Google AI Overviews Shake Up SEO Playbook | Image Source: searchengineland.com
NEW YORK CITY, April 1, 2025 – The digital research landscape changes under our feet – and is not subtle. The Google Abstracts, a feature once quietly nestled in a fraction of consultations, have now appeared in the forefront of the search experience. With its rapid expansion in size and reach, especially after Google 2025’s basic update, AI Overviews rewrites the SEO rules, reshape content strategies, and force publishers and marketers in all industries to rethink their connection with the public.
According to new data shared by BrightEdge and corroborated by multiple sources, including Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, Google’s AI Previews saw an aggressive increase in visibility and influence. Between March 13 and March 27, AI General Information on Travel, Entertainment and Restaurant Search, 528%, 387% and 381% respectively. The figures do not lie, nor the implications: Google more often turns to AI to provide direct answers, often without having to click on a traditional website. The effects of the waves? Reduction of organic traffic for many, but a new opportunity boundary for those agile enough to adapt.
What are Summary A and why are they growing?
Google’s summaries are summary answers generated by their large language models, often appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERP). They are designed to respond quickly to users’ questions by drawing contextually relevant content from various sources on the Web. The movement aligns with Google’s broader ambitions in predictive search – providing accurate and intent-based answers even before users know what to click.
According to Semrush, Similarweb, Ziptie and SEOClarity, AI summaries now appear as 30% of search queries, significantly for a few weeks. These percentages vary slightly depending on the monitoring method used, but the trend is undeniable. Google’s own data science seems to be behind the design, but it’s business-level tools like BrightEdge Generative ParserTM and Data Cube that give us the clearest window in what’s going on behind the curtain.
How does this affect certain industries?
The March 2025 update marked a turning point for sectors that historically triggered fewer IA summaries. The entertainment, catering and travel industries experienced the largest increase. This change is remarkable because it reflects Google’s evolving ability to understand subjective and nuanced consultations: he thinks “romantic ceiling restaurants in Chicago” or “best things to do in Santa Fe in the spring”
For industries such as health and education, where structured and evidence-based consultations dominate, AI Insights had already gained ground. But now, even more exploratory or preference-based consultations see responses to AI at the top of the page. Civitatis travel platform, for example, observed a tangible impact on user participation after implementation in nine new European countries, including Germany, Italy and Spain. Raúl Valencia, vice-president of the CRO and SEO in Civitatis, told Travolution:
“Google redefines how users find information. With AI Overviews, many responses will be provided directly by the search engine’s IA, potentially reducing traffic to websites that have already received Google visits.”
To alleviate this situation, Civitatis urges travel brands to adapt quickly by focusing on rich content, based on experiences and diversifying traffic sources beyond organic research.
Why the deepest content is to win the AI game
BrightEdge data, according to CEO Jim Yu, shows a clear preference in AI Content Reviews that lives deeper in websites – usually two or more clicks on the main page. Only 0.5% of the clicks in the general view of AI go to the main page of a site, while 82.5% point to these pages “2 + depth”. This indicates that Google’s IV is looking for specificity, nuances and depth – qualities often found in niche subpages rather than high level summaries.
In fact, 86% of the pages cited in the IA summaries are classified for only one keyword, and many of these keywords have a high volume of research. According to BrightEdge, the average search volume for these keywords is 15,300 monthly searches, with 19% over 100,000. This opens a unique opportunity to refer: optimize content not only for wide visibility, but also for highly specific and valuable keyword queries that AI is likely to stop.
What does this mean for technical SEO?
The structure of the site, indexing and internal connection strategies have become more critical than ever. With Google promoting deep and content-rich pages, the importance of ensuring that every page on your site is traceable and updated has been taken. SEO professionals must now think beyond the optimization of the main page and focus on making internal pages robust and accessible for AI persing.
Google’s IV is not just capturing content; It’s quoted. And he cites the content that is more useful for consulting users, not necessarily which higher varies organically. According to BrightEdge, this is a fundamental principle behind Google’s predictive summaries and basic links. AI is not just about guiding users to the most contextual resource. If its content does not meet this bar, it will not cut, whatever its technical merit of referencing.
How can brands and publishers react?
While it might be tempting to panic with the idea that AI is cut in organic traffic, the smartest move is to rotate strategically. According to Jim Yu of BrightEdge, here are three specific actions companies should take:
- Focus on decision-support content: Answer questions users are likely to have before they make a purchase, especially in travel, food, or entertainment. Think “best time to visit Tuscany” rather than just “Tuscany.”
- Update and optimize seasonal content: AI Overviews respond to shifts in interest. Your Valentine’s Day restaurant guide? It better be updated yearly—or risk disappearing from the AI radar.
- Target entity-based searches: Especially in entertainment and hospitality, searches around named individuals or locations are likely to trigger AI Overviews. Optimizing for these gives you a chance to be cited.
Besides, don’t ignore the SEO. As Raúl Valencia de Civitatis said, the diversification of traffic sources through social networks, email campaigns and content associations will be essential to reduce the dependence of search engines alone. SEO is not dead, it only evolves towards something less predictable, and perhaps more motivated by the user.
What about the overall deployment of AI Overviews?
Initially launched in the United States in May 2024, Google AI has now extended the descriptions to several new countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. As Travolution pointed out, this extension marks Google’s intention to make AI the default global search experience. For international brands, bets have never been higher. The location no longer concerns translation, but the cultural context and local specificity of the SEO that AI can interpret and prioritize.
This means that brands operating in markets will have to create content that feels native not only in language, but in understanding. A summary prioritizes long-term consultations and converse consultations that mimic natural discourse. For example, instead of “Cheap Hotels Rome”, users might wonder ”Where can I find affordable hotels near the Colosseum?” If its content cannot respond clearly and contextually, it is unlikely that it will be cited by Google AI.
Does AI destroy traditional SEO?
Understand this: AI doesn’t kill SEO, it changes his DNA. The days when the keyword was filled and the domain authority of the main page governed only the rankings. Today, content quality, relevance, depth and contextual clarity are the name of the game. Google’s AI summaries simply reflect what users want: real answers, fast.
So the best question could be: Can your place follow the way people really look?
If your answer is “yes”, congratulations, you are ahead of the curve. If it’s “not yet”, then it’s time to rethink its content architecture, refresh old pages and focus on answering the next question your users will have. Because that’s what Google’s AI already does.
In this new era of research, the brands that will win are not the lowest links or the most elegant page. They are the ones who listen louder to what users really ask, and respond to anyone else.
