Have you seen a section at the top of a Google search like this before?

This is a featured snippet. They often show for what is / if / how search.

A featured snippet is a concise answer displayed at the top of Google search results designed to answer a question without having to click to a site.

• Location: Appears above the other organic search results.

• Content Types: Can include paragraphs, lists, tables, or videos.

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Featured snippets typically achieve a higher CTR than standard results, often leading to increased visitors.

Blog posts are ideal for Featured Snippets:

• Structured Content: Blogs can be formatted with headings, lists, and clear answers, making them more likely to be selected for snippets.

• Answer the Question: Targeting specific / niche questions and keywords in blog content can increase chances of being featured.

It’s not exclusively blog posts, a well structured page can be surfaced as a featured snippet but the format of a blog post such as a check list or structured list like a how to guide tend to work well.

The introduction of AI summaries may change how content is optimised for search engines, as the focus could shift from traditional snippets to ensuring content is relevant for AI-generated responses.

A Google AI Overview is a generative AI feature in Google Search that provides a concise, AI-generated summary at the top of search results with links to multiple corroborating sources. You might have seen something like this:

In this case the sources are both .uk sites. Google doesn’t consistently assume location as part of the AI summary but you can force that by adding a country name. I expect the search intent and location focus will improve in time.

This is a huge amount of content added to the search results page and once you click the show more button it easily fills a typical size computer screen; pushing the usual organic search results beyond the fold and out of sight. This is still a Google experiment as of the time this was written, 22nd Nov 2024 so it could change by the time you read this. Another example

However if there are Pay Per Click ads that Google decides to show they are likely to appear above the AI Overview.

If you don’t see AI Overviews try logging as an @gmail personal google account. It’s not shown to Google Business / Education users yet.

It’s not just Google that can surface your web pages and posts though, the underlying AI models be they Chat GPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini or any other will potentially be indexing and citing your website.

Here’s an example where a blog we wrote for Amazing Roof Restorations in June 2022 has been citied when the Perplexity AI (it’s like ChatGPT but arguably better) was researching some queries I had about roofing services in Newcastle.

The blog wasn’t written with the intention of it showing up in Perplexity. In fact the blog post was written two months before Perplexity was founded and if we went back and re-optimised it we would certain be improving and updating the contents to give more facts, figures and engaging content.

When the blog post from Amazing Roof Restoration ends up in Perplexity AI's knowledge base this can benefit the business:

• Enhanced visibility: When users ask Perplexity AI questions about roofing or weather impacts on roofs, the blog post content may be cited, increasing the visibility of Amazing Roof Restoration's website.
  

• Establishing authority: Being cited by an AI tool like Perplexity can help position the business as an authoritative source on roofing topics, potentially improving their reputation and credibility.
  

• Increased organic traffic: As Perplexity AI users encounter citations from the blog post, they may be more likely to visit the Amazing Roof Restoration website, potentially increasing organic traffic.
  

• Improved local SEO: The blog post's mention of specific weather conditions in Newcastle could help strengthen the business's local SEO efforts when Perplexity AI responds to location-specific queries.
  

• Indirect link building: While Perplexity AI doesn't provide direct backlinks, being cited could lead to increased exposure and potentially more backlinks from other sources.
  

• Data analysis insights: Perplexity AI's analysis of the blog post content could provide valuable insights into customer interests and concerns, helping the business tailor their services and marketing strategies.
  

• Competitive advantage: Having content cited by Perplexity AI could give Amazing Roof Restoration an edge over competitors who aren't as well-represented in AI-powered search results.
  

These benefits are similar to those had by the blog post surfacing in the traditional search results, whether its Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo or the new generation of ‘AI search engines’ like SearchGPT or Perplexity.

Whichever way you look at it, having pages/posts on your website increases the opportunities to be surfaced in search results and AI.

AI overview optimisation focuses on creating high-quality, authoritative content that addresses user queries to increase visibility in AI-generated search:.

• Prioritise topic-based content over keyword-focused strategies

• Structure content with clear, concise answers to common questions

• Implement structured data and citations from reputable sources

• Optimise for natural language and conversational queries

If you would like help writing optimised pages or posts for your website feel free to reach out and we can chat about your goals in 2025.

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Thank you Mark!

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