Google AI Overview: What the new function means for your online presence

The introduction of AI Overviews in Germany at the end of March 2025 has fundamentally changed the search landscape on Google. For website operators and SEO managers, this presents new challenges and a variety of strategic considerations.

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Katrin Kratz
May 26, 2025
December 30, 2025

What are Google AI Overviews?

Google AI Overview is an AI-supported function that summarizes information from various websites and displays it directly above the search results. Instead of just offering links to relevant pages, Google now presents a compact summary of the most important information about a search query. A decisive factor here is that the AI overviews generated are not only determined by the wording of the search query, but also by a variety of personal context factors. Previous search queries as well as device characteristics, location and information from other apps all influence the result.

The function is based on Google's Gemini AI model, which has been specially optimized for internet searches and is able to understand and process text, images and other media formats. In other countries such as the USA and the UK, the function has already been available in parts since May 2024. In EU countries such as Germany and Austria, it was only rolled out in March 2025. This was due to stricter data protection regulations, which forced Google to make the necessary adjustments before the AI function could also be put into operation here.

What can already be observed: Effects on traffic and user behavior

Although we are still in the early stages, the first data since its introduction in Germany already shows a clear impact on user behavior and website traffic. At the same time, not all sectors are equally affected: An analysis of 2800 keywords with delivered AI Overviews shows a clear focus - medical and health-related topics dominate with a share of 30 to 35 percent, followed by knowledge and definition queries, which account for around 20 to 25 percent of cases (as of May 2025, GPT Insights).

What is striking here is that while the websites remain present in the search results, the number of clicks drops drastically. Users receive their answers directly from the AI overview and visit the actual websites much less frequently. This development poses a serious challenge, especially for traffic-based business models and industries that rely on the provision of information.

Content strategies for website operators

How can you ensure that your content is found and used by AI systems? We are only at the beginning of this development and no one can say for sure which direction it will take. However, based on current observations, we can make a few recommendations on how strategic content creation can help to ensure that AI is taken into account when presenting information.

Direct formulations and thematic completeness

In particular, the difference between explicit and implicit statements will become increasingly important in the creation process. Direct formulations are more easily processed by AI systems than vague hints. For website operators, this means Check your content for clarity and unambiguity in order to be successful in AI-driven searches - don't just be understandable, but also quotable.

Thematic completeness is becoming increasingly important: AI systems prefer sources that cover a topic comprehensively. Therefore, create content that covers all relevant facets, sub-questions and perspectives on your specialist area. This holistic coverage increases the likelihood that the AI will access your content for various aspects of a search query.

At the same time, it can be observed that the AI filters out information that is considered relevant according to its evaluation mechanisms. Since it is oriented towards what is most is said and cannot evaluate what is most most trustworthy there is a possibility that the approach to content creation will have to be fundamentally rethought in order to be recognized by the AI as a relevant source.

Structured content for better AI recognition

However, you should also bear in mind that AI models often break down complex queries into several sub-questions and look for the best answer for each one. A comprehensive, well-structured article with different subtopics and a sensible headline structure can therefore be used multiple times as a source - with different paragraphs for different aspects of the same search query. The most important core statements should always be placed at the beginning of the paragraph.

Lists and enumerations are also particularly valuable here: AI systems prefer structured information such as numbered steps, bullet point lists or comparison tables. Step-by-step instructions or a table with advantages and disadvantages can be transferred directly into AI answers.

Natural language and conversational closeness

A decisive factor for AI optimization is the use of natural, conversational language. AI models are trained for human communication and prefer content that reads like a conversation. Therefore, avoid overly stiff or technical wording.

Use rhetorical questions and answer them directly - exactly the way users interact with AI systems. Structural signals such as "In summary, this means:" or "The most important points are:" help artificial intelligence to understand and extract relevant information.

To summarize:

In summary, this means that you should consider the following aspects in order to be taken into account by the AI in the search queries:

Use explicit formulationsDirect, clear statements instead of vague hints

Complete coverage of topics

Structure content sensibly: Subheadings, lists and tables for better extractability

Conversational writingNatural language with rhetorical questions and structural signals

Put important information firstPlace key statements at the beginning of paragraphs

Ads and AI Overview: Current positioning and future prospects

In addition to organic placements, AI Overview also presents advertisers with new challenges. Google predominantly places ads below, but sometimes also above the AI overviews - with significant CTR losses. In future, the question will be: will there be paid placements within AI Overviews? At the same time, we need to re-evaluate relevant KPIs - while traditional click-through rates are decreasing, new metrics such as presence in AI overviews could become more important.

Advertisers must also be prepared for the fact that the data analysis of their advertising campaigns will become much more difficult: Data from the previous year or other benchmarks are only of limited use as relevant reference values. New approaches must therefore be developed in order to compare and evaluate the performance of individual advertising measures.

Technical requirements for AI visibility

A solid technical basis remains essential: continue to pay attention to optimal loading times and clean code. If AI systems compile passages from various sources in a fraction of a second, they are more likely to skip slow or difficult-to-access pages. A fast, well-structured website increases the likelihood that it will be captured by AI crawlers and read in real time.

Also consider using your own AI tools: Small chatbots on your website not only offer added value for visitors, but also provide valuable data on frequently asked questions. In turn, you can use these insights in content creation to target your content to typical user queries.

What you should do now: Our recommendations for action

In view of the dynamic development in the search engine environment, strategic planning is essential. Ensure maximum agility in your digital strategy - the ability to rethink quickly becomes a critical success factor.

To be taken into account by the AI, this means in concrete terms:

Implement content strategiesUse direct formulations, structure content with lists and meaningful headings and write close to the conversation
Customize the evaluation of your adsRethink your KPIs and prepare for changing traffic patterns
Optimize the technical basis: Improve load times, implement clean code and consider using your own AI tools

And don't forget: this transformation doesn't just affect you. No one can say for sure how the digital landscape will change as a result of the further development of AI. As your partner in digital marketing, we are constantly monitoring developments around Google AI Overview, testing approaches and integrating the latest findings directly into our action planning. We understand the challenges posed by these changes and are happy to advise you in order to jointly develop the optimal strategy for your individual use case.