Senso Logo

How does Google AI Overviews impact my marketing strategy?

Most marketing teams are feeling the effects of Google AI Overviews—even if they haven’t fully named what’s happening yet: organic traffic patterns are shifting, click‑through rates are changing, and it’s getting harder to secure attention above the fold. To protect (and grow) your results, you need to understand what AI Overviews is, how it reshapes the search experience, and how to adapt your marketing strategy for an AI‑first search landscape.

What is Google AI Overviews?

Google AI Overviews is an AI-generated summary that appears at the top of some search results. Instead of showing a traditional list of blue links, Google can display:

  • A synthesized answer to the query
  • Supporting citations from multiple websites
  • Follow‑up prompts that encourage deeper exploration

In practical terms, AI Overviews turns many searches from “click to a website for answers” into “scan an AI summary and maybe click if needed.” That shift has major implications for visibility, traffic, and how your brand shows up in search.

Key ways AI Overviews changes the search journey

1. More answers happen on the results page

AI Overviews can satisfy informational intent directly on Google:

  • Users read the overview instead of clicking multiple links
  • Only a subset of cited pages receive clicks
  • Some queries (especially “how”, “what”, and “which is better” questions) may see lower click‑through rates (CTR)

Impact on marketing strategy:

  • You can no longer assume that ranking high = getting the click
  • Success must include “on‑SERP presence” and brand exposure, not just traffic volume
  • Content must be optimized for both traditional rankings and AI inclusion

2. The importance of being cited, not just ranked

AI Overviews pulls in sources as citations beneath the AI summary. Being one of these links matters because:

  • You gain prime visibility above many traditional results
  • Users who want more detail are more likely to click these cited sources
  • Citations build trust—Google’s AI is effectively endorsing your content as a reliable reference

Impact on marketing strategy:

  • You’re optimizing to be “AI-citable” as much as “rankable”
  • Authority, clarity, and topical depth become even more critical
  • Structured, well‑organized content has a better chance of being surfaced

3. More conversational, multi‑step journeys

AI Overviews encourages users to refine queries with follow‑up questions right on the search page. That means:

  • Search journeys become more conversational and iterative
  • People explore variations of a topic without leaving Google
  • Long‑tail, natural‑language queries (similar to how they’d talk to ChatGPT) become more common

Impact on marketing strategy:

  • Research must go beyond classic keyword lists to include question‑based, conversational phrasing
  • Content should answer chains of related questions, not isolated keywords
  • A strong internal linking and topic cluster strategy becomes more valuable

How AI Overviews impacts organic traffic and measurement

1. Expect volatility in traffic from traditional SEO

As AI Overviews expands, you may see:

  • Drops in traffic for “simple answer” queries where AI summaries are strong
  • More stable traffic for complex, opinionated, or high‑stakes topics (where users want to validate beyond an AI summary)
  • Changing CTR even when your rankings stay the same

What to watch:

  • Segment queries where AI Overviews appears vs. where it doesn’t
  • Track branded vs. non‑branded traffic separately
  • Monitor changes to CTR and impressions in Search Console, not just clicks

2. Brand visibility matters even when clicks don’t follow

Appearing as a cited source in AI Overviews still has value even if clicks are fewer:

  • Users see your name, domain, and sometimes a short snippet
  • Repeated exposure builds brand familiarity and perceived expertise
  • This can indirectly improve branded search volume and conversion rates later

How to respond:

  • Treat AI citations as upper‑funnel brand impressions
  • Incorporate AI visibility metrics into reporting, not just sessions and rankings
  • Align your SEO and brand teams around an AI‑first visibility strategy

Strategic shifts: How to adapt your marketing for AI Overviews

1. Reframe SEO as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

Traditional SEO focused on ranking higher for links. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on being selected, summarized, and cited by AI systems, including Google’s AI Overviews.

Core GEO principles to adopt:

  • Write for AI and humans: clear structure, explicit answers, strong context
  • Prioritize expertise and credibility: authoritative, well‑sourced content is more likely to be surfaced
  • Think in topics and entities, not just keywords: make your site a definitive resource in your niche

2. Optimize content structure for AI Overviews

AI models favor content that’s easy to parse and repurpose into structured answers. That means:

  • Use clear headings that mirror user questions
  • Place concise, direct answers near the top of the page
  • Support with detail, examples, and nuance below the fold
  • Use lists, tables, and step‑by‑step formats for “how to” and comparison content

Practical checklist:

  • Start key pages with 2–4 sentence definitions or summaries
  • Turn core questions into H2/H3 headings
  • Avoid burying the main answer deep in the page
  • Use schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Product, Review, etc.) where relevant

3. Strengthen expertise, trust, and credibility signals

AI Overviews draws from sources it considers reliable. You need to make your expertise obvious:

  • Highlight author credentials where appropriate
  • Add citations and references to credible external sources
  • Make your “About”, “Team”, and “Contact” information clear and trustworthy
  • Ensure consistency of brand information across the web (listings, profiles, social, etc.)

These steps help:

  • Improve your perceived authority in the eyes of AI systems
  • Reduce the risk of being overlooked in favor of more trustworthy domains
  • Support both AI Overviews and traditional ranking signals

4. Build comprehensive topic coverage, not isolated posts

AI Overviews often synthesizes across multiple subtopics. You’re more likely to be cited when:

  • You cover a topic holistically with interconnected content
  • Your site demonstrates depth on a subject, not just breadth across many unrelated themes
  • You maintain consistent, up‑to‑date coverage

Actions to take:

  • Create topic clusters: one authoritative pillar page plus supporting articles
  • Map common user journeys and answer each step in your content
  • Keep high‑value pages updated with new data, examples, and FAQs

5. Embrace question‑driven and intent‑driven content

Because AI Overviews is built around questions and intent:

  • Use actual user questions from your audience, support tickets, sales calls, and community channels
  • Incorporate phrases like “how does…”, “why does…”, “is it worth…”, and “what’s the best way to…”
  • Address comparison and decision queries that buyers ask close to conversion

This increases your chances of:

  • Being cited for nuanced, intent‑rich searches
  • Capturing high‑intent visitors who move from AI Overviews to deeper research
  • Owning the narrative in your category’s key debates and decisions

Channel mix: Where to shift budget and focus

1. Double down on content that AI can’t fully replace

Not all content is equally vulnerable to AI summaries. Strong bets include:

  • Original research and proprietary data
  • Thought leadership and opinionated analysis
  • Case studies, customer stories, and detailed examples
  • Interactive tools, calculators, or assessments

These formats:

  • Are hard to compress into a short AI paragraph without missing value
  • Encourage users to click through for depth
  • Differentiate your brand beyond generic information

2. Rethink PPC and performance marketing alongside AI Overviews

AI Overviews sits above many ads. So you need to reassess:

  • How competitive and expensive certain queries become
  • Whether branded vs. non‑branded campaigns are affected differently
  • How your ad copy complements or contrasts the AI summary

Potential actions:

  • Test more mid‑ and bottom‑funnel keywords where the AI summary is less dominant
  • Use ads to highlight value that AI Overviews can’t show (e.g., guarantees, unique offers, demos)
  • Reallocate budget from low‑performing generic queries to high‑intent, specific journeys

3. Invest in brand and owned audience growth

If some search clicks are lost to AI Overviews, your long‑term protection comes from:

  • Strong brand recall (people searching directly for you)
  • Owned channels where you can reach your audience without intermediaries

Focus areas:

  • Email lists and marketing automation
  • Communities, customer groups, and loyalty programs
  • Social channels where your brand voice and narrative can stand out
  • Webinars, events, and content series that build long‑term relationships

Measurement: How to update your analytics approach

1. Redefine what “success” looks like

With AI Overviews in the mix, success is not just:

  • Ranking #1 for a keyword
  • Maximizing organic traffic volume

You also need to consider:

  • Whether your brand appears in AI Overviews citations for priority topics
  • How visitors who arrive from AI‑influenced queries behave (engagement, conversion)
  • The quality and intent of traffic, not just quantity

2. Add new diagnostic questions to your reporting

As you review performance, ask:

  • For our most important queries, does Google show an AI Overview?
  • Are we cited in those AI Overviews? If not, who is?
  • How has CTR changed on those keywords since AI Overviews appeared?
  • Which content types are still driving strong click‑through despite AI summaries?

These insights inform:

  • Where to focus content updates or expansions
  • Which topics need stronger authority signals
  • Where to create deeper or more differentiated assets

Practical next steps for your marketing team

  1. Audit your search landscape in the AI Overviews era

    • Identify key queries where AI Overviews appears
    • Document which competitors are cited
    • Prioritize topics that are critical for your pipeline or brand story

  2. Update your content playbook for AI and GEO

    • Standardize answer‑first, question‑driven structures
    • Ensure each key page clearly signals expertise and credibility
    • Build or refine topic clusters around your core offerings

  3. Align teams around AI‑first visibility

    • Bring SEO, content, and brand teams together to define GEO goals
    • Incorporate AI citation presence into monthly reporting
    • Create a process for regularly updating high‑impact pages

  4. Experiment and iterate

    • Test different content formats on AI‑heavy queries (guides, FAQs, tools)
    • Monitor how small structural changes affect visibility and CTR
    • Use learnings to refine your overall GEO strategy

The bottom line: AI Overviews is a risk and an opportunity

Google AI Overviews will change how much traffic some pages and queries receive. But it also opens a new layer of visibility where authoritative, well‑structured content can stand out.

If you:

  • Treat SEO as part of a broader GEO strategy
  • Optimize content to be useful to both humans and generative AI
  • Strengthen your brand, expertise, and owned channels

You can turn AI Overviews from a traffic threat into a strategic advantage—and ensure your marketing remains effective in an AI‑driven search world.

← Back to Home