How to Get Featured in Google AI Overviews: What Google Says
Short answer: There is nothing to sign up for and no special markup. Google says a page only needs to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet in Search to be used as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. After that, the normal SEO basics decide it: helpful content, text Google can crawl, a good page experience and a clear answer it can lift.
What are AI Overviews and AI Mode?
AI Overviews are the AI-written summaries that appear above some Google results, with links to the pages they draw on. AI Mode is a separate tab where you can ask longer questions and follow-ups. Google's page AI features and your website explains that both can run several related searches at once to build an answer, which it calls "query fan-out". That means a page can be shown for a sub-question it answers well, even if it would not rank first for the main search.
What does Google say you need?
Google's answer is short: there are no additional requirements. To be eligible as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet. Google's May 2025 guidance on succeeding in AI search repeats that its long-standing advice still applies, with the focus on unique, satisfying content and a good experience for visitors.
In practice, the technical checks are the ones you would do for any SEO work:
- Googlebot is allowed in robots.txt and the page has no
noindex. - The page is indexed. Check it with URL Inspection in Search Console.
- The important text is in the HTML, not only loaded later by JavaScript or shown inside images.
- Nothing blocks the snippet, such as
nosnippetor a very smallmax-snippet. - Internal links point to the page so Google can find it and understand what it is about.
How to write content for AI Overviews
Google does not publish a formula, so the steps below are our own practice, built on its helpful content guidance. They are the same habits that help featured snippets and AI chat answers.
- Answer the question in the first lines. Put a direct answer of 40 to 60 words under a heading that asks the question, then explain.
- Use question headings. Write the H2s as the questions people type, such as "How long does X take?" Each one gives a fan-out search something to match.
- Cover the follow-up questions. List what someone asks next (cost, time, risks, alternatives) and answer each in its own short section.
- Be specific. Numbers, steps, names of standards and dates are easier to quote than general advice. Link to the primary source for each claim.
- Show who wrote it. A visible byline, an About page and contact details help readers trust the page. See our guide to E-E-A-T.
- Use lists and tables for steps and comparisons. They are easier to scan and to summarize.
- Keep it current. Show a published and updated date, and update the page when the facts change.
Does structured data help AI Overviews?
Google says you don't need special schema for AI features. Structured data still helps Google understand a page, and its structured data guidelines require the markup to match what visitors can see. Add Article, Organization, Product or BreadcrumbList markup where it is true, and don't add markup for content that is not on the page. Our post Is FAQ schema still worth it? covers which types still earn rich results.
AI Overviews vs featured snippets
| Question | Featured snippet | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|
| What is shown | A quoted passage from one page | An AI-written summary with several supporting links |
| Sources | One | Usually several, sometimes from related searches |
| Requirement | Indexed, snippet allowed | Indexed, snippet allowed |
| Special markup | None | None |
| Opt out | nosnippet, max-snippet | The same snippet controls |
How to limit or opt out
AI Overviews use the same snippet controls as normal results: nosnippet, data-nosnippet on part of a page, max-snippet, or noindex. These also change your normal snippets, so use them with care. Blocking Google-Extended in robots.txt is a separate choice about Gemini training, and it does not remove a page from Search. Our robots.txt guide on blocking AI training but allowing AI search explains the difference.
How to tell if your site appears
Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in the Search Console Performance report, inside the normal Web totals, as Search Engine Journal reported when AI Mode data was added in 2025. There is no separate clicks filter, so watch the queries and pages that matter to you, and search them yourself now and then. Our guide on how to track AI search traffic covers Search Console, Bing and analytics together.
Sources
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central Blog: Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences (May 2025)
- Google Search Central: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- Google Search Central: Robots meta tag and snippet controls
- Google Search Central: General structured data guidelines
Check a page for the things AI Overviews need
SEO AI Assistant is a free Chrome extension that runs 39 SEO, AEO and GEO checks in Chrome's side panel. It flags a missing direct answer, too few question headings, text that only appears after JavaScript runs, missing dates and missing schema, and shows how many points each fix adds. It can't tell you whether Google will show your page; nobody outside Google can.
AI Overviews questions
How do I get my website into Google AI Overviews?
Make sure the page is indexed and allowed to show a snippet, then answer the question clearly near the top, cover the follow-up questions and keep the facts specific and current. Google says there are no extra technical requirements.
Is there special markup for AI Overviews?
No. Google says no special schema or AI text file is needed. Use normal structured data that matches what the page shows.
Can a small website appear in AI Overviews?
Yes. Supporting links come from pages that answer part of the question well, and AI Overviews can draw on related searches, so a page that answers a specific question clearly has a chance.
Does blocking Google-Extended remove me from AI Overviews?
No. Google-Extended controls whether content is used for Gemini training. AI Overviews are part of Search and follow Googlebot and the snippet controls.
How do I stop Google using my page in AI Overviews?
Use nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex. They also affect normal search snippets, so apply them only where you mean to.
Can I see AI Overview traffic in Search Console?
Partly. Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in the Performance report's Web totals, but you can't filter them out on their own.