The small business guide to surviving and thriving in Google’s AI Overviews. Worried AI search overviews will steal your clicks? Learn practical steps to keep your business visible in AI answers.

The Yoga Teacher Who Vanished from Google

Asha, who teaches yoga in Mumbai, searched on her phone: “beginner yoga near Matunga Railway Station.”

Google’s new AI Overview popped up first, listing three studios… but Asha’s wasn’t there — even though her studio had 4.9 stars and loyal clients.

She panicked: “If Google’s AI answers everything, will anyone even click my website again?”

This fear? It’s everywhere in r/localseo and the Google Support Community. And it’s valid: Sistrix’s 2024 study shows AI overviews reduce organic clicks by 18–64% depending on niche.

But it’s not all doom. AI Overviews are changing where your visibility comes from. Here’s how to adapt and win customers in the AI era.

How AI Overviews Work

What they are

• Google AI Overviews = summarised answers at the top of results.
• Draw info from multiple sources: websites, GBP listings, review snippets, structured data.

Why it matters for SMBs

• Some users stop at the AI answer without clicking.
• BUT: local, commercial, and branded searches still direct to Map Packs, Business Profiles, and reviews.

Which Businesses Get Surfaced?

According to Google’s documentation:
AI prefers clear, verified sources.

That means SMBs with:

• ✅ Complete Google Business Profiles
• ✅ Accurate schema markup (menu, services, FAQ)
• ✅ Consistent reviews and recent updates

📊 Expert insight (Joy Hawkins, SterlingSky via LocalU): Businesses with updated FAQs and detailed GBP services show up more often in contextual “AI answers” than barebones profiles.

From SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Coined by local SEOs, AEO = making your content AI-friendly.

Steps:

• Write natural Q&A style content (FAQs, blog posts answering common searcher questions).
• Use schema markup (Google Schema Guide) to structure services/hours.
• Keep content short and precise → AI scrapes clean snippets.

Example: Jamal’s dental clinic published a FAQ page: “Do you offer emergency dental care on Sundays?” This phrasing got him surfaced in AI results for “Sunday dentists near Camden.”

Keep Your Google Business Profile (GBP) Flawless

GBP is AI’s #1 data feed.

Must-do:

• Keep hours, services, menus 100% accurate.
• Upload photos weekly.
• Use “Add Services / Products” fields in full.
• Post updates/events regularly.

📊 BrightLocal (2023) found 56% of AI local answers referenced GBP content directly.

Reviews Are Make-or-Break

AI overviews pull star ratings and review text snippets.

• Encourage new reviews monthly.
• Respond to all reviews → shows authenticity.
• Highlight location-specific terms in replies (“Thanks for coming from Camden!”).

Stat: Whitespark’s 2023 Local Ranking Factors named review volume and freshness as a top 3 ranking factor.

Website Content Still Matters

Even though AI reduces clicks, your site still feeds the algorithm:

• Create local landing pages: “Yoga in Matunga”, “Best dentist in Camden.”
• Add FAQs answering intent-based questions: price, availability, niche offerings.
• Keep schema markup tight for services/hours.

Customer Experience Signals

Google looks at engagement metrics:

• Clicks for directions
• Calls from profile
• Click-through to site

So design your GBP to maximize action:

• Add booking buttons (Reserve with Google).
• Ensure phone # works (test monthly).
• Keep street address pinned correctly.

Practical Example: Maria’s Café

Maria worried AI would kill her café’s exposure. But she:

• Added rich FAQs to her site about vegan/gluten-free options.
• Updated GBP with menus & jazz event posts.
• Encouraged weekly student reviews.

Now when users search “vegan café near Ohio State with live music”, Maria surfaces in AI answers — and clicks flow again.

Staying Visible in AI Overviews

• ✅ Fill Google Business Profile fully.
• ✅ Post updates, services, and photos often.
• ✅ Add Q&A/FAQs in natural language.
• ✅ Implement schema markup for clarity.
• ✅ Collect/respond to reviews continuously.
• ✅ Create local, intent-targeted landing pages.
• ✅ Track AI visibility (using rank‑tracking tools like Local Falcon).

Conclusion & CTA

Yes, AI overviews eat some clicks. But not for businesses who adapt.

👉 Your takeaway: Don’t fear AI search. Feed it the right info — structured, recent, review‑backed — and it rewards you with prominent mentions. For SMBs, it’s less about losing clicks and more about winning trust at first glance.