Google Confirms: You Don’t Need AI SEO to Rank in AI Overviews – Here’s What You Really Need

Introduction: Is AI Changing SEO Forever?

With Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) reshaping how users interact with search results, many business owners and marketers are asking:

"Do I need to optimize differently for AI search results like AI Overviews?"

Some digital marketers coined terms like Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to explain supposed new optimization techniques aimed at AI-powered search results. However, recent confirmations from Google clarify that ranking in AI search results does not require these specialized approaches.

Instead, the same standard SEO practices that help you rank in traditional search also apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. In this guide, Iderfy – a team of expert SEO freelancers in Bangalore – breaks down how AI is integrated into search, why you don’t need a new SEO strategy, and what steps you should take to future-proof your business online.

What Are AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Google's AI Overviews are part of the evolving Search Generative Experience (SGE), a feature that generates conversational summaries at the top of search results.

Example:

A search for "How to open a bakery in Bangalore" might trigger an AI Overview that lists step-by-step instructions, licenses needed, location tips, and even startup costs—all pulled from various high-authority sources.

AI Mode extends these experiences further by delivering deeper search assistance, with AI-generated query expansions and summarizations.

But here’s the important part: AI Overviews are built on the same search infrastructure as traditional Google Search. That means your content is evaluated through the same lenses as before: relevance, authority, trustworthiness, and helpfulness.

 Debunking the AEO and GEO Buzzwords

Let’s define the two terms and explain why they’re not necessary:

• AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Intended to optimize for Featured Snippets or AI-generated answers by restructuring content to answer specific questions.

  
  

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Suggested strategy for optimizing content specifically for AI-powered responses.

  
  

While these concepts help describe how AI interacts with content, Google has clearly stated that the same foundational SEO principles apply to both traditional and AI-generated results.

Conclusion: You don’t need to chase new acronyms. You need to double down on real SEO.

How AI Powers the Entire Search Pipeline

AI is no longer just a feature in Google Search. It is integrated into every stage of the process:

1. Crawling

AI helps Googlebot interpret site architecture more effectively and identify relevant pages quicker.

2. Indexing

AI understands how to organize and categorize content more intelligently, especially across multimedia formats like video, images, and structured data.

3. Ranking

AI systems such as RankBrain, MUM (Multitask Unified Model), and BERT work behind the scenes to interpret user intent and rank pages that offer the most comprehensive, helpful, and trustworthy content.

Google uses MUM to understand over 75 languages and multiple content formats to deliver relevant results even for complex queries.

Behind AI Overviews: Query Fan-Out and Grounding

Understanding how Google creates AI Overviews can help clarify what kind of content it rewards:

Query Fan-Out

When a user enters a search query, Google generates multiple sub-queries to retrieve a broader context. This increases the depth and relevance of the AI Overview.

For example, if someone searches for "best CRM for small businesses," Google might also generate sub-queries like "CRM features for startups" or "affordable CRM tools."

Grounding

Once Google generates the AI response, it uses grounding to validate the output. This process checks the AI-generated content against its search index to verify facts and ensure accuracy, significantly reducing misinformation.

That means your content must be accurate, factual, and easy to verify to be referenced in these AI Overviews.

Google's Focus: High-Quality, Helpful Content

A significant point emphasized is that Google evaluates content based on quality, not its origin. That means it doesn’t matter whether content was written by a human or created using AI tools—what matters is:

• Is it helpful?

• Is it accurate?

• Is it trustworthy?

• Is it easy to understand?

  
  

Content that scores highly on these criteria is more likely to be surfaced across both traditional and AI-powered search formats.

SEO Strategy Checklist for AI-Era Rankings

Here’s what businesses should focus on in 2025 and beyond:

Write for People First, Then Search Engines

• Use natural language and answer real questions your audience has.

• Avoid keyword stuffing; focus on clarity and usefulness.

  
  

Build Topical Authority

• Cover your niche comprehensively.

• Link internally to related posts.

• Earn backlinks from reputable sites.

  
  

Optimize Technical SEO

• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and fast.

• Use proper schema markup to help Google understand your content.

• Fix crawl errors and maintain clean URLs.

  
  

Stay Fresh and Updated

• Refresh outdated content.

• Add new insights or stats regularly.

  
  

Emphasize E-E-A-T

• Demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

• Include author bios, certifications, customer testimonials, and case studies.

The Takeaway: Stick to SEO Fundamentals That Work

Here’s the core message:

Misconception	Reality
AI SEO is a new strategy	AI uses the same systems as traditional search
AEO/GEO is required to rank	Standard SEO is enough
AI prioritizes human-written content	Content quality matters more than origin

You don’t need to chase the latest buzzword. What you need is a reliable, long-term SEO strategy rooted in content quality, technical excellence, and user-focused value.

Final Thoughts: Let Iderfy Guide You Through the AI Search Shift

At Iderfy, we help businesses simplify the complex. Our 360° digital solutions include:

• SEO strategy built for performance

• Content marketing that speaks to your audience

• Technical audits and on-page optimization

• AI-assisted content workflows with human oversight

  
  

As trusted digital marketing freelancers in Bangalore, we’ve helped startups, local businesses, and growing enterprises adapt to the AI-driven changes in search.

Don’t get distracted by jargon. Get results instead.

 Let’s Talk

Book a free consultation with our experts and prepare your business for the future of search.