Google AI Overviews: how local professionals get mentioned

Updated 3 October 2026 · 7 min read

When someone searches “dentist near me” or “immigration lawyer in Leeds”, Google may show a map and listings, an AI-written summary with links, or both. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are changing what the top of the page looks like. This guide separates what Google documents from what the industry reports, explains what to do about your listing, reviews and website, and clarifies what the controls for limiting AI features actually do.

The short answer

Google says that to appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet, and that there are no additional technical requirements. The foundations are the same as for Search: helpful, reliable pages that follow Google’s policies.
For local searches, industry commentators report that AI results draw on Google Business Profile and Maps data, reviews and websites. Google is also reported to be testing AI summaries in place of some local map results. Treat the details as changing.
So the work is the same as for local search: a complete, accurate Google listing, genuine reviews, a clear website, and details that match everywhere.
The controls that limit AI features (nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex) also limit what appears in ordinary results. Blocking the Google-Extended token does not remove you from AI Overviews.
Nobody can promise you a place in an AI Overview, and results change by query and by day.

What AI Overviews and AI Mode are

AI Overviews are short AI-written summaries that Google shows at the top of some search results, with links to pages that support them. AI Mode is a more conversational search experience inside Google. Google says both are designed to help people get to the gist of a topic quickly and to find links they might not have found otherwise. They are built on Google’s normal search index.

Not every search shows one. Whether and how they appear varies by query, country and over time, and Google keeps changing them, so avoid building a plan on how they look today.

What Google documents

Eligibility: a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet to be a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. There are no additional technical requirements.
Foundations: Google says to apply the same SEO best practices as for Search overall: meet the technical requirements, follow its policies, and create helpful, reliable, people-first content.
No special markup or files: Google says nothing extra is needed for these features.
Controls: you can limit what Google shows from your page with the existing controls, nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex.
Reporting: Search Console’s performance reporting includes clicks and impressions from these features within overall web search figures, according to Google’s documentation.

What is reported about local searches

Google does not publish a recipe for local AI results, so the following comes from industry reports and testing and may change. Treat it as a guide to where to put effort, not a rulebook.

Local summaries commonly draw on Google Business Profile and Maps data, review sites and websites.
Google has been reported testing AI-written summaries in place of the traditional map pack for some “near me” searches, so some people see summaries where they used to see three listings.
Relevance and authority appear to matter alongside proximity. The things that help you in the map results (accurate details, genuine reviews, clear local signals) are the same things that make you easy to include in a summary.

What to do, in order

What to do for local AI results, in priority order
Priority	What to do	Why
1	Make sure your Google listing is verified, complete and accurate: categories, services, hours, photos, description, website	It is a main source of local facts. See how to get on Google Maps
2	Keep your name, address, phone number and hours identical across your website, listing and profiles	Agreement between sources makes you easier to trust and to quote. See why AI gets details wrong
3	Ask clients for genuine reviews and reply to them	Reviews are a main signal for local results. Never buy or write your own
4	Have a website that states who you are, what you do and where, in plain text, with prices and answers to common questions	A page written for the question is easy to read and cite
5	Add structured data for your practice and for you	It states your facts exactly. See structured data for professionals
6	Make sure the page is fast and works well on a phone, and that search crawlers are not blocked	A page must be indexed to appear at all
7	Earn mentions on reputable local sites: your professional body, directories, local press	Independent confirmation helps any system be sure

Questions the AI is really answering

A local question has hidden parts. Someone asking for “a dentist in Leeds open on Saturday who sees children” is asking about location, opening hours, specialty and age group at once. Overviews tend to answer by combining sources for each part. So give each part a plain, visible answer on your page and in your listing: where you are, your hours (including Saturdays and holidays), who you treat, what you charge, and how to book.

The controls, and what they really do

Controls and their effects
Control	What it does	The catch
noindex	Keeps the page out of Google Search	You disappear from results and from AI features
nosnippet, max-snippet, data-nosnippet	Limit the text Google can show from the page or part of it	They also remove or shorten the snippet in ordinary results
Google-Extended in robots.txt	Controls whether some of your content is used for Gemini training and grounding in other Google systems	It does not remove you from AI Overviews or AI Mode, which use the normal search index through Googlebot

Most professionals who want clients should not limit these features. If you have a specific reason, such as confidential material that should never be summarised, use the narrowest control that works, and remember that limiting snippets also affects your ordinary results.

How to see how you are doing

Search for your main queries, such as your profession in your city, in a private window, and note whether an overview appears and whether you are linked in it.
Check Search Console for changes in impressions and clicks over time, remembering that AI features are counted within overall web search figures.
Check your Google listing’s performance figures for calls, direction requests and website clicks.
Ask clients how they found you.

Searches differ by place and by day, so judge by trends over weeks rather than one result.

What not to do

Do not buy reviews, links or “AI placement”. Nobody outside Google controls what it shows.
Do not fill your listing name with keywords or a city.
Do not publish pages for towns you do not serve.
Do not hide text or stuff keywords. Google’s spam policies cover this.
Do not rewrite your page for a tool you cannot see. Write clearly for people.

Where BeVisible fits

BeVisible builds a page with a title that names you, your profession and your city, your facts in plain text, structured data and open crawler access, which cover items 4 to 6 above. You still need your Google listing and reviews. You can build and preview free, and publish free for 7 days with no card needed; after that one yearly plan keeps a website online, and one plan covers one website. Start from a photo or type your details.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my business into Google AI Overviews?

Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet, and that there are no additional technical requirements. In practice, keep a complete and accurate Google listing, earn genuine reviews, publish a clear website and keep your details consistent. There is no guaranteed method.

Do AI Overviews use Google Business Profile?

Google does not publish its sources, but industry reports say local summaries commonly draw on Business Profile and Maps data, reviews and websites. Keeping your listing complete and accurate is sensible either way.

Will AI Overviews replace the map results?

Google has been reported testing AI summaries in place of the map pack for some searches, but the map results still appear for many. Things change often, so concentrate on the basics that help in both.

Can I opt out of AI Overviews?

Only by using controls that also limit ordinary results: nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex. Blocking the Google-Extended token does not remove your pages from AI Overviews or AI Mode.

Does structured data help me appear in AI Overviews?

Google says no special markup is needed. Structured data helps machines read your facts correctly, which can only help, but it does not guarantee inclusion.

How can I tell if I appeared in an AI Overview?

Search for your main queries in a private window and look. Search Console counts clicks and impressions from AI features within overall web search figures, so it does not separate them. Judge by trends over weeks.