Glossary entry ai-overviewEngines & bots

AI Overview (Google SGE)

Google's AI-generated answer summary that appears above traditional search results on ~30% of queries.

Filed under: Engines & bots
In the rubric: FAQ schema

Definition

Google's AI Overview (formerly Search Generative Experience or SGE) is the AI-synthesized paragraph Google displays above the ten blue links on ~30% of search queries as of 2026. It pulls from indexed pages, prioritizing structured data (especially FAQPage schema), recent freshness, and high E-E-A-T signals.

Example

Searching 'best CRM for small agencies' on Google often returns an AI Overview block citing 3-5 sources, with the ten blue links appearing below.

How to optimize

Add FAQPage schema (the single most-cited type in AI Overviews). Mark up author bios with credentials. Maintain published + modified dates. Use H1+H2 question-form headings so Google's snippet extractor finds direct answers.

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