What you need to do to appear in AIOs

In a summary:

• To create content to appear in AI Overviews, you need to find out how LLMs are choosing, validating and referencing information from websites. Some key areas to focus on are creating valuable, user-first, original and expert-led content, ensuring expert contacts are visible on site and utilised in content, you’re summarising articles at the top of the page, structuring the content correctly and refreshing content when needed. 

Working towards P1 positions is no longer our only goal. The fast rise of AI has meant we’ve had to adapt our strategies to be seen by not only traditional Google bots, but Artificial Intelligence bots alongside, so we can be cited in AI search engines for product or service recommendations, and still appear at the top of a SERP in the easy-to-digest AI Overviews. 

But what are AIOs really? And how can we give our content the best chances of being cited as a source within them? The SEO team are here to give you the answers. Treat this as your cheat sheet for appearing in AIOs and be at the forefront of this new era of SEO.  

What are AI Overviews?

Google AI Overviews are a recent search feature that uses generative artificial intelligence (like Gemini) to summarise information taken from a plethora of webpages, so users get a direct answer to their query immediately and without the need to browse. These answers are found at the top of SERPs, are concise, taken from a number of sources, and have had a knock-on effect on SEO performance since being introduced. 

In April 2026, they accounted for 60.32% of US search queries, for both transactional and informational searches; skewing mostly towards informational, educational and health queries above all. 

How do AI Overviews impact SEO performance?

By removing the need to scroll down and enter a website to find the answer to a query, AIOs have naturally reduced click rates for both big and small brands. To put it simply, Search Engine Journal mentioned a -61% drop in click-through rates (CTR) on top organic search results in Q4 – thus, causing a huge uplift in zero-click searches. 

This has meant we’ve had to change up how we earn visibility as those appearing in AIOs are deemed the winners of search. Want to learn more about AI performance? Read our blog on analysing AI traffic in GA4.  

So, how do you become a source that AI trusts enough to cite? There’s no such thing as a hack or a loophole for this, but instead, we need to understand what type of content AI systems are favouring. 

A guide to appearing in AIOs

Since the introduction of AI Overviews, the Summit SEO team have made it their mission to discover how LLMs are choosing, validating and referencing information taken from the billions of websites that are live. Here’s what seems to be working without making it too complicated: 

1. There’s still a correlation with page 1 rankings

You may be thinking… Oh, who cares if I’m on page 24 then. And this is true to a certain extent as AI Overviews are debunking traditional search rankings. Therefore, even if you’re further in the index and uphold the quality, value and originality that we’ll touch on later, you still have a good chance of being cited.  

But that doesn’t change the fact that top-ranking sites are still commonly cited… so, let’s not forget about obtaining those P1-3 listings.  

2. Length needs to be considered

We were once under the impression that the longer and more detailed a blog, the better chance of ranking. But this isn’t necessarily the case anymore. While length is still a factor when covering all elements of one topic, it’s finding that balance of comprehension and clarity. There’s no place for pointless fluff anymore; so, if your guide is long, make sure it’s long for good reason. 

3. It’s time to create GOOD content 

One thing’s for certain, LLMs are all for quality. Valuable, original, user-first and expert-led content is what they want to see. When creating a guide, ask yourself ‘is this helpful?’, ‘do I have an expert’s opinion to back up this theory?’ and ‘what would people ask about this topic?’, or if you’re creating content for a product page, ask yourself ‘are the products’ key USPs covered here?’ and ‘is it clear how to use this product?’.  

By covering what’s most important in your optimisations, the more likely you are to be cited. 

Here’s a quick checklist of the things you should prioritise: 

Non-negotiables:

• Clear language 

• Original content 

• Valuable information 

• Summarising the content at the top of the page (articles) 

• Clear answers to FAQs 

• Be detailed when needed, but avoid ‘fluff’ 

The cherry on top:

• Supporting evidence  

• Expert quotes 

• Action steps (articles) 

• Create pages directly answering a query 

4. Put the experts front and centre

Another one we’ve previously addressed is making use of expert-led content. If you have an internal or external contact that can back a claim or a product, make use of this. LLMs favour identifiable expertise, especially if it’s consistent across the site, and you’ve introduced them properly. 

Here are some tips:

• Create author bios within a dedicated landing page on site 

• Include the experts’ credentials  

• Encourage them to inject their personal experience into their quotes, for that relatable aspect 

• Get your expert’s involved in video content that can be used to bolster long-form content   

The same goes for evidence. Have some statistics to back up your claim? Use them. By having content backed by expertise or evidence, you’ll be considered a trusted source for producing reliable, accurate and verified information. 

5. Summarising your content is key

It’s a simple addition that makes a big impact. You know what you’ve written, so put it into a few (not copied and pasted!) sentences and plop them at the top of your article. This is ideal for AI bots when they crawl a page as they have the context and information as soon as they land on the page. Plus, with AIOs summarising multiple websites to create an answer for a query, a blog summary gives them a helping hand. 

6. Structure still rules all

Let’s not forget about a well-structured piece of content. This is the bread and butter of SEO which still remains because formatting matters to LLMs too. As a quick guide: answer, explain and expand. 

The winning structure for blogs

• Clear H1 

• Article summary 

• Question-based/detailed H2s 

• Direct answers first 

• Supporting detail second 

• Bullet points 

• Tables 

• FAQs 

Not every blog is going to look the same, meaning you might not need all these elements. But utilising as many as possible will give you the best shot of being in an AIO. 

Refresh content when needed

We all love fresh content, but what do LLMs love? Current information. If you have a trend piece or an article based on out-of-date statistics, it’s time to update it before you move on to creating new. Whether this is yearly, monthly or every decade, this all depends on relevance. 

We recommend you update the following if required:  

• Quarterly Review 

• Statistics 

• Examples 

• Screenshots 

• Trends 

• Benchmarks 

So, do you feel confident in what you need to do to appear in Google’s AI Overviews? This new way of creating content and monitoring performance can feel daunting for traditional SEO’ers, but with the right content on site, we don’t need to beat AI, we can join it.

Our SEO team is always on hand to offer their recommendations or support you in creating valuable content that AI will lap up, so get in touch today.