If you’ve seen your website traffic dip even though your rankings look “fine,” you’re not alone. Google’s AI Overviews are reshaping how people search, how they click, and which businesses they find first.
This guide explains what AI Overviews are, why they push traditional organic results down, and how small businesses can still win with smart content, schema, and long-tail search strategies.
Google AI Overviews are AI-generated answer boxes that often appear at the very top of search results. They pull information from multiple websites and summarize answers for the user, which means even high-ranking pages can get fewer clicks.
SEO is not dead—but it is different. To stay visible, small businesses need:
- Clear, Q&A style content that directly answers real customer questions
- Strong page structure (headings, short sections, and FAQs)
- Schema markup so search engines and AI tools can understand and trust your content
- A focus on long-tail, high-intent keywords that real buyers use when they’re ready to act
What Are Google AI Overviews?
AI Overviews are AI-written summaries that show at the top of some Google search results.
They typically:
- Combine information from several web pages
- Present a single, conversational answer to the user’s question
- Include a few source links underneath the summary
From a user’s perspective, this feels like: “Ask a question, get the answer instantly.”
From a business perspective, it can feel like: “Google answered the question using content like mine—without sending as many clicks.”
How Are AI Overviews Changing Traditional SEO?
The biggest change is placement.
When an AI Overview appears, it usually sits above:
- The traditional blue organic links
- Featured snippets
- “People Also Ask” boxes
- Sometimes even above some ads
That means your #1 organic result might be several scrolls down on mobile. Even if you keep your rankings, your click-through rate (CTR) can drop because:
- Users often get a quick answer from the AI summary
- Only a portion of users scroll past the Overview and click through
- The “prime real estate” at the top of the page now belongs to AI Overviews
In other words: rankings still matter, but they don’t guarantee the same volume of traffic they used to.
Is SEO Dead Because of AI Overviews?
No—SEO is not dead. But the game has changed.
AI Overviews mostly impact informational queries (“what is…,” “how to…,” “why does…”) where users are seeking quick answers. They don’t replace:
- Local map results and Google Business Profile listings
- Branded searches (when people look for your business by name)
- High-intent, very specific queries that require deeper information
What’s really happening is this:
- Some top-of-funnel, informational traffic is being handled inside the AI Overview
- Businesses that produce clear, trustworthy content are still being cited as sources
- Small businesses that adapt their content to this reality are still winning leads
The goal now is not just to rank—it’s to become the resource AI wants to quote and to double down on the traffic that actually drives phone calls, form fills, and orders.
How Can Small Businesses Still Win with SEO in the Age of AI Overviews?
You don’t need a total reset. You need a smarter, more focused approach.
Aim to Be Cited in AI Overviews
Even when users don’t click right away, being cited in an AI Overview:
- Builds brand awareness
- Builds authority and trust
- Still sends traffic from people who want to “dig deeper”
To increase your chances of being cited:
- Put a clear, direct answer near the top of the page for each main question
- Use headings that mirror how people search, such as:
- “How much does [service] cost in [city]?”
- “What is [specific process] and how does it work?”
- Add FAQ sections to your most important pages, with short answers followed by more detail
Think of each page as: Question → Short Answer → Deeper Explanation → FAQs → Call to Action
Double Down on Long-Tail, High-Intent Queries
AI Overviews are most aggressive on broad, generic queries like “what is SEO” or “what is a garage door opener.”
Small businesses, however, make money from specific, high-intent searches, such as:
- “same day garage door repair near me”
- “CNC machining company in Glendale Heights for automotive parts”
- “3PL that integrates with ShipHero for DTC brands”
These queries are:
- Less likely to be fully answered inside an AI box
- More likely to represent someone who is ready to contact a real company
Build content around:
- “[Service] in [city/region]”
- “How much does [service] cost in [year]?”
- “How to choose a [service provider] in [industry/area]”
- “[Service] for [specific type of customer]”
This is where your qualified leads live.
Use Schema Markup So AI Understands Your Content
Schema is structured data that helps search engines understand what your page is about. It’s not visible to users, but it’s very helpful for AI systems.
For small businesses, some of the most useful schema types include:
- Organization / LocalBusiness – who you are and where you operate
- Service – what you offer
- Article / BlogPosting – for educational content and blogs
- FAQPage – for question-and-answer sections
You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with:
- Your homepage – LocalBusiness schema
- Your main service pages – Service + FAQPage schema
- Your best blog posts – Article + FAQPage schema
This makes your content easier for AI to understand, easier to trust, and more likely to be pulled into things like AI Overviews.
Make Your Content AI-Friendly and Human-Friendly
Good content in 2025 follows a few simple rules:
- One main topic or question per page
- Short paragraphs (2–4 sentences) to avoid “wall of text” syndrome
- Clear H2/H3 headings that look like questions and phrases people actually search
- Bulleted and numbered lists where they improve readability
- Examples and specifics so your content feels grounded and real
If a busy, non-technical business owner can skim a page and understand it quickly, it’s also easier for AI to parse and summarize.
Protect the Traffic You Can Control
AI Overviews mostly affect organic search traffic. You can reduce your risk by building up channels you own and control:
- Email list – capture visitors with simple offers, guides, or “request a quote” forms
- Social media and YouTube – show proof of work, before/after projects, and behind-the-scenes content
- Branded search – make your business name memorable so people search for you, not just “best [service] near me”
The more people look specifically for your brand, the less dependent you are on any one Google feature.
What Should Small Businesses Do About AI Overviews Right Now?
Here’s a realistic, quarter-by-quarter action plan:
- List 5–10 key questions your best customers ask all the time.
- Create or update one strong page or blog post for each question.
- On each page, add:
- A short, clear answer near the top
- Descriptive headings that match search behavior
- A short FAQ section at the bottom
- Add FAQ schema to those pages.
- Watch your data in Google Search Console to see which queries show more impressions than clicks.
- Start building at least one additional channel (email, social, video) to support your SEO.
Do this consistently, and you’ll be ahead of most of your competitors who are still pretending nothing has changed.
Common Questions About Google AI Overviews and SEO
Can I turn AI Overviews off for my site?
No, you can’t disable AI Overviews for your site.
You can control whether Google crawls and indexes your pages, but there’s no setting to “opt out” of AI Overviews specifically.
Instead of fighting them, focus on:
- Publishing clear, helpful content that answers real questions
- Using structure and schema so your site has a better chance of being cited as a source
How do I know if my site is being used in AI Overviews?
The simplest way is to:
- Make a list of your most important keywords and questions.
- Search them in an incognito window or another browser.
- If an AI Overview appears, look for your domain in the list of sources.
You can also watch for patterns in Google Search Console where:
- Impressions go up, but
- Clicks flatten or drop
That can be a sign that Google is serving more AI or rich results for those queries.
Should I change my SEO strategy because of AI Overviews?
You probably don’t need to throw everything out and start over.
But you should refresh your approach:
- Keep investing in helpful, high-quality content
- Shift some of your effort toward niche, high-intent, and local queries
- Add FAQ sections and schema to your strongest pages
- Build up other channels (email, social, branded search) so you’re not 100% dependent on Google’s layout changes
Think evolution, not revolution.
Can AI Overviews get things wrong about my business?
Yes, AI Overviews can sometimes misinterpret or oversimplify information.
You can reduce the risk by:
- Keeping your website and Google Business Profile accurate and up to date
- Publishing clear, authoritative content about your services, pricing ranges, and process
- Monitoring brand + service searches and flagging issues if you see something misleading
The clearer and more consistent your information is across the web, the easier it is for AI systems to represent you correctly.
Need Help Navigating AI Overviews and the “New SEO”?
If you’re busy running your business, you don’t have time to reverse-engineer every Google update and AI experiment.
That’s where a partner like DJD Marketing comes in.
We can help you:
- Review how AI Overviews and other search changes are affecting your site
- Identify the questions and pages that matter most for your leads and sales
- Restructure your content with clear Q&A sections, strong headings, and schema markup
- Build a simple, sustainable SEO and content roadmap tailored to your industry and location
👉 Ready to see where you stand?
Reach out to DJD Marketing for a practical, no-jargon review of your SEO and a step-by-step plan to keep your business visible—in Google, in AI Overviews, and everywhere your customers are searching.