Google’s AI overviews (AIOs) now appear in 57% of B2B tech searches.
One in three web searches on Google now trigger an AI-generated snippet at the top of the results page. But for B2B tech companies, the percentage is even higher, with Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) appearing in 57% of searches. That’s up from 32% in May 2024, according to research from BrightEdge.
Tech buyers naturally search intending to get precise answers and technical clarity. So, it’s no surprise that their information-focused queries – often related to security, data management, and compliance, for example – return an outsized proportion of AI Overviews.
Why is this important for marketers? Because 89% of the citations in Google’s AI Overviews come from outside the top 100 organic rankings – contributing to a 49% increase in in search impressions for websites overall. Megan Poinski, journalist at Forbes, captures the shift well: influence and visibility are now the most important aspects of search.
How B2B tech companies can build brand authority with Google AI overviews
Goliath is beating David in the AI Overview game. Right now, 15%-22% of AI Overview answers relating to B2B tech queries come from giants like IBM, Amazon and Microsoft – giving them a growth boost over smaller players.
So, what gives these companies’ content the edge? BrightEdge’s research points to a pattern of:
• Real-time, relevant and accurate answers.
• Step-by-step information with structured formats.
• Content that provides general guidance versus overly specific details.
However, for educational queries specifically, it notes that AI Overviews favour precise answers with visual presentation.
Three ways to get your brand featured in Google AI Overviews
Structure your stories to be surfable
• Why it matters
AI Overviews don’t just pull from the top-ranking sites—they pull from structured, credible content. That means your content needs to be more than just compelling—it needs to be crawlable and credible.
• Implication for B2B tech PR content
Thought leadership, founder quotes, product narratives—they all need to be formatted with clarity and structure (think Q&As, bullet points, schema, clear headings) to stand a chance of being cited in AI summaries.
• 3THINKRS takeaway
Your content will only get surfaced if it is structured for AI and supported by an earned strategy that brings you brand authority.
Position your brand for zero-click-SERP exposure
• Why it matters
Partly as a result of AI Overviews, click-throughs from search engine results pages (SERPs) are down. However, AIOs do still quote and name their sources, meaning – regardless of whether a ‘click’ is involved – high-value exposure is available for brands that secure credible coverage and endorsements.
• Implication for B2B tech PR content
You don’t need to rank #1 to be referenced in AIOs. Well-placed brand mentions in national media with expert commentary, partner content, or industry explainers now carry disproportionate weight in AI summaries.
• 3THINKRS takeaway
Media relations strategies should focus on the right mix: premium titles for authority, trade media for solving complex problems, and emerging media for new influence.
Target top-of-funnel-focused content to compete with big tech brands
• Why it matters
Complex queries are booming. To compete with the big tech brands that are dominating AIOs for these kinds of searches, you need detailed content, aimed at solving your buyers’ problems, to help you build brand authority.
• Implication for B2B tech PR content
This is where B2B tech PR comes into its own. First, it can keep you in real-time conversations, and relevant to the conversations happening that day. Next, it gives you the opportunity to ‘deep dive’ on specific stories in credible publications. And finally, done well, it can make you the ‘owner’ of a specific topic in your field.
• 3THINKRS takeaway
To win in AI-driven search, PR must keep you front of mind at all times (e.g. through newsjacking), alongside authoritative coverage, such as profiles and bylines.
So, that’s the 3THINKRS take on how AI is changing search and how PR can help. What are your thoughts?
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