Google AI Overviews now sit above the ordinary results for many searches, summarising an answer and linking to the pages it drew on. AI Mode goes further: people ask longer questions and keep following up without leaving Google.
If your enquiries depend on Google, three questions matter: which visits does this affect, how do you see it in your own data, and what can you change?
This guide covers Google’s own AI features, as documented at the time of writing (September 2026). Standalone assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity work differently; our guide to generative engine optimisation covers them.
The short answer
- Both features are built from Google’s index. Google says they need no special markup, files or optimisation. To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet.
- Search Console reports them in two places. Clicks and impressions are counted in the Performance report’s Web search type. A separate Generative AI performance report shows which pages appeared in AI answers, as impressions only.
- You can limit or opt out, at a cost. The snippet controls limit what Google shows everywhere; a newer Search Console setting removes a whole site from AI features only. Blocking Google-Extended does neither.
- The practical response is good SEO and better pages. Fix indexing first, make pages worth the click, strengthen the service pages that catch buying searches, and build demand for your name.
What AI Overviews and AI Mode actually are
An AI Overview is a generated summary at the top of some results pages, with links to supporting pages. Google shows one only when its systems judge it will help, so many searches have none, and results vary between people and days.
AI Mode is a separate, conversational way to search, suited to questions people used to split across several searches. At the time of writing it’s offered in many countries and languages, though not everywhere. For your website, the two work the same way: same eligibility, same controls, same reports.
How they choose their sources
Google describes a technique it calls query fan-out: instead of running only the search someone typed, the system can run several related searches across subtopics and assemble a response from the results.
So a page can be cited for one part of a question, such as a clear section on what affects the cost of your service, even if it wouldn’t rank for the whole query. Google doesn’t publish how supporting links are chosen, so treat any list of “AI Overview ranking factors” with suspicion.
How to appear in Google AI Overviews
Google’s guidance on AI features is anticlimactic for anyone hoping for a trick. Beyond being indexed and snippet-eligible, there are no requirements, only familiar practices:
- Allow crawling, in robots.txt and in your CDN, hosting and firewall rules.
- Make important pages easy to reach through internal links.
- Give visitors a good page experience.
- Put important content in text, supported by good images and video.
- Keep structured data consistent with what’s visible on the page.
If you serve local customers, keep your Google Business Profile current too. Our SEO-friendly website guide covers the rest.
Indexing comes first
A page Google hasn’t indexed can’t be cited, however good it is.
Check it yourself. In Search Console, paste your five most valuable pages into URL Inspection and confirm each says “URL is on Google”. Then read the Page indexing report for reasons such as “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” or “Crawled – currently not indexed”. If key pages are missing, work through why a website isn’t showing on Google first.
Make sure you haven’t opted out by accident
- A
nosnippetormax-snippet:0setting left on by an SEO plugin, theme or developer. - An
X-Robots-TagHTTP header set on the server or CDN, invisible in the page source. data-nosnippetwrapped around a whole content area instead of one passage.- A bot-protection rule that blocks or challenges Googlebot.
- Search Console’s Search generative AI setting switched to Exclude.
Check it yourself. Search the page source for “robots”, run Test live URL in URL Inspection and check the HTTP response for an X-Robots-Tag header, then look under Settings > Search generative AI.
What doesn’t help
- Special AI files or markup. Google says you don’t need them.
- Content at scale. Mass-producing pages mainly to rank is what Google’s policies target, however they’re written; see does Google penalise AI-generated content?
- Schema as a key. It isn’t required for AI features; schema markup for business websites explains where it does help.
AI Overviews traffic in Search Console: how to read it
Search Console gives you two views, and you need both:
- Performance report (Search results). Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in the Web search type, mixed in with ordinary results.
- Generative AI performance report. Rolled out to all websites by 31 August 2026, according to Google. It shows how often links to your site appeared in AI Overviews and AI Mode, by page, country, date and device, but no clicks or queries.
One counting rule matters: an AI Overview occupies a single position, and every link inside it gets that position. So a page linked from one can show a strong average position alongside a low click-through rate.
A five-step read
- See what gets cited. In the Generative AI performance report, open the Pages tab. Are the linked pages your articles, or the service pages that bring enquiries?
- Compare like with like. In the Performance report, set the search type to Web and compare the last three months with the same months a year earlier. Search Console keeps 16 months of data, and year on year removes seasonal swings.
- Find the pattern. In the Queries tab, sort by the change in clicks. Steady impressions and position with falling clicks points to an answer on the results page; search the biggest losers in a private window to see what sits above you.
- Split queries by intent. Use the Query filter’s Custom (regex) option:
^(what|how|why|which|can|does|is|should)\bfor questions, your brand name and its misspellings for branded searches, and words likeprice|cost|quote|companyfor buying searches. Adapt them to each language your customers use. - Check whether it mattered. In the Pages tab, see whether losses fall on articles or service pages, then compare organic enquiries over the same periods, which needs conversion tracking in GA4.
| Pattern | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions and position steady, clicks down | The results page answers some searchers | Add what a summary can’t, if the query matters |
| Impressions and position both down | A ranking change, not an AI feature | Diagnose it as ordinary SEO |
| Clicks down, enquiries steady | The lost clicks were researchers, not buyers | Keep watching; don’t rewrite in a panic |
| Clicks and enquiries down on buying searches | A real problem | Review service pages, speed and competitors |
Zero-click search: which visits you lose and which you keep
Zero-click search, where a search ends without a visit to any website, isn’t new: featured snippets and instant answers have done it for years. AI answers extend it to more questions a paragraph can settle. Google says clicks from results pages with AI Overviews are higher quality, with people more likely to spend longer on the site; check that in your own analytics.
| Search | What an AI answer can cover | What still takes a visit |
|---|---|---|
| “What is [service]?” | A definition | Little, and it’s rarely a buyer |
| “How to choose a [provider]” | General criteria | Your process and your proof |
| “[Service] cost” | Typical factors and ranges | Your prices, what’s included, a quote |
| “[Service] for [industry]” | Considerations, sometimes named providers | Case studies and a way to get in touch |
The searches most exposed are usually the least likely to become enquiries. The ones that lead to revenue still need a website that earns the click.
Making your pages worth the click
Give people what a summary can’t
- Specifics. Prices or ranges, what’s included, who it’s for, the languages you work in.
- Tools. Calculators, checklists, templates, availability.
- Proof. Case studies, photos of real work, named people, credentials.
- Judgement. What you’d recommend, the trade-offs, and when someone shouldn’t buy. First-hand experience is the part of E-E-A-T no summary can borrow.
Put a direct answer under a descriptive heading, with the depth that makes a visit worthwhile beneath it, and check the site name and favicon Google shows for you: they identify you wherever you’re linked.
Strengthen service pages and build demand for your name
Buying searches are where clicks still become enquiries, so service pages deserve more attention than the blog. Each should state the offer in the first screen, give price guidance, show proof and make the next step obvious on a phone; how to write a service page covers the structure.
Demand for your name is built mostly outside Google: referrals, email, events, reviews and press. Track branded impressions monthly with the regex filter from step 4.
The controls: what you can switch off, and what it costs
| Control | What it does | Effect on AI features | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
noindex |
Removes the page from Search | Can’t appear anywhere in Search | All search traffic to that page |
nosnippet |
No text snippet for the page | Not used as direct input for AI answers | A bare listing, likely fewer clicks |
data-nosnippet |
Excludes one passage from snippets | That passage isn’t shown | Fine for a specific block |
max-snippet:[number] |
Caps snippet length in characters | Limits how much can be shown | Shorter, less helpful snippets |
| Search generative AI setting | Includes or excludes a Search Console property | Removed from AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI features in Discover | No traffic or impressions from AI features |
| Google-Extended (robots.txt) | Governs Gemini training and grounding | None on Search | A separate decision |
<meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:160">
<section data-nosnippet>…</section>The first four apply to ordinary results and AI features alike; only the Search Console setting separates them. Google says it isn’t a ranking signal elsewhere in Search, and changes generally take a few days.
For a business selling services, opting out usually costs more than it protects: you vanish from the answers many people read first. Publishers whose content is the product face a different calculation, which should you block AI crawlers? works through.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see AI Overviews traffic separately in Search Console?
Partly. The Generative AI performance report shows how often links to your pages appeared in AI Overviews and AI Mode, by page, country and device. Clicks aren’t separated: they stay in the main Performance report’s Web search type.
Can I opt out of AI Overviews but stay in Google Search?
Yes. Setting Settings > Search generative AI to Exclude in Search Console removes a property from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover, while ordinary results remain. Blocking Google-Extended doesn’t do this; it governs Gemini, not Search.
Is AI Mode different from AI Overviews for my website?
The experience differs; the requirements don’t. AI Mode handles longer, multi-part questions, so pages that answer related questions in clearly separated sections give it more to draw on.
What to do next
Google’s AI features change which searches end on the results page, not what a good page needs. For the wider picture, read how AI is changing websites.
For help with the technical half, ask for a free website audit. We check from the outside whether key pages are indexed, whether a stray robots setting or header is holding them back, and whether a visitor arriving from an AI answer finds a clear reason to get in touch.