How to rank in Google's AI overviews: lessons from a startup founder
My journey from startup founder to content strategist taught me that the future of SEO isn't just about ranking—it's about becoming the definitive answer to your audience's most pressing questions.
Something profound happened when I started paying attention to how knowledge gets distributed online.
We're no longer competing for attention. We're competing to become the truth.
The philosophical shift behind AI overviews
🧠 Here's what most marketers miss: AI Overviews aren't just another SERP feature. They represent a fundamental shift in how knowledge gets distributed online.
When I started building content strategies for startups, I noticed people weren't scrolling through multiple search results anymore. They wanted immediate, authoritative answers. Google's AI Overviews responded to this behaviour change by surfacing the most trustworthy, comprehensive information directly at the top.
This reminds me of something I often discuss in my Whatever Matters newsletter: the principle of earned authority.
In traditional SEO, we could game systems with keywords and backlinks. But AI systems evaluate deeper signals—authenticity, expertise, and genuine value creation.
→ The brands winning in AI Overviews aren't just optimising for algorithms. They're becoming the definitive source of truth in their domain.
Why most content fails to rank in AI overviews
During my Y Combinator journey, I learned that the biggest mistakes happen when you try to be everything to everyone.
The same principle applies to AI Overview optimisation.
Most content fails because it:
• Tries to rank for too many keywords at once • Provides generic advice available everywhere else
• Lacks the depth of expertise AI systems recognise • Doesn't directly answer the searcher's specific intent
📊 The data tells a story: Pages already ranking in the top 5 organic results are 67% more likely to be featured in AI Overviews. But here's the twist—ranking alone isn't enough.
The authentic expertise framework for AI overviews
After analysing hundreds of AI Overview appearances across different industries, I've identified a pattern that mirrors everything I learned about building trust in business relationships.
1. Lead with definitive answers
The philosophical truth: People don't want more information. They want better decisions.
When I write content for startup blogs, I follow what I call the "Coffee Shop Test." If I can't explain the core concept to someone during a quick coffee break, it's too complex for AI Overviews.
Structure your content like this:
Opening paragraph: Direct answer to the search query Second paragraph: Context that demonstrates expertise
Remaining content: Supporting evidence and actionable steps
2. Demonstrate lived experience, not researched knowledge
💡 This is where most content marketers lose: They write about topics they've researched, not experienced.
AI systems are becoming sophisticated at detecting authentic expertise versus surface-level content creation.
For example, when I write about startup growth, I reference specific moments from building companies—the day we pivoted our entire business model, the conversation with our first enterprise client, the mistakes that nearly killed the venture.
These aren't just stories. They're proof points that I've actually navigated these challenges.
3. Update content based on evolving truth
The brutal reality: Your content isn't just competing with other websites. It's competing with the entire internet's knowledge base.
I update our most important articles every quarter, not because Google demands it, but because the landscape keeps evolving.
When writing about technical topics, I include recent case studies, latest performance benchmarks, and emerging considerations. This consistent updating signals to AI systems that our content remains the most current authority.
4. Structure for both human readers and AI understanding
Here's something I learned whilst building content systems at scale:
Humans scan. AI systems parse.
Your content needs to work for both.
Use these structural elements:
H2 headings → Clear topic divisions that include semantic keywords
Bullet points → Scannable information chunks
FAQ sections → Direct responses to related queries
Data citations → Credibility signals AI systems recognise
Technical implementation that actually works
🌏 Global perspective: Working across different markets taught me that technical excellence transcends cultural boundaries.
Schema markup priorities
Not all schema markup carries equal weight for AI Overviews. Focus on:
• FAQ Schema → Directly answers related questions
• HowTo Schema → Provides step-by-step guidance
• Article Schema → Establishes content authority
• Organisation Schema → Builds entity recognition
The E-E-A-T integration approach
Google's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals matter more in AI Overview selection than traditional rankings.
Experience: Reference specific projects, failures, and lessons learned
Expertise: Demonstrate deep domain knowledge through nuanced insights
Authoritativeness: Earn citations from industry publications and thought leaders Trustworthiness: Include author bios, contact information, and transparent sourcing
Content types that consistently rank in AI overviews
Through my Whatever Matters podcast, I've interviewed dozens of content creators who've cracked the AI Overview code. The patterns are clear:
Definitive guides with personal frameworks
Not "How to do X" but "The framework I used to achieve Y specific result."
A question I get often: Can new websites actually rank in AI Overviews?
Absolutely. But focus on very specific, long-tail queries where you can demonstrate clear expertise. I've seen newer sites rank for detailed technical questions where their content provides the most comprehensive answer.
The key is becoming the definitive source for a narrow topic rather than competing broadly.
Contrarian perspectives backed by data
Challenge conventional wisdom, but support your position with evidence and experience.
Here's something that surprises people: AI Overview features actually increase overall organic traffic by 200-400% in my experience. Whilst some users get their answer directly from the overview, many click through to read the full content, and branded searches increase significantly.
This counters the common fear that AI Overviews hurt organic traffic.
Process documentation with real examples
Share the exact systems, tools, and approaches you've used to solve specific problems.
Comparative analyses from practical experience
"I've used both approaches extensively. Here's what actually works in different scenarios."
Measuring AI overview performance
🤔 The question that changes everything: How do you track success when traditional analytics don't capture AI Overview traffic attribution?
I've developed a monitoring system that tracks:
Keyword positioning → Which queries trigger AI Overviews featuring our content Traffic patterns → Unusual spikes that correlate with AI Overview appearances
Brand search volume → Increased branded searches following AI Overview features Content engagement → Time on page and subsequent page views from AI Overview visitors
Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs SERP feature tracking to identify opportunities, but also watch for those unusual traffic spikes and increased branded search volume—these often indicate AI Overview features before the tracking tools catch up.
The timeline reality: Based on my experience with startup content, pages with strong domain authority can appear in AI Overviews within 2-4 weeks of publication. However, the content must already demonstrate ranking potential in traditional organic results.
For newer websites, the timeline extends to 6-8 weeks, but the opportunity definitely exists if you focus on specific expertise areas.
Should you optimise differently for AI Overviews than traditional SEO?
The fundamentals remain the same—create valuable content that directly addresses user intent. However, AI Overviews favour more concise, authoritative answers presented early in the content. Think of it as traditional SEO with enhanced clarity and expertise demonstration.
The mindset shift that changes everything
Here's what building startups taught me about content strategy:
Success comes from solving problems so well that you become irreplaceable.
AI Overviews reward content that demonstrates this irreplaceability through:
• Unique insights unavailable elsewhere
• Practical frameworks developed through real experience
• Authentic expertise proven through consistent value creation
• Current information that reflects the latest developments
→ Stop trying to rank in AI Overviews. Start becoming the definitive answer to your audience's most important questions.
The future belongs to authentic experts
The internet doesn't need more information. It needs better curators of truth.
AI Overviews aren't just changing how we optimise content—they're changing how we think about expertise itself. The winners won't be those who game the system, but those who become genuinely indispensable sources of insight and guidance.
When someone asks me how to know if their content appears in AI Overviews, I tell them to focus less on the tracking tools and more on becoming the type of expert that AI systems naturally want to cite.
The metrics will follow the value, not the other way around.
🧠 The deeper truth: Every ranking in AI Overviews is a vote of confidence from artificial intelligence in your human expertise.