Google AI Overviews optimisation: what really counts

The requirements according to Google

A page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet in Search to appear as a supporting link. Google sets no extra technical requirements beyond that. Structured data is not required, there is no special schema.org markup, and you do not have to cut up your text for AI.

AI Overviews and AI Mode can run several related searches on subtopics. A page that answers one sub-question well can therefore also play a part in a broader question.

What the top 10 still tells you

In March 2026 Ahrefs analysed 863,000 search results and 4 million pages from AI Overviews. Of those pages, 37.9 percent also appeared in the first 10 results for the same query. In July 2025 Ahrefs measured about 76 percent, with a different and smaller sample, so compare those two with care.

Ranking is therefore no guarantee of a citation, and a citation does not require a top position. A first place does stay useful for the clicks that happen outside the AI answer.

What you can do

Write pages that answer a question directly, with concrete data and a source alongside. That is not a Google requirement but our rule of thumb, which finds support in the GEO study. Use URL Inspection to check whether your page is indexed, because that is where it starts.