Google's AI Overviews reached 2 billion monthly users by July 2025, and AI Mode passed 100 million monthly active users across the US and India. Clients now ask their agencies why a competitor appears in AI answers and they do not. This playbook shows how agencies can turn that question into a clear, honest service, using Google's own guidance as the base.
Start with what Google actually says
Google's documentation for site owners states there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode and no special optimisation is needed. A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. Google also says no new machine readable files or special schema are required.
That matters for agencies, because it means the service is not a secret trick. It is disciplined technical SEO, strong content, and measurement across AI engines, which clients can understand and verify.
What clients are really buying
Clients want three answers: are we mentioned when people ask AI about our category, who is mentioned instead, and what should we change. An agency service that answers those questions every month is easy to explain and easy to renew.
- Baseline: a set of real buyer prompts checked across AI search engines.
- Competitor share: who appears, how often, and with which sources.
- Fix list: crawl access, indexing, content gaps and missing facts.
- Monthly report: movement in mentions with notes on cause.
The technical checks
Google recommends allowing crawling in robots.txt and in any CDN, using internal links, keeping important content in text, and keeping structured data consistent with visible text. Agencies often find that a firewall or CDN rule blocks crawlers, or that key product facts live only in images or scripts.
Controls such as nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex limit what can appear. Check that a client has not set these by accident on pages they want cited.
| Check | What to look for | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt and CDN | Crawlers blocked | Allow search crawlers |
| Snippet controls | nosnippet or max-snippet on key pages | Remove where not intended |
| Text content | Facts only in images or scripts | Add plain text |
| Structured data | Markup that differs from the page | Align with visible text |
Measuring and reporting
Google includes clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search Console's Performance report under the Web search type, so agencies cannot separate them there. A prompt-based tracker that records which brands each AI engine mentions fills that gap.
Keep reports honest. AI answers vary between runs, so report trends across several checks rather than single results, and show the prompts used so clients can check them.
Pricing and packaging the service
Most agencies package AI search visibility as a monthly retainer tied to a fixed number of prompts and brands, with a one-time audit at the start. Keep the scope concrete: the number of prompts, the engines checked and the report date. Avoid promising rankings or mentions, since no one controls AI answers.
Setting expectations
Gartner predicted in 2024 that traditional search engine volume would drop 25% by 2026 as people use AI chatbots and virtual agents. Whatever the exact figure turns out to be, the direction gives agencies a reason to add AI visibility to search retainers now. XDQ Labs offers a free course for agencies on selling, delivering and reporting AI search visibility.
Frequently asked questions
Is there special optimisation needed for Google AI Overviews?
Google says no. Its documentation states there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Pages must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, so standard technical SEO and helpful content remain the foundation.
Can agencies see AI Overviews traffic in Search Console?
Only combined with other web results. Google counts AI Overviews and AI Mode data in the Performance report under the Web search type, so agencies use prompt tracking tools to see brand mentions in AI answers.
How should agencies price AI search visibility?
Many agencies use a one-time audit plus a monthly retainer tied to a set number of prompts, brands and engines. Keep scope concrete and avoid promising specific mentions or rankings.
How many people use Google AI Overviews?
Google said in July 2025 that AI Overviews had 2 billion monthly users across 200 countries and territories, and AI Mode had more than 100 million monthly active users in the US and India.
Sources
- Google's AI Overviews have 2B monthly users, AI Mode 100M in the US and India, TechCrunch, 2025
- Will traffic from search engines fall 25% by 2026?, Search Engine Land, 2024
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central, 2026
- Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences on Search, Google Search Central Blog, 2025
- Gartner Predicts Search Engine Volume Will Drop 25% by 2026, Gartner, 2024
- Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central, 2026
