AI search
Google AI Overviews and AI Mode optimization
Google now answers many searches itself, at the top of the page, with a few links underneath. Those links go to pages Google already trusts in its normal results. We make sure yours are among them.
What AI Overviews and AI Mode are
An AI Overview is the written summary Google places above some search results, with links to the pages it drew on. AI Mode is a separate, conversational view of Search: you ask, Google answers, and you keep asking follow-ups. Both are built on Google’s normal Search index.
That last point shapes everything. Google’s AI features documentation says a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, and that no additional requirements or special optimizations exist. There is no form to submit and no tag to add. If Google Search cannot use your page, its AI features cannot either.
So this work sits very close to SEO. What it adds is a different way of writing and a different way of checking the result.
Why one keyword is no longer enough
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use “query fan-out”: one question is split into several related searches across subtopics, and the answer is assembled from the results. A person typing “are dental implants painful and how long does healing take” may trigger searches on pain, anaesthesia, healing time and aftercare.
Each of those sub-searches is a chance to be linked. A page that answers one sub-question clearly can be chosen as a source for it, even if another site wins the main query. That rewards pages that cover a topic properly, section by section.
What each control does, according to Google
Google ties its AI features to the same controls as normal Search. As documented today, every control that limits AI features also limits your normal listing.
| Control | Effect on AI Overviews and AI Mode | Effect on normal results |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt blocking Googlebot | Google cannot read the page, so it cannot use it | Google cannot read it either. The address may still be listed, without a description |
| noindex | The page is not used | The page is removed from results |
| nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet | Limits or removes what Google can show from the page | Limits your normal snippet in the same way |
| Google-Extended | No effect on inclusion. Google says it does not affect inclusion or ranking in Search | None. It governs AI training and grounding in some of Google’s other systems |
What we work on
Indexing and snippet check
Your key pages indexed, and no nosnippet or tight max-snippet left on by a plugin or a past developer. We find these more often than you would expect.
Sub-question coverage
For each money question, we map the sub-questions Google is likely to fan out to and make sure a page answers each one.
Passages that stand alone
Each section answers its heading in its first two sentences, with no “as mentioned above”. A passage lifted on its own still has to be right.
Structured data that matches
Schema for your organisation, services, products and FAQs, matching what is visible on the page, as Google requires.
Follow-up answers for AI Mode
AI Mode conversations go deeper: cost, risks, alternatives, what happens next. We write for the second and third question, too.
Local results
For local questions Google often shows Business Profile data next to the answer, so local SEO is part of the job.
How we measure AI Overviews traffic
Google counts clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode inside the overall Search traffic in Search Console, under the Web search type. There is no separate filter. Anyone who shows you a precise “AI Overviews clicks” number from Search Console alone is estimating.
We work around it in three ways. We track question-shaped and long queries as their own group, because those trigger AI features most. Each month we check which of your tracked searches show an AI Overview and whether you are linked. And every Search visit is followed through our tracking to the form, the call and the booking, which is the part that pays.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stay in Google results but opt out of AI Overviews?
Not with the controls Google documents today. noindex and the snippet controls limit AI features and your normal listing together. Most businesses are better off being a good source than hiding from the summary.
Does Google-Extended block AI Overviews?
No. Google says Google-Extended does not affect inclusion or ranking in Google Search. It concerns AI training and grounding in some of Google’s other systems. Blocking it will not remove you from AI Overviews.
Is there special markup for AI Overviews?
No. Google says there are no additional technical requirements. Structured data still helps Google understand your pages, as long as it matches what visitors can see.
Do AI Overviews show in French and Arabic searches?
Google has extended them to many countries and languages, and the list keeps changing. We check the actual results your buyers see, in each market and language, every month.
Will AI Overviews take my traffic?
For simple factual questions, some of it. For searches where people want to book, buy, compare or visit, the click still has to happen somewhere. We put most of the effort on those searches.
How is this different from your GEO service?
GEO covers every assistant. This service is the Google part, where the rules come from Google’s own documentation and the work sits closest to SEO and technical SEO.
Last updated · By the Napexy team
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