Since the emergence of search engines equipped with generative AI, such as AI Overview, various marketing strategies—including SEO for content marketing—have likely been reevaluated.
While various generative AI services such as ChatGPT and Bing AI are available, this article will explain Google’s “AI Overview,” touching on its relationship with user-generated content (UGC).
1. What Is AI Overview? Google’s Latest Search Experience Powered by Gemini
—What is AI Overview?
AI Overview is a feature that utilizes Gemini, a generative AI model, to select and provide higher-quality information from the search index. Prior to its official announcement as AI Overview, it was offered as SGE (Search Generative Experience) for experimental purposes.
It is a new search experience that instantly displays high-quality answers tailored to the user’s search intent. Unlike traditional search results, which list links, the AI integrates information and generates and presents answers in a question-and-answer format.
—An Evolved Search Experience: Multimodal Support
In addition to traditional text search, Google AI Overview supports a variety of search methods, including:
✔︎ Image search (e.g., using a photo to look up details about products or services)
✔︎ Voice search (e.g., asking a question verbally and receiving an immediate AI response)
✔︎ Video search (e.g., filming a home appliance to look up product information)
It provides an intuitive experience that helps users overcome "search barriers" even in situations where it is difficult to put thoughts into words.
Another key feature is that traffic and visits are reflected in Google Search Console (*1).
*1 Google Search Console allows you to measure your site’s search traffic and ranking on Google’s SERP (Search Engine Results Page), view the queries users entered to access your site, and analyze metrics such as impressions and clicks.
2. How Is AI Overview Transforming Marketing Strategies? New Strategies for the Zero-Click Era
With the introduction of Google’s AI Overview, user search behavior and companies’ web acquisition strategies are beginning to change significantly.
—An era of obtaining information without visiting a site
A key feature of AI Overview is that, through Google Chrome searches, users’ search results are summarized and consolidated by generative AI and displayed at the top of the page.
For users, this offers the following benefits:
✔︎ Obtain desired
information without visiting a website ✔︎ Instantly grasp summaries from multiple sites
Since AI Overview answers include links to the source websites, users can click through to those links to obtain further information.
On the other hand, since AI Overview allows users to grasp summaries of information extracted from various sites, there is no longer a need to navigate to the linked sites when answers—such as definitions or concepts—are found within AI Overview itself.
While this reduces the number of clicks required for users and provides a more comfortable search experience, SEO professionals aiming to increase website traffic face a phase where they must implement new strategies, as this could lead to a decrease in site visitors.
—Is SEO Alone Insufficient? Generative AI Countermeasures = LLM-based Solutions Are Now Necessary
Traditional SEO has focused on increasing organic traffic by achieving top search rankings to meet marketing goals such as improving conversion rates.
However, with the advent of AI Overview, so-called “zero-click searches” have begun to gain traction, and relying solely on SEO to drive traffic to a site is becoming insufficient. Consequently, attention is turning to Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO) (*2). It is now necessary to implement LLMO and build content that gets “selected” by AI.
*2 This aims to optimize for search engines equipped with generative AI. It is cited as a strategy to ensure content is referenced by generative AI
.
For more on "how to implement LLMO" as a strategy for AI Overview, please refer to this article
3. What Are AI Overview and LLMO? Search Strategies for the “Generative AI Era” That SEO Alone Cannot Achieve
—LLMO is the Next-Generation Content Marketing Strategy
In AI Overview, when search results are displayed, site links appear as the source of the information. Moving forward, content marketing will require not only implementing measures to “rank high in search results”—the traditional goal of SEO—but also implementing LLMO strategies to “be selected for generative AI responses.” In other words, it is essential to deploy LLMO, the next-generation content marketing strategy.
—What Are the Specific Methods of LLMO? Content Design That Addresses Search “Intent” Is the Key
While SEO focuses on optimizing for search engine ranking algorithms, LLMO focuses on optimizing for AI-powered generative engines.
While user search keywords—as in SEO—remain important, LLMO is said to prioritize the user’s search intent when determining which results to display.
Therefore, specific strategies include publishing brand-specific information, providing answers designed from the user’s perspective, utilizing reliable sources, incorporating concrete figures and data, and offering an FAQ section.
4. What is the relationship between AI Overview and UGC (user-generated content/reviews)? User feedback holds the key to SEO and LLMO
—Why is UGC effective for SEO and LLMO?
Google’s search quality guidelines often cite E-E-A-T (*3) as an evaluation criterion.
What is E-E-A-T?
✔︎ Experience
✔︎ Expertise
✔︎ Authoritativeness
✔︎ Trustworthiness
Previously, the evaluation criteria consisted of the three E-A-T factors excluding Experience, but Experience has since been added.
User-generated content (UGC), such as customer testimonials and reviews, is considered effective for both LLMO and traditional SEO. UGC represents “authentic user feedback” and is easily recognized as information from the user’s perspective.
UGC such as reviews and testimonials consists of unfiltered feedback containing the actual experiences of users who have used the products or services. Google tends to recognize this as a “highly reliable” and useful source of information for users, making it a key component of SEO and LLMO.
*3 Elizabeth Tucker. “Latest Updates to Quality Rating Guidelines: Adding the ‘E’ for Experience to E-A-T.” December 15, 2022, https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/google-raters-guidelines-e-e-a-t?hl=ja, (accessed February 27, 2025).
—Is UGC Effective for User Journey Design in the Zero-Click Era? Strategies for Leveraging User Reviews to Balance SEO and LLMO
Relying solely on objective information may result in the search experience ending with a zero-click search, but authentic user reviews and testimonials provide information from the user’s perspective, so publishing them can improve your site’s evaluation. Since they can also spark interest in reviews beyond those displayed in search results, users are more likely to go out of their way to visit your company’s website.
Since UGC is effective not only for LLMO but also for SEO, it is no exaggeration to say that using these testimonials and reviews as a hook to implement LLMO and SEO constitutes a new content marketing strategy.
Additionally, since some UGC tools include FAQ features, utilizing these tools also constitutes LLMO. By replying to and publishing reviews submitted by customers, you can share customer-centric content with other customers, which can be leveraged as valuable information by search engines. At the same time, this serves as an effective SEO strategy.
Summary: The New Norm in the AI Overview Era: What Is the UGC Utilization Strategy Supporting SEO and LLMO?
In this article, we’ve explained Google’s “AI Overview” feature, touching on its connection to UGC.
AI Overview is a groundbreaking feature that significantly transforms the search experience. Since AI summarizes and presents the information users want directly on the search results page, we have entered an era where traditional SEO alone is no longer sufficient.
Amid this shift, a new concept—LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)—is gaining importance. Furthermore, UGC (User-Generated Content), such as customer reviews and testimonials, proves highly effective for both LLMO and SEO. By implementing UGC management tools, you can reap various benefits, including the implementation of UGC marketing strategies and improved convenience in managing UGC.
U-KOMI is a UGC (User-Generated Content) tool designed to collect and utilize customer feedback. By using this tool, you can not only display reviews beautifully on your e-commerce site and leverage Instagram content to improve conversion rates (CVR), but also utilize reviews—a valuable information asset—in real time through built-in features.
Furthermore, U-KOMI incorporates an AI feature called U-KOMI AI. U-KOMI AI is a suite of smart AI functions that performs sentiment analysis, keyword extraction, AI score calculation, and automated replies for reviews.
From customer support to service and product improvements, it takes your marketing to the next level.
Click here for more details on U-KOMI AI
As we look toward the new LLMO era, we encourage you to consider the benefits of implementing a UGC tool and explore how it can align with your company’s marketing strategies.
View a list of UGC use cases here: https://u-komi.com/jirei
Download materials here: https://u-komi.com/
Contact U-KOMI here: https://u-komi.com/contact/