Links in Google AI Overviews ‘will likely become the next obsession of SEOs’

Google launched its generative AI search product, AI Overviews, in six new markets – including the UK, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia and India – last week.

AI Overviews, which was launched in the US in May, is similar to rivals such as ChatGPT and Perplexity and offers a more personalised and conversational search experience, which can respond to complex queries with more relevant answers.

The function, which will be rolled out over the next few weeks, will start to appear on both the Google homepage and within the app for logged in users. 

PMW spoke to marketers about what they make of Google’s new AI-powered search tool.

Ian Lloyd, Managing Director, Performance Division at IDHL, said: 

“Google’s latest launch shows the clear direction of travel anticipated in the industry and will likely provide users in search of answers to specific questions or guidance on topics with good results. It’s worth thinking of it as an expanded and advanced version of Feature Snippets. 

“This new platform presents brands with an opening to invest further in informational content to gain the top spots in AI Overviews if done well. At IDHL, we’ve been preparing for this launch and have already implemented content products specifically designed to fulfil the criteria of Google AI Overviews, so that our clients can maximise the opportunities ahead. 

“As with any changes in tech in performance marketing, it’s essential to be ahead of the curve and reduce the risks. While AI Overviews won't reduce the volume of conversions in the market, it might change some of the initial informational searches at the top of the funnel. 

“Content marketing strategies would be impacted if brands don't adapt to AI Overview being in situ, for example brands may see a CTR reduction if ordinarily they would generate lots of traffic from the blog/content area of their sites. That’s why it’s essential to utilise a comprehensive SEO theory, something we’ve been bolstering for brands for several years. 

“This will be a rapidly changing arena which will potentially be disruptive for some brands and beneficial for others. Brands need to utilise this change to their advantage. IDHL’s SEO strategies have tactics to enable brands to win in the new AI world and we’re collaborating with our clients to ensure that their bespoke strategies enable them to continue to successfully navigate such changes in this increasingly noisy digital world.”

Mollie Ellerton, SEO Director, Hookflash, said:

"This is a really interesting time for search, which if anything puts even more emphasis on the need for high quality content that as much as possible hits EEAT metrics. We know that searches will be more conversational and granular, so it’s really important that topics are covered at length by people who know what they’re talking about. There’s an opportunity to feature within the links presented in AI Overviews, and while we won’t be able to report on them in Search Console (yet), they will likely become the next obsession of SEOs and their stakeholders.

"This is a good opportunity for brands to take stock of their current SEO strategy, as they may see their organic traffic drop as a result of AI Overviews. It shouldn’t cause panic, however; churning out a number of AI-written blogs/content pieces isn’t what will get you ahead here."

Andrew Turner, Managing Director, Incubeta, said:

"AI Overviews is an exciting evolution in the makeup of the results page, surfacing Gemini responses to informational queries. Its rollout will undoubtedly see a significant increase in zero click searches which poses a threat from not pivoting your content strategy.

“Surfacing information that Gemini will use and cite in the results page will become a key focus going forwards alongside how paid results interplay with research based queries. We're already seeing some really interesting results for our clients and will put an even greater focus on an integrated search strategy than ever before."

This article was first published in Campaign's sister publication Performance Marketing World.