AI Overviews are a new answer box in Google Search. They appear at the top of the search results page and provide an automatically generated answer to complex search queries. Google’s generative AI formulates a summary that combines information from multiple sources.
- Why Google's overview with AI is relevant for SEO
- Optimise content for AI overviews
- How SISTRIX supports the monitoring of AI overviews
- 1. Filter: "AI Overview – With Ranking"
- 3. SERP Archive: View and analyse complete AI overviews
- Checklist: SEO for AI (as of July 2025)
- 1. Tailor content to user questions
- 2. Structure content in a reader-friendly manner
- 3. Create the technical prerequisites
- 4. Build trust and demonstrate authority
- 5. Regularly check visibility and content
- SEO remains relevant, but is becoming more difficult
The goal: users should be able to find specific answers more quickly, especially for search queries that consist of several components or are explanatory in nature. The classic list of ten blue links is thus taking a back seat – at least visually. A click is hardly necessary anymore in AI responses. This fundamentally changes SEO. SISTRIX offers a range of new features for evaluating AI overviews on Google.
Why Google’s overview with AI is relevant for SEO
Since March 2025, Google has also been displaying AI Overviews in German-language searches. They currently appear in around 15% of search queries – and this figure is rising. By way of comparison, the proportion in the UK is already around 25%.
Even though AI Overviews do not completely replace organic hits, they drastically shift the user’s line of sight. On mobile devices in particular, they take up almost the entire visible area above the first organic hits. For some topics, the classic blue links are now only a footnote within Google Search.
Initial studies show that the click-through rate on classic hits is falling significantly – by up to 66% on desktops and around 45% on mobile devices. This is a challenge for all publishers who depend on visibility and traffic.
Furthermore, the study shows that young people under 35 in particular trust AI responses (approx. 50% said they were satisfied with them), while older people prefer to continue scrolling through organic search results and appreciate having a selection of different sources. AI is therefore also changing user behaviour in the long term.
Optimise content for AI overviews
The requirements for rankings in AI overviews hardly differ from classic SEO criteria. Google emphasises that content must be understandable, helpful and written for humans. Technical optimisation, a clear structure and valid structured data remain indispensable.
It is important that content is modular in structure so that individual sections can be quoted meaningfully by AI. Meta tags for snippet control and multimedia elements such as images or videos can also improve visibility.
Anyone who declares SEO dead is therefore wrong: without SEO, it will be virtually impossible to appear in AI overviews and be visible in searches in the future.
How SISTRIX supports the monitoring of AI overviews
SISTRIX has developed tracking features for AI Overviews that assist in analysing the new Google search. Three features not only allow you to see which search queries trigger AI Overviews, but also which sources are mentioned in them. In addition, you can track which content appears in each AI Overview and which entities are recognised there.
1. Filter: “AI Overview – With Ranking”
This new filter is available in the keyword table as soon as a domain is analysed. It shows at a glance which keywords Google currently displays in an AI Overview and whether the analysed domain is mentioned as a source.
After entering a domain, the ‘AI Overview’ filter can be activated. If you also select the ‘With ranking’ option, you will only receive keywords for which the domain is cited in the generative response.
Example of use:
An SEO manager can use the tool to check whether and in which informative search queries their own brand appears in AI Overviews. This allows them to identify content gaps and create new content that is optimised for future citations.
2. New feature: ‘AI Overviews’ in domain navigation
The left-hand navigation bar also features a new menu item called ‘AI Overviews’. This lists all keywords for which the domain is cited as a source in an AI overview, including:
- Specific keyword reference
- URL of the cited page
- Position of the URL within the answer
- Search volume, CPC and competitive strength
- Comparison with organic visibility (cross or tick)
This view bundles the most important KPIs for all AI citations of a domain. This allows you to optimise content that already appears in AI Overviews or identify content that is currently missing.
Application example:
Editorial teams can analyse their existing articles with citations, continuously expand them and regularly check them for new rankings. This also enables comparisons with competitors.
3. SERP Archive: View and analyse complete AI overviews
If you want to know how Google presents information in AI Overviews, you can now find additional data in the SERP archive. After entering a keyword, SISTRIX displays the AI Overview in its original structure – including generated text, referenced URLs and recognised entities.
In the SERP archive, the actual answer box can be reconstructed for each keyword. In addition to the text content, all referenced domains are displayed. For new topics or search trends, this provides a quick overview of how Google summarises information.
Application example:
Editors and SEOs can analyse which content Google uses for AI overviews and how it is structured. Particularly useful: the recognised entities help to understand which terms Google links as thematically relevant.
Checklist: SEO for AI (as of July 2025)
Even though websites will receive significantly fewer clicks than before due to the prominent placement of AI responses on the search results page, there are still some strategies for becoming visible as a source in AI responses. Here is a checklist for continuing to implement SEO successfully in the future.
1. Tailor content to user questions
- Answer typical questions such as ‘What is…’, ‘How does… work’ or ‘Why…’ directly and clearly.
- Provide structured, helpful information that is understandable even without prior knowledge.
- Supplement your content with step-by-step explanations, examples or application scenarios.
- Think in terms of topics rather than keywords. Cover related aspects comprehensively in one post.
- Make sure that each section is understandable on its own. AI overviews often only pick up on parts of a text.
2. Structure content in a reader-friendly manner
- Use subheadings with specific questions.
- Use lists and numbered steps to clearly structure content.
- Formulate paragraphs so that key statements appear at the beginning.
- Include tables, definitions or visual elements where appropriate.
- Add structured data (e.g. for FAQs, instructions or articles) if it fits the content.
3. Create the technical prerequisites
- Ensure that your pages are indexable and accessible (no noindex, no error status).
- Optimise the loading speed and observe Google’s Core Web Vitals.
- Ensure that your site is mobile-friendly.
- Maintain the sitemap and clean internal linking so that content remains findable.
- Ensure that meta data such as title and description are appropriate and accurate.
4. Build trust and demonstrate authority
- Name the authors of your content and clearly present their expertise.
- Refer to reputable sources and document your statements in a comprehensible manner.
- Show that your content is up to date – with clear dates and regular updates.
- Offer real added value instead of generic texts. Personal experiences or case studies are particularly valuable.
5. Regularly check visibility and content
- Use tools such as SISTRIX to see which keywords AI Overviews are displayed for.
- Observe whether your content appears there and how the citations change.
- Compare your content with that of competitors that appear in AI Overviews.
- Update content when citations disappear or search intent changes.
- Keep an eye on user behaviour: dwell time, click paths and conversions provide clues to success.
If visibility in AI responses is not enough, you must present not only an answer but also a solution on your website that requires a click. Instead of summarising existing posts, Google recommends offering helpful content with added value and optimising it according to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines.
SEO remains relevant, but is becoming more difficult
AI overviews undoubtedly offer a convenient way to quickly find answers to simple questions. But when it comes to more complex or controversial topics, the question arises: Is a single, potentially incorrect answer really better than the opportunity to form an informed opinion based on multiple reliable sources?
For SEOs, this means that the classic task of achieving visibility in organic search remains important. Not everything can be summarised as an AI answer. But SEO is becoming significantly more complex and difficult than before: preparing content in such a way that it is comprehensible, quotable and trustworthy for AI-based systems – or even better – offering solutions that generative AI cannot provide will be the challenge for SEOs in the future.
The principles of modern search engine optimisation remain valid. If you want to be found, you have to deliver better content than the competition. That is and remains the challenge that SEOs face every day. The old spam tactics are obsolete. Today, visibility has to be earned.
Those who understand early on how Google uses AI Overviews can position themselves strategically, both in organic rankings and in AI answers.
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