AI Overview (originally Search Generative Experience / SGE) is Google's AI-generated answer block that appears above the organic results on many SERPs. It synthesises information from several sources and cites those sources as small link cards.
What it does to clicks
AI Overview suppresses organic CTR. The typical multiplier is ~0.6-0.7× baseline organic CTR — meaning a 30-40% drop in clicks even at the same ranking position. The exact suppression varies by query type:
- Informational queries with AI Overview: heavy suppression, often ≥40%
- Commercial-intent queries: lighter suppression
- Branded queries: minimal AI Overview presence, minimal suppression
Use our CTR Predictor to model the impact for your own positions.
How sources are selected
There's no published algorithm, but observed patterns from a year of citation analysis:
- Classic SEO matters first. Cited URLs are almost always already ranking organically on page 1-3.
- Within the candidate pool, AI Overview re-ranks by extractability. Pages with clear answer-first paragraphs, structured Q&A, and concrete data points cite more often than pages with the same information in flowing prose.
- Authority signals still apply. Domain age, citation count, and known-publisher status are heavy inputs.
How to be cited
- Open each section with a direct answer in 1-2 sentences, then evidence.
- Replace "many" / "often" with specific numbers and named sources.
- Use Q&A structure where natural — H2s as questions, first paragraph as answer.
- Add
ArticleandFAQPageJSON-LD so the model has parseable structure.
See our deep dive on what makes content quotable by AI.
What we don't know
AI Overview ranks frequently and visibly shifts. Today's citation patterns may not be tomorrow's. The safe long-term bet is specific, original, well-sourced content — that's worked for every algorithm change and will probably keep working.