What Google AI Overviews cite for SEO queries: a 170-query study

Advice about getting cited in AI Overviews is usually based on anecdotes or vendor claims. We already had live results pages for the 170 queries we were planning content for, so we measured the sources directly. The query set is not a random sample of all searches: it is weighted toward SEO, AI search, technical SEO, and SaaS tooling, which is the space we work in. Treat the results as a picture of that niche, not of Google overall.

We classified all 1,154 captured references by page type.

The most surprising result was YouTube's share. Overviews for queries such as how to fix Search Console statuses or how to set up robots.txt frequently linked a YouTube video alongside written guides. For brands, that suggests a short, accurate video walkthrough on an important topic can earn a citation that a written page alone may not. Product pages also appeared often, typically when the query named a tool category and the vendor page stated plainly what the product does.

Only about a third of cited domains also ranked in the organic top ten for the same query. Overviews draw on a wider pool, consistent with Google's description of AI features running additional searches for related sub-questions. A page that ranks eleventh, or ranks for a sub-question rather than the main query, can still be cited. Answering the specific sub-questions behind a topic in clear, self-contained sections is a practical response.

Sources were captured for 18 of 19 Search Console queries, all 13 glossary queries, 25 of 28 AI SEO tool queries, and 21 of 26 AEO and GEO queries. Overviews for competitor alternatives queries were the most likely to load asynchronously without capturable sources, with sources captured for 5 of 8. Asynchronous Overviews still appear to searchers; we simply could not read their citations.

This is one snapshot from one location and device. AI Overviews vary between searches, users, and days, so the same query can cite different sources later. Page-type classification uses rules on titles and URLs and will misclassify some pages. Domain counts are per Overview, so a domain cited three times in one Overview counts once. SerionFlow is not an AI Overview tracker; for ongoing monitoring of many queries, a dedicated SERP or AI visibility tool is the right choice.