If you use Google a lot, you’ve no doubt noticed how much it’s leaning into artificial intelligence. When browsing, you basically can’t avoid it even if you try. At one point, Google was even prompting users to give its new generative AI features a go.
Before renaming it to AI Overviews, Google called their broad-stroke AI functionally the Search Generative Experience, or SGE for short. And back in August of 2023, they announced that users in India and Japan could begin interacting with AI features on the search engine.
Well, at the end of October 2024, Google announced its largest expansion of its AI experience yet. So let’s talk about it.
The Current State of Google’s AI Overviews
AI Overviews in Search launched in May of 2024 and quickly expanded to countries beyond the U.S. just three months later. Since then, they say feedback for the functionality has been highly positive, so they expanded again in their largest AI deployment to date.
During the last week in October of 2024, AI Overviews began rolling out to 100 more countries and territories worldwide throughout the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Of course, global expansion at this scale means the feature will be made available in more languages, too. As a result of this latest push, Google says AI Overview’s user count will exceed 1 billion every month.
For a complete list of countries where AI Overviews are available, see the drop-down menus on Google’s dedicated Help Center page under “AI Overviews availability.”
This won’t be the last of the expansion, either, as Google notes AI Overviews will become available to more users, languages, and regions over time. Their slow, methodical approach to this initiative should give them time to address issues as they arise. The piecemeal launch is also recognizably in Google’s playbook, as they often release new SERP features a little bit at a time.
With AI Overviews more accessible than ever, it’s due time marketers start thinking about how Google’s push for more intelligent and generative Search will impact our field.
Key Concepts To Keep in Mind As AI Overviews Continue To Expand
While there are still some unknowns about how this AI revolution will ultimately impact SEO on Google, there are a few elements that are important to keep top of mind as the feature continues to evolve and expand.
1. Don’t Skimp on Visuals
Yes, AI overviews are text-heavy, but having well-optimized images can improve your chances of appearing in AI Overviews. Plus, when a website is offered as a source, an image from the page is usually used as a preview.
This means that just because Google is traveling a route of text-heavy Gen AI doesn’t mean you should start scrapping your images. Instead, focus on making your images intriguing and engaging so when they appear in AI Overviews next to a link to your website, users are more inclined to click through. Visuals should be high-quality, relevant to the rest of the content on the page and include descriptive alt text to help Google understand the content better.
2. Lean Into the AI Ad Experience
If you’re among the many marketers who pair SEO with SEM (a wise pairing), you’ve had AI-powered tools available to you, like Google’s Performance Max, for some time now. Whether you’ve been using these features or not, now’s not the time to ignore them. So, if you haven’t already, play around with these features and learn how they work.
Google has already said that, for ads to show up on AI Overviews, you don’t have to do anything differently if you’re already running Performance Max campaigns. Your standard ad optimizations and best practices apply here, too, and can help increase your chances of popping up in AI Overviews:
- Relevance: Ensure your ads are highly relevant to the user’s query and the AI-generated content. Use strong, action-oriented keywords and ad copy that directly addresses the user’s needs.
- Clarity: Keep your ad copy concise and easy to understand. Highlight the unique value proposition of your product or service in a clear and compelling way.
- Landing Page Optimization: Make sure your landing page is relevant to your ad and provides a seamless user experience. Optimize your landing page for conversions by using clear calls to action and ensuring it has a mobile-friendly design.
3. Get your Google Business Profile Right
AI Overviews aren’t just all organic search results. Depending on the query, there’s plenty of room for shopping assistance (I mean, ads, reviews and photos pulled directly from Google Business Profiles). If you want your brand’s info pulled into AI Overview results, you’ll need to ensure your profile A) exists; B) is accurate; and C) presents your brand in the best light possible.
If you need some tips, here are a few ways to complete or enhance your Google Business Profile:
- Claim Your Profile: If you haven’t already, claim your profile to manage it directly.
- Complete Your Profile: Fill out all relevant sections, including your business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation and categories.
- Add Photos and Videos: High-quality visuals can help your profile stand out, so don’t forget to add them to your profile.
- Respond to Reviews: Positive reviews and timely responses can improve your profile’s visibility.
- Use Google Posts: Share updates, promotions and other relevant information to keep your profile active.
By keeping your profile up-to-date and complete, you increase the chances of your business appearing in relevant AI Overviews results.
4. Consider Google’s Wide Reach
Google — or, more correctly, Alphabet — is more than just Search. It’s also more than its ads and analytics platforms, too. Maps, YouTube, Gmail and more all comprise the expansive landscape of Alphabet. Over the years, we’ve seen their engineers find innovative ways to make connections between their many digital products, so it’s worth creating strategies that speak to Alphabet’s ecosystem and product unification:
- Unify Your Data: Create a central repository to store and manage data from various Alphabet platforms.
- Create a Seamless User Experience: Design campaigns that seamlessly transition across different Alphabet platforms (e.g., from YouTube to Google Search).
- Maintain Consistent Branding: Cohesive brand messaging and visual identity across all platforms make it easier for users to identify you no matter where they’re interacting with you.
Preparing for a Gen AI Future
Google’s AI Overviews have evolved quickly. What started as a small spattering of users enjoying access to an experimental feature has expanded into a concrete part of Search that will shape the foundation of its future.
With that in mind, AI Overviews certainly have the potential to change the way we all think about SEO — but it won’t change our obsession with the evolving landscape of search optimization. The best things you can do are to stay informed by learning as much as you can about Google’s changing Search landscape, stay on top of your SEO and optimization efforts, and to keep an open mind about what the future holds.
