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The introduction of AI Overviews in Google Search is reshaping the digital landscape, shifting attention away from traditional homepage-centric strategies and placing greater emphasis on deep, content-rich internal pages. A recent report from BrightEdge reveals that 82% of citations in AI-generated summaries link to internal, non-homepage URLs—marking a significant departure from how visibility and traffic used to flow through search.

This change presents both a challenge and an opportunity for SEO professionals, marketers, and content creators. While homepages once acted as the primary entry point for users, AI Overviews are now pulling information from across the entirety of a website, making every indexed page a potential source of authority and visibility.

The Rising Value of Citations in AI Summaries

AI-generated content in Google Search often includes citations to validate and reinforce the information presented. These are not casual mentions—they are active links that can drive direct traffic to your website. When your page is cited in an AI Summary, it receives prime placement, functioning as both a trust signal and a conversion opportunity.

Importantly, these citations are frequently being drawn from deeper pages within a site—articles, FAQs, blog posts, and service-specific resources that previously may have received limited organic attention. This reflects a growing emphasis on content depth, relevance, and quality over just domain authority or front-page structure.

For SEO strategy, the implication is clear: building comprehensive, high-value content throughout your site—not just on landing or main service pages—is essential to earning AI citation visibility.

SEO in the Age of AI Overviews

As AI Overviews become a standard part of the search experience, traditional content hierarchies are being upended. Pages that once sat buried in long-tail search results may now become high-traffic entry points if their content aligns well with user queries and algorithmic selection criteria.

BrightEdge’s research notes that these high-visibility citations often target keywords with strong search volume—averaging more than 15,000 searches per month. This means internal pages that address these queries are potentially sitting on untapped traffic opportunities, assuming they are optimized properly and contain authoritative, user-focused information.

To succeed in this new environment, SEO strategies must extend beyond the homepage. Businesses need to prioritize full-site optimization and invest in deeper content development that anticipates questions, addresses pain points, and offers valuable insights—all with the goal of being chosen for AI-powered summaries.

Optimizing Deep Content for Visibility

To increase the likelihood of your internal pages being cited by AI Overviews, consider the following best practices:

• Create In-Depth Content: Build pages around specific topics with comprehensive information, supported by credible data, visuals, and expert insights.
• Refresh Existing Pages: Update older content to keep it relevant, accurate, and aligned with current trends or changes in your industry.
• Use Strategic Keyword Placement: Optimize deeper pages for relevant search terms that reflect both user intent and query trends.
• Improve Indexability: Ensure all high-quality pages are properly indexed and structured with clean URLs, metadata, and schema markup where applicable.
• Monitor AI Citation Trends: Use SEO tools and analytics to identify which pages are receiving attention from AI-driven search features and why.

By optimizing deep content for performance and accessibility, you enhance your site’s ability to surface in AI summaries and gain targeted traffic that previously would have bypassed less-prominent URLs.

Why SEO Expertise Is Critical

The shift to AI-enhanced search requires a more advanced and holistic SEO strategy. Partnering with experienced professionals can ensure that your content meets evolving technical and content standards, enabling your website to perform in a landscape where algorithms prioritize engagement, expertise, and contextual value.

At BluShark Digital, we specialize in maximizing online visibility through strategic content development and technical optimization. Our team can identify underutilized pages, uncover high-opportunity keywords, and position your content for maximum exposure in both traditional search and AI-enhanced results.

Contact us today to learn how our tailored SEO solutions can unlock hidden value across your website and help you capitalize on the next evolution of search.