𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀

Google AI Overviews answer most searches. If you search for "best AI video tools," Google gives you a list right on the search page. You do not need to click a website.

I launched three directory sites on April 23, 2026. They are Top AI Tools, Find Games Like, and Open Alternative To. My cost is only $25 per month.

People ask: Why build these if Google answers the questions for free?

I am making a specific bet. By October 2026, at least one site will get 200 organic clicks per month from specific comparison or filter queries. 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 things:

  • Attribute filtering: AI gives you paragraphs. My sites use structured data. You can filter for "offline use" or "mobile app" instantly.
  • Negative space: AI usually stays positive. My sites use Claude Haiku to generate "avoid if" warnings. This tells you who should skip a tool.
  • Freshness: AI relies on old web mentions. My sites pull GitHub data weekly to show if a tool is actually maintained.

I am also targeting "downstream" queries.

A user might use Google AI to find a list of tools. Then, they type a second, specific query like "Appflowy vs Anytype performance." This user wants a verdict, not a summary. They want structured comparison.

My strategy relies on these strengths:

• Discovery: AI wins. • Comparison: My directories win. • Filtered browsing: My directories win. • Freshness: My directories win.

I run this experiment cheaply. I use Vercel, Turso, and Claude Haiku. This low cost allows me to test without pressure.

I will watch for three failure signs:

  1. High impressions but zero clicks on comparison pages.
  2. Google AdSense rejecting my sites even after I add depth.
  3. Users moving all research to ChatGPT instead of Google.

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-2ido

Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi