5 Powerful Ways to Get Ranked in the AI Overview (and Stay There)

I spent the weekend running tests on Google’s SERPs. I wanted to understand whether the websites I’m monitoring are appearing in the AI Overviews.

No surprises: for queries where the brand ranks in the top 3, it also appears in the AI-O panel.

I have to admit, this panel annoys me a little. Weren’t there already enough boxes in the SERP?

And if every panel has a purpose — that is, to respond to a specific search intent — what exactly is the purpose of the AI-O panel? Is it informational?

But isn’t that already covered by the “People Also Ask” box?

Then again, if you include the brand in the AI panel and also show it in the snippet at position zero, isn’t that redundant?

Let’s dive into the details and begin with the first and most important question:

What is the AI Overview’s purpose?

But before that, let’s take a step back and look at what the AI Overview actually is.

We can define it as a middle ground between what Google used to do — showing a featured snippet from a website that best answered the user’s question — and what Gemini does today. Gemini generates original content, meaning it doesn’t copy and paste text from a website, but reworks hundreds of pieces of information already indexed by Google.

This is how Google’s VP of Search, Liz Reid, described it:

AI Overviews work very differently than chatbots and other LLM products. They’re not simply generating an output based on training data,” but instead running traditional search tasks and providing information from top web results. So she doesn’t consider the errors as hallucinations, but rather as the model misreading what’s already online.

The AI Overview panel is triggered by informational queries. What we really need to acknowledge is that if AI provides a complete and satisfying answer, users may no longer feel the need to click on any website to read the content.

So the next question I asked myself over the past few days was:

When does the AI Overview appear?

First, it’s triggered by informational searches. I ran multiple tests searching for products and it never appeared.

Another important point: websites shown in the AI Overview are typically those already ranking in the top three results on Google.

Are you wondering whether your site appears?

You do have the chance to appear, but only if you’ve done SEO. If you’ve never implemented SEO for your brand, the current AI-driven changes could leave you out of search entirely, making it difficult for people to find you. Contact us here.

Our agency has been championing the importance of SEO for all types of businesses — from the smallest to the largest — for years.

Want another good reason to invest in it? Keep reading. I’ll show you a key insight shortly.

I searched for “how to get rid of lice in curly hair.” The site “Head Cleaners” came up. On checking, it had a Domain Authority of 15 and Page Authority of 19.

I also searched “executive assistant working remotely” and the site “Main Executive” appeared — surprisingly, it had just a Page Authority of 6 and Domain Authority of 4.

This shows that any site can appear in the AI Overview, even if it’s new or has low authority.

What does Google search look like today?

When you run an informational search, the AI Overview appears at the top, showing a summary generated by Gemini and the websites selected by the AI.

Directly beneath it, you’ll still see the snippet — even if the content is basically the same.

But how do you get your site into the AI Overview?

You might be thinking: “Alright, sounds great — but how do I actually get into the AI Overview panel?”

Let’s look at the typical characteristics of sites that make it in.

First, they are authoritative websites. Google chooses content from sources with a strong and clear web presence.

Second, they follow a multichannel approach — they diversify across platforms, are present on social media, have a website, a newsletter, and external mentions. Every signal counts for Google.

Third, they offer valuable content — this means content that provides real, useful solutions and clear answers for users.

Fourth, they have strong topic coverage — not just a single blog post, but a system of coherent and interconnected content. A holistic approach is now essential.

Fifth, the content is well-structured — with effective H1s and H2s, internal linking, and scalable formatting. This helps the AI better understand and choose your content.

Sixth, the language used is conversational. Start by listing the questions your buyer persona might ask, and then create content that answers them clearly and naturally.

What happens if I browse in incognito mode?

Another test I ran: what happens if I browse in incognito — does the AI Overview still appear?

Can you guess? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Well, the answer is: No, it doesn’t.

Why?

Because the AI Overview is designed for personalised search. It only appears when Google has enough data about the user to understand what kind of answer they’re likely expecting.

In incognito mode, there’s no browsing history or behavioural signals — so the AI can’t personalise its response.

How many results appear in the AI Overview panel?

That depends on the device you’re using.

From a desktop, you’ll typically see 2 results — but be warned, if you’re in second place, visibility is quite low.

On mobile, even if you’re ranked first, the site may not appear at all — only the AI’s answer and the favicon are shown.

When does the panel not appear?

Let’s go into this in more detail.

First, as mentioned above, when behavioural data isn’t available.

Second, when the query is transactional or commercial (if you want to dive deeper into these types of queries, read our article).

Because Google also runs Google Ads, it tends to avoid generating AI content in areas where advertising revenue is at stake.

Third, when the topic is sensitive or controversial — such as health, medicine, finance, or legal matters — to avoid the risk of misinformation.

Fourth, when the query is short and generic — AI prefers full, conversational queries.

Fifth, when there is already a featured snippet with a clear and concise answer.

Want to apply all of this to your website? Read our guide here.

And I’ll leave you with one final thought: if you’re not appearing in the panel, it’s probably because you haven’t done SEO.
Your website is your home — take care of it.