What is the difference?
| Experience | What to understand |
|---|---|
| AI Overviews | AI-generated answers within Google Search for some queries |
| AI Mode | A Google Search experience designed for more exploratory questions |
| Gemini Apps | An assistant experience that may include sources and related links |
Google explains its Search requirements in its AI features guidance. Its separate Gemini sources guidance notes that sources are not provided with every response.
What does Google require for AI Search visibility?
Google’s guidance says a page must be indexed and eligible for a search snippet to appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. It does not prescribe a special AI schema or AI text file. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee inclusion.
That gives you a practical first check: are your important pages actually available to Google? If a service page is excluded from indexing, blocked or pointing to the wrong canonical URL, publishing more content will not repair that underlying problem.
Ask your developer to investigate the cause rather than simply resubmitting the same page repeatedly.
Make the page useful for a decision
Think about what someone would need to compare your service with an alternative. A page about massage appointments could explain appointment types, duration, location, booking arrangements and the practitioner’s relevant qualifications. It should avoid unsupported medical promises.
A gym page could explain membership terms, equipment, opening hours and visitor options. A trades business could describe the work it takes on, the areas it serves and how a quote is prepared.
The right detail depends on the business. A long article about the history of your industry is unlikely to answer a customer who wants to know whether you can help next month.
Use comparisons when they solve a real problem
A comparison can be valuable when customers are unsure which option fits. Explain the criteria before deciding which option suits whom.
For instance, a web design article comparing a simple brochure site with an online shop could discuss payment requirements, stock management, content editing and ongoing maintenance. It should acknowledge situations where the simpler option is sufficient.
That is more useful than a table designed to make your most expensive package win every category. Readers need a fair explanation, not a sales argument disguised as advice.
Keep your service and location information current
Review the pages that someone might use to plan a visit or request a quote. Old opening hours, discontinued services and contradictory prices can undermine an otherwise good website.
If you work locally, review the profiles you control as well as your own pages. Our local AI SEO guide gives a practical approach without creating dozens of repetitive town pages.
How should you measure progress?
Google’s AI Search guidance describes AI-feature traffic within the overall Web reporting in Search Console. Do not label all Google organic traffic as AI traffic. Gemini is a separate experience, so keep identifiable referrals separate where the available data allows it.
Look at the landing pages attracting relevant visitors, the queries you can see and the enquiries that follow. Our AI lead-tracking guide explains why a complete view is not always possible.
Should you redesign your whole website?
Not necessarily. You may have a good website with a few weak service pages, inconsistent information or an indexing issue. A focused improvement can be a sensible first step.
Use our AI search action plan to prioritise the work, or browse the AI Search Visibility Hub for other platforms.
If you want help working out whether your website needs content improvements, technical fixes or a larger redesign, get in touch. Tell us what your business does and which enquiries you would like more of.