AI Overviews and AI Mode are now where a large share of Google searches start. Google said at I/O on 2026-05-19 that AI Overviews have more than 2.5 billion monthly users and AI Mode more than 1 billion. In May 2026 Google also published its first full guide to optimizing for these features, including a list of popular "AEO/GEO" tactics you can ignore. This guide distills that official position, adds what you can and cannot control, and ends with a checklist.
For the engine-agnostic picture (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, Claude), start with What is GEO?.
AI Overviews vs AI Mode#
| AI Overviews | AI Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | At the top of a normal results page | A separate conversational tab and experience |
| When | Only when Google judges it "additive to classic Search", so it often does not trigger | Whenever the user chooses it, including follow-ups from an AI Overview |
| Availability | 200+ markets | 200+ countries and territories (since 2025-10-07) |
| Users (Google, 2026-05-19) | 2.5B+ monthly | 1B+ monthly |
| Interaction | One summary, follow-up questions continue into AI Mode | Multi-turn, multimodal (text, voice via Search Live, camera, files) |
Google notes the two "may use different models and techniques", so the responses and links will differ. Track them separately where you can. And AI Mode is not the default results page: when a Chrome test briefly routed searches there in June 2026, a Google VP called it an error (as reported by Search Engine Roundtable). Classic results with AI Overviews remain the default.
How AI Overviews and AI Mode choose sources#
Google's guide names two techniques, and both are built on the normal Search index:
- Retrieval-augmented generation (grounding). Google's core ranking systems retrieve relevant pages from the index, the model reads specific information from them, and the response shows "prominent, clickable links" to supporting pages.
- Query fan-out. The model issues "a set of concurrent, related queries" to gather more results. Google's example: "how to fix a lawn that's full of weeds" may fan out to "best herbicides for lawns", "remove weeds without chemicals" and "how to prevent weeds in lawn".
Fan-out explains why citations do not simply mirror the top 10. Ahrefs found that only 38% of pages cited in AI Overviews also ranked in the top 10 for the query (863,000 SERPs, published 2026-03-02), down from about 76% in its July 2025 study. A page can be cited because it ranks well for one sub-question.
Eligibility is short. A page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet, meeting the Search technical requirements, and the site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console (the default). Google: "There are no additional technical requirements." Meeting them does not guarantee inclusion.
What Google says to do#
From "Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search" (2026-05-15), in short:
- Create non-commodity content. A unique point of view and first-hand experience matter more than anything else in the guide. Google contrasts "7 Tips for First-Time Homebuyers" (commodity) with an experienced, specific account (non-commodity).
- Organize for readers. Clear sections and headings, with images and video where they help, since AI features also surface media.
- Keep the technical foundation clean. Crawlable pages, JavaScript that Google can render, good page experience, less duplication. See Crawling & Indexing.
- Keep business data accurate. Merchant Center feeds and Google Business Profile feed product and local answers. See E-commerce SEO and Local SEO.
- Measure in Search Console with the Generative AI performance report.
What Google says to ignore#
The guide's mythbusting section lists tactics you can skip for Google Search:
| Myth | Google's position |
|---|---|
| You need llms.txt, AI text files or special markup | Google Search "doesn't use them". They neither harm nor help (llms.txt note added 2026-06-15) |
| You must "chunk" content into tiny pieces | "There's no requirement." Google understands multiple topics on a page, and there is no ideal page length |
| You must rewrite content for AI | AI systems understand synonyms; you do not need every long-tail variation |
| You should seek mentions across the web | Inauthentic mentions are "not as helpful as [they] might seem"; spam systems apply |
| You need structured data for AI features | Not required, no special schema. Keep it for rich results |
Google also warns to "be wary of third-party tools that promise ranking success or claim to use 'internal' Google metrics."
What you can control, and what you cannot#
| Control | Scope | Effect | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search generative AI setting (Search Console > Settings) | Property: domain, subdomain or URL prefix | Exclude removes links and content from AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover AI features, including grounding, in about 1 to 2 days | No AI impressions or traffic. Google says it is not a ranking or inclusion signal elsewhere |
nosnippet | Page | No snippet, and content not used as a direct input for AI features | Also removes normal and featured snippets |
data-nosnippet | Section of a page | That text is not shown or used as a direct input | Fine-grained; easy to forget in templates |
max-snippet:[n] | Page | Caps how much text can be used | Can prevent featured snippets |
noindex | Page | Out of Search entirely | Out of Search entirely |
Google-Extended (robots.txt) | Site or path | Gemini training and grounding in Gemini Apps and Vertex AI | Does not remove you from AI Overviews or AI Mode |
<!-- Whole page: no snippet, no direct AI input -->
<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">
<!-- Just one section -->
<div data-nosnippet>Subscriber-only analysis...</div>The Search generative AI setting launched for UK sites on 2026-06-03, prompted by a UK CMA conduct requirement, and became available worldwide on 2026-08-31. Its options are Include (default), Exclude and Inherit from parent. It does not affect training; Google points to Google-Extended for that. Note one inconsistency: the Search Console help page says Google-Extended limits training of the models used in Search's generative AI features, while the crawler documentation (updated 2026-07-14) lists only Gemini Apps and Vertex AI. Quote both if a client asks, and do not promise more than either page says.
What you cannot control: whether an AI Overview triggers, which passage is used or how it is summarized, which of your pages is cited, link placement within the answer, or whether ads appear. Ads from Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can show inside AI Overviews in English in 12 markets (including the US, Canada, India and Australia) and above or below them in all 200+ AI Overview markets. Trade press also reports ads in AI Mode in the US, with new conversational formats in testing. Advertisers cannot opt out of the AI Overview placement, so organic links sit further down on many commercial queries.
The click reality#
Use dated ranges, not one number. Pew Research (March 2025 data): users clicked a traditional result on 8% of visits with an AI summary versus 15% without, and clicked a link inside the summary on 1%. Ahrefs: position-1 CTR about 34.5% lower when an AI Overview appeared (March 2025), about 58% lower in a December 2025 re-run. Google said in August 2025 that total organic clicks were "relatively stable" and that clicks from AI results are higher quality, without publishing data. More on the numbers in What is GEO?.
Google's June 2026 changes add more inline links, website previews, subscription labels and preferred sources inside AI Overviews and AI Mode (preferred sources since 2026-05-27). Asking loyal readers to add you as a preferred source is one of the few direct levers you have.
Measuring AI Overviews and AI Mode#
- Generative AI performance report (Search Console > Performance): impressions by page, country, device, date and search type. No clicks, queries or position.
- Normal Performance report: AI clicks and impressions are included under Web. All links in an AI Overview share one position, and an AI Mode follow-up counts as a new query.
- GA4: clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as
google / organic. They are excluded from GA4's AI Assistant channel.
Full workflow in Measuring AI Visibility.
Agentic features#
AI Mode is gaining agents that act for users: restaurant and local-service booking, AI calls to businesses, information agents for subscribers (announced at I/O 2026) and checkout for eligible US merchants through Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (January 2026). Google-hosted agents fetch pages with the Google-Agent user agent (documented 2026-03-20), which, like other user-triggered fetchers, generally ignores robots.txt. Accurate structured product and business data, accessible forms and stable URLs help agents complete tasks. Google calls this optional "if you have extra time"; it is early.
Worked example: audit one query's fan-out#
- Pick a query that matters and shows an AI Overview, for example "best project management tool for small agencies".
- Run it in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Note every cited domain and the sub-topics the answer covers (pricing, client portals, time tracking, integrations). Those sections approximate the fan-out.
- Check your coverage of each sub-topic: which page would answer it, and does it rank? Use Search Console query data and a quick search for each sub-question.
- Read the cited pages. What do they offer that you do not: original numbers, first-hand testing, a comparison table, a clearer definition?
- Close the gaps with substance. Improve the existing page first. Create a new page only where a sub-topic deserves its own in-depth answer. Never spin out a page per phrasing.
- Re-check monthly in the Generative AI report and in a small prompt panel.
Practical checklist#
- Pages indexed and eligible for snippets; no accidental
nosnippet,max-snippetornoindexon key templates - Search Console > Settings > Search generative AI set deliberately (Include unless you have a business reason)
- Googlebot not blocked by robots.txt, CDN or WAF rules; key content in the initial HTML
- Non-commodity content: first-hand experience, original data, a clear point of view
- Clear headings and sections, helpful images and video
- Merchant Center feeds and Business Profile complete and accurate
- No fan-out page farms, bought mentions or self-ranking listicles
- Generative AI report reviewed monthly alongside clicks in the Performance report
- Preferred source button offered to returning readers
Next: the engine-agnostic tactics in The GEO Playbook.