Google Expands AI Overviews: What It Means for Search and Digital Marketers

At the Google I/O 2025 conference, the company announced a major expansion of the AI Overviews feature — it is now available in over 200 countries and territories, and in more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Malay, Urdu, and others. This is another step toward transforming traditional search into an interactive and contextual experience.

What Are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews are automatically generated summaries that appear at the top of Google search results. They compile key information from multiple sources to provide a quick answer to complex queries — without requiring users to open multiple websites.

According to Google, 1.5 billion users interact with these overviews every month. The new generation of AI Overviews is powered by a customized version of the Gemini 2.5 model, enabling it to answer even more complex questions with greater accuracy.

How Does This Impact Search?

The expanded availability of AI Overviews changes not only how search results look but also how users behave on Google.

Increased Query Volume

According to Liz Reid, VP of Google Search, users who see AI Overviews in their results tend to search more frequently. In an experiment, Google compared two user groups — one was shown AI Overviews, the other was not. The group with access to AI Overviews saw a 10% increase in queries, with this difference growing over time.

This indicates that AI answers don’t reduce interest in search, as some feared — they actually stimulate it.

Why? Because AI Overviews don’t just deliver a “ready-made” answer — they encourage users to explore the topic further, ask follow-up questions, and click through to the sources referenced in the summaries. This creates a “pull-in” effect, where users become more curious and engaged.

Higher Quality Traffic

Another key outcome is improved traffic quality from AI Overviews. Google reports that users who click through from AI-generated answers spend more time on the destination sites compared to those coming from traditional search results. This may indicate:

• Higher result relevance
• Stronger user interest
• Better query-to-content matching

For websites, this means deeper page views, longer session durations, and higher chances of conversion — especially when the content addresses complex, meaningful queries. From a marketing perspective, this is a valuable opportunity for branded content, how-to guides, expert articles, landing pages, and materials that explore topics in depth.

AI Overviews as a Quality Filter

Because these overviews are built from trusted sources, Google’s algorithms prioritize authoritative, well-structured, and clearly written content. Appearing in an AI Overview block is a signal of trust — and a chance to attract not just traffic, but a highly engaged audience.

What Does This Mean for Digital Marketers?

More Organic Traffic

If your content appears in AI Overviews, you can expect greater visibility and engagement — with higher-quality traffic compared to classic search results.

New SEO Requirements

AI Overviews require structured, clear, and authoritative content that is easy for AI systems to understand. Traditional SEO strategies should be complemented with approaches optimized for machine readability.

Early Adopter Advantage

Despite the global rollout, not all countries have full access to AI Overviews yet. This presents a window of opportunity for local brands to prepare their content and websites for the next phase of search optimization.

Evolving User Behavior

An increase in voice searches and longer, more conversational queries is expected. That’s why it’s smart to optimize content not just for keywords, but also for question-based phrases, semantic clusters, and informational intent.

Final Thoughts

Google is no longer just experimenting with AI in search — it’s establishing a new standard for how users interact with information. The global expansion of AI Overviews signals a fundamental shift in the search ecosystem.

For brands, content creators, and SEO professionals, this means:

• It’s time to adapt not just to algorithms, but to a new way of consuming information.
• High-quality content is a necessity, not an advantage. AI Overviews read, interpret, and surface content from trustworthy sources.
• Traffic and clicks are evolving: it’s not just about more visitors, but more engaged ones.
• Conversions can grow — if your content provides real answers to complex queries.

This article available in Ukrainian.