Google AI Overviews & AI Mode: Implications for SMEs

Google now answers many search queries itself: with AI Overviews above the results, in Germany since the end of March 2025, and with AI Mode, a separate tab for detailed AI answers, since October 8, 2025. According to Google, there are no special optimizations for this: a page must be indexed and allowed for snippets. Anyone who writes well for people also writes well for AI search.

For website operators, however, quite a bit is changing. For simple questions, fewer people click through to websites because the answer is already shown at the top. At the same time, AI Overviews link to sources. Anyone mentioned there gains trust and more targeted visitors.

What distinguishes the two formats

	AI Overview	AI Mode
Where	Above the regular search results	Separate tab next to “All”, “Images”, etc.
When	Automatically for relevant searches	When users select the tab
Answer	Brief summary with sources	Detailed answer, follow-up questions possible
In Germany since	End of March 2025	8 October 2025

What Google officially says

In its documentation for website ownersGoogle makes it clear: There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. The familiar basics still apply: crawlable pages, internal linking, a good user experience, and structured data that matches the visible text. Special AI text files or special schema markup are not necessary for Google.

Important for analysis: In the Performance report, Search Console counts visits via AI Overviews and AI Mode under the search type “Web.” They cannot be evaluated separately there.

What changes for SME websites

Knowledge questions generate fewer clicks.“What is …?” is often answered directly by the AI Overview. Such pages remain important for being cited as a source, but they generate fewer visits.
Questions with purchase intent remain valuable.Anyone looking for a provider, a price, or a solution for their specific case still clicks through.
First-hand experience matters more.The AI can summarize general knowledge itself. It cannot summarize your own figures, examples, and assessments.
Long, specific questions are increasing.In AI mode, users formulate complete sentences. In our own Search Console, such queries are already appearing, often with good rankings.

What you should do now

Check whether all important pages are indexed, see Search Console for beginners.
Put answers at the beginning of pages and sections, see Texts that AI search engines cite.
Incorporate your own evidence: figures, case studies, project experience.
Strengthen pages with purchase intent: services, pricing or cost drivers, process, contact.
Measure whether clicks on informational queries decline, and weight the content accordingly.

And ChatGPT, Perplexity & Co.?

Other AI search engines work similarly, but use their own crawlers and sources. For them, files such as llms.txt and clear information about the company and services help, even if Google itself does not need them. The difference between classic search engine optimization and optimization for AI answers is explained How companies are found in ChatGPT and Perplexity.

AI visibility of bettersorted combines both: classic search and AI search, based on your real data from Search Console.

Frequently asked questions

Can I prevent Google from using my content in AI overviews?

Snippet settings such as “nosnippet” can be used to control what Google is allowed to show as a snippet. However, this also affects regular search results. For most SMEs, it is more sensible to be cited as a source.

Do I need an llms.txt for Google?

No. Google explicitly states that no special AI text files are required. For other AI services, an llms.txt can be useful, but it does not replace good content.

How can I see whether my website appears in AI overviews?

Search Console does not report this data separately; it is included in the “Web” search type. One indicator is pages with many impressions and a good position, but few clicks. Spot checks in Google Search show whether an AI overview appears there.

As of October 2026.