Google’s AI Overviews and What They Mean for Small Business

Written By Jamie Collins

If your website traffic has dipped recently, you’re not alone. Google’s new AI Overviews now answer many questions directly in search results.

The ABC reports that click-through rates for pages in search results featuring Google’s AI-Overview have declined by 15 to 70 per cent. 

This means fewer people are clicking through to business websites, and that shift is reshaping how visibility works online.

What’s changing

AI Overviews sit above traditional results. Google scans multiple sites, then generates one short summary in response to a search. The user gets what they need on the page, without visiting the original sites.

For small businesses, this means fewer organic visits and fewer chances to convert visitors.

Imagine you run a local plumber’s business. Instead of your site ranking for ‘blocked drain Brisbane,’ Google now gives a quick AI answer using snippets from multiple sites. That’s why your clicks are down.

Why it matters

Traditional SEO focused on ranking. And it’s big business. 

Now, the goal is to be part of the answer Google’s AI uses. That requires clear, factual, and trustworthy content written in plain English.

AI-driven visibility favours businesses that:

  • Provide concise, accurate answers to common questions.

  • Keep details consistent across their website, Google Business Profile, and socials.

  • Use structured data (schema markup) to help search engines interpret content.

  • Publish genuinely helpful pages — not keyword-stuffed filler.

What to do now

Start small and practical:

  1. Review your top pages. Look at the pages that bring you the most visitors. Cut any fluff and focus on what your customers actually want to know. Keep sentences short, use clear headings, and answer questions directly.

  2. Update your Google Business Profile. Double-check your contact details, opening hours, and reviews. These are often what people see first in search, so accuracy here helps Google trust your business more.

  3. Add a Q&A section. Think about the questions customers ask you most. Add them to your website and answer them in one or two sentences. This format makes it easier for Google’s AI to use your content when creating summaries.

  4. Track your results. Each week, search your main keywords in Google and note if your business appears in an AI Overview. If it doesn’t, look at who does. See what kind of questions they answer and how they write their responses, then adjust your own content to match that clear, direct style.

Looking ahead

AI search isn’t the end of SEO, it’s a reset. And while it would be easy to freak out, the best you can do is seek to understand and adapt early so that, in the longer term, you’re business or service is easier to find and trust.

If you want help understanding how these changes affect your visibility, visit FirstClick.co — where we simplify digital marketing so you can focus on running your business.

Jamie Collins