What is AIO?
AIO refers to optimising for Google's AI Overviews and its AI Mode: answers generated by Gemini, shown at the top of the results page alongside a few source links.
The term is sometimes used more broadly to mean ‘AI Optimization’, in other words any optimisation for AI engines. On this page, we focus on Google, which remains the starting point for most searches in the UK and elsewhere. For assistants such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, see our GEO page.
Why it matters
When an AI Overview appears, it takes over the top of the screen and often answers the question without a click. The organic links get pushed down. Pages cited in the overview, on the other hand, gain a level of visibility and credibility that the traditional number one spot no longer always delivers.
The searches affected are mainly informational and comparative: ‘how to’, ‘which’, ‘best’, ‘difference between’, ‘how much does it cost’. Exactly the questions your prospects ask before choosing a provider.
How Google chooses its sources
Classic results, pushed below the overview
Google doesn't publish a recipe. What is established is that AI Overviews draw on its search index. A page that isn't indexed, or is poorly understood, cannot be cited. Beyond that, the pages that get cited tend to share:
- a precise, self-contained answer to the question, in a few sentences;
- a clear structure: headings that mirror the questions, lists, tables, steps;
- verifiable, up-to-date information: figures, dates, terms, sources;
- trust signals: an identified author or business, reviews, legal information, consistency with the Google Business Profile;
- valid structured data describing the business, the product or the FAQ.
The levers of AIO
- Start from real questions. List the questions your customers ask, then check for each one whether a page on your site answers it directly.
- Write the answer first. A paragraph of two or three sentences that stands on its own, followed by the detail.
- Structure for extraction. One heading per question, lists for steps, tables for comparisons.
- Mark it up. JSON-LD
FAQPage,LocalBusiness,ProductorHowTodepending on the content, and consistent with the visible text. - Look after your Google Business Profile for local searches: categories, opening hours, photos, replies to reviews.
How we work
- 01
Check that Google can read the page
Indexability, HTTPS, headings, meta tags, sitemap, structured data: the fundamentals without which no AI Overview will cite you.
Free scan · Full GEO audit
- 02
Simulate the answer before and after
The simulator shows how an AI answers your question today, then how it would cite you once the page is optimised.
AI answer simulator · 1 credit
- 03
Measure with Gemini and Google Search
We ask your questions to Gemini with Google Search enabled: the same family of models as AI Overviews. It is the closest available measure, not a screenshot of the results page.
AI visibility · Google engine
- 04
Publish what's missing
For every question where you're absent: a ready-to-publish page, plus posts and review replies for your Google Business Profile.
Content to publish · Google Business Profile · 1 credit