August 12, 2025

Boost Your Search Rankings: 10 Ways to Optimize for Google’s AI Overviews

With AI Overviews, Google is no longer just listing the best results: it’s summarizing them, reshaping how people discover and engage with content. Instead of clicking and searching through ten blue links, users are relying on AI-generated answers at the very top of the page. That shift is creating both risk and opportunity for brands: risk of losing visibility, and opportunity to become the featured answer.

“SEO is no longer about outsmarting an algorithm, it’s about being the best source in the room,” Kelley Louise, Big Human’s Director of Marketing, said. “We have to craft content that bridges the gap between what people are interested in and what machines are looking for.”

For brands and content teams, surfacing in Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) is becoming more and more essential to capturing attention, driving meaningful engagement, and staying competitive.

We’re breaking down 10 ways to optimize your content for Google’s AI Overviews — the same strategies we use for ourselves and our clients. (And if you’re ready to go deeper and build a strategy of your own, just reach out.)

What are Google’s AI Overviews and How Do They Affect SEO?

AI Overviews are a Google Search feature that uses generative AI to deliver quick, concise answers to user queries — right at the top of the search engine results page (SERP).

Powered by large language models (LLMs), these AIOs pull from multiple high-quality web pages and cite trustworthy sources. The content appears above traditional organic search results, giving users an instant synopsis while still linking out to relevant sites and original content for deeper exploration.

For searchers, this means faster answers. For search engine optimization (SEO) strategists and content creators, Google’s AI Overviews affect how search queries are answered and how visibility on the SERP is earned.

Because AIOs often reduce clicks to organic listings (a trend known as zero-click searches), understanding how to optimize for this new format and still drive business value is critical. It influences click-through rates (CTR), how well content aligns with search intent, and the overall user experience on your pages.

“Some businesses are already seeing their clicks drop because users are finding what they need right in Google’s AI Overviews,” Kelley said. “That’s why it’s critical to get strategic about where you’re investing in SEO and GEO (generative engine optimization) so your content still drives engagement, traffic, and real business value.”

Understanding User Intent and Engagement in AI-Driven Search

Google’s AI Overviews are great at giving users prompt, to-the-point answers. And sometimes that’s all you need (for example, if you’re Googling a celebrity’s age, you don’t necessarily need to dive deeper). But when someone is looking for more than just info, search queries are often just the start of a deeper journey, and this is where understanding user intent becomes your secret weapon.

If someone is searching for the best product, tool, or service, they don’t just want a summary. They want expert guidance, credible sources, and a clear path to action. That’s where great content delivers real business value.

When your site offers clarity, authority, and usefulness (not just keywords), it becomes a trusted destination. And when that content is structured to work with AI systems, not against them, it doesn’t just get cited. It drives clicks, downloads, purchases, and conversions.

“As AI Overviews become more common, the brands winning are the ones that create content built for action,” Kelley explained. “If someone’s asking, ‘What’s the best app for X?’ or ‘Where do I buy Y?’ — and your site delivers that answer and the next click… that’s where your efforts pay off.”

How to Optimize Content for AI Overviews: 10 Proven Strategies

Big Human does more than just stuff target keywords in your copy. Our strategies are multi-layered: we help increase your content’s chances of being quoted in featured snippets while driving clicks, strengthening engagement, identifying growth opportunities, and championing long-term SEO performance. We’ve used these same methods to boost our clients’ — and our own — rankings.

Here are a few key tactics and SEO best practices our team relies on to optimize content for today’s shifting, AI-powered landscape.

Key Tips & Insights for Content Creation

1. Answer the search query early in the copy.

Give a clear, concise answer within the first one to two sentences. Don’t bury the lead — Google’s algorithm prioritizes content that instantly answers user queries.
Use plainspoken, factual language. Your brand’s tone of voice is important, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of clarity. Ditch the fluff.
Use “What is X,” “How to X,” and “Why X Matters” as structural cues. These simple, familiar formats frame your content in a way that reiterates common search queries. It also improves readability, helping LLMs process and summarize essential information.

Why it works: Large language models pull from clean, scannable snippets that immediately address user intent. Your opening lines should function like a direct answer: straightforward, relevant, and easy to quote.

2. Include semantic variations and related phrases.

Incorporate primary and secondary keywords naturally. AI-driven search engines and LLMs are getting better at understanding human language, which means your copy doesn’t need to exactly match target keywords to rank.
Write like you talk. Work in alternative phrasing that mirrors everyday speech. Synonyms, close variants, and related terms help reinforce meaning, enhance readability, and signal topic relevance.
Analyze how users phrase related questions and terms. Create content that reflects real human language and covers the full scope of what people are searching for.

Why it works: Google’s AI Overviews favor semantically rich copy that mimics the way users actually search and speak. By seamlessly weaving in related terms and using conversational language, you boost your content’s topical authority and the likelihood of ranking for a broader range of search queries.

3. Organize content into structured, digestible sections.

Use distinct headings (H2s, H3s) to clearly separate content. This helps LLMs easily scan your web page and figure out what each section is about.
Incorporate bullet points, numbered steps, lists, and tables. These formats break complex information into bite-sized pieces, allowing AI to grasp key points from the jump.
Add FAQs to cover common questions. Short question-and-answer blocks make it simple for LLMs and users to locate precise answers.

Why it works: Streamlining content improves readability and the overall user experience by making important details easier to find and understand. For generative AI, this adds clarity, accuracy, and relevance to featured snippets.

4. Build credibility through the E-E-A-T framework.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness — major signals that search engines and AI models use to evaluate the quality and reliability of content. That means your content needs to do more than just answer questions; you have to prove you know your stuff.

Show your credentials. Include author bylines, professional qualifications or context that spotlights your expertise, so users and AI know the information comes from a dependable source.
Reference reputable external sources. Citing other trusted web pages strengthens your content and link-building efforts, showing Google search results that your content is credible.
Add internal links to your related expert content. Linking to other high-quality pages on your website does more than just reinforce your authority. It builds a solid internal structure, enriches broader backlink strategies, and shows search engines your topical depth.

Why it works: AIOs surface content they can verify. Highlighting your experience and linking to reliable sources helps prove your content is accurate and worth featuring, especially for topics where trust really matters.

5. Tailor your content for Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

Answer Engine Optimization is the process of crafting your content in a way that directly answers user queries and makes it easy for AI tools to recognize, pull, and feature information.

Use natural, user-first language. We can’t stress this enough. Writing in a conversational, straightforward tone that echoes everyday speech helps LLMs interpret your content as a relevant match.
Focus on user intent, not just target keywords. When it comes to your content creation efforts, you should first ask if searchers are trying to learn something new, compare their options, or complete a task. Then, arrange your content accordingly — whether that’s a short definition, a how-to, a checklist, or a comparison guide.
Make web pages self-sufficient. The content you create should be clear and useful on its own, but it should also connect to related content that reinforces your topical authority.

Why it works: AIOs reward content that feels comprehensive, beneficial, and accurate. When your copy reads like a complete answer, reflects user intent, and fits into broader topic clusters, it’s more likely to land in a featured snippet.

6. Refresh content frequently.

Keep your information up-to-date. Revisit data, tools, and images regularly. Outdated details and figures are red flags for both searchers and AI systems.
Update your copy based on search trends. Monitor how people search, especially after major algorithm or product changes. Then, adjust your content, structure, or examples to align with those patterns.
Optimize your best-performing content. Conduct regular check-ins on your top-ranking web pages. Updates don’t need to be extensive; even small edits can help push your content back into AI-generated summaries.

Why it works: Search behavior, search features, and AI SEO evolve fast. Stale content can lose visibility just as rapidly, and freshness is a ranking factor. AIOs grade content based on current information, continued relevance, and active maintenance.

7. Use descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.

Match the query structure. Circling back to our first tip on this list — familiar formats like “How to…” and “X vs Y” make it immediately clear what question your page answers.
Write meta descriptions like prompt answers. Think of your meta description as a one-sentence response to the user’s query. As an SEO best practice, keep it short, direct, and instructive — not overly branded.

Why it works: Titles and meta descriptions are the first signals a large language model uses to identify relevance. Well-organized metadata increases your chances of appearing in featured snippets and helps users understand your content at a glance.

8. Leverage schema markup (when appropriate).

A schema markup, or structured data, is a type of code you can add to your website that helps search engines and AI tools better understand what your content is about and how to surface it. It’s an extra step, but it makes a big difference on the backend.

Use the right schema types. Apply FAQs, How-To, Article, and Organization schema to plainly label your content. If you’re including an expert analysis or product insights, consider including Author and Product schema, too. It only adds credibility.
Combine schema with clean formatting. Descriptive headings, short paragraphs, and internal links improve the user experience and help LLMs extract information faster.

Why it works: Structured data is a shortcut to understanding your web page, showing search engines what it answers and who it’s for. The simpler the signals, the more likely your content will appear in SERP summaries. It also supports lasting gains in your technical SEO efforts and engagement metrics like time on page and CTR.

9. Support your information with visuals when relevant.

Use visuals to simplify complex ideas. Charts, comparison tables, screenshots, and step-by-step graphics make content easy to read and understand.
Add human-sounding alt text. Descriptive alt text explains what your images show in plain language. It’s a quick win for accessibility and helps AI grasp the context.

Why it works: LLMs can extract and summarize visual context, especially when supported by rich alt text. Well-labeled visuals boost clarity, improve accessibility, and give AI more content to pull from.

10. Write for multichannel discovery.

Structure content for how people actually search today. People don’t search only on Google anymore. With AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, searchers expect speedy, direct answers. That means your content should be easy for large language models to scan, summarize, and serve.
Start with a “Key Takeaways” or “TL;DR” section. A short summary at the top of your web page helps both humans and AI-powered tools get to the point fast.
Skip the branded fluff. Introductions should be tight and clear, so your content reads well in AI Overviews, chatbots, or voice search.

Why it works: AI search prefers concise, high-signal content it can effortlessly repurpose across platforms. Succinct summaries and straightforward structures can increase the odds of your content being surfaced on a variety of channels.

Winning in the Age of AI Overviews

Google’s AI Overviews have changed the game, but they haven’t changed the goal. Great content still wins. It just needs to be structured, signaled, and surfaced in ways that satisfy search intent.

At Big Human, we don’t just chase rankings. We create human-first content that’s clear, useful, and ready to perform. Whether you’re adapting your current content marketing strategy or building something new, we can help you show up, stand out, and stay relevant — however the next chapter of AI-driven search unfolds.

If you want to optimize your content for AIO, let’s talk. We’d love to help you land in a featured snippet.