Streets Ahead: AI Overviews and Organic Search, Google Core Update Concludes
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi looks at recent changes in AI Overviews as well as the conclusion of Google’s August Core Update.
AI Overviews Now Better Reflecting Google Organic Search Results
The News Recent research by Mark Traphagen and seoClarity shows that AI Overviews (AIOs) are now closely mirroring Google’s organic search results. After analyzing 36,000 keywords, the team found that 99.5% of AIOs contained at least one link from the top 10 organic results. Traphagen calls this a “mammoth change” compared to earlier AIOs, which often displayed completely different links. This shift may be Google’s response to concerns about the accuracy of AIOs.
Why This Matters A key takeaway, according to Traphagen, is that ranking high in Google search increases the likelihood of being mentioned in AIOs. However, this isn’t the full story. Since only one link needs to match the top 10 organic results, the majority of links in AIOs could still differ. Businesses should continue monitoring competitive AIO results to ensure they maintain desired visibility.
Google Wraps Up August Core Update
The News Google confirmed on September 3 that its August Core Update has fully rolled out, a process that took around two weeks. During this time, search rankings may have experienced fluctuations. Google’s John Mueller advises site owners to assess the long-term impact only after the update has settled. Like previous core updates, the aim of the August update was to reward high-quality, useful content while penalizing content designed solely for SEO purposes. Some observers have noted that this update may have corrected issues caused by earlier updates.
Mueller also mentioned that the August core update affected AI Overviews, which are part of the broader search ecosystem.
Why This Matters In response to core updates, Google’s revised help documentation encourages site owners to focus on substantial, user-centric improvements rather than quick fixes. If your site was affected, aligning it with Google’s quality guidelines should be the top priority.
