To appear in Google Gemini’s answers, your pages need to be in Google’s search index and eligible to show, and you should not block the Google-Extended token if you want Gemini to use your content when it grounds answers in the web. Gemini draws on Google Search for current information, on Google Maps for places and on YouTube for video, so the work that helps is the same work that helps Google Search: crawlable pages with direct answers, an accurate Google Business Profile, and consistent information about your company across the web.
How Gemini finds information
Gemini answers some questions from what the model learned in training and uses Google Search to ground others in current web results. For local questions it can draw on Google Maps data, and for many topics it can show YouTube videos. There is no separate “Gemini crawler” to allow: Google crawls with Googlebot, and controls use through robots.txt tokens.
Google-Extended: the setting that matters
| robots.txt token | What it controls | Effect on Google Search |
|---|---|---|
| Googlebot | Crawling for Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode | Blocking removes you from Search |
| Google-Extended | Whether your content is used to train Gemini models and for grounding in Gemini apps and Google’s Vertex AI | None; Search is not affected |
Google-Extended is not a separate crawler; it is a token Google reads in robots.txt. If you disallow it, Google says your content will not be used for grounding in Gemini apps. Businesses that want to be recommended in Gemini should leave it allowed. Our AI crawler decision guide covers this choice alongside other companies’ crawlers.
Step 1: be indexed and eligible in Google Search
- Check key pages are indexed in Search Console’s URL Inspection tool.
- Make sure pages are not using nosnippet or very low max-snippet values, which limit what Google’s AI features can show.
- Fix rendering: main content must be in the HTML Google renders. See the 2026 SEO audit.
Step 2: answer the questions people ask Gemini
Gemini questions are conversational and full of conditions. Pages that answer each part directly, with specific facts in the first sentence of each section, are easier to use in a grounded answer. Map the parts with query fan-out keyword research.
Step 3: Google Business Profile for local questions
For “near me” and city questions, Gemini can draw on Google Maps. A complete, accurate Business Profile with specific services, real photos and genuine reviews is the foundation. See the local visibility checklist.
Step 4: YouTube
Because Gemini can show YouTube videos, useful videos with accurate titles, descriptions, captions and chapters give you another way into its answers. More in our article on video in AI answers.
Step 5: a clear, consistent entity
Google’s Knowledge Graph connects facts about companies and people. Consistent names and details across your site, Business Profile, LinkedIn and directories, linked with sameAs in your Organization schema, help Google identify you correctly. See knowledge graphs.
Step 6: measure
- Visits from gemini.google.com appear as referrals in analytics; group them with other AI assistants.
- Test your buyer questions in Gemini monthly, several times each, and record whether you are mentioned and linked.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini the same as AI Overviews?
They are separate products that both use Google’s models and Search. AI Overviews and AI Mode appear in Google Search; Gemini is Google’s assistant app. Google-Extended affects Gemini apps, not AI Overviews.
Can we submit our site to Gemini?
No. There is no submission process. Being indexed in Google Search is what makes your pages available.
Does structured data help in Gemini?
Google has not said Gemini uses structured data differently. Accurate schema helps Google understand your pages and company, which supports every Google surface.
Sources
- Google, “Google-Extended” documentation (Google’s common crawlers)
- Google Search Central, “AI features and your website”
- Google, Gemini Apps help on grounding with Google Search