Updates to AI Overviews: What do these mean for your SEO strategy?

Google has announced several new and exciting updates that will impact the world of search: 

• AI-organised search results
• Ads are coming to AI Overviews
• Expansion of search formats (videos and pictures)

But what do these changes mean for SEO? Read our breakdown of the key updates and how they could shape your SEO strategy moving forward.

AI-Organised search results:

Starting October 4th, Google introduced "organised" search results that have been created and assembled using AI, beginning with recipes and meal inspiration on mobile devices.

Users will be able to view a full-page experience, with relevant results shown for the individual. Google states in their blog that they are providing “more diverse content formats and sites”.

What is the significance of this?

This AI-driven organised search results will streamline the user experience, presenting results in a more intuitive and visually engaging way.

Informational searches like "how to" and "how much" are likely to be answered by AI Overviews on the SERP. This could lead to fewer users clicking through to websites, as they may find the answers they need instantly on the SERP itself.  

Data from Zipetie.dev shows that AI Overviews currently appear on between 44% to 52% of SERPs in the US, industries such as health, finance, publishing and jobs affected the most. With real estate, ecommerce and beauty affected the least.

Strategy Tips:

1. Analyse Top Keywords:

Review the top 100 to 200 keywords that are driving organic clicks over the past year.

2. Determine AI Overview Presence:

Assess the percentage of AI Overviews for these keywords. If percentage is low, review the competitors who are appearing to reverse engineer ranking in AI Overviews. if the percentage is high, keep tracking keywords to maintain position.

3. Optimise Content 

Review on page SEO such as meta data, headings to ensure you match the search intent correctly with the right amount of content.

If you are on the first page but not displayed in AI Overviews, review the competitors and their content to see which is successfully being displayed and on what page.  is being pulled into the AI Overviews and from which page.

4. Test and tweak content to see if you gain the AI Overview

After reviewing the competition in the AI Overviews, tweak your content based on the content the AI Overview is displaying. This may involve re-writing content similar to optimising to gain featured snippets.

Ads in AI Overviews:

Ads will be displayed directly underneath the organic AI-generated answer in the AI Overview, with a ‘Sponsored’ label attached.

According to Google no additional steps need to be taken by advertisers. Interestingly, Google will not be offering specific reporting segments for the AI-overviews ads. This means marketers will have to manual report or look to the Search Terms Report.

Google has also stated that advertisers cannot opt out of ads within AI-Overviews.

What is the potential impact on SEO and Paid Advertising?

The introduction of ads within AI Overviews could mean an uptick in clicks, sales and revenue for businesses leveraging paid ads. Being able to monetise AI Overviews is what has been holding it back from appearing on the majority of searches.

Google does not want to hurt its 'golden goose' advertising model, hence why the roll out has (so far) been restricted to 13.69% of keywords in the US. Once ads start going live on AI Overviews, the prediction is a significant increase. 

An AI-Overviews ad in theory could lead to an increase in clicks, sales and revenue. However, it could have significant negative impacts:

• Decreased Organic Traffic: As more users see relevant ads directly in the Overview, there may be fewer clicks on organic links.
• User Determent: Users may avoid results with paid placements, depending on whether they trust AI Overviews ads. This could cause another negative outcome - reduction in clicks.

Potentially, businesses unable to organically rank may find it easier to gain visibility in AI Overview ads.

Expansion of Search Formats: Video and Voice Search

Google's final update is a broadening of the types of search inputs available, allowing users to search via video through Google Lense (via the Google app). App users can also ask questions with voice - a feature that isavailable worldwide for both Android and Apple users.

Google has introduced what it describes as a "dramatically more helpful results page", showcasing key information about the product users are searching for, including reviews, price comparison and retailers.

What does this mean for SEO?

This evolution in search formats offers the opportunity for businesses with strong video and voice assets to enhance their SEO strategy: optimising content for video and voice queries could improve visibility.

SEO encompasses all organic properties. Therefore, ensuring video and image assets are correctly optimised will become more crucial if these new ways of searches take off. Scaling this is a challenge, which is where AI can help through speeding up the process and reducing reliance on a human workforce.

Key Takeaways: Actions for Success

1. Review AI Overviews coverage for your website:

Identify and track the AI Overview appearances for the top 100 - 200 keywords driving traffic to the site. Tools such as Ziptie.dev or Ahrefs and SEMrush show where AI Overviews are appearing. However, it is worth noting that Ahrefs and SEMrush can under report the amount of AI Overviews

2. Assess Risk from AI Overviews:

Analyse the extent of AI Overview coverage for your targeted keywords to help gauge potential traffic loss and revenue impact.

3. Review Organic Clicks on AI Driven Keywords:

Track organic click data for keywords with AI Overviews and assess any potential drop in visibility, clicks or revenue. Adjust your strategy accordingly to maintain a competitive position.

To find out more about AI Overviews, read Matt's blog here