When you google something today, you increasingly get an AI answer first and the familiar blue links second. Since October 2025 the Netherlands also has Google AI Mode (AI-modus in Dutch): a separate tab where Gemini answers your question like a conversation, with links to sources.
For a business owner that raises an obvious question: will customers still find my website? Below you will read what changes, what stays the same and what you can actually do to get mentioned in those AI answers.
What is Google AI Mode, and what are AI Overviews?
There are two AI features in Google you need to know. AI Overviews are the summaries that appear above the regular search results. They have been showing in the Netherlands, in Dutch, since May 2025.
AI Mode goes a step further. Google switched it on in the Netherlands on 8 October 2025, as a tab on the results page and in the Google app. You ask a detailed question, Google breaks it into sub-questions, searches them at the same time and writes one answer with links. Then you can simply ask a follow-up.
And it keeps moving. At Google I/O in May 2026, Google announced a redesigned search box, which it called the biggest upgrade to that box in over 25 years, rolling out in every country where AI Mode is available. AI Mode got Gemini 3.5 Flash as its default model worldwide. Google also showed information agents that keep an eye on the web for you in the background. Those come first to paying Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers only.
Will you still get clicks from Google?
Honest answer: they are less of a given than they used to be. For informational questions such as what is, how does it work or what does it cost, searchers often get enough from the answer at the top. The US-based Pew Research Center tracked the browsing of 900 adults in March 2025. On search pages with an AI summary they clicked a regular search result in 8% of visits, against 15% without a summary.
That is one study, in the US, but the direction is clear. At the same time, Google says clicks from pages with AI Overviews are higher quality: people spend more time on the site. Someone who still clicks your link after reading a summary is often further along in their decision. Fewer visitors does not automatically mean fewer enquiries.
What stays the same: good content and sound technology
Here is the good news. In its own documentation on AI features, Google writes that there are no additional requirements or special optimizations needed to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page has to be indexed and eligible to show in the regular results with a snippet. The AI takes its sources from the same index.
So the foundation is the same as always. A fast site that Google can crawl properly, with your technical SEO in order. Internal links, so every important page can be found. And copy that answers a real question better than your competitor's does. If you already have that foundation, there is no need to panic and rebuild everything.
What is GEO optimization, and what helps you get cited?
GEO stands for generative engine optimization: setting up your site so AI systems such as Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity name you as a source. It does not replace SEO; it is a layer on top of it.
Writing for AI mostly means writing for people who want a quick answer, which is exactly what SEO content writing is about. In practice, these make the biggest difference:
- Clear answers: open a page or paragraph with the answer in one or two sentences, and only then explain.
- An FAQ with the questions customers actually ask, in their own words.
- Structured data (schema) for your business details, products and opening hours. There is no special AI markup, but your schema does have to match what is visible on the page.
- Up-to-date information: prices, terms and years that are correct, with a date on them.
- Brand mentions elsewhere, such as industry sites, local media and comparisons. In practice, brands that are mentioned often and consistently also tend to show up more in AI answers.
- A complete and current Google Business Profile. Google itself lists it as a point of attention for its AI features.
Getting found in ChatGPT, including ChatGPT shopping
Google is not the only place where customers ask questions. People also look for suppliers and products in ChatGPT. For shopping questions ChatGPT shows products, and according to OpenAI it selects them itself based on relevance, using public product information and product data that shops submit. If you want to show up there, the same basics apply: clear product pages, correct prices and stock, and genuine reviews.
Do check your robots.txt. If you block OpenAI's search crawler (OAI-SearchBot), OpenAI says your site will not be shown in ChatGPT's search answers. The same goes for Googlebot on Google. If you want to be cited, do not lock those bots out. You can refuse AI model training separately: through GPTBot for OpenAI and Google-Extended for Google, which according to Google has no effect on your place in Search.
And llms.txt? That is a proposed file with a summary of your site for language models. It does no harm and takes little time, but treat it as a small extra: Google states explicitly that you do not need special AI text files. If you also want paid visibility in ChatGPT, read how advertising in ChatGPT works.
How do you measure what AI does to your visibility?
Search Console is your best source. Clicks and impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode count towards the regular Performance report, under the Web search type. Since June 2026 there is also a separate generative AI report, available to all sites worldwide since 31 August 2026. It shows how often your pages appeared in AI features, by page, country and device. It does not include clicks, and if you have few impressions in AI features, the report stays empty.
Look at trends over months, not a single week. Google also keeps adjusting its rankings: in 2026 there were core updates in March and May, and spam updates in March, June, August and September, among others. A dip is not necessarily caused by AI. And measure what matters: enquiries and sales, not just visitors.
How I approach it
You do not have to do everything at once. I start with keyword research and a technical check, after which you get a concrete plan with a fixed quote upfront, no vague retainer. See my SEO services, read what SEO costs, or book a free introductory call. I reply within one working day.
