How to Optimise for Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) in 2025

SEO has undergone a number of significant changes in recent years, which can make it hard to keep up. One of the most notable developments has been the introduction of Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs), which was a feature introduced in 2024 but has already transformed the way in which users find information. This post will show you how you can optimise for AIOs in 2025 so that you can maintain and enhance online visibility in an ever-evolving landscape. Interested? Let’s get started.

What are AIOs?

So, what exactly are AIOs? Essentially, these are Google’s AI-generated summaries that provide a concise answer to user queries. They work by collating and summarising information from various web sources and appear above traditional organic results. As you might expect, this has a significant impact on user engagement and click-through rates (CTR).

How Google’s AI Overviews Impact Website Traffic

AIOs have had a significant impact on website traffic and SEO in a short time frame. While they can reduce traffic for many websites, those who optimise for AIOs will benefit from greater visibility and increased clicks. If you are able to get your website featured in AIOs, you should notice an increase in traffic, as your website will be at the top of SERPs. However, if your page is not included in AIOs, it is likely that organic CTR will drop as you will be less visible online.

Another factor that is causing concern in the SEO world is the amount of pixel space that AI Overviews is taking up in SERPs. A BrighEdge study found that around 600 pixels were occupied by AIO in May 2024, which had increased to 800 by the end of summer 2024. This means that organic results are pushed further down, which can make exposure for publishers even harder.

How to Optimise for AIOs

It is clear that to succeed in 2025, you need to get your website included in AIOs. While this can be challenging, there are a handful of strategies that will deliver results and help improve your online visibility. The main strategies to utilise include:

Create Authoritative Content

Much like traditional SEO, high-quality and authoritative content is key to success. AIOs identify content that is authoritative and relevant to include, so you should focus on creating content that provides value to your target audience and is well-researched. Be sure to include data, studies, and reputable sources to enhance the authoritativeness of your content. Creating a stream of fresh content that reflects current trends will help deliver long-term results.

Optimise the Content Structure

In addition to content that is authoritative, you can also improve your chances of appearing in AIOs by optimising the structure. AIOs are designed to provide answers to user queries, so you should provide direct answers to common queries within the first few sentences. You should also enhance readability with the use of bullet points, numbered lists, and clear subheadings.

Embrace the E-E-A-T Guidelines

Embracing Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines will also be an effective way to optimise for AIOs. This is the set of guidelines used by the search quality rates at Google to assess the quality and reliability of content. These elements consist of:

Experience: Show first-hand knowledge and experience with the subject matter.

Expertise: Showcase the author’s level of knowledge and/or skill in the topic. This could be done by highlighting credentials, qualifications, industry recognition, etc.

Authoritativeness: Demonstrate that the content creator is a trusted and reliable source of information within the industry. This can be achieved with the use of backlinks from trustworthy sources, positive reviews, and a strong online reputation.

Trustworthiness: Looking at the accuracy, honesty, and safety of the content and website. This should involve having a secure connection, clear author bylines, and transparency about the website.

Use Multimedia Content

You should also be using multimedia content to enrich your content. This can include photographs, infographics, and videos. Additionally, optimise your images by using descriptive file names and alt text - this will help Google better understand the images.

Implement Structured Data Markup

Be sure to use scheme markup as a way to help Google understand and categorise the website content. JSON-LD format can enable better indexing by search engines.

Monitor Progress

As with all optimisation efforts, it is important to monitor your progress so that you can fine-tune for higher levels of success. You should check which of your pages are featured in AIOs and look at the impact that this has on traffic and engagement levels. If you find that some pages are consistently omitted from AIOs, you will want to reassess the page content and use the above strategies to improve the chances of being used. On top of all this, keep in mind that algorithms and AIOs are constantly evolving and changing. This means that you need to keep pace with the latest trends and developments so that you can adjust your strategies and stay ahead of the curve.

Using A Digital Marketing Agency

As you can see from this post, AIOs have shaken up the SEO industry in a short space of time. Understandably, this is causing a great deal of stress and anxiety for businesses and marketers. Optimising for AIOs can be challenging, particularly with so many changes taking place. With this in mind, it makes a lot of sense to use the services of an experienced digital marketing agency specialising in SEO. They will have the latest knowledge and expertise to help you appear in AIOs so that you can benefit from greater visibility and organic traffic to your website.

AIOs are a huge talking point in the digital marketing world in 2025. They have changed a huge amount about SEO and will only become more prominent in the years to come, so it is important that brands are aware of how they can optimise for AIOs and boost their online visibility. Hopefully, the information in this post will be useful and help you take proactive steps that will help you modernise your marketing efforts and feature in AIOs for enhanced visibility.