Google AI Overviews

How AI Overviews pick their sources

Google launched AI Overviews in the US in May 2024, after testing them as the Search Generative Experience. The summary is written by a Gemini model and grounded in Google's own search results, so the pages it links are pages that already rank or nearly rank for the question and its related questions.

Google says the feature may use query fan-out: it runs several related searches on subtopics and pulls from all of them. A search like 'tankless water heater keeps shutting off' might also look up common causes, repair cost and whether to replace. A plumber with a clear page on each of those has more chances to be one of the links.

Google's rule for being a supporting link is short. The page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet. There is no separate AI index to submit to.

What a local business can change

Google's own guidance says there are no special files, markup or schema needed to appear. The work is the same work that helps you in regular search, pointed at the questions customers actually type.

• Answer the question in the first two sentences of the page, in plain words.
• Give each main service its own page, and each town you cover its own page with real local detail.
• Keep your Google Business Profile complete and matching your site. Google's May 2025 guidance names the Business Profile as one of the places it reads.
• Make sure pages aren't blocked by noindex or nosnippet by mistake. Those tags also keep you out of AI Overviews.
• Keep reviews coming. Local searches often show the map pack next to the overview.

How to tell if it's working

Search Console counts clicks and impressions from AI Overviews inside the normal Web search report. It doesn't split them out, so you can't see AI Overview traffic on its own there. The practical check is to search your top questions on your phone, logged out, and note whether an overview appears and whether your site is one of its links. Do it on the same day each week and keep a simple log. Overviews change often, so one check tells you little and a month of checks shows the trend. Also watch the questions, not just the clicks. If an overview answers 'how much does a drain cleaning cost' and links three competitors, that is a page you should write, even if your traffic hasn't moved yet.

Common mistakes

• Adding special AI markup or files in the hope of getting in, when Google says none is needed.
• Leaving a nosnippet tag on pages from an old theme or plugin, which keeps them out of overviews.
• Judging the result from one search on one day instead of tracking the same questions weekly.