What is AI Overviews?

AI Overviews (formerly called Search Generative Experience or SGE) are AI-generated summaries that Google displays at the top of search results for eligible queries. Instead of showing a list of links, Google synthesises information from multiple web sources into a direct answer, with citations linking to the original pages. They appear most commonly for informational queries, how-to questions, and comparisons.

Being cited in an AI Overview is valuable — your content is surfaced to users who may not click through to the organic results at all. Google selects sources based on their relevance, authority, and structured accessibility. Pages with strong E-E-A-T signals, clear structured data, and well-formatted content that directly answers the query are more likely to be cited.

AI Overviews have introduced complexity to SEO strategy. They can reduce click-through rates for queries where the generated summary fully answers the user's question. However, for more complex queries — professional services, technical explanations, nuanced comparisons — users still click through to learn more. The implication is that thin, generic content loses value, while deep, authoritative content gains it.