AI Search Visibility · NZ, Australia, US, UK & Canada
AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity now answer questions before anyone clicks a link. Don’t chase every new trick. First find out whether you’re being seen, cited and clicked, then fix what’s actually in your way.
Latest AI search change
Search Console generative AI performance reports
New Search Console reports show impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Available to all websites from 31 August 2026.
See it in the update tracker →AI search changes are listed with sources in the Google and AI search update tracker.
What’s changing
Google now shows AI-generated answers in Search through AI Overviews and AI Mode, with links to the web. The question for most businesses isn’t whether this is happening. It’s whether the answers name you, link to you and send you visitors.
What we know
Be wary of anyone selling a secret formula. Here is what is actually published, and what isn’t.
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode may use a “query fan-out” technique, issuing multiple related searches across subtopics, so they can show a wider and more diverse set of links than a classic search.
To be a supporting link in Google’s AI features, a page needs to be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. Google adds that meeting this doesn’t guarantee crawling, indexing or serving.
Beyond crawler access and Google’s guidance, we don’t know of a published ranking formula for AI citations from any of these tools. Anything more specific is an observation or a guess, and we’ll say which.
Check it yourself
Ten minutes, no tools. Answers vary between runs and people, so repeat it and treat the result as a snapshot.
Try Google (look for AI Overviews, and open AI Mode), ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Each can give a different answer.
For each answer, note whether you’re named, whether you’re linked, whether the description is accurate, and who else appears.
Google says traffic from AI features is included in the overall Performance report. Since 3 June 2026 it also has Search Generative AI performance reports, showing impressions in AI features. Google says they rolled out to all websites worldwide by 31 August 2026. Clicks aren’t among the metrics it lists.
Check your robots.txt isn’t blocking Googlebot, and that you haven’t opted out of OAI-SearchBot, which OpenAI says is for search. GPTBot is separate: OpenAI says disallowing it signals your content shouldn’t be used to train its models. OpenAI says robots.txt changes can take about 24 hours to take effect for search.
Make sure key pages are indexed and don’t carry a nosnippet or restrictive max-snippet setting, because Google says these controls limit what’s shown from your pages, including in AI features.
Re-run the same questions each month and keep the log. Over a few months you’ll see whether you’re appearing more, less or the same. See also how to get mentioned in ChatGPT and AI Overviews.
What helps
Mostly good SEO done properly, aimed at answers. That’s also what Google’s own guidance says.
Google’s advice is to focus on unique, valuable content that visitors find helpful and satisfying. Pages that say what everyone else says give an answer engine no reason to pick yours.
Answer the real question early, in plain language, then add detail. It’s easier for people and for machines to lift. This is the core of answer engine optimisation, which is included in every SEO plan.
Google says no special markup is needed for its AI features. Clear headings and accurate schema still help every system read your facts without guessing.
The same name, address, services and descriptions on your site, Google Business Profile and listings, so you read as one clear business. See generative engine optimisation.
Reviews, citations and mentions from sources the tools draw on. In our view, third-party proof helps AI tools decide who to name, though no tool publishes how much it counts.
Pages that can be crawled, indexed and shown with a snippet, and a robots.txt that doesn’t block the crawlers you want, including OAI-SearchBot for ChatGPT search.
Worth knowing: in May 2026 Google published its own guide to optimising for generative AI features, which it says busts common “AEO/GEO” misconceptions and explains why SEO best practices remain foundational. We agree. AEO and GEO are SEO done properly for answer engines, not a replacement for it, and we won’t sell them as magic.
The offer
I test how AI tools talk about your business, find what’s in the way, and give you a prioritised list of fixes. It doesn’t promise a mention, because the tools decide who they name. Answers also change from one run to the next, so I run each question more than once and report how often you appear, not a fixed ranking. Turnaround is on each package below, counted from when I have what I need from you. NZ prices are plus GST.
NZ$600 + GST
Turnaround: 1 to 2 days
A quick, honest read on where you stand. A good first step before you spend more.
NZ$1,500 + GST
Turnaround: 3 to 5 working days
The full picture, with your competitors benchmarked and a plan for what to fix first.
NZ$3,000 + GST
Turnaround: 1.5 to 2 weeks
For several locations or services, or when you want proof that the fixes worked.
NZ$600 + GST/month
Turnaround: Ongoing
Re-run your questions every month and watch how often you are named.
See the full breakdown of every package. Ongoing work is separate, and optional: GEO is an add-on to any SEO plan.
Keep reading
Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimisations necessary. It says SEO best practices remain relevant, and that a page needs to be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. Good, clear, unique content on a technically healthy site is the foundation.
There is evidence it can. A Pew Research Center study of US browsing data from March 2025 found users clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits with an AI summary and 15% of visits without. It covered US adults and Google only, so check your own numbers in Search Console rather than assuming. Our traffic drop guide shows how.
Google says traffic from AI features is included in the overall Performance report. Since June 2026 it also has Search Generative AI performance reports, which show impressions, pages, countries, devices and dates for appearances in generative AI features. Google says they rolled out to all websites worldwide as of 31 August 2026, and the announcement doesn’t list clicks.
OpenAI says its OAI-SearchBot crawler is for search, and that sites opted out of it won’t be shown in ChatGPT search answers. So allow it in your robots.txt. Beyond access, there’s no published formula, and no honest agency can guarantee a mention. Clear content, consistent details and genuine reviews and mentions give you the best chance.
No. The tools decide who they name, and answers vary by person, place and time. I can find out where you stand today, fix what’s in the way and improve the signals the tools draw on, but I won’t promise a mention.
It’s a fixed-price check: I run a set of questions about your services and locations across Google’s AI features, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, log what they say, check access and content clarity, and give you a prioritised action list and a call. We work with businesses across New Zealand, Australia, the US, the UK and Canada. See the price above.
That’s a different problem with a different check. Google recommends waiting at least a full week after a core update completes before analysing your data. See our Google update recovery guide and the update tracker.
Get a clear picture of where you stand in AI search, and a short list of what’s worth fixing. No bullshit, no pressure, no promises about mentions.
