Notice a quick, concise response to your search queries lately? That is AI Overview (AIO) in action, a search feature that uses generative AI to provide quick answers directly ‘on top’ of the search results. This is a breakthrough development that search engines are rapidly adapting to.
With AI Overview, SEO, and business webpage visibility are undergoing a profound transformation. AIO promises higher reach with fewer clicks by evolving from the traditional SEO approach. This is due to the developments in digital marketing that go beyond traditional SEO towards AEO and GEO.
As our aim was never limited to unleashing the growth of your business; it was about sustaining and securing it in changing times. Let’s understand AIO development, how it changes marketing for your business and why you shouldn’t be worried about it.
Relationship between AIO, AEO, and GEO Explained
Rapid developments from traditional SEO have led to the evolution of AIO, AEO, and GEO in the digital marketing domain. Think of AIO as the broad, overarching strategy that encompasses the AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) components.
Here:
AEO
Focuses on optimising your content to be featured in ‘zero-click’ answers, such as featured snippets, ‘People Also Ask’ boxes, and direct answers in Google’s AI Overviews. The goal here is to provide a concise, direct answer to a user’s question, so it can be easily extracted and used by the search engine crawlers.
GEO
Optimises your content to be cited or referenced as a source within the generative responses of large language models (LLMs) like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Perplexity, etc. This strategy is less about getting a click and more about establishing your brand as a trusted authority that AI systems will quote in their own generated answers…
In essence, an effective AIO strategy includes both AEO and GEO tactics to ensure your business remains visible and authoritative in a world where AI-powered search has become the norm.
What Are AI Overviews or AIO?
AI Overviews or AIO are AI-generated, concise summaries of results for your search query. This overview can include link cards (clickable links of websites that source the AI-generated summary). It can also provide information on related topics and queries.
AI Overviews typically appear above the traditional organic search results. However, they can be before or after paid results (ads), depending on the query.
For example, when you search “what is WoM Marketing?” you’ll see an AI overview of one of the most crucial marketing strategies – Word of Mouth Marketing.
AI Overviews don’t have a rigid layout since they can appear as bullets, tables, lists or mini-articles, too. The two primary steps involved are automating the content recreation and optimising it when displaying the same. With this, AIO transforms how the contents of your website are extracted, displayed and, ultimately, the marketing factor.
But AI Overviews Must Be Limited to Only Simple Queries, Right?
Today, AI Overviews aren’t limited to just simple queries. They can also answer complex, deeper, and analytical questions as the topmost result itself. This saves visitors and potential customers a significant amount of time and effort that would’ve been spent browsing through multiple pages.
For example, if you search “best cities for tech startups in Australia with low investment”, the AI Overview checks for a few things at once:
1. Affordable operational costs like rent, talent, etc.
2. Access to grants and early-stage funding.
3. Lower personal living expenses as founders often draw minimal salaries in the early stages.
These and other broader factors are analysed by the AIO engine, and results like Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Canberra will be presented to the user with brief justifications. In this way, AIO is incredibly useful to raise your website’s visibility, offerings and listing.
How Your Website Can Be More Visible in AI Overviews?
We’ve observed AI Overviews surfacing for different types of searches, including Informational, e-commerce, Product comparison, Question-based, Planning-based and YMYL (Your Money, Your Life). It is more inclined towards services and not so much for e-commerce businesses.
Websites are indeed facing dramatic traffic and CTR (Click-Through Rate) drops as these changes roll out, but the good news from Google Search Central is reassuring. It officially states that adapting to its Search Essentials is enough for your site to be considered for inclusion in AI Overviews.
Simply put, ‘rethinking’ the best SEO practices to suit AIO updates can make your website content even more GE (Generative Engine) optimised. The result? Progressively regained traffic that only grows more.
Do We Need to Worry About AIO?
The AIO is indeed a significant development, but it is far from perfect. Fortunately, the SEO industry is quite adaptable, and with industry leaders like us, you have nothing to worry about.
We at Word of Mouse Marketing had the ground shift beneath our feet before, but we’ve always found ways to adapt and thrive with our clients. However, we don’t want you to miss out on this opportunity.
Although still in the developing stages, the general roadmap can include:
1. Managing your online presence, creating brand familiarity and reputation as what others say about you matters A LOT.
2. Analysing AI Overview performance of overall content from a leading digital marketing agency in Sydney, like us.
3. Strong, foundational SEO remains paramount for your website’s traffic, as these emerging developments rely on reinforcing the fundamentals.
4. Rich, organic, long-format content with authoritativeness (originality and accuracy) is still the king.
5. Structured data presentation, engaging UI and high readability will make it easy for the SEO/GEO crawlers to scan and list. These will help to find relevant links to the information that users are currently seeking.
6. Identifying and catering to the ‘Search Intent’ with clearly stated solutions and genuine, in-depth coverage.
Here, identifying the right keywords on organic research tools like Semrush is extremely impactful, especially after its expansion of AI Overview tracking.
Why Are AI Overviews So Important for SEOs and Your Success?
AI is shaping the future of search, and businesses with online presence are adapting them with time so that genuine efforts are not hidden beneath. Yes, it had a rocky start and mixed reception. Since its May 2024 rollout, Google has seemingly scaled back AI Overviews.
But all signs indicate that AIO is here to stay and only improve hereon.
Our aim? Ensure that your business is challenge-ready by adapting and evolving in time. With transparency, tools and expert implementation, we ensure that AIO update works in your favour.
Word on the Street? Word of Mouse Marketing Is Always a Click Ahead
At Word of Mouse Marketing, we have our ears to the ground with ideas that fly as high as the sky.
Our clients have always trusted us to help their businesses grow, and we’re excited about the new opportunities AIO, AEO, and GEO bring. These developments allow us to enhance your digital presence even more effectively in the changing times.
However, growing your business with responsibility, transparency, and intent remains the sole goal for us. Here, adapting to new developments is only a part of the long journey. Know that we’re committed to standing behind you by staying ahead of these curves.
Ready for more business and less worrying? Avail a free website audit from us.