AI search and your website: how to stay visible in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode

Quick Go-Through:

Google has just updated AI Overviews and AI Mode to show links more prominently, while independent studies show clicks from search are falling. Here is what the latest changes and data mean for your website, and the practical steps that keep it visible in AI search.

Search now answers first and links second

For most of the web's history, getting found on Google meant ranking in a list of ten blue links. In 2026 a growing share of searches start with an AI-written answer instead. AI Overviews sit at the top of many results pages, and AI Mode turns search into a conversation. Google says AI Overviews now have more than 2.5 billion monthly active users and AI Mode has passed one billion monthly users.

That changes what it means for a business website to be visible. This article looks at what Google changed this month, what independent research says about clicks, what Google itself says site owners should and should not do, and a practical checklist for keeping your website in front of customers when the first thing they see is an AI answer.

What Google changed this month

On 15 October 2026 Google announced a set of updates to AI Mode and AI Overviews aimed at sending people to websites. Inline links, the links embedded in words or phrases inside an AI response, now appear more often and higher up. Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search, wrote that Google is “launching updates to show inline links higher up in responses more frequently, helping to ensure key sources are easily clickable right when you need them.”

Google is also testing a dedicated section at the top of some AI responses for the “one or two official places on the web” to complete a task, with context about why each link is useful. Carousels of timely articles are rolling out to more countries and languages, related links at the end of responses are getting image thumbnails, and clickable creator and publisher names are being tested on video results in AI Mode. Google added that the number of people using its Preferred Sources feature has grown by more than seven times since the start of the year.

Not everyone is convinced the changes will bring back traffic. Writing about the update for Search Engine Land, Barry Schwartz asked: “But will searchers click? I suspect not, otherwise Google would give us click data broken down in the AI performance reports in Google Search Console, which Google still does not do.”

What the data says about clicks

Independent research points in one direction: when an AI answer appears, fewer people click through to websites. In a randomised field experiment with 1,065 US desktop Chrome users, run in January and February 2026, researchers Saharsh Agarwal (Indian School of Business) and Ananya Sen (Carnegie Mellon University) found that AI Overviews appeared on 42% of queries and cut outbound organic clicks by 38% on those queries, while zero-click searches rose from 54% to 72%. They concluded that AI Overviews “divert traffic away from publishers without delivering measurable improvements in user experience.” The paper is a working draft and has not yet been peer reviewed.

Other studies agree on the direction, if not the exact size. Pew Research Center found that users clicked a traditional search result in 8% of visits to pages with an AI Overview, compared with 15% without one, and clicked a link inside the AI summary itself in only about 1% of visits. Ahrefs found that, by December 2025, the presence of an AI Overview correlated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the top-ranking page.

There is a more useful detail for business owners. In Seer Interactive data reported by Search Engine Land in early 2026, pages cited inside an AI Overview earned a click-through rate of about 2.1%, against about 0.9% for pages on the same results page that were not cited. Searches with no AI Overview still did best at about 3.3%. Being cited does not restore the old traffic, but it is clearly better than being left out.

What Google says site owners should do

Google's own guidance for site owners is deliberately plain. Its Search Central documentation on AI features states: “There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary.” To be shown as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet.

The same page warns against chasing shortcuts: “You don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, or markup to appear in these features.” Instead it lists familiar fundamentals: allow crawling in robots.txt and at your CDN or host, link important pages internally, provide a good page experience, put important content in text, support it with good images and video, keep structured data consistent with the visible page, and keep Merchant Center and Business Profile details up to date.

Google also describes a technique called query fan-out, in which AI Overviews and AI Mode run several related searches across subtopics to build a single answer. In practice that rewards pages that answer the specific follow-up questions a customer would ask, not just one broad keyword.

Seven practical steps for your website

1. Make sure Google can read your pages

If key content only appears after JavaScript runs, or a firewall blocks Googlebot, you cannot be cited. Check that your important pages return real HTML with their headings and text, that robots.txt and your host allow crawling, and that pages are indexed in Search Console.

2. Answer real questions clearly

Because AI answers are assembled from several related searches, pages that clearly answer specific questions (what it costs, how long it takes, what is included, who it is for) give Google more reasons to link to you. Use descriptive headings and put the direct answer near the top of each section.

3. Show real experience and sources

Original examples, case studies, named authors, dates and links to credible sources make a page more useful than a generic summary of what is already online. That is the kind of helpful, people-first content Google's guidance keeps pointing to.

4. Keep business details consistent

Your Google Business Profile, contact page, prices and service descriptions should match everywhere. Google specifically mentions keeping Business Profile and Merchant Center information up to date for AI features.

5. Use structured data honestly

Organisation, article, product and FAQ markup can help search engines understand a page, but Google says it must match the visible text. Do not add markup for content that visitors cannot see.

6. Make the click worth it

Google says clicks from results pages with AI Overviews tend to be higher quality, with people more likely to spend time on the site. Fast pages, clear next steps and an easy way to contact you turn fewer visits into more enquiries.

7. Measure AI visibility, not just traffic

Since 31 August 2026, the generative AI performance report in Search Console has been available to all websites. It shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode by page, country, device and date, though not clicks. Track it alongside conversions in your analytics.

What not to waste money on

A new industry of AI search optimisation services has grown quickly, and some of it sells things Google says you do not need, such as special AI text files or new types of markup. Mass-produced AI articles are another trap: they add little that an AI Overview cannot already summarise, so they are unlikely to be the page it chooses to cite.

You also have a choice about taking part. Since 31 August 2026 Search Console has offered a control that lets site owners decide whether their site appears in, and helps ground, Google's generative AI Search features. Google says sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from those features and that the setting is not used as a ranking signal for regular results. For most small businesses that want to be found, staying in is the sensible default.

A quick AI search checklist

Check that your key pages are indexed and that their raw HTML contains the main heading and text.
Review robots.txt, CDN and hosting settings so Googlebot is not blocked.
Add clear answers to the questions customers ask before they contact you.
Keep your Google Business Profile, prices and contact details consistent across the web.
Make sure structured data matches what visitors actually see.
Open the generative AI performance report in Search Console every month and note which pages appear.

Where CoreCodify fits

AI search does not replace good websites; it raises the bar for them. Pages need to be fast, readable by search engines, clearly structured and genuinely useful, because those are the pages AI answers draw on and link to.

At CoreCodify we design and build websites, apps, UI/UX and brand identities with that in mind, from server-rendered pages and clean structured data to clear content structure, and we build AI solutions for businesses too. If you want your website ready for AI Overviews and AI Mode, tell us about it through our contact page.