How AI Overviews and AI Mode pick links
Google describes AI Overviews as a quick summary with links for further reading, and AI Mode as suited to complex questions that need exploration or comparison. Both can use query fan-out: Google issues multiple related searches on different subtopics, then writes the response from the combined results. As a result, the links can be broader and more varied than a classic results page.
Google also says the two features may use different models and techniques, so the links they show can differ. AI Overviews appear only when the system judges them additive to classic Search, and for many queries they do not appear at all.
Eligibility checklist
Google's documentation gives a short eligibility rule, and we turn it into checks you can verify. Two Google pages seem to disagree: one says there are no additional technical requirements, and the generative AI guide says a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console. They fit together. That inclusion is a control, set to Include by default, so a site that has never touched it is already included. We run the checks below in order.
- The Search generative AI control says IncludeIn Search Console, open Settings, then Search generative AI. Include is the default for every property. Only a site owner or a parent property can have changed it to Exclude, so we confirm nobody has.
- Googlebot can crawl the pageWe test robots.txt and the CDN or firewall layer, because Google notes that crawling must be allowed through any host or CDN too.
- The page is indexedWe use URL Inspection in Search Console to confirm the page is in the index and which URL Google treats as canonical.
- The page can show a snippetWe look for nosnippet, max-snippet or data-nosnippet settings that limit what Google may show, and for noindex tags.
- Key content is in textGoogle advises keeping important content in text, so we check that your answers are not locked in images or scripts.
- Markup matches the pageWhere structured data exists, we confirm it describes content that is visible on the page.
Controls you can use, and the trade-offs
Google gives site owners several controls. Each one limits something, so choose deliberately. Only the first row is a Search Console setting; the rest are page or crawler directives.
| Control | What Google says it does | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Search generative AI control (Exclude) | Keeps your links and content out of AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover, according to Search Console Help | No impressions or traffic from those features. Google says it is not a ranking signal for other parts of Search, and it does not limit AI training |
| nosnippet | Limits what is shown from a page | Can reduce your presence in AI features and in ordinary results |
| max-snippet | Caps the length of the preview | A very low limit can make the page less useful in a response |
| data-nosnippet | Excludes part of a page from previews | Useful for sensitive passages; hides them from previews entirely |
| noindex | Keeps a page out of the index | The page cannot appear in Search or its AI features |
| Google-Extended | Limits what Google uses for AI training and for grounding in some of its other systems | Google's AI features page lists it separately from the Search controls |
What we do with the pages themselves
Google's guide to generative AI features stresses unique, useful content over tactics. We follow that.
- Add first-hand detail: Google calls generic summaries of common knowledge commodity content, so we add experience, specifics and local conditions only you can supply.
- Write for the whole topic: Google says it can understand several topics on one page, so we do not slice pages into fragments.
- Keep answers findable: Direct replies sit under clear headings, with the conditions and exceptions after them. For local queries, Google says AI responses can include local business information, so your Business Profile details need to be current.
- Avoid page sprawl: Google warns that mass-producing pages to influence AI responses can breach its scaled content abuse policy.
Measuring AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google states that traffic from its AI features is included in overall Search Console performance data, under the Web search type. In June 2026 Google announced a dedicated Generative AI performance report, and Search Console Help says it reached all websites by 31 August 2026. It shows impressions by page, country, device and date for AI Overviews and AI Mode, with a separate report for Discover. These are impression counts, not a ranking, so we avoid reading too much into them. Google says a missing report usually means too few impressions, or that the site has been excluded.
Google's guide warns about third-party tools that promise ranking success or claim to use internal Google metrics, because no outside tool has access to Google's internal systems. We therefore pair Search Console data with manual checks. For a set of real customer queries, we look at whether an AI Overview appears, which links it shows and whether your pages are among them, recording the date and the wording used.
A single check proves little. Overviews trigger inconsistently, so we repeat the same queries over several weeks and describe the pattern rather than any one result.
Doing the work and avoiding the traps
Because the official advice is modest, most of the traps are things people add.
Reasonable
- Fix crawling, indexing and canonical problems first.
- Improve pages that already receive impressions.
- Check that snippet settings were not set by accident by a plugin or theme.
- Confirm the Search generative AI control still says Include.
Unsupported
- Adding llms.txt to improve Google results; Google says Search does not use it.
- Paying for mentions to look more authoritative.
- Treating any dashboard score as an official Google metric.
What to have ready for an eligibility check
Most Google AI visibility problems are found in the first hour of looking. Bring these items and the check moves quickly.
- Search Console access: Owner or full-user access lets us run URL Inspection, read the Search generative AI control and open the Generative AI performance report for your property.
- Your important URLs: List the five to ten pages that earn enquiries, so snippet and indexing checks start with the pages that matter.
- Plugin and theme history: Tell us which SEO plugins, themes or developers have touched the site, because stray nosnippet or noindex settings usually come from them.
- CDN and firewall details: Know whether Cloudflare or a host-level bot filter is switched on, since Googlebot must be let through there too.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my site into Google AI Overviews?
Google says there are no special optimisations and no extra requirements. The page has to be indexed, open to crawling and eligible for a snippet, and your site must be included in Search's generative AI features, which is the default setting in Search Console. Beyond that, it comes down to useful, original content. Inclusion remains Google's decision.
Is there schema or markup that makes AI Overviews more likely?
Google says there is no special schema.org structured data to add for AI features. Structured data remains worth using for rich results, provided it matches the visible page. We do not claim markup increases the chance of being linked.
Can I opt out of AI Overviews?
Yes. Search Console has a Search generative AI control with an Exclude option, which removes your links and content from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative features in Discover. Page-level options such as nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex also limit previews but affect ordinary results. Google-Extended is separate and covers AI training and some grounding.
Will AI Overviews reduce my website traffic?
We do not know, and Google does not publish a figure we can verify for Canberra businesses. Google reports that people who click through from a page showing an AI Overview tend to stay on the site longer, which it counts as higher quality. We would measure your own Search Console data over time rather than predict.
Do I need a separate page for each question people ask?
Usually not. Google says its systems understand multiple topics on one page and that there is no ideal length. It also warns that creating many pages mainly to influence AI responses may breach its scaled content abuse policy. One strong page per topic is a safer plan.
Does blocking Cloudflare AI bots affect Google?
It can. Cloudflare says that since 15 September 2026 its Block and Block on pages with ads settings for Training also apply to crawlers that combine Search and Training, including Googlebot. Its Disallow AI Training setting stops training while still allowing Googlebot. Check your Cloudflare settings, then test a page with URL Inspection in Search Console.
Why do Google's pages disagree about requirements?
They describe different things. The AI features page says there are no additional technical requirements, meaning no special markup or files. The generative AI guide adds that the site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console. That is a control which defaults to Include, so it only matters if someone has switched it off.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website: No additional requirements or special optimisations; indexing and snippet eligibility; query fan-out; preview controls; Google-Extended. Page last updated 10 December 2025.
- Google: Optimizing for generative AI features on Google Search: Updated 10 July 2026. Says a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console; also llms.txt, commodity content, scaled content abuse, third-party tools.
- Search Console Help: Search generative AI control: Defines the inclusion setting: Include is the default for all properties, Exclude removes links and content from AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover generative features; not a ranking signal; does not affect AI training; rolled out to all sites by 31 August 2026.
- Search Console Help: Generative AI performance report (Search): Report contents (impressions by page, country, device, date for AI Overviews and AI Mode), Web search type data, and why the report may be missing.
- Google Search Central Blog: Introducing Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console: Announced 3 June 2026; rolled out to all websites by 31 August 2026.
- Cloudflare Blog: Have it both ways, stay discoverable in search while disallowing AI training: Published 15 September 2026. Block settings now apply to mixed-use crawlers including Googlebot; Disallow AI Training keeps search allowed; existing settings migrated.
- Cloudflare Blog: Your site, your rules, new AI traffic options for all customers: Search, Agent and Training categories; new-domain defaults from 15 September 2026.