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By Ruchi Pardal
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~ 8 minutes read
~ 8 minutes read
A couple of days ago, Google rolled out its Core March Update. The prime objective of this update was to enhance the quality of search results by delivering relevant content along with E-E-A-T experiences while shading low-quality content.
However, following this recent update, Google AI Overviews take another turn: it will probably cite pages that fall among the top 10 of the SERP. That means any content once ranked within the top 10 results is less likely to find a place in AI-generated results.
This change may impact content creators, SEO experts, and businesses that rely heavily on organic search visibility and traffic. With Google’s shift, it is clear that being in the top 10 isn’t enough anymore; you need to provide standard authority, structured content backed by credentials, original research, and clear signals of real-world expertise.
This could affect content creators, SEO professionals, and businesses whose input heavily depends on organic search visibility and traffic. With this change from Google, it is clear that a top 10 ranking is no longer enough. Your content must be well-structured, credential-backed original research, and real-world expertise insights.
In recent findings,
The number of AI Overview citations overlapping with the top 10 organic positions on Google decreased from 16% to 15% following the release of the core update in March 2025.
It may not seem like a lot on the surface, but much strategy goes behind that mere 1% shift in Google’s AI Overview for managing sources for AI-generated summaries.
Also, looking at the industry overview, this AI Overview is another new trend. AI Overviews refer to different sources, especially those that don’t fall into their top 10 organic positions.
Examples,
Citation Increase: 12.9% to 19.5% (+6.6 percentage points)
This means that travel sites we have not seen after page one now have more chances of being cited in AI-generated answers.
Citation Increase: 8.8% to 13.7% (+4.9 percentage points)
AI Overviews now prefer sites with rich media or not-so-well-known comments towards movies and streaming content.
Citation increase: 9.5% to 14.1% (+4.6 percentage points)
Local blogs, food influencers, and guides are now included in Google’s AI Overviews even when they’re not ranking on page one.
You might not know, but the Google AI overview appears in nearly half of all search results on Google and takes up to 48% of mobile screen space.
However, with this new AI overview change, AI-generated summaries may not cite the highest-ranked results from organic search unless the content is relevant and follows Google’s guidelines.
The decreasing overlap between the top 10 rankings and AI Overviews citations may not seem significant on paper, yet huge consequences play out in real life:
Traditional SEO mostly focused on ranking high on the first page. Now, pages outside the top 10 results of the SERP can occupy a place with AI-generated answers.
Organic Click-Through Rate is dropping with AI Overviews answering queries. This particularly impacts businesses relying on search engines for traffic and conversions.
AI Overviews generate minimal website traffic, often resulting in very few or zero clicks. Even when they include links, the engagement is minimal compared to organic listings.
Google AI Overviews is increasing the number of links in its AI-generated summaries. However, the links are not to other websites but rather to its search results. Google is now testing the link between AI overviews and new search queries on Google.com. This effectively closes the loop further, reducing referred traffic to external publishers.
For instance:
The underlined links, which you can see with the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 2025 and Kia EV6 in the text of the AI Overview, both at the top and in the middle section, take you back to a new Google Search. The smaller link icons take you to the side panel links, which go to publishers and external websites.
However, too many links confused users, as they were redirected to other Google Search pages on the same topic instead of linking to another source. Clearing the doubts, Google said,
To help people more easily explore topics and discover relevant websites, we’ve added links to some terms within AI Overviews when our systems determine it might be useful. Similar to our long-standing ‘People also search for’ feature, our testing shows that people find this helpful. AI Overviews continue to have prominent links out to the web, which we’re also expanding.
Moreover, John Mueller of Google said, “These [AI Overviews] are a part of search, and core updates affect search, so yes.” This statement means that AI overviews are now a part of the search experience, and changes will be made according to Google’s changing algorithms.
Jim Yu, founder and executive for BrightEdge, gives strategic insight into navigating these new AI overview changes.
Your primary article may not be able to rank on the first page or be included in the AI Overview; That’s why you must focus on creating complementary content that answers the next logical question(s). Follow-up questions have better chances of being cited, even if it’s not in the top 10 results of SERP.
Tips:
Do not force opposite choices between SEO and AI visibility; dual optimization is possible. Monitor your presence in both areas for a holistic view of your search visibility.
Tips:
Track all AI Overviews around you with the BrightEdge AI Overview Tracker, Semrush Sensor, SERPwatch, etc.
Metrics to Track:
Google’s AI demands pure and concise content baked in the relevant context.
Tips:
Remember that blog that is stuck on the second page? It could have that AI Overview potential now.
Plan of Action:
In addition, this brings a whole new competition:
Visibility is on its way into a new era that will impose a lot of dimensions:
Rankings are important, but clarity of structure, content focused on the question, and friendliness with AI matter too.
Google’s AI-adjusted answers may come with different interaction modes, including new multimodal content (images/videos) and personalization.
Expect to receive answers from Google as direct competition to traditional results.
With Google prioritizing quality over quantity, it’s time to create content that ranks in this AI-driven search landscape. Choose ResultFirst and optimize your content both for AI-overviews and traditional SEO. With years of experience delivering SEO services, we focus on E-E-A-T, modular content structures, schema integration, and AI-friendly formats to give your pages the best chance of being cited even if they dont rank in the top 10 results of the SERP.
Choose ResultFirst and enhance your visibility in AI-generated search results.
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