A while ago, the way to get visibility on Google was to optimize your site and content in a way that it would rank high on Search Engine Results Pages(SERPs). The higher your ranking, the higher your visibility.

Times are changing, and things aren’t working that way anymore.

Google has now introduced an AI Overview that appears above search results and answers questions in a short and direct manner. Due to how summarised and direct these answers usually are, most users no longer see the need to click through several links to find answers.

This AI Overview answers questions by citing information from different sources, compiling it, and presenting it to the searcher in a conversational format. It then includes links to the various pages where it got the information from. This is to help the reader get more in-depth information on those pages.

At this point, being cited as a source in an AI overview will give you more visibility than getting the conventional number 1 spot in search rankings. So, if you want to get visibility on Google Search, you need to find a way to get your site referenced as a source in these AI answers.

Here are a few steps you can use to get your content cited in Google’s AI Overviews:

• Structure Your Content for Citation

When your goal is to have your content extracted and cited by AI systems, you need to structure it that way.

Start by using clear H2 and H3 headings to show the hierarchy of the content and what every section is about. 

When you are explaining something using steps or processes, ensure you use numbered or bullet lists. Normally, AI Overviews use this format to display answers as well, so this can make your content easy to extract and use.

For comparisons and differences, you can use tables for easy extraction. 

Bear in mind that Google’s AI system cites its answers from different sources, and it can cite the main topic from one site and cite the subtopics from other sites. So, don’t just focus on optimizing for the main keyword of the blog post.

If you can optimize subtopics well, you can still get citations, even if the main keyword or theme of the topic isn’t cited from your site.

• Provide Direct Answers 

You stand a better chance of having your content cited when you answer the questions that your audience is asking as soon and as directly as possible in your blog post.

There are several ways of getting these questions, including the People Also Ask section, Google autosuggest, FAQs, and tools like AnswerThePublic and AlsoAsked.

Answering the question in the first 2 sentences of your content gives you a high chance of getting cited. Just ensure you start by answering the question, and then you can move on to talk about other aspects of the topic in your blog post.

When the answer is clear and direct, it can be easily and quickly extracted by AI Overviews. 

• Build Topical Authority

Before your content can be cited by AI systems, they need to be sure that you have proven expertise in the topic over time. Writing just one blog post on a topic isn’t enough. You need to display your authority and expertise in a particular niche by writing on several similar topics.

You can achieve topical authority by creating content clusters and covering adjacent topics. Write on a particular topic and then follow it up with several other articles that cover its subtopics. You can also write on other topics that are interconnected to your main topic.

For example, if the main theme of your site is Digital Marketing, write on SEO, Email Marketing, and Social Media Marketing. They are all interconnected.

Internal linking is another great way of improving your site’s topical authority. When you interlink related articles, Google understands the relationship between them and confirms your expertise.

Finally, don’t allow your existing blog posts to be left unattended for too long. From time to time, ensure you update them with fresh keywords, insights, data, and examples to maintain their relevance.

• Offer a New Perspective with Your Content 

Google’s AI Overview often favours pages with unique content and a fresh perspective on a particular topic. 

So, instead of rewriting content written by several other sites, bring a new point of view to the topic. That’s what will make your content get cited.

It could be original data, first-hand experience, expert review, or specific examples that add depth or offer a better understanding of a topic.

• Build Trust with Brand Mentions

AI Overviews trust your brand more when it is recommended by other brands in your industry across various platforms. This is like backlinks without the links.

These mentions signal to the AI that your brand is recognized and is trustworthy. Hence, the content you publish can also be trusted enough to be cited.

• Do not Neglect Technical SEO

First off, Google’s AI Overview cannot include your page’s link in its sources if it isn’t indexed. You can start there. Ensure all your pages are indexed so that the search engine’s AI can cite their content and display it.

Next, you need to include a proper schema markup for your pages. Schema markups explain the structure of your page to the search engine. They also aid Google’s AI in understanding the context and objective of your content. 

In addition, you need to optimize your pages so your site loads fast and is mobile-friendly. Slow sites are hard to crawl, and Google gives a higher priority to the mobile versions of web pages.

That’s not all. You need to ensure your page is secure and has HTTPS in its link to signal safety. 

The structure of your URL and page is another important factor. So, ensure it is as clean and logical as possible. 

• Measure Performance and Optimize

You can use Google Search Console and third-party tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to check your performance on AI Overviews. When you check your performance, you can know where and how to optimize your strategy to get better results.

Final Thoughts

Although your site’s position on SERPs doesn’t automatically guarantee you a place on Google’s AI Overview, you shouldn’t ignore traditional SEO practices. Your site’s pages still need to be indexed to be eligible for citation in the search engine’s AI Overview.

So, maintain your traditional SEO practices. However, reconstruct your content strategy in a way that makes it likely to be cited by AI systems. The tips we shared in this article can help you do that.

To read more on GEO and how to get your content cited by AI systems, click HERE.