Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) was its first experiment with putting AI-written answers at the top of search results. It has since grown up and been renamed: those answers are now called AI Overviews and appear on many everyday searches in the UK. Google has also added AI Mode, a separate chat-style search where people can ask follow-up questions and get a longer AI-generated answer with links to sources.
For businesses, this changes how people find you. Some searches are now answered on the results page, so fewer people click through for simple questions. But AI Overviews and AI Mode still draw their answers from websites, and they link to the sources they use. The businesses that get mentioned are generally those with clear, trustworthy, genuinely helpful content and a strong presence across the web.
The good news is that this rewards the same fundamentals good SEO always has. This guide explains how AI search works, what it means for your traffic and what to do about it.
From SGE to AI Overviews and AI Mode
SGE started as an opt-in trial in Google’s Search Labs. Google then rolled the feature out more widely as AI Overviews, a short AI-generated summary shown above the usual results for certain searches, with links to the pages it draws on.
AI Mode goes further. It is a dedicated tab where searchers can ask longer, more complicated questions, compare options and keep the conversation going. Behind the scenes it breaks a question into several smaller searches and pulls together information from many pages.
Alongside Google, many people now use AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity to research products and services. Optimising for all of these is often called generative engine optimisation (GEO). Our guide to generative engine optimisation for UK businesses goes into more detail.
What AI search means for your website
Fewer clicks on simple questions
If someone wants a quick definition or a simple fact, the AI answer may be all they need. Informational blog posts that only answer basic questions are most likely to see fewer visits.
Better-qualified visitors
People who do click through after reading an AI summary have often already done their research. They tend to arrive with clearer intent, ready to compare, enquire or buy.
Being cited matters as much as ranking
Appearing as a linked source in an AI Overview puts your brand in front of searchers even when they do not click. Being mentioned, recommended and trusted across the web becomes part of visibility, not just your position in the blue links.
Local and commercial searches still lead to websites
When people are choosing a local tradesperson, a solicitor or a product to buy, they still want to check reviews, see prices and contact someone. Google Business Profile, reviews and strong service pages remain essential.
How to optimise for AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google has said there is no special trick to appear in its AI features: the same SEO best practices apply. In practice, these steps make the biggest difference.
Make sure your pages can be found and indexed
A page must be indexed and eligible to appear in normal search results before it can be used in an AI answer. Technical health, clean site structure and good internal linking come first.
Answer questions clearly and early
- Use headings that match the questions customers ask.
- Give a short, direct answer straight under each heading, then add detail.
- Use lists and steps where they make information easier to follow.
- Add an FAQ section covering the questions you hear every week.
This style also helps you win featured snippets.
Show real experience and expertise
AI tools favour sources that look reliable. Show who is behind the content, include your own insight and practical detail that a generic article could not offer, keep facts accurate and update pages when things change. Google’s guidance on experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust (E-E-A-T) is a useful checklist.
Cover topics in depth
Because AI Mode breaks a question into several related searches, sites that cover a topic thoroughly, across a group of well-linked pages, have more chances to be used. Think about the follow-up questions a customer would ask and answer those too.
Use structured data
Schema markup for your organisation, local business details, services, products, articles and FAQs helps search engines and AI tools understand exactly what your business does.
Build your reputation beyond your website
AI answers often reflect what the wider web says about you. Keep your Google Business Profile complete, collect genuine reviews, make sure your details are consistent across directories, and earn mentions on relevant industry and local sites.
How to measure AI search visibility
Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in your Google Search Console Performance report alongside normal search traffic, rather than shown separately. Useful signals to watch include:
- Impressions rising while clicks stay flat, which can indicate more answers being shown on the results page.
- Enquiries and conversions in GA4, which matter more than raw traffic.
- Whether your brand appears when you ask AI tools about your services and area.
- Growth in branded searches for your business name.
FAQs
Is SGE still a thing?
Not by that name. SGE was the trial version. It became AI Overviews, and Google has since added AI Mode for longer, conversational searches.
Can I opt out of AI Overviews?
Controls such as nosnippet can limit how your content is shown, but they also restrict normal snippets. For most businesses, being visible is the better choice.
Is SEO dead because of AI search?
No. AI answers are built from web pages, and Google says its usual SEO best practices still apply. What has changed is the need for clearer, more trustworthy content.
Should I use AI to write my website content?
AI can help with drafts, but content needs your real expertise, checking and editing. Generic, unchecked AI text rarely stands out or earns trust.
Get ready for AI search
Pure Marketing is a Google Partner agency in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. We help UK businesses stay visible in Google, AI Overviews and AI assistants with content, technical SEO and reputation work built for how people search now. Find out more about our AI search optimisation and GEO services, or get in touch to talk through your options.
