AI Overviews replaced Google's earlier 'Search Generative Experience' label in 2024 and have rolled out across most query types. The experience is significant: an Overview can answer a user's question in place, reducing the click-through rate to the underlying ranking pages — while also driving very high-intent traffic to the few pages it cites.
Being cited in an AI Overview is the new top spot. The pages that get cited share patterns: clear definitional opening paragraphs, structured information that maps to question-answer formats, demonstrable E-E-A-T, and first-hand perspective that AI cannot synthesise from training data.
Google's own guidance is unambiguous: there is no special schema or content type for AI Overviews. The same content principles that produce strong organic rankings produce strong AI Overview citations — clear, useful, original, well-structured content from credible sources.