How Structured Data Stops AI Overviews Getting It Wrong

AI overviews are here and they aren’t going anywhere any time soon, but much is still up in the air around this newly evolved piece of the SERP. One such query was brought to light by a client of ours who flagged “the wrong phone number is being shown to customers”, this got us thinking – how can we better manage the information we have being displayed in AI Overviews? Taking that thought to the next step and here we are in this blog, discussing what we think is the solution, Structured Data.

What Exactly Is Structured Data?

For anyone unfamiliar, structured data (or schema markup if you prefer) is essentially placing your business’s key information in a format that search engines can easily read. It can include everything from reviews and prices to phone numbers and addresses, all those details that can make or break a customer’s decision when they’re looking for a product or service (if you need some help getting this set up, give us a call, and we’ll be happy to help).

In Google’s own words “Structured data is a standardized format for providing information about a page and classifying the page content”. Sounds easy enough!

So how does structured data help us here?

Accuracy in AI Matters

It’s the same as accuracy in any other area of your site, if you have outdated, incorrect contact information or product information, its going to have a negative impact on user experience and your brand as a whole. Having accurate information is key in all customer touchpoints and AIOs also adhere to this with one slight difference – you don’t get to choose what goes into them, Google does (well, sort of).



So, how do we keep AI from feeding people the wrong details? Enter structured data. It’s the foundation that tells search engines the key information they need to know, in the format they like and understand. AIO is essentially that search engine looking for information to present, so we can help these agents by telling them “Pull this information, its correct and relevant for this context / location”. 

How AI Overviews Tie Into SEO

As AI overviews are a relatively new concept in the search space, lots of research is going into how to rank for them, how to appear and how to gain access to this key SERP real estate. Whilst that’s not the focus of this blog, our view is very clear: Do good SEO and Google will recognise this.

However, it’s no good appearing in an AIO if your information is all wrong, not all visibility is good visibility after all. So, what if they get it wrong? What if the information is scraped from one area of the site and applied to another? The user doesn’t have this context, all they see is the wrong address, the wrong price, the wrong phone number. This is where structured data really proves its worth.



By giving AI a clear and reliable source of information, you’re far more likely to have this correct, contextually relevant information appearing in AIOs, providing a positive and reliable first customer touchpoint. If you’re aiming to appear in those shiny AI Overviews, make sure your structured data is on point and, of course make sure your on-page optimisation is well executed.

Does having correct Structured Data / Schema Markup impact ranking in AI Overviews?

At this point, Google hasn’t explicitly confirmed whether or not structured data directly impacts the chances of copy appearing in AI Overviews. However, Google rarely gives us SEOs such clear guidance so we have to use a bit of critical thinking and analysis to help determine whether or not there is a likely impact.



Taking this to the basics, we know structured data provides explicit signals search engines understand, it aligns with Google’s knowledge graph (which we know AIOs utilise for information), AIOs regularly pull from featured snippets, and finally, schema provides clear factual and logically defined information. So whilst we can’t explicitly say for sure that structured data is a ranking factor for AI Overviews, we can say it ticks a lot of boxes to provide clear, credible and, most importantly, trustworthy content which certainly won’t hurt your chances of appearing!

When AI Gets It Wrong (And How to Fix It)

We’ve seen firsthand what can happen when structured data is missing or out of date. As mentioned above, a client of ours recently discovered that an incorrect phone number was being pulled into AI overviews where they were appearing. This phone number was present on site, but it was for a branch at the other end of the country; not great for users looking to get relevant information or convert on a sale which they may now not do.



The problem? Their LocalBusiness schema was not set up at all, so AI pulled the old information from somewhere else. To, politely, rehash the classic saying, put crap in, get crap out. We can’t look at AI and say this is super clever it’ll work it out, because it won’t and it’s our responsibility to make sure we put the best in, to get the best out.

So how do we stop AI Overviews from pulling incorrect information? 

• Stay current: Regularly check and update your structured data
• Use the right schema: LocalBusiness, FAQ, and Review schema are all helpful, depending on what info you want to highlight
• This isn’t just for AIO, this is for every aspect of search
• Monitor results: Keep an eye on how AI Overviews present your details. If you spot mistakes, fix them quickly (I hear Hookflash are particularly good at helping here)
• Keep NAP consistent: Make sure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are correct for locations everywhere online, from your website to social media, to your Google Business Profile. All of these can be areas AI will pull from to serve information
• Use verification tools: Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org can be amazing for spotting errors in your markup. If anyone fancies a bit of extra reading, SEJ recently discussed why the Schema.org validator could be superior to Googles Rich Results Test for structured data tests.
• Maintenance matters: If you move offices, get a new phone number, or change your operating hours, remember to update your structured data. Outdated info is a common culprit for AI errors.

So how do AI Overviews and Structured Data come together?

Structured data might seem like a technical detail, but it’s one of the best ways we can help control how our brands are presented in AIO. By auditing and maintaining schema markup, especially LocalBusiness schema for local details in our example, you’ll minimise misinformation and keep your brand’s trustworthiness intact.



Remember, structured data isn’t just “extra code” hidden in your site, it’s a direct line of communication between you and AI. Keep it clean, keep it accurate, and watch how smoothly your business details show up for potential customers everywhere.