82% of Google AI Overviews citations come from deep pages: Report
Homepages have long been considered the most crucial page. However, when it comes to AI Overviews, only 0.5% of citations link to homepages.
Detailed and specialized content that lives deeper within your website may be key to winning citations and brand visibility in Google’s AI Overviews, according to enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge.
By the numbers. Based on a new analysis of millions of URLs cited by Google’s AI Overviews, BrightEdge found that:
- 82.5% of citations linked to deep content pages (two or more clicks away from the homepage)
- 0.5% of citations linked to homepages.
- 86% of citations appeared for only one keyword.
Why we care. The homepage historically has been considered the most important page on a website, with primary category, product, or service pages not far behind (those accounted for 17% of citations in AI Overviews, by the way). However, in this era of AI Overviews, every page becomes important and may be the first interaction someone has with your brand. So, to earn citations in AI Overviews, it seems it will be critical to make sure your content is crawled and indexed and that you refresh content to keep it up to date.
What they’re saying. According to BrightEdge:
- “The median search volume for keywords triggering these citations exceeds 15,000 monthly searches – representing enormous visibility potential from a single optimized deep page that might otherwise only appear for long-tail queries. The median keyword triggering these citations has 15,300 monthly searches, with approximately 19% exceeding 100,000 volume! This means your deeper pages could drive more visibility in AI than they could with long-tail keywords they may typically rank for in organic results.”
BrightEdge executive chair and founder Jim Yu added:
- “In the age of AI-driven search, success lies not in optimizing the latest development but in fortifying your entire site and content foundation. When algorithms and AI scans for truth, they don’t just peek through your front door—they explore every room in your digital home, seeking the hidden gems of expertise that make your content worthy of citation.”
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About the author
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.