Guide

How to get your site into Google AI Overviews and AI Mode

Google says there's no special trick: AI Overviews and AI Mode pick links from the same index as regular search. Here's what makes a page eligible, the Search Console setting that can quietly switch it off, what Google says you can skip, and how to see if you're showing up.

Updated October 21, 2026 · By the Footnotely team

The short answer

Google's own guide says AI Overviews and AI Mode "are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems" (Optimizing for generative AI features). To be shown as a link, a page has to meet two conditions:

It "must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet."
Your site "must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console." That's a setting, and it's on by default.

Past that, Google says the same things that help you in regular search help here. Meeting the rules makes you eligible; it doesn't guarantee you'll be picked. Google also notes AI Overviews "often don't trigger," because they only show when Google thinks they add something to a normal results page (AI features and your website).

Step 1: Make sure Google can index the page with a snippet

Most "why am I not in AI Overviews" problems are really "Google can't use this page" problems. Check these:

Googlebot isn't blocked. Look at your robots.txt, and also at your CDN or host. Google's list includes making sure crawling "is allowed in robots.txt, and by any CDN or hosting infrastructure." A firewall rule can block Googlebot even when robots.txt allows it.
The page loads. Google needs to get a normal 200 response, not an error or a login wall.
The page is indexed. Paste the URL into the URL Inspection tool in Search Console. If it says the URL isn't on Google, fix that first.
No snippet blocks. A nosnippet tag, or a very low max-snippet value, limits what Google can show from the page, and Google says these controls apply to its AI features too. A noindex tag removes the page from Search entirely.
The main content is real text. Google asks that "important content is available in textual form," not only inside images or video.

Step 2: Check the Search generative AI setting in Search Console

Since August 31, 2026, every Search Console property has a Search generative AI control under Settings (Google's help page). It has three options:

Option	What it does
Include	Your pages can be linked in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover's AI features. This is the default.
Exclude	Your links and content are kept out of those features, and you get no traffic or impressions from them. Regular search is not affected.
Inherit from parent	The property follows whatever its parent property is set to. This is the default for properties that have a parent.

Most sites never touch this, so they're included. It's still worth one look, especially if someone else (an agency, a former teammate) manages your Search Console, or your property inherits from a parent domain property you don't control. Google says a change to Exclude generally takes effect within a few days.

This setting is separate from Google-Extended. Google says Google-Extended "does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search" (Google's crawler list). Blocking it doesn't keep you out of AI Overviews, and allowing it doesn't get you in.

Step 3: Write pages worth citing

Google's guide says content people find "unique, compelling, and useful will likely influence your website's presence in generative AI search in the long run more than any of the other suggestions." In plain terms:

Say something others haven't. Google contrasts "commodity" pages that restate common knowledge with pages built on first-hand experience. For a small software company that could be real setup steps from your own product, a comparison you actually ran, or a problem your support team solves every week.
Organize it for readers. Clear headings and short sections. Google says it doesn't need perfect code, but plain, readable pages also help screen readers.
Keep facts current. Prices, plan limits and feature lists that are out of date can get repeated in an AI answer. Update them in one place and keep them visible on the page.
Keep your Business Profile and Merchant Center details up to date if you're a local business or sell products. Google says these can show up in AI answers too.

What Google says you can skip

Google's guide lists several popular tips that don't help in Google Search:

llms.txt and other AI text files. Google Search doesn't use them. (Other tools might; our llms.txt guide covers that honestly.)
Breaking pages into tiny chunks. Google says its systems can find the relevant part of a longer page, and there's "no ideal page length."
Rewriting everything "for AI." Google says its systems understand synonyms, so you don't need every wording of a question on the page.
Special markup. No special schema.org markup is needed for AI features.
Making a page for every variation of a question. Google warns that doing this mainly to influence rankings or AI answers can break its scaled content abuse spam policy.
Buying or faking mentions. Google says inauthentic mentions across the web aren't as helpful as they might seem, and its spam systems apply to AI features as well.

Step 4: See whether you're showing up

In Search Console, open Performance and look for the Generative AI report (Google's help page). It shows how often your pages were shown in AI Overviews and AI Mode, by page, country, device and date. Two things to know:

It shows impressions, not clicks. Clicks from AI features are counted in the regular Performance report under the Web search type, together with normal results.
If you don't see the report at all, Google says it usually means your site hasn't had enough impressions in these features yet, or that the site is set to Exclude.

In Google Analytics 4, visits from AI Overviews land in Organic Search with everything else. Our guide on seeing AI traffic in GA4 explains what you can and can't separate.

A quick checklist

URL Inspection says the page is on Google.
No noindex, nosnippet or tiny max-snippet on pages you want shown.
robots.txt and your CDN or firewall let Googlebot in. The free AI crawler checker tests robots.txt and live access for Google and the AI bots at once.
Settings → Search generative AI is set to Include (or inherits Include).
Key facts like prices and plan limits are current and written as text on the page.
Check the Generative AI report every few weeks to see which pages appear.

Google is only one place buyers ask. ChatGPT and Perplexity pick sources their own way, so it's worth checking those too; our guide on checking if ChatGPT mentions your brand shows a free way to start.

Sources

Checked October 21, 2026. Search Console menus change from time to time; the linked help pages have the current steps.

FAQ

Do I need an llms.txt file to appear in AI Overviews?

No. Google's guide on generative AI features says Google Search doesn't use llms.txt or other special AI text files, so you don't need one for AI Overviews or AI Mode. It may still be useful for other tools; see our llms.txt guide.

Do I need schema.org markup for AI Overviews?

No. Google says no special schema.org markup is needed for its AI features. If you already use markup, keep it, and make sure it matches what's visible on the page.

Does blocking Google-Extended remove me from AI Overviews?

No. Google says Google-Extended doesn't affect whether your site is included in Google Search. It covers Gemini training and some Gemini grounding outside Search. Inclusion in AI Overviews and AI Mode is set with the Search generative AI control in Search Console.

Will choosing Exclude hurt my regular Google rankings?

Google says the Search generative AI control isn't used as a ranking or inclusion signal for other parts of Search. Excluding keeps your links and content out of AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover's AI features only.

Can I see clicks from AI Overviews separately?

Not yet. The Generative AI performance report in Search Console shows impressions by page, country, device and date. Clicks are counted in the regular Performance report under the Web search type, mixed in with normal results.

Track it every week instead of checking by hand

Footnotely asks your buyer questions on ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini several times per run and shows the mention rate with its sample size, the raw answers, and who gets named instead of you. Free plan, then from $29/mo.

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