OrganicPosition
Rank in the results
Your page sits in the list below the AI Overview and competes for the click.
You win whenYou rank on page one
Rankings, AI Overviews and AI Mode
How AI Overviews differ from rankings
Ranking and being cited are related, but not the same. A page can rank first and never appear in the AI Overview, or be cited from further down the page.
AI OverviewCited
Get cited in the overview
Your page is one of the sources Google's AI links to when it answers the search.
You win whenYour page is a source
AI ModeConversation
Show up in AI Mode
Google's conversational search, where each answer leads to the next question. See Answer Engine Optimisation . Answer Engine Optimisation
You win whenYou appear in the follow-ups
What holds pages back
Why Google's AI skips good pages
01
Your answer is buried
The answer stated in the first lines.
02
Other sources look more trusted
Clear authorship and outside references.
03
Thin or outdated pages
Pages refreshed with current facts.
04
Pages Google can't use
Fast, crawlable pages with structured data.
05
What AI Overview optimisation covers
Every part of being cited by Google's AI.
My method
How I optimise for Google AI Overviews
Rank trackers don't show AI Overviews properly. Working out how to appear in Google AI Overviews starts with the real results: I check them for your searches, record who gets cited, and fix the pages that should be.
Find your AI Overview searches
The searches where Google shows an AI Overview or AI Mode answer for what you sell.
Capture the real results
Each search checked in Google, with the overview, the AI Mode answer and the cited sources saved.
Check every citation
Is your page cited, where does it sit, and is the link visible?
Compare cited competitors
See which sources Google cites instead of you, and what their pages do differently.
Fix and re-check
Improve the pages that should be cited, then check the same searches again.
01 / 05AI Overview searches
01 01 / 05 AI Overview searches 100 searches checked AI Overview how much does [service] cost AI Mode [service] vs [option] Both is [service] worth it AI Overview how long does [service] take AI Mode best [service] for s
Searches where Google answers first
02 / 05Results captured
02 02 / 05 Results captured how much does [service] cost in auckland Google AI Overviews Captured Google AI Mode Captured Organic results Recorded Every result saved with the date it was checked
Every result saved with the date it was checked
03 / 05Citation check
03 03 / 05 Citation check 1 Competitor 2 Your business YOU 3 Competitor 4 Competitor PROMINENCE Strong Page cited Near the top Link visible Answer text used
Share of citations, search by search
04 / 05Cited sources
04 04 / 05 Cited sources Competitor A Your business YOU Competitor B Competitor C Competitor A cited on cost searches Share of citations, search by search
Same searches each month, for a fair comparison
05 / 05Monthly cycle
05 05 / 05 Monthly cycle Fix gaps Re-test Report EVERY MONTH Cycle 01 Baseline Cycle 02 Fixes and re-test Cycle 03 Re-test Same searches each month, for a fair comparison
The citation view
Citations you can track
Each month you see how many of your searches show an AI Overview, how often your pages are cited, and what is happening to clicks.
What you get
An AI Overviews report that shows where you stand
Citations, rankings and clicks in one short, visual report, focused on what to do next.
01 · Report
Citations at a glance
See whether Google's AI cites your pages more often, month after month.
02 · Report
You against competitors
Which sources Google cites most, and where they beat you.
03 · Report
Gaps worth fixing
The searches where you're missing from the overview.
04 · Report
Next month's plan
Clear jobs in priority order, aimed at what matters most.
05 · Report
Dated screenshots
Real AI Overviews, captured each month as evidence.
Industries
Built for your industry
Pick yours to see what customers search, the AI Overview they see, and what I'd fix first.
The challenge
Ecommerce
Shoppers search comparisons and buying questions, and Google answers many of them with an AI Overview. Product pages are rarely cited there, and buying guides do that work.
Online stores and retailers
Real result
#1
for a comparison query
Waterfilters Online
01What customers ask
- best water filter for rainwater
- reverse osmosis vs carbon filter
- how often to replace a fridge filter
02The answer they see
Is reverse osmosis better than a carbon filter?
1Your businessRecommended
2Competitor
3Competitor
03What AI looks for
- ✓Comparison and buying guides
- ✓Clear specs in plain tables
- ✓Product and FAQ structured data
04What I'd fix first
- 01Write guides for comparison searches
- 02Lead each guide with the answer
- 03Link guides to the right products
Locations
AI Overviews, city by city
Auckland-based, working with businesses across New Zealand, remotely or in person. Google's AI answers local searches with local sources.
Plus clients across the rest of New Zealand
Home base
Auckland
PonsonbyNewmarketTakapunaManukau
Local questions I track
- best [service] in auckland
- [service] near me newmarket
- top rated [service] ponsonby
What AI weighs locally
- ✓Business details with your Auckland address
- ✓Pages for the Auckland suburbs you cover
- ✓Reviews that mention the area
Your tracked questions include Auckland and its suburbs, so the report shows who AI recommends there.
Real results
Cited in Google's AI Overviews
From client work and September 2026 reports
Google AI Overview
Cited in the overview21queries held in the Google AI Overview, from 339 tracked
“how long does it take for plaster to dry”
A local builder, cited above the results
West & Sons is cited in the Google AI Overview for this question, alongside Screwfix and Facebook, and holds AI Overview citations across 21 tracked queries.
Google AI Overview
1st
Verified client result
1stsource cited in the Google AI Overview, Sept 2026
“blocked nose and sleep”
A clinic guide, cited first
Auckland Sleep’s blocked-nose guide was the first source Google’s AI Overview cited for the search, ahead of larger health sites.
Page one
Page one resultPage 1for a search where the AI Overview runs first
“custom vs standard exterior signage”
Still earning the click below the overview
Signx holds page one for a search where Google shows an AI Overview first, which keeps it visible to people who scroll past the AI answer.
Asked about Google AI
Google changed the results page. These are the questions it raised.
how do i get into google ai overviews
Getting cited
Real questions business owners ask about Google's AI Overviews. Tap one to see how I'd approach it.
Questions
Common questions
What is Google AI Overview optimisation?
Google AI Overview optimisation, also called Google AI Overview SEO, is the work of making your pages the sources Google's AI cites when it answers a search. It combines content that answers questions clearly, technical SEO foundations, structured data and tracking of where you're cited.
We rank number one but we're not in the AI Overview. Why?
Ranking and citation use overlapping but different signals. Google's AI looks for the clearest, most directly useful passage for the question, and that can come from a page ranked lower. Restructuring how your page answers the question often closes the gap.
Our clicks dropped but our rankings didn't. Is it the AI Overview?
Often it is. When an AI Overview answers the question on the results page, fewer people click through, even when your ranking holds. Search Console usually shows the pattern: impressions steady, clicks falling. Being cited in the overview is the best way to stay visible.
Can you guarantee we'll appear in AI Overviews?
Nobody can. Google decides which sources to cite, and overviews change often. What I can do is make your pages the strongest candidates and show you each month where you're cited.
What's the difference between AI Overviews and AI Mode?
AI Overviews appear above the normal results for some searches. AI Mode is a separate, conversational search where the whole page is an AI answer and people ask follow-up questions. Both cite sources, and both are available in New Zealand.
Do we need to rewrite all our content?
Not usually. Most gains come from the pages already ranking for searches with an AI Overview: tightening the opening answer, adding the details people ask next and fixing the structure. I start with the pages closest to being cited.
Does structured data get us into AI Overviews?
It helps Google read your page, which supports your chances, but it won't earn a citation on its own. Clear, accurate content does most of the work.
How do you track AI Overview citations?
Search Console doesn't separate AI Overview clicks, and most rank trackers miss citations. I check the real results for your key searches each month and record whether you're cited, where, and who else is.
Are you an AI Overviews SEO agency?
I'm an independent SEO consultant rather than an agency. If you've been looking for AI Overviews SEO services or Google AI search optimisation in NZ, you work with me directly on every part of it.
What does it cost?
It starts with a fixed-price check of your AI Overview searches and citations, then monthly work sized to your site. I quote once I've seen the site.
Contact
Missing from Google's AI Overviews?
Tell me about your site and what you want to improve. I’ll show you where the biggest AI search opportunities are.
- Phone
- 027 481 7556
- @marketingwithuppli
- Based in
- Auckland, New Zealand