An AI Overview is the short answer Google writes at the top of some searches, with links to the pages it drew on. Google says those links come from its normal search index. A page needs to be indexed and allowed to show a snippet, and there is no special file, markup or writing style to add.
Since June 2026, Search Console counts how often your pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. For two sites we built this year, it counted about 14,000 and 3,760 appearances in the three months to 13 October 2026. This page sets out what Google says, what we measured, and what we would do.
At a glance
- In India since
- 15 August 2024, in English and Hindi (Google)
- To be linked
- Indexed, and allowed to show a snippet (Google)
- Measured in
- Search Console's generative AI reports, since 3 June 2026
- Our two clients
- 14K and 3.76K appearances in the three months to 13 October 2026
What an AI Overview is, and where its links come from
An AI Overview is a short answer Google writes above the usual results, with links to the pages it used. AI Mode goes further and takes longer questions as a conversation. Both use what Google calls query fan-out: they run several related searches behind the scenes and draw on pages from all of them.
That is one reason the links in an AI Overview are often not the same as the top ten results below it. A page that answers one part of the question well can be linked even when it is not first for the whole search.
AI Overviews reached India on 15 August 2024, in English and Hindi. AI Mode followed in 2025 and now answers in English and eight Indian languages.
Sources: Google: AI features and your website; Google India blog: AI Overviews in India, in English and Hindi (15 August 2024); Google India blog: new languages in AI Mode, and Search Live (October 2025).
What Google says a page needs
- To be in Google's index. A page Google has not indexed cannot appear in an AI Overview. Search Console's URL Inspection tool shows whether it is indexed.
- To be allowed a snippet. Google links only pages that can show a snippet in ordinary results. A nosnippet tag, or a tight max-snippet limit, also limits what AI features can use.
- Nothing else technical. Google's documentation says there are no extra technical requirements and no special structured data for AI features.
- Content worth quoting. Google's May 2026 guide says what matters most is useful content that is not already on every other site, ideally from first-hand experience.
Sources: Google: AI features and your website; Google: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search (May 2026).
What we measured on two new sites
Search Console's generative AI reports count how often a site's pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, by page, country, device and date. They count appearances, not clicks. Google launched them on 3 June 2026 and opened them to every site by 31 August 2026.
| Site | Live since | Three months | 28 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi tarot reader and astrologer | 29 May 2026 | 14K | 6.17K | 1.27K |
| Herb exporter, Rajasthan | 3 July 2026 | 3.76K | 1.69K | 485 |
Both sites are new this year. The exporter's pages appeared almost nowhere in mid-July and about 120 times a day by 13 October. In late August, Google's AI Overview named the Delhi tarot reader first for "online tarot delhi", and on 6 October it named her for "best tarot card reader", searched from Mumbai. Our herb exporter case study and Delhi tarot reader case study show the rest of their numbers, live.
Source: Google Search Central: Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console (3 June 2026).
What we would do to get a page into AI Overviews
- Answer the search near the top. Give the plain answer in the first lines of the page, then the detail. A reader wants that, and it gives Google a clear passage to link to.
- Make your facts agree everywhere. Services, prices, hours and areas should read the same on your site, your Google Business Profile and directories. When the tarot reader's site described her readings two ways, the AI Overview repeated the wrong one until the page was fixed.
- Write from your own work. Google asks for content that is not already everywhere. Your own process, photos, prices and results are things no other site can copy.
- Check the right report. Search Console's generative AI report shows which pages appear and in which countries. If a page you care about never appears, check that it is indexed and that its snippet is not blocked.
- Leave the shortcuts alone. Google says special AI files, chopped-up pages and bought mentions do not help in its AI features. Our article on SEO vs GEO vs AEO lists what Google calls myths.
Source: Google: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search (May 2026).
AEO, and why we treat it as part of SEO
Answer engine optimisation, or AEO, is the name some agencies give this work. Google's guidance treats it as part of SEO: the pages that answer a search well are the pages its AI features link to.
So we do not sell AEO as a separate service. We choose the searches your customers make, write pages that answer them from your own work, and check every week where those pages appear, in the results and in AI answers.
Sources: Google: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search (May 2026); Google: Third-party SEO tools, services, and advice (June 2026).
What your first month with us looks like
- Week 1We take your website and start shippingWe read your Search Console and Analytics, fix whatever stops Google and AI tools reading your site, and start shipping changes. Your live dashboard is up the same week.
- Week 2We measure, then sharpenWe see what the first changes did and improve on them: pages named the way people search, pages that stop competing with each other, and a faster, clearer site that turns visits into enquiries.
- Week 3The first resultsFor the searches we started with, this is when we expect rankings to climb, and when we start checking Google's AI answers for your business.
- Week 4You see it, and we talk it throughYour DataPls dashboard shows every search, ranking and lead, updated daily. Every week we call you to go through it, and we message you the day something important changes.
Questions people ask
How do I see if my site appears in AI Overviews?
Open the Performance report in Search Console and follow the link to the generative AI report. It shows how often your pages appeared in AI Overviews and AI Mode, by page, country, device and date. It does not show clicks yet.
How long does it take to appear in AI Overviews?
There is no fixed time. On our exporter client's new site, appearances began within weeks of launch and passed 3,700 in three months, because each page answered a specific search. Broad, crowded searches take longer.
Do I need structured data or an llms.txt file for AI Overviews?
Not for Google. Its documentation says there is no special structured data for AI features, and its May 2026 guide says Google Search ignores llms.txt. Structured data still helps your pages in ordinary search features.
Can I stop Google using my pages in AI Overviews?
Yes. The nosnippet and max-snippet controls limit what Google can show, and noindex removes a page from Search altogether. Each of these also affects your ordinary results, so use them with care.