What Does Google’s AI Overview Function Mean for SEO?

It’s been roughly four months since the launch of Google’s AI Overview function in the UK, and we’re still getting to grips with how it’s impacting the digital marketing world. While it seems like an extremely useful feature for internet users looking for a quick answer to their questions, it has received mixed reviews over the last few months, with some praising the new function and others wishing that it wasn’t launched in the first place. But what does that mean for the world of marketing and SEO? In this article, we’ll be taking you through what Google’s new AI function is, how it performs, how it’s been received and how it impacts SEO performance for content creators, so let’s dive right in.

What is the new Google AI Overview function?

Google AI Overview is a new feature appearing in the Google search engine that analyses information across the internet to generate an answer to a question that someone has typed in. The answer it gives has not been written by a human content creator, but it has instead been generated by AI technology. 

As such, Google’s AI Overview feature seemingly works in a very similar way to ChatGPT in order to respond to online queries. Rolled out in May 2024 in the USA, it soon burst onto the scene in the UK around four months later. At the time of writing, Google’s AI Overview function is available in one hundred countries across the world, with an estimated one billion users taking advantage of the feature. 

Where do Google’s AI Overviews sit in the search engine results pages (SEPRs)?

Generally, Google AI Overviews sit at the very top of the SERPs, hence why it has received mixed reviews from digital marketers. Seeing as the results sit at the top of the page, it pushes down other search results, including snippets, map packs, Google Answer Box and even organic search results. It’s important to note as well that Google’s AI Overview function doesn’t always appear when a query is searched for. If it doesn’t have the information to present an answer, it simply won’t come up in the SERPs at all. But the majority of the time, it sits right at the top of the page.

How has Google’s AI Overview been received by internet users?

According to Search Engine Roundtable, there are many internet users who are wanting to turn off Google’s AI Overview function when surfing the net. As well as this, the click-through-rate on Google AI Overview results stands at around 15%, which is around half that of organic results found at the top of the SERPs, before Google’s new AI Overview feature was rolled out., claims Semrush. Digiday states that content publishers have experienced a drop in organic traffic and a decline in ad performance since the introduction of Google’s AI Overview function. 

In addition to this, it was also found the results it throws up aren’t always accurate and can sometimes be completely off the mark when it comes to accuracy, according to the MIT Technology Review. As well as this, ARS Technica claims that the feature is flawed by its design alone, therefore highlighting more teething problems. While it’s not a hit with everyone, there are some benefits, however, to Google’s AI Overview function that makes it a useful tool for the everyday internet user, including:

• It allows for answers to be found quickly 
• It links to a wide range of different content types
• It presents a broader perspective on a particular topic
• It uses information already present online to generate answers

How is Google’s AI Overview impacting SEO performance right now?

While it’s since been dubbed a killer of SEO, it actually has more of an impact on SEO than you might think, and it doesn’t involve the death of it. If anything, the impact of Google’s AI Overview on SEO can vary, depending on the industry you’re in, the keywords you’re using and the competition you’re against. 

In addition to that, the AI Overviews only show up in the SERPs around 30% of the time, with more accurate data showing as little as 7% in some cases. Therefore, it’s not as much of a threat as we first anticipated. As such, we should look to tolerate Google’s new AI Overview feature, as marketers, ensuring we’re still optimising our content accordingly.

Here at Kumo, we have a team of dedicated marketers on hand to deliver exceptional digital marketing services, including content writing, PPC, website design, SEO and more. If you would like further information about how we can propel your business into the spotlight and set you apart from your competitors, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.