AI Overviews (formerly called SGE — Search Generative Experience) is Google's integration of generative AI directly into search results. Instead of listing 10 blue links, Google synthesizes an answer using its LLM (Gemini) and cites the sources it considers most relevant.
How to optimize for AI Overviews
- Structure content with clear questions and answers (FAQ schema).
- Use tables, lists, and objective definitions.
- Ensure author and site authority (E-E-A-T).
- Implement advanced schema (HowTo, TechArticle, DefinedTerm).
- Create "citable" content: self-contained sentences that answer a question without depending on external context.
Impact on traffic
Sites may lose informational query clicks (zero-click searches) but gain authority when cited as primary sources in the AI response. The new metric is "presence in the answer" — not just ranking position.