Google AI Overviews: A Practical Checklist for Visibility (2025)

By BrandVector

AI Overviews (AIO) changes where attention goes, but it does not create a new set of secret ranking rules.

Google's own guidance is explicit: the best practices for SEO remain relevant, and there are no additional requirements or special optimizations to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Google Search Central (AI features).

So why do some pages show up as supporting links while others disappear?

It usually comes down to:

  • Eligibility: you are crawlable, indexable, snippet-eligible.
  • Findability: Google can reach your key pages through internal links.
  • Coverage: you answer the sub-questions Google expands into.

If you want the bigger strategic frame: Definitive Guide to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

How AI Overviews pick sources

From a site-owner perspective, Google describes it like this:

  • Standard eligibility: to be eligible as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. No extra technical requirements. Source.
  • Query fan-out: AI Overviews and AI Mode may run multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources while generating a response. Source (fan-out).
  • Selective triggering: AI Overviews often do not trigger; they show when Google thinks they add value beyond classic Search. Google Help Center.

Implication: you do not "opt into" AIO via a special tag. You win by being eligible, easy to understand, and relevant to fan-out subtopics.

Step 1: Pass the technical eligibility checklist

Google's own examples of worthwhile SEO fundamentals for AI features include: robots.txt and infra access, internal links, page experience, textual content, and structured-data alignment. Google Search Central (AI features).

1. Crawling and indexing are actually allowed

  • robots.txt: crawling allowed, and not blocked by CDN/WAF/hosting rules.
  • noindex: no accidental noindex or X-Robots-Tag on key pages.
  • canonicals: canonical points to the correct URL (do not canonicalize your best page away).

2. Important content is visible to machines

Google calls out:

  • Important content available in textual form.
  • Structured data matches visible text (no mismatch between markup and what users see).

Common failure modes:

  • Pricing/features hidden behind interactions that never render as text for crawlers.
  • Schema claims that do not match what is displayed.

3. Build internal "retrieval paths"

Google explicitly calls internal linking out as a best practice for AI features.

Do:

  • Link from your main "What we do" page to: definition, use cases, comparisons, pricing, FAQs, docs.
  • Ensure each of those pages links back to the main page and to at least 1–2 siblings.

Avoid:

  • Orphan pages only reachable via sitemap.

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Step 2: Write for sub-questions (fan-out strategy)

Fan-out means your page can be "about the topic" and still miss the sub-questions AIO is actually expanding into. Google (fan-out).

Practical approach:

  • List 10–30 sub-questions around the head term.
  • Definitions: "What is X?"
  • Comparisons: "X vs Y"
  • Steps: "How to do X"
  • Constraints: "Pricing?", "limitations?", "works for B2B?", "security?", "implementation?"
  • Answer them in a small cluster of connected pages.
  • Interlink them intentionally (not "related posts" randomness).

Internal link suggestion: point "What is X?" to your glossary entry. For deeper strategy on content clustering, see our GEO guide on RAG optimization.

Step 3: Make your page easy to cite

Google does not prescribe a secret HTML recipe. It says focus on helpful, reliable, people-first content and SEO fundamentals. Google Search Central (AI features).

Still, you can make pages easier to use as supporting links:

  • Definition block: put the core definition early, plain language. Format: "[Term] is [definition]."
  • Question headings: use headings that match real questions (fan-out targets).
  • Verifiable statements: short claims backed by specifics (numbers, steps, constraints, examples).
  • FAQ: if the topic is question-heavy, add FAQ. If you add schema, it must match visible text. Source.

For quote-optimized content structures, see optimizing content for RAG in our GEO guide.

Step 4: Trust and ambiguity reduction

Google points back to standard quality signals: helpful, reliable content and compliance with Search policies and technical requirements. Google Search Central (AI features).

Concrete additions on pages you want cited:

  • Authorship (who wrote it, why credible)
  • Sources for factual claims
  • Easy-to-find About and Contact

These overlap with E-E-A-T signals. For more on entity salience and trust signals, see technical architecture of AI visibility.

Step 5: Measuring success (what you can and cannot see)

Google says sites appearing in AI features are included in Search Console traffic, reported in the Performance report under the "Web" search type. Google Search Central (AI features).

What this means in practice:

  • GSC is directional. You often cannot isolate "AIO only" cleanly.
  • Validate with SERP spot checks on priority queries.
  • If your goal is "AI visibility across engines", you need separate monitoring.

For the broader frame, revisit the GEO pillar guide — especially the section on measuring AI Share of Voice.

To track how AI engines mention your brand across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and more, try our AI Visibility Checker.

Quick checklist for every key page

  • ✓Indexed and snippet-eligible
  • ✓Crawling allowed in robots.txt and infra
  • ✓Important content is textual
  • ✓Structured data matches visible text
  • ✓Clear definition within first screen
  • ✓Internal links to supporting subtopics

Sources

Related Resources

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Guide

The definitive guide to ranking in AI search engines.

AI Marketing Glossary

Key terms for AI visibility and GEO.

AI Visibility Checker

See how AI engines perceive your brand.

AI Prompt Generator

Generate prompts to test your AI visibility.