What Content Works Best for AI Overviews? Lessons From LLMs

You’ve invested years into optimizing for Google’s blue links. But in 2025, it’s not just about ranking first on search results. Businesses today face a new frontier: AI Overviews. These summaries, powered by large language models (LLMs), sit right at the top of Google, Bing, and Perplexity results. They pull quick, authoritative answers for users and often become the first (and sometimes only) interaction your customer has with your business online.

Here’s the reality: if your content doesn’t make it into these AI-generated overviews, you’re invisible in the moments that matter. The good news is, LLMs are predictable in what they value. By shaping your website content the right way, backed by smart SEO services, you can increase your odds of being cited, referenced, and trusted by AI assistants.

At TechArk, we’ve studied how LLMs pick their sources and what formats consistently surface in AI Overviews. This blog distills those lessons into a practical guide for business owners, marketing leaders, and content strategists.

How LLMs Read Your Content

LLMs aren’t search engines in the traditional sense. They don’t just scan for keywords; they’re pattern-recognition machines. Their goal is to predict the most useful, accurate, and structured response based on training data and the web they crawl.

Think of an LLM as a busy reader. It doesn’t want to dig for information or wade through fluff. It wants content that is:

• Clear: straight answers in simple, natural language
• Structured: headings, tables, and lists that reduce ambiguity
• Trustworthy: signals of expertise, sources, and freshness
• Complete: one page that covers a query comprehensively, without forcing clicks elsewhere

If your content ticks these boxes, you’re not just helping Google index you—you’re helping the AI decide to lift your words into its overview. That’s why businesses need modern AI and automation solutions that focus on AI visibility, structured data, and machine readability—not just keyword rankings.

Content Elements That Win AI Overviews

Short, Plain-English Definitions
LLMs love to start with a definition. That’s why a concise, 100–150 word explainer at the top of your page can make or break your chances. Avoid jargon. State what the thing is, who it applies to, and why it matters.

Example:

• Instead of: “Ceramic coatings are nanotechnology-based solutions that create a hydrophobic surface…”
• Try: “Ceramic coating is a liquid applied to your car’s paint that hardens into a protective layer. It keeps your car shinier for longer, makes cleaning easier, and protects against scratches and UV damage.”

This isn’t just better for humans—it’s exactly the kind of definition LLMs quote word-for-word.

Comparison Tables
When people ask “X vs Y” questions, models often look for side-by-side data. A clear comparison table with criteria like cost, durability, or maintenance makes your content irresistible to an LLM because it organizes complex choices in a single view.

For example, a home services company could create a table with:

• Service type
• Typical cost
• Time to complete
• Long-term benefits
• Risks or downsides

Step-by-Step Processes
How-to content consistently performs well because it’s naturally structured. Models tend to lift ordered lists of steps into their answers. Add context to each step, such as tools required, time estimates, and potential risks.

This is particularly effective for service businesses: “How to prepare your HVAC system for winter” or “Steps to get a dental implant.”

FAQs
FAQs and structured content aren’t just good for people. They’re also exactly what AI assistants look for when deciding what to cite. A strong content marketing strategy makes sure your pages are written and formatted in ways that both humans and machines can trust.

Local Relevance
For local businesses, specificity wins. Include references to neighborhoods, cities, or regional rules. If someone searches “roof repair permit Norfolk,” Google’s AI will favor a page that clearly lists local regulations and links to official forms.

Freshness Signals
LLMs check for recency. Adding a “Last updated: Month Year” note at the top or bottom of your page signals freshness. For fast-moving industries, add “What’s new in 2025” sections. This helps you stay in the AI’s preferred rotation.

Page Architecture That Attracts AI

Think of your page as a well-structured essay. Here’s a blueprint you can reuse across service and product pages:

Answer Card (Top)

• Two-sentence plain-English answer to the query
• 3–5 quick bullet facts with numbers or ranges
• A “Last updated” tag

Quick Navigation

• Jump links to “Costs | Steps | Options | FAQs | Local Info | Sources”

Core Sections

• What & Why: Concise definition plus why it matters
• Costs & Time: Ranges, influencing factors, insurance notes
• Process: Step-by-step instructions with HowTo schema
• Comparison: Side-by-side table with criteria
• Local Factors: Permits, availability, climate considerations
• FAQs: Answer common user queries directly
• References: External links to authoritative sites

Conversion Opportunities

• Sticky button: “Request a Quote” or “Book a Consultation”
• Contextual CTA after high-intent sections (e.g., after cost breakdowns)

This structure makes life easier for your readers, but more importantly, it reduces friction for the LLM scanning your page.

Real-World Formats That Surface in AI Overviews

For Healthcare Clinics

• Symptom → Cause → Treatment → When to see a doctor
• Insurance coverage breakdowns
• “What changed this year” in local health policies

For HVAC Companies

• Seasonal checklists with readiness scores
• Troubleshooting trees for common issues (noise, leaks, no airflow)
• Local permit requirements for installations

For Law Firms

• Definitions of legal terms in plain English
• Step-by-step of “What happens after you file a claim”
• Comparison charts: mediation vs litigation costs and timelines

For Automotive Services

• Myth vs Fact tables (e.g., ceramic coating vs wax)
• Process how-tos with risks noted
• Cost ranges by vehicle type in easy-to-read tables

The Role of Schema in AI-Friendly Content

Schema markup might not be visible to your everyday website visitor, but it’s one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes tools you can use to improve how your content is interpreted by search engines and AI systems.

Think of it as structured data that adds context and meaning to your web pages. Without schema, an AI might understand that you’re talking about “ceramic coating,” but it won’t necessarily know whether you’re selling it, teaching it, or just defining it. Schema fills in those blanks.

Why Schema Matters for AI Overviews

AI models are designed to pull quick, authoritative answers. Schema markup helps them do that by labeling your content clearly. It reduces ambiguity, improves your odds of being cited, and makes your content more “machine-readable.” While traditional SEO treated schema as a “nice-to-have,” in the era of AI-driven overviews it’s becoming a must-have foundation.

Key Schema Types Businesses Should Implement

1) FAQ schema
If you’ve invested in building out a robust FAQ section, don’t stop at the copy. Adding FAQ schema tells search engines that each question and answer pair is distinct and trustworthy. For AI systems, this makes it easier to lift those Q&As directly into summaries.

A local HVAC business could mark up FAQs like “How often should I service my AC unit?” or “What is the average cost of furnace repair?”—and have those precise answers appear in overviews.

2) HowTo schema
Step-by-step content is gold for AI overviews, but HowTo schema takes it a step further. It allows you to map each step with details like images, estimated time, required tools, and skill level. This makes your page a ready-made source for AI looking to provide structured guidance. 

For example, a dental clinic could markup “Steps to care for your braces at home” and improve its visibility when users search for practical guidance.

3) LocalBusiness schema
For service-area businesses, LocalBusiness schema is crucial. It ties your content to specific geographies by explicitly marking your name, address, phone number, hours, and service area. 

Imagine someone searches “emergency plumber in Virginia Beach.” If your page has LocalBusiness schema, an AI has a higher chance of citing your business in its response because it can trust that you serve that area.

4) Product schema
If you sell physical goods or packages of services, Product schema allows you to structure critical details like pricing, availability, customer ratings, and descriptions. This is particularly helpful for e-commerce sites or service businesses that use tiered packages.

A roofing company, for instance, could use Product schema to mark up “Basic Roof Inspection: $99” or “Premium Roof Replacement Package: $12,000–$15,000.”

Think of Schema as a Translator

Schema is essentially a translator between your human-facing content and the machine logic of AI systems. You’re not writing new content—you’re simply annotating the meaning behind your existing content. And when AI understands your meaning without misinterpretation, your chances of being included in AI Overviews increase dramatically.

Common Mistakes That Keep You Out of AI Overviews

It’s tempting to treat AI Overviews as just another SEO layer. But the mistakes that hold businesses back are almost always the same—and they’re usually easy to fix once you know what to look for.

Over-optimized SEO Content

Years of traditional SEO encouraged practices like keyword stuffing and awkward phrasing to “game” the algorithm. But LLMs don’t reward density alone—they reward clarity. A page crammed with repetitive keywords (“best HVAC repair Norfolk HVAC emergency Norfolk HVAC maintenance Norfolk”) looks confusing to both humans and machines. Instead, focus on natural language that clearly answers the query.

Thin Posts That Fragment a Topic

Publishing dozens of short, surface-level posts on related topics might have worked in the blog-heavy SEO era, but it hurts you in the AI age. Models prefer comprehensive, end-to-end resources that resolve a query in one place.

A thin blog answering “What is ceramic coating?” in 300 words won’t rank as well as a detailed page that covers what it is, how it works, costs, pros vs cons, and FAQs together.

Ignoring Freshness and Updates

AI systems favor content that appears up-to-date and actively maintained. Pages without update stamps, references to current year data, or notes on recent changes are less likely to be trusted. If you’re in a fast-moving industry like healthcare, law, or technology, failing to include “last updated” tags or “new in 2025” sections can cost you visibility.

Fluffy Intros That Delay the Answer

Many websites still open with 300–400 words of scene-setting before addressing the main question. This frustrates readers and confuses AI models, which prefer concise definitions right at the start. If your page takes too long to “get to the point,” it reduces your odds of being lifted into an AI Overview.

Walls of Text Without Structure

Humans skim, and so do AI models. If your content isn’t broken into clear headings, lists, tables, and callouts, it becomes harder to parse. That’s why unformatted, rambling paragraphs are a red flag. Structure your content like you would a study guide: easy to navigate, scannable, and predictable.

The Bottom Line on Mistakes

Each of these mistakes signals to an LLM that your content is harder to trust, harder to parse, or less authoritative than other sources. And in a world where AI assistants pick only a handful of sources to cite, those small gaps can be the reason your competitor shows up in an overview while you don’t.

Action Plan for Businesses

To prepare your content for AI Overviews, follow this roadmap:

1. Audit Existing Content
   • Identify high-traffic or high-intent pages
   • Check for clarity, structure, and freshness
2. Redesign Top Pages Using the AI-First Blueprint
   • Add answer cards, definitions, and cost breakdowns
   • Incorporate comparison tables and FAQs
3. Add Schema Markup
   • Prioritize FAQ, HowTo, and LocalBusiness where relevant
4. Create Evergreen Reference Pages
   • Build cornerstone guides that AI can confidently quote
5. Track Performance
   • Use Search Console to monitor impressions from AI Overviews
   • Compare engagement metrics before and after restructuring

Final Takeaway

For businesses, showing up in AI Overviews and LLM answers is the new version of ranking on page one. If your content isn’t structured, clear, and authoritative, your competitors will own that space instead. Explore our SEO services to make your strategy AI-ready.

The path forward isn’t complicated. Write for humans, structure for machines, and refresh regularly. By aligning your content with the way LLMs process information, you not only serve your customers better—you make your business more discoverable in the age of AI.