To appear in Google’s AI Overviews, a page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet in Google Search; Google says no special markup or separate optimisation is required. Beyond that, the pages cited tend to rank well for the query or its sub-questions, answer each part directly in self-contained passages, show clear expertise, and stay current. AI Overviews have been available in India since August 2024, including in Hindi, and their clicks and impressions are included in Search Console’s Performance report.
What AI Overviews are
AI Overviews are summaries generated by Google’s models that appear at the top of some search results, with links to the pages used. Google introduced them in the United States in May 2024 and expanded them to more countries, including India in August 2024 with support for English and Hindi. They appear mainly for complex or multi-part questions, less for simple navigational searches.
What Google has documented
| Point | What it means |
|---|---|
| No additional requirements | SEO best practices apply; there is no special AI Overviews markup |
| Indexed and snippet-eligible | Pages blocked, noindexed or restricted with nosnippet cannot be used |
| Snippet controls apply | nosnippet, data-nosnippet and max-snippet limit what can appear in AI Overviews |
| Measured in Search Console | Clicks, impressions and positions are included in Performance report totals |
Step 1: make sure you are eligible
- Check key pages are indexed with Search Console’s URL Inspection tool.
- Remove unintended nosnippet or restrictive max-snippet settings.
- Make sure the main content is in the HTML Google renders. See the 2026 SEO audit.
Step 2: rank for the question and its parts
Analyses by several SEO research firms have found that AI Overview citations mostly come from pages that also rank on the first page for the query, though not only from the top result. AI Overviews, like AI Mode, can draw on searches for sub-questions, so a page that ranks for a specific part of a question can be cited even if it does not rank for the whole. Map those parts with query fan-out research.
Step 3: write passages Google can use
- A heading that matches the question, followed by a direct answer in the first sentence.
- Specific facts: numbers, conditions, names, steps.
- Each section understandable on its own.
- Lists and tables where the answer is a set of steps or a comparison.
See 10 before-and-after rewrites and the AEO playbook.
Step 4: show expertise and keep it current
For health, finance, legal and other YMYL topics, Google applies its highest standards, and AI Overviews appear less often or more cautiously. Named expert authors, cited sources and visible update dates matter everywhere and most in these areas. See E-E-A-T.
Step 5: check which queries show AI Overviews
- List your important queries and search each in a private window from India.
- Note whether an AI Overview appears and which pages it cites.
- For queries where a competitor is cited and you rank nearby, compare the cited passage with yours and improve yours.
Rank-tracking tools that record AI Overview presence save time for long lists.
Step 6: measure the effect on clicks
A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that when an AI summary appeared, people clicked a regular result in 8% of visits, compared with 15% without one. Watch Search Console for queries where impressions and position held but clicks fell; the method is in finding AI Overview click losses.
Should you opt out?
You can limit AI Overviews’ use of your content with nosnippet or max-snippet, but the same controls limit your normal search snippets. For most businesses, being cited is worth more than what opting out protects.
Frequently asked questions
Does structured data help get into AI Overviews?
Google says no special structured data is needed. Accurate schema still helps Google understand pages and entities. See schema and AI Overviews.
Why is a lower-ranking page cited instead of ours?
The cited page may answer a specific part of the question more directly, or be more current. Compare the cited passage with your equivalent section.
Are AI Overviews shown for all queries?
No. They appear for a share of searches, mostly informational and complex ones, and Google adjusts when they appear.
Sources
- Google Search Central, “AI features and your website”
- Google, announcements of AI Overviews, May 2024, and expansion to India, August 2024
- Pew Research Center, “Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results”, July 2025