Google AI Overviews now surface in an increasing percentage of Google Search results, and if your content isn’t structured to win a citation, you’re ceding visibility to competitors who’ve already adjusted. The problem usually isn’t awareness — most SEO leaders know AI Overviews are here. The real hurdle is execution: turning Google’s intentionally broad recommendations into reliable content workflows, tracking whether your AI-focused site optimizations are actually earning citations, and demonstrating business impact when classic metrics like rankings and CTR no longer capture the full picture. This playbook is designed to bridge that gap. I’ll walk you through practical best practices for optimizing content for Google AI Overviews — from technical setup and answer-first layouts to structured data, long-tail question mapping, and the measurement systems you need to monitor your brand’s presence in AI-driven search. Whether you’re just starting to figure out how to appear in AI Overviews from an SEO perspective, or you’re iterating on an existing generative engine optimization strategy, everything here is built for practitioners who need to implement, not just learn. Each section provides a concrete workflow: what to do, why it’s effective, and how to measure results. You’ll also see how AI Overviews fit into the broader shift toward answer engines (including how tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are changing the way buyers find brands) and how to align your AI-generated content strategy to stay visible across all of them. Let’s dive in. Table of Contents: What are AI Overviews (AIOs) and how do they work? How to Optimize for…