BlogSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)

Advantages and disadvantages for Brand due to Google AI overviews

By ARM Administrator
March 12, 2025

In May 2023, Google made waves in the search industry with the rollout of AI Overviews, a feature that brings AI-generated summaries directly into search results. This system consolidates search information into concise paragraphs, providing users with quicker answers and enhanced content. But, while it has the potential to elevate user experience, many marketers are questioning whether it might reduce website visits by limiting direct traffic. Despite mixed reactions, one thing is certain: Google AI Overviews will require businesses to rethink their SEO strategies and focus on delivering high-quality content.

What Are Google AI Overviews?

Google AI Overviews are an evolution of the search snippets Google introduced with Search Generated Experiences (SGE). These overviews use Google’s Gemini AI, the underlying AI model, to summarise search results and provide users with a clearer, more comprehensive response. Gemini's multi-step reasoning powers this feature, allowing the AI to address complex queries in one response, rather than splitting them into multiple searches. This is especially helpful as more users rely on natural language queries, thanks to voice assistants and mobile searches. AI Overviews summarise the query and predict possible follow-up questions, adding a layer of anticipation to the search process.

The Shift from Featured Snippets to Google AI Overviews and Conversational Search

Google's AI Overviews feature has marked a significant shift in how search results are presented, particularly for brands. Previously, Featured Snippets held a prime position at the top of the search results page, providing increased visibility for the content featured. However, while these snippets elevated certain pieces of content, they also came with some drawbacks that have long plagued SEO professionals. As we move towards AI-driven summaries, there are both advantages and disadvantages for brands. Here’s a look at how this transition plays out.

Improved Brand Visibility with AI Overviews

In contrast, AI Overviews enhance user experience by providing a more detailed, conversational response. For example, searching "What is Marketing?" with AI Overviews results in a thorough, ChatGPT-style summary, which includes references to the original sources. These references not only credit the source but also provide direct links to the content, while the first organic search result remains visible below the summary, encouraging further exploration.

The Impact on SEO: Challenges and Opportunities

With AI Overviews transforming search results, there are pros and cons for website owners and marketers to consider. Let’s explore the potential challenges and opportunities this feature brings:

Advantages for Brands

Enhanced Brand Visibility: AI Overviews directly associate your brand with the content featured in the summaries. Even without click-throughs, this increases brand recognition and positions your business as a credible source.
Better Search Intent Matching: Google AI’s ability to understand and predict search intent means that brands providing high-quality content will more likely be featured in AI summaries, boosting their chances of visibility.
Increased Traffic Potential: Although AI Overviews may reduce CTRs in some cases, they still increase impressions, which can lead to more potential users clicking through to your website for further information.

Disadvantages for Brands

Reduced Click-Through Rates (CTR): One of the primary concerns is that AI Overviews may decrease CTR, as users may not feel the need to click through to a website if their query has already been answered.
Increased Competition for Prominent Spots: AI Overviews will prioritize content based on relevance and authority, meaning brands that fail to produce high-quality content may struggle to appear in summaries, giving more established competitors an advantage.
Less Control Over Brand Messaging: Since Google AI automatically summarizes content, brands may lose control over how their message is presented. This could lead to misinterpretation or misalignment with the intended tone.
Dependence on AI for Content Representation: If Google AI pulls content incorrectly or misrepresents it, brands may not have control over how their content is perceived, which could lead to misunderstandings.

How Can Brands Adapt to Google AI Overviews?

With Google’s AI Overviews changing search dynamics, brands must refine their SEO and content strategies to stay visible. These AI-generated summaries prioritise clarity, relevance, and authority, making it essential to focus on structured and high-quality content.

1. Create Detailed, High-Quality Content

AI Overviews favour comprehensive and well-structured content that answers multiple related questions within a single piece. Brands should focus on depth, accuracy, and clarity, ensuring content is valuable and informative.

2. Optimise for Conversational and Question-Based Search

AI Overviews are driven by natural language processing, meaning content that mimics user queries is more likely to be featured. Structuring content around common questions, guides, and problem-solving formats can improve discoverability.

3. Strengthen Content Authority with E-E-A-T

Google prioritises sources that demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). To enhance credibility:

Publish content backed by expert insights, research, or case studies.
Ensure authors have recognised credentials in their field.
Reference reliable sources and maintain factual accuracy.

4. Use Clear Formatting and Structured Responses

AI Overviews highlight content that provides direct and well-organised answers. Brands can improve suitability by:

Using FAQs, structured headings, and bullet points to enhance readability.
Creating knowledge hubs and expert Q&A sections to provide quick, reliable information.

5. Optimise for Featured Snippets and ‘People Also Ask’

While AI Overviews lead search results, traditional SERP features like Featured Snippets and People Also Ask (PAA) boxes still matter. To improve visibility:

Write concise, factual answers in lists, tables, or short paragraphs.
Use schema markup to help Google understand and index content more effectively.

6. Monitor AI Overview Mentions and Performance

Brands should regularly track how AI Overviews reference their content using tools like Google Search Console and Serpstat. This helps:

Identify which content is cited and refine it for better reach.
Find gaps where competitors are featured and adjust strategy accordingly.

Conclusion: The Impact of Google AI Overviews on Brands

In a nutshell, Google AI Overviews are shaking up the digital search game, offering brands both exciting opportunities and new challenges. This feature can really help boost brand visibility, even without direct clicks, by positioning the brand as a trusted source of information. As Google’s AI gets smarter at understanding user intent, brands with high-quality, relevant content have a great chance to leverage this feature for long-term success. That said, it’s important to recognise the hurdles that come with this shift. Reduced click-through rates (CTR) and more competition for those coveted spots in AI-generated summaries are real concerns, especially for brands that don’t meet Google’s content standards. Plus, with AI automatically generating summaries, there’s less control over messaging, which could lead to content being presented in unexpected ways. Brands must adapt by creating valuable, trust-building content that resonates with both users and Google's AI to succeed in the changing search environment. Understanding how to rank in Google AI Overviews will be crucial for businesses looking to maintain visibility in this evolving search ecosystem.