AI search · 7 min read
How AI Overviews are changing SEO in 2026 (and what to do about it)
AI Overviews now answer the top of the SERP for most queries. Here's how UK small businesses can earn citations and protect organic traffic in 2026.
By Jack Frampton, Multi-Channel Marketer at Queen's College, Taunton · Published 15 June 2026
AI Overviews now appear above traditional results for the majority of informational queries in the UK. The game has shifted from "rank to be clicked" to "rank to be cited".
What AI Overviews actually do
Google's Gemini-powered Overviews summarise an answer at the top of the SERP and cite 3–8 sources. Click-through to those sources is lower than a classic blue link, but brand exposure is higher — and Overviews disproportionately cite mid-authority sites with clear, factual content.
Win citations, not just clicks
Write a one-paragraph answer at the top of every article. Use a clear H1 question, factual bullet lists, and named sources. AI models extract the cleanest paragraph in the document — make sure it's yours.
Schema is now table stakes
FAQ, HowTo, Article and Product schema give AI engines machine-readable certainty. Pages without schema are increasingly invisible in AI answers.
Diversify away from Google only
Optimise for Perplexity, ChatGPT Search and Bing. The mix of citations across engines is your new ranking distribution.
Frequently asked questions
- What AI Overviews actually do?
- Google's Gemini-powered Overviews summarise an answer at the top of the SERP and cite 3–8 sources. Click-through to those sources is lower than a classic blue link, but brand exposure is higher — and Overviews disproportionately cite mid-au
- Win citations, not just clicks?
- Write a one-paragraph answer at the top of every article. Use a clear H1 question, factual bullet lists, and named sources. AI models extract the cleanest paragraph in the document — make sure it's yours.
- Schema is now table stakes?
- FAQ, HowTo, Article and Product schema give AI engines machine-readable certainty. Pages without schema are increasingly invisible in AI answers.
- Diversify away from Google only?
- Optimise for Perplexity , ChatGPT Search and Bing. The mix of citations across engines is your new ranking distribution.