AI Overview
A summary at the top of the results page, only for some searches.
AI Overviews guide
When Google answers above the results.
Google AI Overviews are generated summaries that appear above the results and cite the pages they draw on; AI Mode is search in the form of a conversation. Find out how they work, what changes for a brand and how to observe them methodically.
In brief
Two ways Google answers by itself.
An AI Overview is a generated summary that Google shows above the results for some searches, with links to the sources. AI Mode is a separate mode where you ask questions and get answers in the form of a dialogue.
AI Mode
A separate tab for long questions and follow-up questions.
What they have in common
A generated text with the cited pages alongside.
Dates and sources
Where they come from, according to Google.
Google introduced the two features at different times and rolls them out by country and language: before drawing conclusions, check whether they are available in the market you observe.
Google announced AI Overviews in Search on 14 May 2024, at Google I/O, and introduced AI Mode as an experiment on 5 March 2025, both on its official blog The Keyword. Availability by country and language changes over time: the source to check is Google’s documentation, not a copied list.
The two AI features of Google Search compared on where they appear, how they are used, what they show of the sources and when to observe them.
| AI Overview | AI Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it appears | At the top of the results, above the blue links. | In a dedicated tab, separate from the results. |
| How it is used | You read it without doing anything different. | You type a question and continue the dialogue. |
| The sources | Links to pages next to the generated summary. | Links to pages within and next to the answer. |
| When to observe it | For the short searches in your category. | For long and comparison questions. |
What changes
The choice starts above the results.
When a summary answers at the top, part of the decision happens before any click: it matters to be among the cited sources and it matters that the facts reported about the brand are correct.
An example summary for a search about noise-cancelling headphones, with the parts that matter to a brand highlighted and explained in the notes.
Questionwhich noise-cancelling headphones for travelling
Example AI summary · fictional brands
For long trips, battery life and comfort matter. Northstar Aurae 2 offers good noise cancellation, with a one-year warranty, while other models focus on low weight. Source: a trade magazine.
Mention
The brand is named: this is the first signal to count.
Error
A fact to check: if the warranty is two years, it must be corrected at the source.
Source
The cited page tells you where the sentence comes from and who can update it.
Appearing among the sources
What Google tells publishers.
According to Google’s documentation, the same rules as Search apply to AI features in search: indexable pages, useful content, readable text. There is no dedicated markup and no form to fill in.
Google Search Central’s page “AI features and your website” also states that clicks from AI features are included in the Search Console performance report, under the Web search type, and that snippet controls (nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet) also apply to these features.
Four common publisher questions, with the answer given by Google’s public documentation and what follows for the work on your pages.
| Question | What Google says | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| Is special markup needed? | No, SEO best practices apply. | Work on clear, indexable pages. |
| Can you see the traffic they bring? | It is part of Search Console’s Web performance. | There is no separate column to read. |
| Can I exclude a page? | Snippet controls apply. | Use them with care: they also remove you from snippets. |
| Do you need to apply to be included? | No, there is no sign-up form. | What counts is the content Search already reads. |
Observing them methodically
A log of the searches that matter.
Generated answers change with the search, the country, the language and the day. A log with fixed searches, recorded dates and sources turns scattered impressions into a repeatable comparison.
The fields to record for each observed search, why each one is needed and which reading error it prevents when comparing two months.
| Field | Why record it | Error it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Exact search | The same wording every time. | Comparing different questions with each other. |
| Country and language | The features change from one market to another. | Reading one market as if it were another. |
| Presence of the summary | Not every search shows one. | Counting a search without a summary as an absence. |
| Brands named and sources | The heart of the observation. | Remembering a name without knowing where it comes from. |
| Date | Answers vary over time. | Mistaking a variation for a trend. |
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Short answers to the most frequent questions about Google’s AI summaries: what changes for traffic, whether a page can be excluded and how they differ from AI assistants.
What is a Google AI Overview?
It is a generated summary that Google shows above the results for some searches, with links to the pages it draws on.
Are AI Mode and AI Overviews the same thing?
No. An AI Overview appears within the results; AI Mode is a separate tab where you hold a dialogue with follow-up questions.
How do I see the traffic coming from AI Overviews?
According to Google, it is included in Search Console’s Web performance, without a separate line. To understand the summary’s role you need a log of the observed searches.
Can I stop a page from being used?
Snippet controls also apply to AI features, but they also limit the snippets in the results: it is a choice to weigh page by page.
Related paths
After “AI Overviews guide”, the next step.
The guides explain the concepts with examples on fictional brands. From here you continue with the other guides, the methodology and the features that apply them to your brand.
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