The way we search for information on the internet is changing rapidly, and Google SGE (known as AI Overviews ) is the best example.
This new feature, powered by generative artificial intelligence, transforms the search experience and presents new challenges and opportunities for SEO.
In this article, we explain exactly what Google SGE is, how it works, and how you can adapt your SEO strategy to stay ahead of this new paradigm.
Shall we begin?
What is Google SGE or AI Overviews?
Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) is a Google initiative that integrates generative AI into its search engine to deliver contextual summaries and complete answers directly from the results page, without the user needing to click on any links.
From the traditional search engine to generative AI
Google always showed a list of blue links we had to review to find answers. With Google SGE, AI synthesizes information from multiple sources and presents an “AI-generated snapshot ,” with text, links, images, or even videos, all in a single block.
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What can Google SGE do for the user?
- Summarize complex answers instantly
- Better understand search intent
- Allow follow-up questions like in a conversation
- Include multimedia content
- Solve more complex searches with contextual reasoning
And he will surely do much more in the future!
Since when is Google SGE available?
Google announced SGE in May 2023 , but it wasn’t until May 2024 that it officially launched the feature under the name AI Overviews in the US. Since then, it has begun to roll out progressively globally.
By 2025 , AI Overviews will be available in over 40 languages and 200 countries , including Spain, which arrived in March.
Even so, it is still in the process of evolution, with constant adjustments to its format, frequency of appearance, and fonts used, etc.
Why is Google SGE important for SEO?
Changes in user behavior
Google SGE introduces a new type of experience to the SERPs . Many users will get answers without clicking on any links, disrupting the traditional flow of organic traffic.
In this way, Google focuses on the user, providing them with maximum quality and convenience. This is one of the main objectives of SEO today.
Impact on organic traffic
While this may reduce clicks, it also improves traffic quality : those who do click tend to have higher intent, as they’ve read a summary before and want to dig deeper.
How to leverage Google SGE in your SEO strategy
Getting cited by AI: the new “first place”
Being cited in an AI Overview is like getting a “boosted” Featured Snippet. While it doesn’t generate direct clicks, it strengthens your visibility, authority, and brand perception .
The power of content with EEAT
For Google to select you as a source for its summaries, your content must clearly reflect:
- Experience : Provide real examples, original data, and authored content.
- Expertise : content signed by experts with visible biography.
- Authority : incoming links from relevant media or from your sector.
- Trust : secure web (HTTPS), privacy policy, verifiable content.
AI-optimized writing and structure
- Use clear questions and answers (FAQs).
- Organize with H1, H2, H3 and bulleted lists.
- Avoid using very long paragraphs.
- Add images with alternative (alt) text.
- Implement structured data.
Adapting to the new conversational search style
Use of long-tail keywords and natural language
Users are asking longer, more specific questions. Conversational keywords and natural language are key to appearing in AI Overviews.
Example: “What’s the difference between technical SEO and content SEO?” Optimize your content to answer just that, with clarity and depth, but without adding empty, empty text.
Identifying relevant search intentions
Informational and comparative searches are the most likely to trigger AI Overviews. Create content that:
- Answer frequently asked questions
- Compare tools, solutions or services
- Offer step-by-step guides and detailed explanations
Knowing how to detect user search intentions , in order to adapt our SEO actions, is more important than ever in the positioning of websites and brands.
SEO Metrics You Should Monitor in the Age of Google SGE
Key metrics in Search Console
Watch to see if your impression volume is growing even though clicks are declining since the launch on March 26. This could indicate that you’re being cited in AI Overviews without generating immediate traffic, creating what some experts call “crocodile-like behavior.”
Engagement and traffic quality
Measure post-click behavior: time on page, bounce rate, scroll depth. If you’ve been cited by AI, the incoming user is more likely to read and convert.
How to adapt your strategy based on data
Test formats and content. Reinforce articles that are already generating citations. Create new pieces following the structures that work best in AI Overviews. As a support, tools like Semrush already show you terms that appear in this new module.
Google SGE is not a threat: it’s an opportunity
The arrival of Google SGE (or AI Overviews) represents a profound change, but not necessarily a negative one. SEO isn’t disappearing ; it’s simply evolving.
If you produce high-quality, well-structured, user-focused content that’s supported by a strong brand, your visibility can even increase. The key is to adapt before your competition .
We recap
What is it? Google SGE (now AI Overviews) is a search engine feature that uses generative artificial intelligence to deliver comprehensive answers directly within search results, without the need for clicks.
Why is it important? It changes the way users interact with Google, prioritizing useful and fast information. This impacts traditional SEO and opens up new visibility opportunities.
How to leverage it? Create in-depth, well-structured, and user-centric content. Optimize with EEAT, natural language, FAQs, structured data, and scannable formats.
Important metrics . Review impressions in Search Console, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions to detect the impact of your actions and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Google SEO is redefining the rules of the game, but it’s also rewarding expert, useful, and in-depth content . It’s not the end of SEO; it’s the beginning of a new era.
Make sure your site is prepared to not only survive, but also excel in AI-generated roundups .
Let ‘s talk!
