What is AIO?
AIO (AI optimisation) is a new strategic approach in digital marketing and search engine optimisation, designed specifically so that your website performs well in Google’s AI Overview. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking high in the list of search results (SERP), AIO is the strategy for being chosen by Google AI to be cited, summarised or recommended within the answers AI generates.
Google is changing how it displays search results. Rather than only listing links and titles, Google now uses AI (specifically Gemini) to produce summarised answers, known as AI Overview (previously known as SGE – Search Generative Experience). That means you do not only need to appear on the results page – you need Google’s AI to choose you to cite and display within its answer.
What is AI Overview?
AI Overview is a new Google Search feature in which the search engine uses a large language model (LLM) to produce a synthesised answer summarised from many different sources on the web. Rather than the user having to click each link to find an answer, they can now see a summary immediately at the top of the results page.
For example, if someone searches for "How to optimise website speed", AI Overview will produce a summarised answer based on articles from various reputable websites, and will list those sources below the answer. If your website is chosen to be cited within that answer, you will receive traffic from users interested in that topic.
Why does AIO matter more than ever?
The change in search behaviour
Google is changing the way users search for information. Rather than clicking a link and reading the whole article, they can now get an answer from AI Overview. That means if your website is not chosen by AI to be cited, you will lose a considerable amount of traffic.
Organic traffic may fall
According to recent research, AI Overview can reduce organic traffic to websites because users find the answer without needing to click a link. To make up for it, you need to ensure your website is chosen to be cited in AI Overview – which will bring high-quality traffic from users who have seen your name mentioned by Google AI.
Authority and credibility
Being chosen for citation in AI Overview is a strong signal of a website’s authority and reliability. Google AI does not choose at random – it selects sources with evidence that they are trustworthy, accurate and useful.
The AIO strategy: how to optimise for AI Overview
1. Write high-quality, comprehensive content
AI needs detailed, accurate, complete content to cite. Rather than writing short articles, create long, comprehensive pieces (pillar content) that deal with a topic completely from every angle. Your content needs to provide genuinely valuable information, not just short phrases AI can take away.
2. Focus on authenticity and reliability
Google AI favours content from expert authors, reputable organisations or people with qualifications or experience in the field. Build your E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). If you write about health, make it clear the author is a doctor or a medical expert. If you write about law, make it clear the author is a lawyer.
3. Structure the content clearly
AI understands more easily when content is clearly structured with headings (H1, H2, H3), short paragraphs, lists, tables and visual elements. This structure not only helps AI understand the content but helps users scan it and find the information they need.
4. Use schema markup (structured data)
Schema markup helps Google (and AI) understand better what kind of content you are providing. If you write a how-to article, use HowTo schema. If you write about a product, use Product schema. This structured data makes it easier for AI to cite information from your website.
5. Answer specific questions
AI Overview is often triggered by specific questions (for example: "How do I...?", "Why...?", "Compare...?"). Identify the questions your customers are asking and write detailed content answering them. Your content will then have a better chance of being chosen in AI Overview.
6. Optimise for the featured snippet
The featured snippet (the highlighted passage) was the way to be cited before AI Overview existed, and it still matters a great deal. If you appear in the featured snippet, you have a better chance of being chosen in AI Overview afterwards. Optimise your content for the featured snippet by providing clear definitions, lists, tables or short answers to common questions.
7. Build quality backlinks
Although AI Overview is a new feature, backlinks still matter to Google. Backlinks from reputable websites tell Google your website is trustworthy, which will help AI choose you for citation.
8. Update the content regularly
AI favours content that is new or has been updated recently. Make sure you update your older articles with the latest information, add new findings, or adjust the parts that are no longer accurate. A website that keeps its content updated will get more attention from AI.
AIO vs SEO: the difference
SEO focuses on ranking high in the traditional SERP (search engine results page) – those lists of links. AIO focuses on being chosen by AI for citation in AI Overview. Both matter, but the AIO strategy is necessary in order to adapt to the change in Google Search.
Put another way, SEO helps you be seen; AIO helps you be trusted by AI.
The future of search
As AI Overview becomes more widespread, the way we optimise for search will change. Websites will need to balance ranking high in the traditional SERP against being chosen for citation by AI. The companies that understand this change early will have a large competitive advantage.
Conclusion
AIO (AI optimisation) is not a replacement for SEO but a complement to it. As Google keeps integrating AI into the search results, optimising your content for both traditional SEO and AI Overview will become necessary in order to maintain and grow organic traffic.
Start today by creating high-quality, comprehensive and trustworthy content. Use schema markup, structure the content clearly, and answer your customers’ specific questions. As Google’s AI Overview develops, your website will be ready to be seen and cited.
