Used to be a time, at the dawning of the age of Google, when you did a search, you would get pages and pages and pages of returns on that search. These search engine results pages — SERPs for short — would be all text, no images and ranked in algorithmically appropriate order for the time. Now, AI is doing the hard work for us, summarizing the internet’s best bits right there on the results page.
🦾Challenge: How to make the robots love you.
AI-generated search results are changing the SEO game. Traditional blue links are being replaced — or at least pushed further down…way down — by AI overviews, featured snippets and predictive answers powered by tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), Bing Copilot, and Perplexity AI. So, the question isn’t just “how do I rank on Google?” anymore — it’s how do I rank within an AI’s summary of the internet?
So here’s the ultimate question — How do you get your content picked up, paraphrased and promoted by AI?
What Are AI-Generated SERPs?
Picture this: You type a question into Google. Instead of clicking through 14 tabs and losing your will to live, a smart little AI gives you a neat, summarized answer — right at the top.
That’s an AI-generated SERP. It pulls info from multiple sources, smashes it all together, and says, “Ta-da! Here’s what you need.” It’s convenient, yes. But if you’re a content creator, it’s also a wake-up call: If you’re not in the summary, you’re not in the game.
This means visibility for your website is more important than ever — even if it doesn’t always result in a click — and even harder to achieve than ever before. But it’s not impossible.
How to Rank in AI Summaries and Overviews
1. Explain It To Them Like They’re The Smartest Person In The Room
AI models are trained to recognize well-structured, conversational, and information-rich content. Avoid keyword stuffing and robotic SEO copy. Instead:
- Write clear natural, and fact-based explanations
- Use everyday language with a touch of expertise
- Answer the “what”, “why” and “how” directly and early in the content.
AI rewards content that’s clear, confident and sounds like a human with a clue wrote it.
💡 Pro tip: Answer the question right away, then explain the details.
2. Target Long-Tail and Conversational Keywords
AI summaries often answer full questions like “What’s the best skincare routine for dry skin?” rather than short, high-volume queries like “dry skin.” Use tools like:
- Google’s “People Also Ask”
- AnswerThePublic
- ChatGPT or Perplexity prompts for query inspiration
🧠 Think: questions, comparisons and niche intent.
3. Be the Authority
Flex your authority — without the ego trip. AI cites high-authority, trusted sources. To become one:
- Build backlinks from reputable domains
- Include quotes from experts (or become the expert)
- Keep your "About" and "Author" info up-to-date and verifiable
Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) matters more than ever in this landscape.
4. Mark Up Your Data and Snag Those Featured Snippets
AI loves structured content. Increase your odds by:
- Using clear headings and bullet points
- Creating FAQ sections
- Implementing Schema markup (especially FAQPage, HowTo, and Article)
👑 Great: If you already rank in featured snippets, you’re more likely to be included in AI overviews.
5. Keep Content Fresh and Factual
AI-generated results prioritize up-to-date and factually accurate content. That means treat them like they are old friends that you need to catch up with periodically by:
- Updating content regularly with new info, latest stats or trends
- Citing original research or government/educational sources
- Fact-checking everything — yes, even the obvious stuff
📍Remember: No one wants a stale search result — not humans, not bots.
6. Format for Skimmers and Scanners
This would be the human skimmers and scanners. Robots don’t read novels (yet), and neither do most humans online. Help everyone out by:
- Front-loading value in intros and subheads
- Breaking content into bite-size chunks
- Keeping paragraphs short and punchy
- Highlighting definitions and key takeaways
🎉Bonus: Humans really love this too.
7. Create Content That’s Genuinely Useful
If your content isn’t saying anything new, helpful or interesting… why would AI pick it up?
Be original. Be useful. Be bold. Share your unique take, solve a real problem or explain something better than anyone else. Give the bots something to get excited about.
👂Listen: Google's AI Overview isn't going to paraphrase fluff. So don’t publish fluff.
Impress the Robot
Back in the day, website designers would try “gaming” the system by typing words like “sex” on the page in the same color as the background, regardless of the actual topic of the webpage, just to rank within the first 3 pages. But we are now in 2025 and AI is involved in everything, including search.
Ranking in AI-generated SERPs isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about being the kind of content creator AI wants to quote. That means writing smarter, structuring better and thinking like your reader (or a helpful robot assistant).
It’s a new playing field, but the core principle of SEO remains the same: serve the user well. Now you just have to impress the robot too.
Want help crafting content that ranks in the age of AI search? Let’s talk. Our digital content marketer specializes in strategies that keep your brand in front of the right eyeballs — human or machine.