Not a rebuild. Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, so the changes are the basics done properly. For a clinic, salon or packers and movers firm in Thane or Kalyan, that means an accurate Google Business Profile, a website that explains each service clearly, listings that match and genuine reviews.
This guide explains what these features are, what the latest research says about who they name, and the changes worth making this month. Where a finding comes from a US sample, we say so.
What are Google AI Overviews and AI Mode?
AI Overviews are the summary box that sometimes appears above normal search results. AI Mode is a separate search experience where you ask a longer question and get a conversational answer with links to follow up. Google launched AI Mode in India in June 2025 as a Search Labs experiment, in English only. In October 2025 it began rolling AI Mode out in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Google says AI Overviews are used by over 1.5 billion people every month, and that in markets including the US and India they are “driving a more than 10% increase in usage” for the query types where they appear.That’s a June 2025 figure, so it’s older than most numbers in this guide.
Your customers will increasingly see one of these answers before they reach a list of links. The AI tools people use separately, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok, work differently. This article is about Google’s own features, which sit inside the search results most people in India already use. Our guide on how AI tools decide which business to recommend covers the wider picture.
Does Google need anything special from your website?
No. Google’s guidance for site owners says a page must be “indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet” to appear in these features. It adds that there are “no additional technical requirements”, and that there’s no special schema.org structured data you need to add.
There is one caution. Google’s list of worthwhile practices includes making sure your structured data matches the visible text on the page, so any schema you already use has to describe what a visitor actually sees. Standard SEO fundamentals still apply. The work you do for Google search covers most of what its AI features need.
Who do Google’s AI features name?
Here the picture gets more interesting. A BrightLocal study published in September 2026 looked at around 200,000 localised searches and 1.9 million AI citations. Its examples are all US cities, and the page doesn’t say which countries it covers, so use it as a pattern rather than an Indian benchmark.
Three findings stand out. AI Mode named 3.5 businesses per answer on average, with answers ranging from none to six. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode shared only 29.3% of the businesses they named. And business websites made up 42% of all citations, against 28.5% for Google Business Profile.
The first two numbers mean one check isn’t enough. A business can be named in one AI answer and missing from the other, so test both. The routine is further down.
| Source | What to check this month | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Categories, every service, holiday hours, description, photos | 28.5% of all citations in the BrightLocal study |
| Your website | One page per service that says what it is, who it’s for and how pricing works | Business websites made up 42% of citations |
| Reviews | Recent, genuine reviews, each one answered | Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking |
| Other listings | The same name, address and phone on Justdial, Bing Places and social pages | Matching details make your business easier to verify |
Source: BrightLocal, September 2026. The 28.5% and 42% figures are shares of all citations. The reviews line comes from Google’s Business Profile Help.
What should your Google Business Profile say now?
Google’s own guidance is still the starting point: “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.” Fill every field. Pick accurate categories, list each service with a plain description, add holiday hours and upload real photos of your shop, clinic or site rather than stock images.
Then there’s the question box. In December 2025 Google said an AI-powered Ask button would replace the Business Profile Q&A in Google Maps. Google’s team said customers “can ask their question directly in Google Maps and get an updated, instant answer”, according to a Search Engine Round Table report. An instant answer is only as good as what your profile says, so keep the description and service list current. Our Local SEO work covers this setup.
How much do reviews matter now?
Google says “more reviews and positive ratings can help your business’s local ranking” answers, but they show the effect. A paediatric surgeon in Santacruz West, Mumbai, saw Google reviews go from 9 to 25 between June and October 2026. Over the same months the practice moved from outside the top 10 to #3 in Google Maps, and monthly impressions rose from 2,485 to 5,209. You can read the full case study.
Reviews help in two ways. They lift your local ranking, and, in BrightLocal’s US data, the Business Profile that holds them is a major source for AI answers. Keep them genuine. Ask recent customers, make it easy to leave one, and reply politely to every review. Never buy, script or reward them.
Does your website still matter?
Yes, and for many businesses it matters more than the profile. BrightLocal’s study found that 93% of the unique source domains it saw were business sites. Your profile tells an AI who you are. Your website tells it what you do.
Give each main service its own page. Start with two plain lines: what the service is and who it’s for. Then say how pricing works, even if it’s a range, and add a short FAQ at the bottom. A page that explains costs and timelines gets quoted. A page that only says “Call us today” doesn’t. If you want a fuller view of how this fits into AI search, our AI SEO page sets out the approach.
What can you do this month?
You don’t need a big budget for any of this.
- Complete your Google Business Profile, field by field, starting with categories and services.
- Make your name, address and phone number identical on your website, Google, Bing Places, Justdial and social pages.
- Give each main service its own page, starting with two plain lines on what it is and who it’s for.
- Ask recent customers for honest reviews, and reply to every one.
- Check that your robots.txt isn’t blocking Googlebot, and that your key pages show up when you search for them.
- Open the Performance report in Search Console. Google says sites in its AI features are included in the overall search traffic in Search Console, reported under the “Web” search type.
How do you check whether Google’s AI names your business?
Run this test once a month. Search in Google’s AI Mode and read the AI Overviews on normal results, then ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok in fresh chats. Try questions like these:
- “Which packers and movers in Thane are safe for a 2BHK shift?”
- “Who does kitchen renovation in Kalyan West with a fixed-price quote?”
- “Best CA for GST filing in Navi Mumbai, and who replies quickly?”
- “Which printing press near Thane station does same-day visiting cards?”
Write down whether your business is named, in which tool, and which pages or listings it cites. Use the same wording each month so you compare like with like.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay Google to appear in AI Overviews? No. Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, so there is nothing extra to buy for them. Your Business Profile and your website do the work.
Are Google’s AI features available in Indian languages? Yes, in several. AI Mode started in English in June 2025, and from October 2025 Google began rolling it out in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Local-language searchers can use it, so your pages should work in the language your customers search in.
Do I need schema markup for AI Overviews? Google says no special schema is needed. Any structured data you already use must match what visitors see on the page. Clear page content still matters more than markup.
Why does one AI feature name different businesses from another? The two don’t even agree with each other. In BrightLocal’s September 2026 study, AI Overviews and AI Mode shared only 29.3% of the businesses they named. So a good spot in one place is no guarantee of a mention in another.
Do Google reviews help me get named by AI Overviews? Indirectly, yes. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking, and BrightLocal’s study shows Google Business Profile accounts for 28.5% of AI citations. Keep collecting genuine reviews as a routine.
Is this different from normal local SEO? Mostly, no. Google says its AI features need no new files, AI text files or markup, and that standard SEO fundamentals still apply. Good local SEO covers most of what they need.
Find out what Google’s AI says about your business
We’ll check what Google’s AI features, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok say when your customers ask, and show you which fixes come first. It’s free. Request your AI visibility check.
