Google’s AI Overviews (formerly known as the Search Generative Experience or SGE) are reshaping how users interact with search results.

Instead of displaying a list of links, Google’s AI summarises information directly within the SERP — often citing or referencing trusted content sources.

Because these summaries sit above traditional rankings, being featured inside an AI Overview can dramatically increase visibility, authority, and click-throughs.

AI Overviews reward precision, trust, and clarity — not keyword stuffing.

What Are Google’s AI Overviews?

AI Overviews → summarise → information from multiple web sources to answer complex user queries directly in search results.

They use generative AI to interpret context, extract entities, and present concise, factual overviews. Google cites these summaries with source links from what it considers trusted, expert-level content.

This means SEO today isn’t just about “ranking first” — it’s about being recognised as an entity-level authority worthy of citation in Google’s AI responses.

Step 1: Understand How AI Overviews Select Sources

Google’s AI Overviews are powered by multimodal retrieval models that prioritise:

• Entity-rich content: pages that clearly identify who, what, and why.
• Topical authority: sites covering an entire topic comprehensively.
• Semantic structure: content organised in a logical, answer-focused way.
• EEAT signals: clear author identity, expertise, and trustworthy sourcing.

Because AI models depend on structured meaning, optimising your content semantically is now non-negotiable. You can learn how to do this effectively in your Semantic SEO Guide.

AI Overviews don’t pull random pages — they pull the most semantically precise ones.

Step 2: Focus on Entity-Based Optimisation

Entities → form → the foundation of AI-generated understanding.

When your article mentions and defines relevant entities clearly, it’s easier for Google’s AI systems to extract information accurately.
Example:
Instead of writing “tools that help you write content,” specify ChatGPT, SurferSEO, or Frase.

To improve entity clarity:

• Use consistent naming conventions (no ambiguous pronouns).
• Define entities within context.
• Connect entities using cause-and-effect explanations.

Explore this technique in more depth in Entity Optimisation.

Step 3: Write for Questions and Context

AI Overviews prioritise content that answers specific questions directly. Each paragraph should resolve a query — just like a mini FAQ.
Structure your content to mirror user intent:

• Use question-based headings.
• Provide concise, factual answers in the first 2–3 sentences.
• Add context and examples after the main response.

Example:
What is AI content optimisation?

AI content optimisation is the process of improving written content using AI-driven analysis of structure, entities, and relevance to enhance visibility in search and generative results.

You can model this approach using the answer-led structures from your SEO Blog Writing Framework.

If your article sounds like it’s written for people asking real questions, it’s written for AI too.

Step 4: Strengthen EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

AI Overviews heavily rely on EEAT signals to determine credible sources. Pages that lack visible authorship, sourcing, or brand authority are far less likely to be cited.

To strengthen EEAT:

• Include author bios with credentials.
• Link to reputable external references.
• Use consistent tone and citation style across your content.
• Display publishing and last-updated dates.

These trust signals, combined with technical SEO foundations, tell Google your page is safe to summarise.
If you haven’t already, revisit your Content Audits to ensure EEAT is present across all key pages.

Step 5: Structure Your Content for Machine Readability

Formatting → improves → AI comprehension.

AI Overviews favour content that’s easy to parse programmatically. This means:

• Use semantic HTML (H1, H2, H3 hierarchy).
• Include bullet points, numbered lists, and short sentences.
• Add schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Article).
• Maintain consistent topic segmentation.

Schema helps Google understand not just what your content says but how it relates to entities and intent.
You can strengthen these relationships by following structural guidelines in Content Frameworks: Hub and Spoke, Pillar-Cluster Models.

If Google can easily understand your structure, AI can easily summarise it.

Step 6: Target High-Intent and Emerging Queries

AI Overviews focus on complex or multi-intent queries — the kind that users expect nuanced answers to.
Use tools like AlsoAsked, Semrush Topic Research, or Google’s “People Also Ask” data to find conversational or comparative searches.

Focus on keywords such as:

• “How does [concept] work?”
• “What’s the difference between [A] and [B]?”
• “Best [methods/tools] for [goal].”

For example, if your audience searches for “how AI affects SEO rankings,” create a post that bridges both topics naturally — tying insights back to AI content optimisation and search evolution.

You can explore more keyword discovery methods in your Content Gap Analysis.

Step 7: Incorporate Visual and Contextual Enhancements

Visuals → support → AI context recognition.

Because Google’s AI interprets multimodal data, integrating images, charts, and contextual examples improves how your content is understood. Add:

• Screenshots of tools or workflows.
• Data charts illustrating trends.
• Diagrams explaining concepts.

Use descriptive alt text that references entities and intent (e.g. “diagram of pillar-cluster content framework for SEO”).

Rich, multimodal content increases the likelihood of being used in visual AI snippets and interactive overviews.

Step 8: Monitor and Measure AI Overview Visibility

AI Overview visibility can be tracked indirectly using third-party tools like Semrush Sensor, SearchPilot, or manual SERP observation.

Measure:

• Mentions or citations in AI Overviews.
• CTR changes from overview-related queries.
• Keyword groups with increasing AI visibility.

To correlate these metrics with your overall SEO goals, connect your tracking setup to your Performance Metrics Framework.

If you don’t measure AI visibility, you’ll never know what earns the feature.

Step 9: Maintain and Refresh Regularly

AI systems favour recency. Update your key articles frequently with new data, emerging insights, and structured improvements.
Combine this habit with ongoing content auditing and refresh cycles to ensure your site continues signalling expertise.

For evergreen coverage, review your How to Optimise Old Blog Posts workflow.

Fresh, structured, trustworthy — that’s the formula for being featured.

Conclusion

Getting featured in Google’s AI Overviews isn’t about gaming the algorithm — it’s about earning trust through clarity, context, and authority.

By focusing on entity precision, structured formatting, and consistent EEAT, you position your content as a reliable source Google’s AI can confidently summarise.

As AI-driven search evolves, sites that understand how to serve both humans and machines will lead the new era of SEO.

Next step: Review your most valuable pages for entity clarity and semantic structure using the Entity Optimisation Guide to prepare them for AI Overview inclusion.