Google Search features that generate multi-source summaries for selected queries and provide supporting links.
AI Overviews are a Google Search feature that presents generated summaries with supporting links for selected searches. They are part of a search experience rather than a separate page a business can publish into directly. Their presence, content and sources can vary with the query and context.
A supporting link indicates that a source is associated with part of the response, but it should not be confused with a recommendation of the source’s business. Nor does the summary necessarily reproduce every qualification from the page. Readers and publishers should compare important claims with the actual source material rather than assuming the generated wording is a complete substitute.
Google says its established SEO practices remain relevant to AI features and that no special additional optimization requirement or special schema is needed for inclusion. Eligibility still does not guarantee selection. A useful page should be accessible, accurate and valuable for its intended audience rather than rewritten solely to mimic a presumed AI template.
Takeaway: Focus on useful, accessible source content and accurate representation. Treat an AI Overview citation as a specific observation, not a permanent placement or guaranteed flow of visitors.
Example
A maintenance company publishes a clear explanation of routine equipment checks and their limits. If an AI Overview cites that page, the company checks whether the summary preserves the distinction between routine observation and work requiring a qualified technician. A citation alone does not prove the answer represented that boundary correctly.
What to check
When recording an appearance, save the exact query, date and cited destination. Distinguish the feature appearing at all from your site being cited within it. Do not interpret one absent result as proof of a penalty or one appearance as proof of universal visibility.
For more detail, see Google AI features and your website.