Google AI Overviews: What SMBs Should Do Now

Google finally said the quiet part out loud: AI Overviews show up more when people use them—and show up less when they don’t. In a recent explanation from Google Search VP of Product Robby Stein, the logic is straightforward: if an AI Overview doesn’t get clicks, engagement, or satisfy intent for a query type, Google reduces how often it appears.

For small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the United States, this is more than a product detail. It’s a map of where search is headed in 2026: visibility increasingly follows usefulness signals, not just rankings. If your content isn’t built to be the kind of source AI can confidently cite—and humans actually act on—you’ll feel it in traffic and leads.

This article is part of our series, How AI Is Powering Technology and Digital Services in the United States, where we track how AI is changing marketing, customer acquisition, and growth strategy. Here’s what Google’s “engagement-based AI Overviews” really means, and what I’d do if I ran SMB marketing tomorrow morning.

Google’s new rule: AI Overviews are earned, not guaranteed

AI Overviews aren’t a default layer on top of every search. They’re conditional. Google tests whether an Overview helps on a given query pattern, then keeps or removes it based on user interaction.

That matters because many business owners have been treating AI Overviews as a permanent new “Position Zero.” The reality? Some query categories won’t consistently trigger Overviews—especially when people want a very specific site, a list of images, or quick navigational results. Stein’s example was searching an athlete’s name: users tend to want photos, bios, and social links. If an Overview gets ignored, it fades.

What SMBs should take from this

If AI Overviews rise and fall based on engagement, the goal isn’t “get into the Overview at all costs.” The goal is:

• Publish content that satisfies the search fast (so users don’t bounce back to Google)
• Make the next step obvious (so users click, call, book, request a quote)
• Earn citations by being the clearest source, not the longest page

Engagement isn’t just a social media metric anymore. In AI-shaped search, it’s becoming a distribution mechanism.

“Under the hood” query expansion changes how you get discovered

Stein also described something many SEOs suspected: Google can run additional related searches behind the scenes to answer the user’s question, then assemble an Overview using sources that may not match the exact wording of the original query.

This is a big shift for SMB content strategy because it rewards content that covers:

• the main question
• the sub-questions people ask next
• the constraints (budget, location, timing, compliance, edge cases)

A practical example (how SMB leads are actually won)

Say you’re a managed IT services provider in Ohio. A prospect searches:

• “backup power options for small office”

Google might expand under the hood into:

• “UPS vs generator for office network closet”
• “how long does a UPS last for servers”
• “generator maintenance cost small business”
• “safe generator placement commercial building”

If your site only has a generic “backup power solutions” page, you’re easy to skip.

If you have a focused guide with a comparison table, real-world runtime ranges, a quick checklist for office managers, and a local service CTA, you’re the kind of source AI can cite—even if your exact keywords don’t mirror the query.

My stance: in 2026, “keyword matching” is table stakes. Coverage of intent is the differentiator.

AI Mode vs traditional search: where your content fits

Google’s framing is a funnel:

1. Traditional search for most queries
2. AI Overview when it’s proven helpful
3. AI Mode for complex research and follow-up conversation

Stein noted that in AI Mode tests, query length increased 2–3x versus typical search. That’s not a small change. Longer queries usually mean higher intent—especially for services, software, and B2B buying.

What this means for SMB content marketing in the U.S.

If more users shift complex research into conversational AI Mode, then the content that wins will look more like:

• decision support (“which plan is right for a 12-person team?”)
• scenario handling (“we have dogs, allergies, and need a patio” style constraints)
• comparisons (“Square vs Toast for a food truck”)
• implementation steps (“how long does onboarding take?”)

If your content stops at “what we do” and never answers “how it works,” “what it costs,” and “what happens if…,” AI surfaces will treat you as shallow.

Personalization is limited—so fundamentals matter more than tricks

Google acknowledged personalization exists (for example, boosting videos if you tend to click videos), but called it a smaller adjustment because they want results to stay consistent across users.

That’s good news for SMBs. It means you don’t need to outsmart a different algorithm for every person. You need to win the core:

• clarity of answer
• credibility of source
• usefulness on the page
• satisfaction after the click

If you’re betting your lead gen on personalization hacks, you’re betting on the wrong horse.

What to do now: an SMB playbook for AI Overviews and engagement

Here’s a practical plan you can run without a giant team.

1) Build “citation-ready” pages (not just blog posts)

AI Overviews and AI Mode pull from content that’s structured, specific, and easy to extract.

Make sure your most important pages include:

• a direct answer in the first 2–3 sentences
• short sections with descriptive headings (not clever headings)
• bullet lists for steps, requirements, pros/cons
• a clear point of view (“We recommend X when Y is true.”)

Snippet-worthy line you can aim for:

A page earns AI citations when it answers the question cleanly, supports it with specifics, and makes the next decision easier.

2) Write for “next questions,” not just the first one

Because of query expansion, the best content anticipates follow-ups.

A simple way to do this is to add a “Common follow-ups” block on key pages:

• “How long does it take?”
• “What does it cost in 2026?”
• “What do I need before I start?”
• “What can go wrong?”
• “What’s the difference between option A and B?”

For U.S. SMBs, cost and timeline are almost always the lead qualifiers. If you avoid them, you qualify fewer leads and frustrate more buyers.

3) Improve engagement signals that you actually control

You can’t directly control whether Google shows an AI Overview. You can control whether your site satisfies the user.

Focus on:

• speed and mobile usability (most SMB traffic is mobile-heavy)
• strong internal linking (“If you’re comparing plans, start here”)
• one primary CTA per page (request a quote, book a consult, start a trial)
• trust elements close to the CTA: reviews, certifications, guarantees

If you’ve noticed “traffic is flat but leads are down,” it’s often a CTA clarity problem, not a content quantity problem.

4) Create 3 “money pages” per service, not 30 generic blogs

Most SMBs publish a lot and still don’t rank (or get cited) because their content is broad and repetitive.

For each core service, build:

1. Explainer page: who it’s for, what’s included, what it costs, FAQs
2. Comparison page: options, tradeoffs, who should choose what
3. Problem page: “If you’re dealing with X, here’s the fix”

Example for a U.S. digital agency:

• “Local SEO services for multi-location businesses”
• “Local SEO vs Google Ads: when each wins in 2026”
• “Why your Google Business Profile isn’t converting (and how to fix it)”

These are the pages that tend to attract citations and convert.

5) Measure the right thing: conversions by query intent

If AI Overviews fluctuate by query type, you need reporting that reflects that.

At minimum, track:

• branded vs non-branded organic conversions
• conversions from informational vs commercial pages
• assisted conversions (organic → return visit → form fill)

If you only watch raw clicks, you’ll panic every time SERP layouts change. Leads are the scoreboard.

Quick Q&A (the stuff SMB owners ask immediately)

Will AI Overviews kill my website traffic?

They can reduce clicks for some informational queries. But they also raise the value of being a cited source and push more users toward deeper research in AI Mode. The sites that win are the ones that provide the best next step once the user arrives.

Why am I sometimes cited even when I don’t rank top 3?

Because Google may expand the query “under the hood” and pull sources that answer related sub-questions. Relevance isn’t only keyword-to-keyword anymore; it’s intent-to-answer.

What content should I update first?

Start with pages closest to revenue: service pages, pricing pages, comparison pages, and your top organic landing pages with high impressions but weak conversion.

The bigger picture for 2026: AI search rewards helpful businesses

Google’s message is simple: AI Overviews show up where they demonstrably help users. If people ignore them, Google shows them less. That feedback loop means SMB marketing teams have to stop obsessing over one ranking screenshot and start building content that earns engagement and trust at scale.

This also fits the broader theme we’re seeing across U.S. technology and digital services: AI is changing distribution, but it’s also raising the bar for clarity. The businesses that explain things well—pricing, tradeoffs, timelines, outcomes—are the ones that get cited, clicked, and contacted.

If you want a concrete next step, pick one high-intent topic you’re known for and publish a page that answers it better than anyone else locally. Then tighten the CTA so the path to becoming a lead is obvious.

What’s the one question prospects keep asking you right before they buy—and why isn’t that the headline on your most important page yet?