Google now directly answers your prospects' questions before they visit your site. These AI summaries, called AI Overviews, appear at the top of search results and are fundamentally changing how organic traffic is distributed. For a Belgian SME, the challenge is no longer just about being on the first page: it's about being cited in the answer itself.
AI Overviews in Belgium: already here, already impactful
A faster rollout than expected
Google launched its AI Overviews in Belgium in March 2025, first in English, then progressively in French and Dutch as part of the complete European rollout in October 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, 43% of searches in Belgium now generate an AI Overview. Globally, the feature reaches more than 2 billion monthly users worldwide.
This is no longer a trend to watch: it's a reality that is already changing your acquisition statistics.
What this concretely changes for your traffic
When an AI Overview appears, classic organic results drop below the fold. The effect on click-through rate is documented: -18% CTR for positions 1 to 3 when an AIO is present, and up to -35% for positions 4 to 10. On the other hand, sites cited inside the AIO record a CTR increase of +22% on average.
The conclusion is direct: if you're not in the AI response, you pay twice — losing traffic on your classic positions without benefiting from exposure in the AIO.
« Ranking on the first page was the prerequisite. Being cited in the AI Overview has become the objective. »
Why being cited in an AI Overview is the new first place
Classic SEO remains the prerequisite
81% of content cited in AI Overviews comes from the top 10 organic results. In other words, you will never be cited by AI if your page isn't already well-ranked. Solid SEO remains the indispensable foundation. What GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) adds is an extra layer of signals that AI systems prioritize when choosing their sources.
In May 2026, Google published its first official guide on optimization for AI features, confirming that "optimizing for AI search is always SEO." The two disciplines complement each other, they don't exclude each other.
The difference between cited and ignored content
Google's AI reads your page like a rushed reader: it looks for a direct answer, attributable numbers, and a clear structure. An article that "gradually develops its subject" will be systematically ignored in favor of a page that gives the answer in the first 200 words. The overlap between AI sources and the top 10 Google results has also fallen from 70% in 2024 to less than 20% in 2026: being well-ranked no longer guarantees being cited. Content structure now makes the difference.
5 concrete actions to appear in AI Overviews
1. Answer directly from the first words
The AIO often extracts the first 50 to 150 words of a section. Your introduction and each H2 opening must contain the complete answer to the question asked, without preamble. If your page answers "how much does a website cost in Belgium?", the numerical answer must be in the first two sentences, not in the conclusion.
2. Structure each section: question, direct answer, development
The format that AI systems prioritize is: a sub-question formulated the way prospects ask it, a direct answer of 40 to 60 words, then the development. This is exactly what articles retrieved in AI Overviews do: they are written as an answer tool, not as a presentation text.
3. Take care of your FAQ section (50-90 words per answer)
An FAQ of 4 to 6 questions, formulated as they are typed in Google, with answers of 50 to 90 words, is a pool of extractions for AIOs. Each FAQ answer must be self-contained: it must make sense even taken out of the context of the page. This is the section that AI systems find easiest to integrate into their responses.
4. Add schema markup (FAQ, Article, LocalBusiness)
Schema markup is not mandatory, but pages with complete structured data are cited in AIOs at a significantly higher rate. For a Belgian SME, three types of schema are priority: `FAQ` (for your frequently asked questions), `Article` (for your blog content), and `LocalBusiness` (for your local activity). The recommended format is JSON-LD, added in the header of each relevant page.
5. Cite your sources and update your statistics
Non-attributed numbers are ignored by AI systems. A fact with a source (name of study, organization, year) is infinitely more citable than a general assertion. Review your most visited articles: if the statistics date from 2022 or 2023, update them with recent data. This single action can be enough to shift a page from "consulted" to "cited."
Frequently asked questions
Is my site too small to appear in AI Overviews?
No. The size of the site is not a selection criterion. What matters is that your page precisely addresses the question asked, that it is well-indexed, and that its structure facilitates extraction. Pages from local sites of a few dozen pages regularly appear in AIOs, against sites of several thousand pages, when their content better answers a specific query.
How long does it take to be cited in an AI Overview?
There is no standard timeline. Google does not offer a submission process for AI Overviews. The first signals of appearing in AIOs can manifest within a period of 4 to 8 weeks after the publication or update of optimized content, provided the page is already indexed and correctly positioned.
Do AI Overviews completely replace classic SEO?
No. 81% of sources cited in AI Overviews come from the top 10 organic results. Classic SEO is a prerequisite to be eligible for a citation. GEO adds on top: same E-E-A-T signals logic, with particular attention paid to the direct answer and structured data.
Do I need to modify all the pages of my site?
No, start with the pages that already address the questions your prospects ask in Google. Identify your 5 to 10 best-ranked pages, optimize their structure and FAQ as a priority. You will see much faster results by improving what exists than by creating new content from scratch.
Priority action plan
Audit your existing content: identify the 5 best-ranked pages in Google and check whether their introduction directly answers the target query within the first 150 words.
Restructure your H2s: each section title must be followed by a direct answer of 40 to 60 words before any development, formulated as an answer to a question.
Add or enrich your FAQ: 4 to 6 questions per service page or blog article, formulated as your prospects type them, self-contained answers of 50 to 90 words.
Implement schema markup: FAQ in JSON-LD on your service pages, Article on your blog content, LocalBusiness on your homepage.
Update your statistics: check that the numerical data on your pages is from 2025 or 2026 with the source cited by name.
SEO is evolving, but its fundamental principle remains intact: create content that answers a precise question better than others. AI Overviews haven't changed the rules of the game, they've made structural quality even more decisive. SMEs that adapt their content now will get ahead of those that wait for their traffic to drop before reacting.
Your site deserves to be cited, not just found. Discover how our SEO support can improve your presence in Google and in AI responses.
Visibility
June 27, 2026
6 min read
