AI and SEO: Google AI Overviews Change the Game for Content Marketing

Google is at it again — fundamentally reshaping search with its AI Overviews. So how can B2B marketers create the content that resonates with their target audiences — and AI? Here’s some must-know background:

• AI Overviews are on the rise, giving users fast, direct answers without needing to click elsewhere.
• Organic results are being pushed farther down, and traditional rankings matter less than ever.
• Visibility now depends on being cited, not just being present on the page.
• Content needs to earn trust fast: Be clear, be structured and lead with value.

What might that look like for a B2B marketer trying to make their mark with content? Let’s say your team has written the perfect explainer — loaded with original insights, expert POVs, bulletproof SEO. It ranks near the top.

And yet… crickets.

That’s because Google’s new AI Overview beat you to the punch. A conversational summary now lives above the fold, stitched together from a few top sources. Yours didn’t make the cut.

This isn’t a glitch in the algorithm. It’s the new normal.

The New AI Search Landscape

AI Overviews appear in 19% of all U.S. desktop keyword searches as of June 2025, per seoClarity. And 84% of those AI-triggering queries are informational. Think how-tos, explainers, comparisons — which means your best content is now being filtered and condensed, its citation buried before the user even thinks about clicking away.

If you thought SEO was tough before, welcome to position 0 — the only spot that matters in AI-led search.

AI-generated summaries aren’t replacing the search engine results page, or SERP as we marketers know and love it. They’re layered on top of it — and they’re hogging the spotlight.

The fallout? Click-through rates drop across the board when an AI Overview appears at the top. Links in the first position have seen CTRs plummet 35%, according to Hrefs research. Even high-ranking links feel the chill. Users see a tidy summary, get what they need and bounce.

But it appears the stranglehold may be loosening — ever so slightly. That same seoClarity report found that Google AI Overviews surrendered the top spot 12.4% of the time. That’s quite a drop from just a month prior when less than 2% of them ranked below position 1.

So there just might be some opportunity to reclaim lost clicks.

Still, AI Overview is not to be ignored — and there are still ways to gain visibility for your content. But you have to earn it. Inclusion in an AI Overview is a trust signal, and it’s awarded to content that’s clear, well-structured and credible.

How to Optimize for AI Search

This isn’t about beating the algorithm. It’s about becoming the source the algorithm trusts most. Here’s how to start:

1. Lead with the answer.
Don’t bury the lede. AI models (and readers) prefer pages that state the answer up front. Say you’re a financial services marketer creating content about ESG investments. You’ve done your homework and see that a lot of people searching for: How do I prove the value of ESG? Your first sentence better sound like you’ve actually wrestled with ESG metrics and a skeptical CFO.

Google’s AI Overviews scan for content that answers the query directly and immediately — ideally within the first one or two sentences.

2. Adopt more Q&A and list formats.
Content structured with Q&As or lists are more likely to be cited in AI summaries. This is the internet version of “speak clearly so the robot understands.”

Use:

• H2s phrased as questions
• Numbered lists for how-tos and roundups
• Bullet points with clear takeaways

3. Write so it’s easy to understand.
You don’t have to dumb down your content, but you do have to be clear. How? Break up long, intimidating blocks of text. Aim for a 7th or 8th grade reading level — without insulting your audience’s intelligence. Treat subheads like breadcrumbs. And ditch the brain-numbing jargon and pretentious SAT vocab. You’re writing for people and machines.

4. Keep focusing on E-E-A-T.
Google has long favored content that demonstrates experience, expertise, authority and trust. This is table stakes now.

Up your E-E-A-T game by weaving in:

• Author bios with credentials
• Real-world examples and a bold POV
• Interviews and data from credible orgs

5. Build topic clusters, not just pages.
One great article is nice. Ultimate guides and research reports are even better. But a web of interlinked, related content? That’s authority.

Creating clusters around key topics helps your site earn topical trust. It also feeds AI systems more context and helps your individual pages stand out.

6. Test in the wild.
Want to know if your content passes the AI test? Search your target queries in ChatGPT, Bing AI and Perplexity. If they’re citing your competitors and not you, take a closer look: Is your content truly helpful? Does it answer the question directly and confidently? Is it well-structured, up-to-date and written by someone who knows what they’re talking about? AI tools reward clarity — but they also reward authority, originality and usefulness.

And if that’s all in place? Then it might be time to revisit your formatting, clarity and structure.

You don’t need to write for AI. But you do need to write in a way AI respects and rewards.