What Are AI Overviews (AIOs), and Why Should You Care?

Think of AI Overviews as the next evolution of Google’s attempt to provide instant answers. Where featured snippets used to grab a sentence or two, AIOs stitch together a full paragraph-style response—summarizing information from across multiple websites. Google says they’re designed to help users “get the gist” quickly, especially for complex or multi-part queries.

But from an SEO standpoint, AIOs can be problematic. They show up above the traditional organic results and attempt to resolve a searcher’s intent without requiring a click. That’s a shift that changes how small businesses get discovered—and how users interact with the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

In 2024, Google began rolling out AI Overviews—AI-generated summaries that sit prominently at the top of search results. They aim to provide users with immediate answers, drawn from multiple websites. They’re fast. They’re often useful. But for small businesses that rely on organic clicks, they could be a threat.

These boxes now appear in around 15% of U.S. search queries (and growing), according to a massive study by AHREFS that analyzed 56 million search results. And when they show up—they often dominate the page.

What the Data Says: Are Click-Through Rates Declining?

AHREFS’ study of 56 million search results found that:

• AIOs now show up on 15.3% of all search results in the U.S.
• In commercial and informational queries, they can dominate page real estate
• Organic positions 1–3 often appear below the fold when AIOs are present

This matters because CTR (Click-Through Rate) is one of the lifelines of small business SEO. If your position #1 result drops to the middle or bottom of the page, fewer people click—even if your ranking hasn’t changed.

Especially on mobile, where space is tight, AIOs compress the visibility of everything below them. That means even the best content can suffer from visibility decay—not because it’s no longer relevant, but because it's no longer seen.

Yes. According to AHREFS’ research:

• Organic listings often appear below the AI Overview box—especially on mobile.
• Traditional blue links are pushed below the fold, decreasing their visibility.
• This trend is causing a noticeable drop in CTR for websites that used to rank in the top 3.

If your business depends on organic traffic, this shift matters.

Why This Change Hits Small Businesses Hard

Small businesses have long relied on SEO as a cost-effective way to generate awareness, leads, and sales. Unlike paid advertising, SEO rewards helpful content, domain authority, and trust.

But with AIOs, even well-optimized sites are finding themselves buried beneath Google’s own generated response.

You might still rank #1, but appear fifth on the page after:

• Sponsored ads
• AI-generated answer box
• People Also Ask
• Map pack or video carousel

This creates a visibility bottleneck. For businesses that don’t have the budget to outbid competitors in PPC or the brand awareness to dominate direct traffic, that’s a real problem.

However, it’s not all bad news.

Small businesses already compete with ads, featured snippets, and local packs. Now add a giant AI summary at the top—and organic traffic becomes even harder to win.

This isn’t just about ranking high anymore. It’s about being included in the AI’s summary—or being buried.

The New Rules of SEO in the AI-First Era

This isn’t about dumbing down your content. It’s about making it readable and usable by language models:

• Use clear headers, bullet points, and FAQs
• Structure answers near the top of your content
• Add schema markup (especially FAQ, How-To, and Product)
• Strengthen E-E-A-T signals (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trust)
• Improve semantic connections with strategic internal linking

You’re not “fueling the AI.” You’re making sure your content shows up in the only box that matters.

The Action Plan: What You Can Do Now

1. Target Long-Tail, Question-Based Keywords
2. Less competition, higher intent, and more likely to trigger AIO inclusion.
3. Use Schema Markup
4. Help Google understand the structure of your content.
5. Strengthen Internal Linking
6. Boost crawlability and context so your site is seen as authoritative.
7. Monitor CTR in Google Search Console
8. Watch for drops in your key queries and identify AIO-affected pages.
9. Create Content Designed for Skimming
10. Think like an AI and a human reader. Use structure, summaries, and clarity.

A Word of Encouragement

Despite these changes, small businesses are not powerless. AI Overviews represent a shift, not a death sentence. In fact, with the right strategy, they present new opportunities:

• To appear directly within AI summaries by being the most helpful source
• To gain citations from Google's AI output (which often includes links)
• To build topic authority in niche markets with highly specific content

The key isn’t to fight the algorithm—it’s to understand and work with it.

Just like we adapted to featured snippets, local packs, and voice search, we’ll adapt to this too. But the businesses that move early will have the biggest edge.

Want help getting your site AIO-ready? Let’s talk.

👉 Schedule your free SEO + AI site crawl at AllGreatThings.io