A bunch of SEOs are now experimenting with how they can show up in the Google AI Overviews, not just remove themselves from AI Overviews. Cyrus Shepard posted a "mini case study" on X, showing how he was able to work his site into the AI Overviews.
Cyrus explained that he "simply updated the webpage to closely match the text of the AI Overview" and then if the site was also ranking in the top 10 of the Google organic search results, that it would also show up as a website card in the AI Overviews. He shared a screenshot of his own site willing the reference link:
But he added, "easy come, easy go," adding "These things change A LOT."
He explained that he also lost his featured snippet, since he changes the content. He wrote, "Even though this query won a link, it LOST the Featured Snippet (see below) Suspect this was a net loss."
Here is that screenshot:
Expect a lot of SEOs to mess around with this a lot over the coming months.
Here are those posts:
Mini SEO Case Study: Getting a site ranking in multiple Google AI Overviews
— Cyrus SEO (@CyrusShepard) May 30, 2024
• Simply updated the webpage to closely match the text of the AI Overview🤷
• If the site was ranking in the top 10, it typically won a reference link
• Easy come, easy go. These things change A LOT pic.twitter.com/erNniVr3SV
Here's a patent that explains how Google might select links for AI overviews
— Cyrus SEO (@CyrusShepard) May 30, 2024
As others have noted, reference links are selected AFTER it creates the AI Overview - by finding documents that back up what it says
Makes it extremely easy to game ¯\_(ツ)_/¯https://t.co/73JzmT3Ihe pic.twitter.com/RO8dUkizS4
Forum discussion at X.
1. Earned an AI Overview citation by mimicking the text of the answer
— Cyrus SEO (@CyrusShepard) June 3, 2024
2. But lost the Featured Snippet
3. Then lost the AI Overview link (after posting about it on social
4. Traffic remained the same throughout 📈 https://t.co/orUYiGhZL5
