short-term and long-term strategy with SERP features the search engines are prioritising.
30% of clicks go to Google’s own properties and 36% to other websites. Google’s focus on keeping users on their search platform has sparked debate about the future of SEO. It is no doubt frustrating losing traffic to AI Overviews or Google properties after you’ve spent months perfecting your search strategy. Rather than get caught up in reduced traffic, lower conversion rates and less brand visibility, it’s important to see AI Overviews and zero click searches as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Our advice is to focus on SERP ranking, to stay competitive in the SERP. SERP rankings influence how AI Overviews decides which links to feature, and there’s a clear preference for those sources with high domain authority.
Don’t be scared of AI, adapt your strategy.
Google’s AI Overviews, which scrape and rephrase content, have sparked concerns about the future of SEO. Some claim this is the end of SEO, but it’s far from dead. SEO has survived many “deaths” before—whether it was Penguin, Panda, or the roll-out of mobile-first indexing. Each time, the landscape shifted, and so did SEO strategies. AI-powered search is just the latest evolution. As AI-powered search and AI Overviews evolve, so too will SEO. It may be tricky to track these changes, without third party SEO tools. Diligence in your SEO strategy—from content optimisations to technical audits—will keep your website discoverable.
Don’t be scared of AI. If content creators lose the incentive to create good content, where will AI retrieve new information from the reference? Remember, SEO isn’t about secret formulas; it’s about understanding how search engines work and adapting strategies to changes. Despite AI Overviews being a ‘hot topic’ in an ideal world, data analysis and good SEO will be prioritised at the start of any content, web or digital project. No need to reinvent the wheel—just adapt and optimise.
If you’re looking for a helpful partner in your SEO journey, our team of experts can support you with AI search innovation and beyond. Contact our expert SEO team to discuss your SEO and UX challenges, we would love to help.
