# How to get recommended by Gemini

> Google's own rules for its AI answers, in plain English, plus the one robots.txt setting people most often get wrong.

Updated September 24, 2026 · AI Syndicate team · https://www.aisyndicate.com/blog/how-to-get-recommended-by-gemini/

**Quick answer:** For Google's AI answers in Search — **AI Overviews** and **AI Mode** — Google says there are no extra requirements: your page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. The **Google-Extended** setting does not affect Search, but Google says it controls whether your content trains Gemini models and grounds answers in the Gemini app.

## Where can Google's AI recommend my business?

"Gemini" gets used for two different places, and Google documents them separately:

- **Google Search's AI features** — AI Overviews (the summary at the top of some results) and AI Mode (a chat-style search tab). These show supporting links to web pages. Google's rules for them live in Search Central. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)
- **The Gemini app** — Google's chatbot. Google says it "sometimes" shows sources and related content within and below a response, through a Sources button, and that not all responses include related links or sources. [Gemini Apps Help](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/14143489?hl=en)

The good news: the work is mostly the same for both. Be easy for Google to crawl, be indexed, and write pages that answer questions clearly. The one place they differ is a robots.txt setting called Google-Extended, covered below.

## What does Google say I need to show up in AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Google is unusually direct here. In its words: "To be eligible to be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet, fulfilling the Search technical requirements." It adds that there are no additional requirements, and **no special schema.org structured data** you need to add. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)

A **snippet** is the short text preview under a search result. If a page is blocked with `noindex` or `nosnippet`, it cannot be a supporting link.

Google's listed best practices for these features are the ordinary basics: [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)

- Allow crawling in robots.txt and in your hosting setup (firewalls, CDNs).
- Make content easy to find through internal links.
- Give people a good page experience.
- Put important content in text, not only in images or video.
- Support text with good images and videos.
- Make sure structured data matches the visible text on the page.
- Keep your Merchant Center and **Business Profile** information up to date.

Google also says AI Overviews and AI Mode may run several related searches across subtopics to build one answer, which it calls **query fan-out**. In practice that means a page that answers a narrow sub-question well can be linked, not only pages about the broad topic. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)

## What does Google-Extended actually control?

**Google-Extended** is a name you can use in robots.txt. It is not a separate crawler: Google says it "doesn't have a separate HTTP request user agent string" and crawling is done with Google's existing user agents. Google calls it "a standalone product token". Here is what Google says it does, word for word: it lets publishers "manage whether content Google crawls from their sites may be used for training future generations of Gemini models that power Gemini Apps and Vertex AI API for Gemini and for grounding (providing content from the Google Search index to the model at prompt time to improve factuality and relevancy) in Gemini Apps and Grounding with Google Search on Vertex AI." [Google's common crawlers](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/google-common-crawlers)

And what it does **not** do: "Google-Extended does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search nor is it used as a ranking signal in Google Search." [Google's common crawlers](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/google-common-crawlers)

| Setting | What Google says it affects |
| --- | --- |
| Blocking Googlebot in robots.txt | Google Search crawling — and so AI Overviews and AI Mode, which need an indexed page |
| `noindex`, `nosnippet`, `data-nosnippet`, `max-snippet` | Limits what can appear from your page in Search, including AI features |
| Blocking Google-Extended | Training future Gemini models, and grounding in the Gemini app and in Grounding with Google Search on Vertex AI. **Not** Search inclusion or Search ranking |

> **What this means for you.** Blocking Google-Extended will not take you out of AI Overviews or AI Mode, per Google. But Google says it does govern grounding in the Gemini app — so if you want the Gemini app to be able to draw on your pages, do not disallow Google-Extended.

## How do I get Gemini and Google's AI to recommend me, step by step?

1. **Confirm you are indexed.** In Google Search Console (Google's free tool for site owners), inspect your key pages and fix anything not indexed.
2. **Remove accidental blocks.** Check robots.txt for Googlebot and Google-Extended rules, and look for stray `noindex` or `nosnippet` tags.
3. **Answer questions in text, up top.** Each page should answer one real question in its opening lines, in plain text Google can read.
4. **Write something original.** Google's guidance on helpful content asks whether a page gives "original information, reporting, research, or analysis" and whether it is clear who wrote it. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content)
5. **Match your structured data to the page.** Schema is optional for AI features, but if you use it, it must say what the page says.
6. **Keep your Google Business Profile current.** Google lists it among the best practices for AI features. See our guide to [Google Business Profile and AI search](/blog/google-business-profile-for-ai-search/).
7. **Check the answers.** Ask Google and the Gemini app your customers' questions and record who is named.

## What should be on my Gemini checklist?

| Check | Why it matters | Where the rule comes from |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Key pages are indexed | Required to be a supporting link | Google Search Central |
| Snippets are allowed (no `nosnippet`) | Required to be a supporting link | Google Search Central |
| Googlebot is not blocked, in robots.txt or the firewall | Google lists crawl access as a best practice | Google Search Central |
| Google-Extended is allowed, if you want Gemini app grounding | Google says it governs grounding in Gemini Apps | Google's crawler docs |
| Main content is in text | Google lists it as a best practice | Google Search Central |
| Structured data matches visible text | Google lists it as a best practice | Google Search Central |
| Business Profile is up to date | Google lists it as a best practice | Google Search Central |
| Pages have clear authors and original facts | Part of Google's helpful-content guidance | Google Search Central |

## How do I see if Google's AI is sending me traffic?

Google says traffic from AI features is counted in Search Console's Performance report, under the **Web** search type, together with regular search results. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) It is not broken out as its own line, so the report tells you about clicks, not whether you were named.

To see whether you are named, you have to ask the questions. Our [Prompt Simulator](/prompt-simulator/) runs a question on 12 engines at once — Gemini and Google AI Overviews among them — and highlights your citation and rank in each answer. For a broader baseline, the [AI visibility audit](/ai-visibility-audit/) records who gets named on each engine for your buyers' questions.

## FAQ

### Will blocking Google-Extended remove me from AI Overviews?

Google says Google-Extended "does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search nor is it used as a ranking signal in Google Search." AI Overviews and AI Mode follow Search's own rules: indexed and eligible for a snippet. [Google's common crawlers](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/google-common-crawlers)

### Do I need special schema markup for AI Overviews?

No. Google says there is no special schema.org structured data you need to add for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Any structured data you do use should match the visible text. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)

### Does the Gemini app always show its sources?

No. Google says Gemini Apps sometimes show sources and related content, and that not all responses include related links or sources. [Gemini Apps Help](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/14143489?hl=en)

### Can I stop Google using my pages in AI Overviews without leaving Search?

Google points to its snippet controls — `nosnippet`, `data-nosnippet` and `max-snippet` — to limit what is shown, and `noindex` to remove a page. These controls apply to Search as a whole, so they also change how the page appears in regular results. [Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features)

## Sources

1. [AI features and your website](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features) — Google Search Central. Read Sep 24, 2026.
2. [Google's common crawlers (Google-Extended)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/google-common-crawlers) — Google Search Central. Read Sep 24, 2026.
3. [View related sources from Gemini Apps](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/14143489?hl=en) — Gemini Apps Help. Read Sep 24, 2026.
4. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) — Google Search Central. Read Sep 24, 2026.