Google AI SEO: Your Ultimate Guide to Mastering AI-Driven Search

With generative AI-driven search engines seeing a 525% surge in revenue generation in 2024, how could Google stay behind? After all, the search engine was in the best position to ride the AI search wave due to its large data repository and technical prowess—not to mention it being the search engine of choice for billions of users.

Thus came the introduction of AI Overviews, officially launched in the US in May 2024. A few months later, the search engine giant also announced that it would release this feature to six more countries.

At this pace, it's likely that the AI Overview section on Google SERPs will be the norm for all users after some time. Before that time comes, you should master Google AI SEO so that you can optimize your content not just for the organic SERPs but also for the AI section above them. Let's take a look at some AI SEO tips to appear higher in AI-driven searches.

How AI is Reshaping Search Intent: Optimizing for User-Centric Queries

There was a time when search results were primarily keyword-driven. Search engines use a combination of the user's query and their web history to provide relevant results. However, with the introduction of AI-powered search engines, the focus has shifted towards understanding user intent rather than specific terms. 

Voice search has also had a role to play in this regard. Instead of typing something, people can simply activate Siri or Gemini and ask their phones for information. 

So, it's no longer ''best yoga mats.'' Instead, it's ''what is the best yoga mat for beginners?'' Google's AI algorithm makes sense of these search queries based on the intent behind them, such as informational, navigational, or transactional.

Users can now ask questions, and the search engine's AI will compose an answer for them, eliminating the need to go through multiple websites or click on half a dozen links.

This week's big search news is Google's continuing transition to "AI search" - instead of typing in search terms and getting links to websites, you'll ask Google a question and an AI will compose an answer based on things it finds on the web:https://t.co/Jy7hUYnbyj

1/ pic.twitter.com/fnlLZE26VN

— Cory Doctorow NONCONSENSUAL BLUE TICK (@doctorow) May 15, 2024

Even if users want to access something from a website, they don't have to go through a ton of pages. Instead, the Google Search Generative Experience auto-summarizes websites for them. Similarly, if someone wants to know what a word means, they don't have to search for it in a new tab. They can simply hover over the world to get an AI-created definition, ensuring immediate fulfillment of the user intent.

Google Search Generative Experience just got major upgrades.

- Auto-summarize websites
- Hover over words for AI definitions
- Colored code previews

Here's everything you need to know (thread): pic.twitter.com/FKP4hk1l4k

— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) August 16, 2023

The shift toward user intent isn't limited to Google. Amazon has introduced its new shopping assistant, Rufus, who can answer intent-driven questions. For example, instead of searching for a pair of gloves, you can ask what the best gloves for winter are, and Rufus will provide you with recommendations based on your specific needs.

Amazon’s new AI assistant, Rufus, is changing the way customers shop.

Instead of typing in basic keywords, they’re asking detailed questions like, “What helps with sleep?”

The search is no longer just about what your product is it’s about what problems it solves.

If your…

— Evan Swanson (@Evan_Swanson_) October 25, 2024

All these developments point toward one thing: the need for user-intent-driven content. Gone are the days when you could stuff your content with certain keywords and hope for the best.

Now, your content needs to answer a question and meet an intent. It should provide valuable information and fulfill a user's specific need. Everything from the title of your content to the actual body should revolve around fulfilling intent.

Let's explain this with two queries:

• What is email marketing
• How to use email marketing

Previously, you could use the right keywords and appear in the organic SERPs for both these queries. However, with the AI Overview in action, this no longer happens.

When we search for the first query, AI Overview shows us results from Mailchimp and the American Marketing Institute. We went through the Mailchimp article and found it to be perfectly aligned with this intent. They don't have a section on using email marketing. Instead, their article mainly covers the definition, importance, and advantages of email marketing.

AI Overview

On the other hand, when we search for the second query, AI Overview displays results from Adobe, Sprout Social, and Get Response. All three of these articles inherently focus on either a step-by-step guide or a strategy.

AI Overview

Sure, they have a basic introduction to email marketing. But their main focus is on its use. That's why they are ranking for the second query.

This example proves that your AI SEO keywords for content may be the same. In this case, ''email marketing'' and ''use email marketing'' may be used in both content pieces, but the ranking in AI results depends on intent matching. You could use all the relevant keywords there, but if your content doesn't provide an answer to the user's query, it will have a thin chance of ranking high in the AI SERPs. 

Dominating AI-Powered SERP Features: Snippets, Summaries, and Visual Search

The concern that our attention spans are shrinking is a topic of discussion on social media not only among marketers but also search engine users and media consumers. More and more people are noticing this about themselves as they struggle to get through a book or watch a movie without checking their social media feeds.

With this in mind, it's not surprising that ''quick'' search results, whether it's featured snippets or AI Overviews, are highly preferred. Users want information, and they want it fast.

AI-powered SERP features are meant to fulfill this need. They are short and concise. Instead of looking for the speed of light in an article written on the subject, people can simply get the 299,792,458 m/s figure from featured snippets.

Similarly, visual search is a quick way to get information from images or videos. Instead of typing out a search query, users simply get to upload an image and see results. Everything that's evolving in search engines is to make them more convenient for users. Your content should take the same trajectory.

AI-Driven SERP Features Breakdown

Before you can direct your content toward short-form SERP features, you should be familiar with what they are. It started with featured snippets but has now extended to AI-generated summaries and AI Overviews.

Featured snippets are a common SERP feature we've all come across. They are the quick answers you see at the top of search results pages. You can click the URL they come from for more details, but typically, you don't have to.

Featured Snippet

As you scroll down, you'll come to the People Also Ask section. This is where you see questions people have asked similar to your query. You can click on these questions to get quick answers that sort of appear like featured snippets, except they're not at the top of the page.

People Also Ask Section

Then, there are Knowledge Panels. These are typically to the right of the main search results and show you additional information relevant to your query. You'll usually see these when you search for a particular entity, like an author, a company, a book, a place, etc.

Knowledge Panel

The most recent addition to these SERP features is the AI Overview. It is basically AI's take on your query based on the information collected from organic search results that match user intent. You ask something, and AI summarizes the main points for you.

AI Overview

While AI Overview is obviously quick and helpful for users, it's bad news for SEO professionals and marketers. With this SERP element taking the top spot, your content (even if it ranks in the top three) gets pushed below the fold. When users get their desired answer from the AI results, they are less likely to scroll down and click on your organic search results. This means fewer clicks and less traffic to your website.

Gilad David Maayan, the founder of Agile SEO, analyzed 23 websites for traffic fluctuations after Google launched the feature. He found that AI Overviews resulted in a traffic drop of anywhere from 18% to 64% on these websites.  

 Similarly, David Bourgeois, an AI expert and professor at Biola University, explained in a LinkedIn post that AI results will result in less traffic to websites. Due to this, you'll need to work as an AI optimization expert rather than an SEO expert. 

Optimizing Content for Snippets and Summaries

Since these summaries and snippets are what people now get most of their information from, you need to optimize your content for them so that you still get impressions and clicks in the SERPs. The trick is to work toward concise content since that's what gets picked up. However, conciseness alone isn't enough; the information should also meet the intent.

As you saw in the featured snippet above, bullet points and numbered lists are often used in these SERP features. So you can incorporate them into your content. For content that can't be listed, go for concise answers.

Take this example from Optimizely. They've written a one-sentence definition that appears in the featured snippets. It's short but provides the information the user came looking for.

Featured Snippet

Apart from writing concise and informative content, you should use structured data in your content to help both AI and traditional search engine algorithms make sense of it. Let's say you've added a table or a graph with statistics. Add schema markup to it so that search engines know what type of data is present in the table and can display it as a snippet if relevant.

For example, when we searched for the difference between organic and paid social media marketing, AI Overview showed Buffer as its primary source. Buffer has an infographic on its web page showing the difference between the two. Without schema markup, this infographic might have been difficult to rank in AI results for this keyword.

AI Overview

In the same vein, visual elements like infographics, charts, images, and videos make your content more appealing to generative search engines. At times, your written content may not rank in AI Overviews, but your visuals can, especially for search results that require images.

For example, when we searched for ''what is Agile methodology,'' Google's AI Overview showed us a visual that wasn't even on the first page of the organic results. It was not linked by the AI Overview as a source for the query either. Rather, it was from a Medium article.

AI Overview

This means that textual content isn't the only way to appear in AI summaries. You should try to include helpful images and infographics wherever possible to increase your chances of appearing in AI results. Make sure you add alt text to these visuals for better contextualization.

Impact on Traffic and Strategy Adjustments

We've already covered how AI Overview will (and is) reduce the click-through rate to organic results, resulting in lesser traffic to your website. However, this doesn't mean doom for your SEO efforts. It simply means that you need to adjust your strategy and focus on ranking for AI Overview results.

Here's a step-by-step approach to how to do this:

Step 1: Perform an AI Overview Impact Analysis

In simple words, see how AI Overview has affected your website's traffic. Compare your traffic from now to that before May 2024, especially for pages that used to get a good amount of traffic from organic results.

You can use Semrush Organic Traffic Insights to get this data. It will show you all and new website visitors. Integrate Google Analytics with Semrush to get a more accurate picture.

Semrush Organic Traffic Insights

Step 2: Identify Non-Ranking Keywords

Next, make a list of keywords that rank in organic SERPs but not in the AI Overviews. You can find this information in the Semrush Position Tracking tool. In the SERP features drop-down menu, select AI Overview, and you'll see all keywords where your site shows up in AI Overviews.

AI Overviews in Semrush

You can compare these keywords with the ones that rank in organic SERPs and see which ones are missing.

Step 3: Prioritize Keywords

Now, you need to optimize your content for the keywords that don't rank in AI summaries. However, you can't start doing this for all keywords at random. Instead, you should prioritize the keywords to tackle based on how important they are for your business.

Look for keywords that:

• You cannot afford not ranking for
• Have a high traffic impact
• Have a high conversion potential

Step 4: Optimize Content for AI Overview

After selecting the keywords, start optimizing your content for them. Focus on making it more intent-driven. Instead of short-tail keywords, shift to their long-tail counterparts, especially questions. The Semrush Keyword Magic tool can help in this regard. It shows you long-tail keywords and questions for any seed keyword, along with how hard it is to rank for them and the search volume they get. 

It also shows you the user intent for every keyword, which is really important for today’s search engines. Create your content according to the intent specified by the tool. 

Keyword Magic Tool

A good example of this tool working wonders is Hepper, a pet furniture company, using it to find ‘’how to’’ queries. They used the Keyword Magic Tool to find over 100 article ideas and then created their content based on the user intent suggested by the tool. With their focus on long-tail keywords and how-to queries, Hepper was able to increase their organic traffic from just 150 people to 90,000 daily pageviews in just 24 months.

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

We recommend entering your domain to get AI-powered insights, such as Personal Keyword Difficulty percentage, which shows how hard it is for your domain to rank for a keyword. To start, go with keywords that have a lower PKD% for your domain so that you can rank for them.

Check your AI Overview ranking again using Semrush after optimizing your content. It may take some time for the changes to reflect in Google, so be patient. You'll need to try a few experimental strategies before you crack the code. But once you do, it'll be easy to replicate for optimizing other keywords in your content.

Leveraging Visual and Voice Search in AI-Driven SEO

Both visual and voice searches are becoming the go-to among search engine users, especially with Google Lens being so convenient. Users can simply ask the search engine a question or take/upload an image they want to get information about. 

Google has also introduced a new feature in Lens, which lets users upload a 20-second video. The platform’s AI assistant, Gemini, analyzes this video to answer user questions. 

Also, Google Lens is now available in Chrome. Users can click on the Lens icon and analyze anything on the screen without typing anything in the search. They can also ask more questions about the topic either by typing or through voice search. 

Wow. Google Lens in Chrome can now see and explain anything on your screen with AI.

Click on the icon and ask any question.

You can also easily access sources. pic.twitter.com/iDY2NqGwlM

— Paul Couvert (@itsPaulAi) October 11, 2024

We've already explained in our article on AI marketing that voice search optimization is also the need of the hour, mainly due to the ease of access that comes with letting Siri or Google Assistant do the searching for you.

How to Optimize for Visual Search

In the example above with the Medium visual in an AI Overview, we've made it clear that visuals are the way to go if you want to rank in AI-driven results. You can rank for images if not for textual content.

So, focus on modular content styles with images and videos that are related to the key concepts on your page. That's what Google's Multitask Unified Model (MUM), which is the new AI model for visual-based search, will favor, as we've covered in our AI marketing guide.

However, don't just put in random images; stock photos won't do at all. Infographics and images that provide value will complement your content the most. For example, in the search for ''what is mitochondria,'' the AI Overview shows a well-labeled image from a website that's not on the first page.

AI Overview

Why did it get chosen? It's extremely well-made. Plus, all parts of the mitochondria are labeled in the image. The image also has a rich description and title. That's what you need to do with your images, too. Add keywords to alt texts and descriptive captions so that the generative engine can understand their context. And don't forget to use structured data markup to indicate that your content contains images and videos.

How to Optimize for Voice Search

As for voice search optimization, you need to keep three main things in mind:

• Natural language usage
• Long-tail keywords
• Question-based queries

Simply put, mimic keywords that your audience is likely using to ask questions to Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. Think about conversational phrases and long-tail keywords that they're likely to use. Use the Semrush Keyword Magic Tool to get a better idea of the language your audience is using. You can even filter the keywords by questions to prioritize them.

Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

It also helps to add an FAQ section to your content. It should include questions that regular users ask about your topic, along with their answers. 

Creating AI-Friendly Content that Ranks

Today, if you want to rank higher on Google, you'll have to account for the search generative experience. In simple words, write content that AI finds valuable and user-centric enough to rank. Here are two main ways to achieve this feat.

Content Clusters and Semantic SEO

Since generative engines look for intent fulfillment rather than just keyword addition, you need your content to portray a clear structure. For example, if you're creating a guide on digital marketing, it should ideally cover every aspect of the topic that a user may want to learn about.

It helps to create topic clusters and link them to pillar pages. These pillars cover the broader topic and have clusters of secondary content that revolve around it. Then, you link them together with internal links to create a structure in your content. When AI algorithms scan your content, they can identify the relationships between different pieces of information and understand the context better.

What we've explained above can also be called semantic SEO. In this approach, you don't try to rank for just one keyword. Instead, you aim to answer a user's query by incorporating similar, relevant terms that can give the reader just the information they need.

If you're struggling to come up with topic clusters, you can use the Keyword Magic Tool to first find the semantic keywords for your content. Then, go to the Keyword Strategy Builder in Semrush.

It uses AI to understand which keywords go well together. Then, it categorizes these keywords together under the main topic and suggests different clusters.

Keyword Strategy Builder

How you use these clusters will depend on you. For example, each cluster can be a subpage of your content. If you're creating a blog post, each topic cluster can have its headings and relevant subheadings. You don't need to cram the keywords everywhere; instead, fit them organically into different parts of the content.

Answering Long-Tail Queries

An important part of Google search generative experience optimization is accounting for long-tail queries that now dominate user searches due to the increased use of voice commands. You can find the common questions around your seed keyword using the Questions tab in Semrush Keyword Magic Tool, as we've shown above.

However, simply using the question-based keyword in your content won't do. You'll also have to answer it with relevant information. Base your answer on the user intent, which is another factor you can see in the Keyword Magic Tool in front of every keyword.

For example, if a keyword has a transactional intent, don't just provide information but also include a call to action. Mention the features and specifications of the product or service you're discussing so that the reader is prompted to make a purchase. Similarly, if the intent is informational, don't use salesy or promotional language. Instead, offer sufficient information to the reader to help them move down the marketing funnel.

An interesting example of this is the search for the Agile methodology we ran earlier. For the query ''what is Agile methodology,'' Asana appears as the top source for the AI Overview.

AI Overview

However, if you change the query to ''how to use Agile methodology,'' Wrike takes the top spot. Interestingly, Asana isn't even listed as one of the 7 sources AI Overview has used despite it being the second result on the organic SERPs.

AI Overview

Who so? Because their content has been optimized to fit the intent behind the first query. So, even if it's keyword-rich and comprehensive, AI Overview won't likely select it for its results for the second query. Keep this in mind when creating your content for different intents. 

Optimizing Your SEO Strategy with Data-Driven Insights

Be it traditional or AI-driven search engines; you have to base your SEO decisions on data and now just random guesswork. Semrush is one of the best AI SEO tools for this purpose, especially since it now measures site performance in AI Overviews.

To start, we've discussed how you can use the Keyword Magic Tool. It shows you the user intent of your keyword along with semantic terms that you can use to further contextualize your content for AI search engines.

Don't limit yourself to it, though. Head over to the Keyword Overview tool to get more information about your keywords. Its AI algorithm tells you your site's topical authority for the keyword along with your Personal Keyword Difficulty.

Keyword Overview Tool

When you start optimizing for generative engines, opt for keywords with low PKD% since they will be easier to rank for, especially if your topical authority for them is already high. At the bottom of the Keyword Overview tool, you'll also see the top 100 pages currently ranking for your seed keyword. Take a look at their content to see what they're doing right.

Then, use the Keyword Strategy Builder, as we've shown above, to categorize these keywords into clusters based on their user intent. When you choose a topic, put it in the Semrush Topic Research tool to generate ideas on how to approach it. The tool takes data from the top-ranked articles on Google and shows you the angles your top competitors are taking.

Topic Overview Tool

After you've selected the content angle to take, start writing your content in the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant. It helps you optimize your content not only for traditional SEO but also for visual and voice searches.

For the former, it provides you with tips on image addition and alt-text optimization. Take note of the tool's suggestions and include images in your content accordingly.

SEO Writing Assistant Suggestions

For voice search, consult the SEO section in the writing assistant. It shows you keywords from the Keyword Magic Tool that you can use in your content to contextualize it for the user intent. As you use more keyword variations, it becomes easier for search engines to understand your content and rank it higher.

SEO Suggestions

Use Semrush to Monitor Visibility in AI Search Results

While you're making all these changes to your content, it's also important to check how they're affecting your AI Overview rankings. To do this, go over to the Domain Overview tool. In the SERP features section, hover over the graph to see how many keywords you rank in AI Overviews for. Check this graph regularly to see how your content optimization efforts are yielding results.

Domain Overview

You can also use the Organic Research tool to see how your visibility in AI Overviews and other SERP features has changed over time. It shows you a day-by-day analysis of your site's appearance in SERP features like AI Overviews, reviews, local guides, image packs, knowledge packs, and featured snippets.  

Organic Research

In the SERP features section, you'll see all the keywords that appear and don't appear in these features. Just click on any SERP feature to see a full list of the keywords. Go through the keyword pages you rank for and replicate their content structuring and strategies in the keyword pages that don't rank in SERP features.

SERP Features

How a Data-Driven, Intent-Centric SEO Strategy Delivers Results

You can have ChatGPT sorting keywords for your content or even write an article from scratch. However, what you need is data, which comes from a paid tool like Semrush.

Wix, the popular website builder, proves this point by getting 7,000+ clicks on their how-to articles using Semrush. How-to topics are great for ranking in conversational queries, and they are now popular due to voice searches in AI search engines.

However, without confirming the user intent behind these queries, Wix couldn't quite satisfy its audience. So, the brand used the Semrush Keyword Overview to find potential keywords and their intent.

Semrush Case Study

Once they started content creation, they wanted to ensure their keywords ranked for their desired intent. They used the Position Tracking tool to monitor their SERP rankings.

To further make sure they appear above their competitors, Wix used the Semrush Keyword Gap tool, which helped them find keywords their competitors weren't using. They filtered the results by ''how-to'' queries to find new ideas they could focus on. 

Competitor Analysis by Wix 

Their strategy of using a data-driven tool to first identify intent for long-tail keywords and then monitor the content's performance over time helped them generate a lot of impressions and clicks. 

Measuring Success in an AI-Powered Search Landscape

The 2024 Google core update has made it pretty clear that Google doesn't want scaled, spammy content. What the search engine wants is for your content to be highly valuable to its users. On top of that, AI-powered search has made this even more important.

As you're making changes to your SEO strategy and content, you should also analyze if what you're doing is actually working. The metrics for AI-powered search are the same as traditional SEO, such as click-through rate, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions. However, instead of measuring them within organic SERPs, you have to monitor them in AI Overviews.

We've explained above how Semrush now lets you monitor your keywords' appearances in AI Overviews. With the Organic Research tool, you can monitor these changes in real-time, not just for the AI Overview section but also for other sections like the image pack and featured snippets.

Semrush Organic Research

Take note of how the number of keywords your site appears for in these sections increases or decreases. Connect your Google Analytics and Search Console to Semrush so that you can then keep an eye on the traffic and click-through rates associated with these keywords.

When you continuously monitor these metrics, you'll be able to see which of your content strategies are working. Then, create an experimental AI search content strategy for your particular website and niche. Based on this personalized strategy, you can optimize all major keywords on your website for generative engines.

Get Chosen by AI Overviews

Ever since AI Overviews launched, every website has wanted to be the ''chosen one.'' But to get there, you need some serious optimization efforts. From using long-tail and conversational keywords in your content to writing intent-centric content, the SEO strategies of the past need to be adapted to suit the AI-powered search.

Similarly, your content should be modular rather than linear. This means don't limit yourself to text content that follows a traditional format. Incorporate images, charts, videos, infographics, and interactive elements to give more context to your content.

Most importantly, keep a close eye on how every change you make to your strategy impacts your site's visibility in AI search results. Since this space is still new, most professionals are in the experimental phase. The more you measure and analyze, the sooner you can perfect your AI optimization strategy. 

About the Author

Djanan Kasumovic

Writer

Djanan Kasumovic, Head of Growth at Influencer Marketing Hub, drives innovation in digital marketing with expertise in AI marketing and AI influencer strategies. He is directly involved in shaping content strategies for top clients like Viral Nation, NeoReach, Brandwatch, and more, blending creative flair with data-driven insights to ensure people not only enjoy the content but leave a little smarter.