Google AI
Optimizing for Google AI Overviews and Gemini.
Last updated: January 20, 2026
Google AI includes Gemini (the conversational AI) and AI Overviews (AI-generated summaries at the top of search results).
AI Overviews
AI Overviews appear for approximately 25% of informational searches. They synthesize information from multiple sources and display citations.
Google AI Citation Factors
- E-E-A-T - Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust
- Featured snippet performance - Current snippet rankings
- Traditional SEO signals - Domain authority, backlinks
- Content quality - Comprehensive, accurate information
Allowing Google-Extended Access
Google uses a separate crawler for AI features:
User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /Google-Extended is separate from Googlebot. Allowing Googlebot doesn't automatically allow Google-Extended for AI features.
Optimization Tips
- Optimize for featured snippets (often used in AI Overviews)
- Build strong E-E-A-T signals
- Implement comprehensive Schema markup
- Maintain traditional SEO fundamentals