Google’s Featured Snippets have long been a staple of Search (since 2014), providing quick answers and simple definitions straight from the results page. 

Yet, there’s a new sheriff in town. 

AI Overviews are now dominating the SERP (search engine results pages) landscape, and they’ve recently received a Gemini 2.0 upgrade. 

That means AI Overviews will now appear for all types of searches, as they were primarily used for informational queries up until early March 2025. 

So, what’s in store for Featured Snippets?

Well, they’re still a thing, they just appear underneath the AI Overview. 

Here’s what one looks like:

A Featured Snippet highlights the most relevant search result for any given keyword, which is advantageous for marketers. 

Before AI Overviews, featured snippets held the coveted position 0 on Google. 

Despite being pushed further down the fold, targeting Featured Snippets can still benefit your SEO. 

Moreover, the optimization techniques for Featured Snippets and AI Overviews are extremely similar. 

For instance, using schema markup on your site will heighten the chances that you’ll get featured in both snippets and Overviews, so it’s quite easy to target both using the same methods.  

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to optimize your content for both AI Overviews and Featured Snippets, so keep reading! 

How GSO (Generative Search Optimization) Differs from Snippets 

First, let’s explore how Featured Snippets and AI Overviews differ. 

The most obvious difference is that Overviews use Gemini AI while Featured Snippets depend on Google’s search algorithm. 

This means the way they discover and display content is different. 

For instance, Featured Snippets highlight an excerpt (or snippet) from a single webpage. In other words, the Featured Snippet will quote information word-for-word from a piece of content it found in Google’s index (like a definition or quick answer to a question). 

Since AI Overviews are powered by Google’s Gemini (a state-of-the-art large language model), they can provide more complex summaries. 

Namely, AI Overviews pull information from multiple sources and then generate an original response. 

Also, while structured data is important for targeting both AI Overviews and Featured Snippets, it’s more important for Snippets. 

AI tools have other ways of accessing information, such as pulling real-time data from APIs (application programming interfaces). 

Here’s a table breaking down the main differences:

Now that you know how the two search features are different, let’s examine all the ways that they’re similar. 

Where GSO and Featured Snippets Overlap 

It’s undeniable that AI Overviews and Featured Snippets are similar in nature, especially since they both serve the same function. 

While AI Overviews take a deeper dive into a query than Featured Snippets, they both exist to provide quick and easy resources for users. 

Coincidentally, they can both lead to an uptick in zero-click searches, which isn’t exactly helpful for SEO but can still raise brand awareness. 

A zero-click search occurs whenever a user finds the information they need on a search engine results page without actually clicking on any of the results. Most zero-click searches occur because of – you guessed it – AI Overviews and Featured Snippets. 

Yet, for every user who clicks away after reading a snippet or overview, there are still plenty of users who will click on the provided results to learn more. 

In fact, recent research by Seer Interactive found that your organic click-through rate (CTR) increases to 1.08% whenever you’re listed as a source in an AI Overview. 

Featured Snippets are even more powerful, as their average click-through rate is a whopping 42.9%. This is because they only feature one source, greatly heightening the chances that users will click on it (as opposed to the multitude of sources listed in AI Overviews). 

So, it’s definitely still worth targeting AI Overviews and Featured Snippets for your SEO campaigns. 

Other similarities include:

• Short, scannable answers matter for both. If you want to increase your chances of getting mentioned in an AI Overview or Featured Snippet, you need to include short, scannable answers to common questions within the first few lines of your content. DO NOT bury your answers within the body of your post, as that will make it harder for crawlers to find. 

• Trust and authority remain key. If Google doesn’t trust your website, it won’t consider you when looking for content to pull for Overviews and Snippets. Therefore, building trust is paramount, so you’ll need top-tier content and authoritative backlinks. 

• Internal linking matters. In order for Google to fully discover your content, you must include internal links. This is especially true when building topical authority through content clusters. If Google can’t discover your content, you won’t be able to appear in AI Overviews and Featured Snippets. 

AI Overviews or Featured Snippets: Which Should You Prioritize?

Now that you know how each search feature works, which should you target in your SEO strategy?

The answer depends on a few factors, including:

• Your goals. Do you want to raise brand awareness or generate more clicks to your website? If brand visibility is your goal, then you should focus on AI Overviews. If you want to drive more targeted traffic to your site, focus on keywords that trigger Featured Snippets. 

• Search intent. If you produce lots of informative content, you’ll have an easier time targeting Featured Snippets. Ever since the Gemini 2.0 overhaul, AI Overviews have appeared for all types of search intent, including commercial and transactional keywords. 

• Your audience. Certain industries trigger more AI Overviews than others, as this chart from Semrush illustrates. They generate like mad for Healthcare keywords, so you’ll want to prioritize overviews if you operate within that industry. Conversely, not many AI Overviews trigger for Home and Gardening keywords, so you should prioritize Featured Snippets for those queries. 

Optimization Tips for Both AI Overviews and Featured Snippets 

Before we let you go, here’s a helpful checklist that’ll help you optimize for both search features:

• Write concise answers to target keyword questions. Whenever you target keywords that pose questions, answer that question immediately. And when we say immediately, we mean within the first 1 – 2 lines of your content! 

• Use structured data to make your content easier to understand. AI tools and crawler bots both use structured data to understand content online, such as if it’s a product description, blog post, or review. 

• Opt for readability and simple language. Industry jargon isn’t helpful for users or search engine crawlers, so use simple language instead. Also, keep your paragraphs short to avoid large walls of text. 

• Build strong backlinks and include internal links. As mentioned before, trust is extremely important for appearing in AI Overviews and Featured Snippets, so backlinks are a must. You should also ensure that each piece of content contains at least one internal link. 

Do you need help devising an SEO strategy that includes AI Overviews and Featured Snippets?

Our expert team knows what it takes to reach the top of the SERPs, so don’t wait to get in touch for a free consultation. If you’d rather not deal with SEO at all, try out HOTH X, our fully managed, hands-free service!