Winning in Tech with AI Search Strategy
The challenge
In early 2024, Google rolled out AI-generated Overviews that replaced traditional blue link search results with conversational summaries. Studies revealed that these summaries occupied a significant portion of the mobile search screen, with up to 48 percent coverage in some cases.
A major consumer electronics player, heavily reliant on search visibility for product awareness and conversion, identified a clear threat. At the start of 2024, its core product pages and customer support content were absent from AI-generated summaries for key search queries such as “best noise-canceling headphones” and “smart home hubs.” Competing brands were already securing citations, signalling a risk of diminished organic visibility and potential sales impact during a time of intensified market competition.
Objectives
The digital and communications teams developed a targeted plan aimed at three key goals. First, to secure consistent citations in AI Overviews for at least twenty high-traffic product and support queries within twelve months. Second, to maintain stable organic search traffic in spite of the shift toward zero-click answers. Third, to enhance user engagement and conversion rates on pages that were cited, turning search visibility into tangible business results.
Strategy
Recognizing the need for precision and credibility, the team focused on blending authoritative, AI-ready content with a robust public relations campaign.
Content was restructured to deliver concise, factual summaries. Press releases were drafted with plain-language abstracts, bullet-pointed facts, and clear Q&A sections to serve both human readers and AI systems. Web versions were enhanced with schema markup, ensuring the content could be parsed and quoted accurately.
To build authority, key announcements were offered under embargo to trusted technology and business publications known for high credibility and frequent referencing by search engines. This approach ensured a consistent and trustworthy presence across digital and traditional channels.
Support and product content was comprehensively refreshed to include clear summaries, user-friendly specifications, and easy-to-follow troubleshooting guides. Audio elements describing key product features were embedded where relevant, offering additional formats for AI systems to incorporate.
Key actions
Over five hundred media placements were secured in the first month, with more than two hundred featuring detailed explanations or data points directly attributed to the company’s technical specialists. This positioned the brand as a go-to source for AI systems seeking authoritative content.
The content team revised over eight hundred support and product pages, incorporating plain-language summaries and structured technical details. These changes ensured both human users and AI models could extract information efficiently and accurately.
A comprehensive report on consumer electronics trends, supported by proprietary data and industry insights, was released in late 2024. This report was widely cited by leading industry publications and soon began appearing as a reference point in AI-generated summaries for related search queries.
Outcomes
By the first quarter of 2025, citations in AI Overviews covered twenty-five out of fifty targeted product and support queries, a substantial improvement from the zero baseline recorded at the start of the initiative. These citations spanned both product comparison searches and common troubleshooting queries, extending visibility across a broad range of customer interactions.
Despite an industry-wide slowdown in organic search traffic, the company achieved a five percent increase in sessions compared to the previous year. Pages cited in AI-generated summaries saw an eight percent uplift in conversion rates, indicating that visibility within AI Overviews was attracting highly motivated users.
Earned media coverage included placements from outlets with average domain authority scores above eighty, reinforcing credibility with both AI systems and human audiences. Brand visibility improved significantly across generative search landscapes, with references appearing consistently in high-value queries.
Why the approach worked
The success of this initiative stemmed from a strategic focus on clarity, credibility, and adaptability. Press releases and support content were crafted to deliver precise, structured facts that AI systems could safely incorporate into Overviews. At the same time, these materials provided clear story angles and reliable data for human reporters, ensuring media coverage aligned with digital objectives.
Building authority through high-quality publications created a network of backlinks and references that strengthened credibility signals recognized by AI systems. Regular tracking and analysis of generative search performance provided a rapid feedback mechanism, allowing the team to prioritize and refine content that delivered measurable results.
Integrating diverse content formats, including audio explanations and simplified product specifications, contributed to a comprehensive digital presence that resonated with both users and AI technologies.
Key takeaways
Design content that serves both human audiences and AI systems, with structured summaries and factual precision.
Focus on securing coverage in high-authority publications to reinforce credibility in digital ecosystems.
Monitor AI-generated Overviews to identify emerging opportunities and optimize visibility.
Balance visibility with engagement, ensuring that cited content also converts visitors into customers.
