Google AI Overviews is changing the search results page completely. How should an SEO strategy adapt when AI gives the answer before the user clicks through to your site?
In brief
- AI Overviews gives answers on the results page before the organic results.
- Clicks fall by 20–40 % on some search terms.
- Zero-click searches are growing — the answer appears, the click does not.
- The response: build content that AI uses as source material.
- E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) matters more than ever.
How does AI Overviews affect traffic?
- On general search terms clicks fall.
- Specialised, long-tail searches stay productive.
- Purchase-intent searches (“price”, “buy”, “comparison”) are less affected.

How to adapt the SEO strategy
- Build content that AI lists as a source — authority, uniqueness, depth.
- Optimise for “People Also Ask” sections: AI Overviews pulls content from them.
- FAQ content as structured data is now critical.
What stays the same
- Technical SEO matters just as much.
- User experience and Core Web Vitals.
- The backlink profile and authority.

Frequently asked questions
Is SEO dying?
No. It is changing. And for those with a strong strategy, visibility can even grow.
Should I optimise for ChatGPT?
Yes. Popular content gets quoted in LLM tools, and that sends people to you.
Is AI optimisation different from ordinary SEO?
The foundation is the same. The changes are in FAQs, structured data and the weight given to authority.
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