What Should I Do To Get My Website into Google’s AI Overviews?

With the rise of Google’s AI Overviews, many website owners and SEOs are wondering if they need to change how they optimize content. Should you start learning something new like GEO or LLMO? The good news is you probably do not need to.

Google Confirms: Normal SEO Still Works

At the recent Google Search Live Deep Dive event, Gary Illyes from Google cleared up the confusion. He stated that there’s no special trick or extra optimization needed to appear in AI Overviews. Just focus on the fundamentals of SEO.

As quoted by Kenichi Suzuki, who attended the event:

“To get your content to appear in AI Overview, simply use normal SEO practices. You don’t need GEO, LLMO, or anything else.”

This statement was also supported by SEO expert Glenn Gabe on X (formerly Twitter), who said, “Yes, this is obvious for many, but glad he decided to say it.” It is a solid confirmation that SEO best practices remain relevant even in an AI first search world.

What Is “Normal SEO” in This Context?

By “normal SEO,” Google refers to the core practices that have always mattered, such as:

When Google says that “normal SEO” is enough to appear in AI Overviews, they’re talking about the core SEO practices that have always been important. There’s no secret formula or new set of rules. Instead, it’s about sticking to the basics that help search engines understand, rank, and deliver your content to users.

Creating Helpful, User-Focused Content

Even in the age of AI-generated results, content quality remains the foundation of SEO. Google’s systems prioritize content that demonstrates real value to users. As an expert, you should aim to move beyond keyword-stuffing and craft content that educates, solves problems, and aligns with the user’s stage in the funnel.

In practical terms, this means:

• Conducting topic and question research to understand what your audience truly wants.
• Creating in-depth, actionable, and accurate content that reflects subject matter expertise.
• Keeping content up to date and aligned with evolving search trends or user behaviors.

AI Overviews pull from trusted, high-value content — so ensure yours is optimized for people first, not just search engines.

Using Clear Headings and Structured Formatting

Content structure directly influences how both users and search engines interpret your page. For AI Overviews, clear hierarchies and logical formatting increase the chances of your content being parsed and extracted accurately.

SEO professionals should:

• Use semantic HTML (H1, H2, H3) to organize information clearly.
• Break down long-form content with bullet points, lists, tables, and FAQ-style sections.
• Add schema markup where relevant (e.g., How-To, Article, FAQ) to enhance content comprehension for crawlers.

Well-structured content not only improves readability but also increases your visibility in AI summaries, featured snippets, and People Also Ask results.

Writing with Search Intent in Mind

Understanding user intent is essential in today’s SEO landscape. It directly affects how your content ranks, how users interact with it, and whether it appears in AI-generated results. As an SEO expert, your job is to identify what users are really looking for, whether they want information, are comparing options, or are ready to take action. Aligning your content with that intent is key to driving both visibility and results.

Expert SEOs should:

• Segment content strategies based on intent types across the buyer’s journey.
• Use SERP analysis to guide tone, format, and content depth.
• Map content to intent-driven keywords and ensure each page satisfies a clear purpose.

Content that aligns with intent tends to rank better, attract clicks, and now plays a stronger role in AI driven summaries.

Ensuring Your Website Is Technically Sound

Strong technical SEO is the invisible backbone of organic performance. It enables Googlebot and AI systems to access, interpret, and trust your site’s content efficiently. For AI Overviews, a technically optimized website ensures that your content is crawlable and easily extractable.

Key areas to monitor include:

• Site speed and Core Web Vitals performance
• Mobile usability and responsive design
• Clean URL structure, canonicalization, and crawl budget optimization
• XML sitemaps and structured data implementation

An expert SEO should regularly audit for technical errors and align the site architecture with both user experience and crawl accessibility standards.

Earning Backlinks Naturally

Backlinks remain a powerful trust signal, not just for rankings but for inclusion in AI features where authoritativeness is essential. Google and its AI systems favor content that is cited across the web, especially by trusted domains.

To build natural links at scale:

• Invest in original research, thought leadership, or comprehensive guides that others reference
• Conduct digital PR campaigns targeting niche publications, bloggers, or trade platforms
• Build partnerships and contribute to industry roundups or expert commentaries

The quality and relevance of your backlinks signal expertise, trust, and credibility, all critical components in an AI powered search environment.

If your content is already ranking well in traditional search, it’s also eligible to appear in AI-generated summaries.

So, Should You Do Anything Different?

The short answer is no, at least not just to get into AI Overviews. There is no need to chase buzzwords like GEO or LLMO. Instead, keep improving your existing SEO efforts and stay focused on delivering high quality, trustworthy content.

That said, tracking how AI Overviews impact your traffic and visibility is important. While showing up in these summaries can boost authority, they may not always lead to direct clicks, and that is something to keep an eye on.

Final Thoughts

If you are already doing solid SEO, you are on the right track. Google’s AI Overviews are just another way your content can reach users without needing a brand new strategy.

So, skip the hype. Keep creating content that answers real questions, adds value, and follows good SEO principles. That is still the best way forward, AI or not.