AI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries Google shows above or between the regular results for some searches. Instead of having to open ten links first, you get an answer straight away in a few paragraphs, with references to the websites that answer is based on. Google uses its own language model, Gemini, for this, combined with its search index.
For businesses, that changes the rules of the game. Where you used to aim mainly for a high ranking, what also counts now is whether you appear as a source in that summary.
AI Overviews don't appear for every search. They mainly show up for informational questions, comparisons and questions that involve several steps. For a simple search for a business name or an online shop, you see them less often. When they do appear, they take up a lot of space at the top of the page.
Google hasn't disclosed in detail how sources are selected. What is clear is that the summary relies on pages Google has already indexed. Google also describes a technique in which a single question is split into several sub-questions, known as query fan-out. As a result, a page can be cited that doesn't rank well for the original search term, but does for a sub-question.
Google says you don't need any special optimisation to be eligible: the same basic principles apply as for regular search results. Your page needs to be findable, technically sound and offer helpful, reliable content.
AI Overviews have two sides. On the one hand, they answer questions immediately, so fewer people click through. That reinforces the phenomenon of the zero-click search. On the other hand, a mention in the summary can make your brand visible to people who would otherwise never have found you, and those who do click through are often already well informed.
Suppose a heat pump installer in Yorkshire writes a clear page on the differences between air source and ground source heat pumps. For a question such as "which heat pump for an older house", that page can show up as a source, even if it isn't at the top of the classic results.
Google Search Console doesn't show traffic from AI Overviews as a separate category, so you can't see directly how often you appear in them. It therefore pays to keep your own list of important search queries and check regularly whether your business is in the summary, and which competitors are. By tracking your visibility in AI search results, you get insight into that development and see more quickly where your content still falls short.
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