Last reviewed:
What are Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode? Definition and impact on your site
AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries shown at the top of some Google results, with links to sources. AI Mode is a separate search experience for questions that call for exploration or comparison. Google announced them as available in France on 22 July 2026.
According to Google Search Central documentation, AI Overviews appear only when Google's systems determine that they are additive to classic Search. AI Mode suits queries that call for exploration, reasoning or in-depth comparisons: it gives a complete AI-generated answer, with links to the source sites. Both features can use "query fan-out": several related searches are launched on sub-topics, which makes it possible to show a wider set of links. Google's French blog announced on 22 July 2026 that AI Overviews and AI Mode are available in France, after a global launch that began in May 2024. For site publishers, Google states that there are no additional requirements to appear: no special file, no dedicated markup. Usual SEO best practices remain valid. To serve as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet. The usual controls apply: robots.txt, nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet, noindex. Google also announced a new Search Console control in France, which lets site owners decide whether their site appears in these features and contributes to their answers. This control is not used as a ranking signal. Cited sites are counted in search traffic and appear in the performance report under the "Web" search type: there is no separate report that isolates these appearances.
Concrete example
Illustrative case. A 90-employee B2B distributor sees in Search Console that its guide pages keep their impressions while clicks fall on definition queries. It cannot isolate AI Overview appearances, which are included in the "Web" type. It first checks the fundamentals Google lists: crawlable pages, indexed with a snippet, accessible text, structured data consistent with the visible text. It then puts a direct answer in the first sentence of each guide, tracks conversions rather than clicks alone, and decides, after discussion with management, to block nothing for now. The decision is dated and due for review in six months.
Comparison
| AI Overviews | AI Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | At the top of some Google results | Separate search experience |
| When | Only when Google judges the summary additive to classic Search | For queries that call for exploration, reasoning or comparison |
| What the user sees | A summary with links to explore | A complete AI-generated answer, with links to sources and follow-up questions |
FAQ
What are Google's AI Overviews?
They are AI-generated summaries shown at the top of some Google results, with links to pages to explore. In French, Google calls them Aperçus IA. They appear only when Google's systems determine that they are additive to classic Search.
What is the difference between AI Overviews and AI Mode?
AI Overviews appear in the usual results, when Google judges them useful. AI Mode is a separate experience for queries that call for exploration, reasoning or comparison: a complete AI-generated answer with links to sources and follow-up questions.
Are AI Overviews available in France?
Yes. Google's French blog announced on 22 July 2026 that AI Overviews and AI Mode are available in France, on mobile, on desktop and in the Google app.
How do I appear in AI Overviews?
Google states there is no additional requirement and no special markup. The page must be indexed and eligible to be shown with a snippet, and the usual SEO best practices apply. No appearance is guaranteed.
How do I stop my site from appearing in AI Overviews?
Google offers snippet controls (nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet) or noindex, and Google-Extended to limit the use of content for training its AI systems. Google also announced a new Search Console control in France. Measure the effect on your visibility before blocking.
Do AI Overviews reduce traffic, and how can I measure it?
A Pew Research study on US adults (March 2025) finds a click on a traditional result in 8% of visits with an AI summary, against 15% without. In France, Search Console includes AI appearances in the "Web" search type without isolating them: track conversions, not only clicks.
See also
Further reading
Sources
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
- AI Overviews and AI Mode launch in Google Search in France, Google France blog (in French), 22 July 2026. https://blog.google/intl/fr-fr/nouveautes-produits/explorez-obtenez-des-reponses/recherche-ia-apercus-mode/
- Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, Pew Research Center, 22 July 2025 (US adults, March 2025). https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears-in-the-results/