𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀

Google AI Overviews answer many questions without a click. If you search for "best AI video tools," Google gives you a list immediately. This makes my three new sites—Top AI Tools, Find Games Like, and Open Alternative To—seem useless.

I disagree. I am betting that structured data beats generative prose.

I launched these sites on April 23, 2026. My monthly cost is only $25. I am not looking for immediate revenue. I am testing a hypothesis.

My bet: By October 2026, at least one site will get 200 organic clicks per month on comparison or filter pages. If this fails, I will publish my data and admit I was wrong.

AI Overviews are good at summarizing what exists. They are bad at three specific things:

I am also targeting "downstream" queries.

A user might use Google AI to find a list of tools. Then, they type a specific comparison like "Appflowy vs Anytype." That user wants a verdict, not a summary. They want to see structured attributes side-by-side.

Comparison of Search Intent:

• Discovery queries: AI is strong. Directories are weak. • Comparison queries: AI is medium. Directories are strong. • Filtered browsing: AI is weak. Directories are strong. • Freshness checks: AI is inconsistent. Directories are strong.

If my clicks stay at zero while impressions rise, I will pivot. If Google rejects my site quality even after improvements, I will pivot. If people stop using search for comparisons and move entirely to chat, the bet is over.

I am running three narrow sites instead of one big one. This allows me to test different audiences at the same time. I will share the results in October 2026 with raw screenshots.

Source: https://dev.to/morinaga/why-im-betting-on-ai-curated-directories-when-google-ai-overviews-answer-the-same-queries-1e53