Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode have no special requirements. In a 2026 study, Google Business Profiles supplied 67% of AI Overview citations for local searches. So complete and correct your profile, earn reviews and reply to them, and keep the same facts on your website. Nobody can guarantee you a mention.
Google's own wording is short: "There are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, nor other special optimizations necessary." Its best practices include "Checking that your Merchant Center and Business Profile information is up-to-date" (Google Search Central). If someone sells you an "AI Overview hack," they are selling something Google says doesn't exist.
What is the difference between AI Overviews, AI Mode and Ask Maps?
- AI Overviews are the AI summary at the top of normal Google Search results.
- AI Mode is a separate, conversational way to search. Google says it may run "multiple related searches across subtopics and data sources" for one question. Google calls this query fan-out (Google Search Central).
- Ask Maps lets people ask Gemini questions inside Google Maps.
All three use Google's places data. Your Business Profile feeds all of them.
Fan-out is why a full profile helps. A customer asks one question, and AI Mode splits it into smaller ones: open Sunday? wheelchair access? price? A profile with services, attributes and prices answers those. A one-line profile cannot.
The profile is also where most local AI answers come from. BrightLocal studied 1.9 million citations across 1,355 locations in the US, UK and Australia (26 August 2026). Google Business Profiles were 67% of AI Overview citations and 53% of AI Mode citations for local prompts. Across all AI platforms, profiles were 57% of citations for dentists, 45% for restaurants and 59% for vets (BrightLocal).
Ask Maps is a consumer feature, not a setting you control. Google announced it on 12 March 2026 for the US and India on Android and iOS, and on 6 August 2026 widened it to more countries, including Indonesia, in English and Indonesian at launch. Not every feature came along: food ordering and conversational contributions started in the US, so a country on the list does not mean every feature is there. Gemini in Maps also gained walking and cycling navigation on 29 January 2026, which helps travellers and changes nothing in your profile. Google has not published an owner switch, a dashboard or a ranking formula for Ask Maps, so treat any paid "Ask Maps optimization score" as the seller's claim until they show Google's documentation.
Which profile fixes matter, and in what order?
Work through these eight in order. Each one says why it matters for AI answers and how to tell you're done.
1. Primary and additional categories
Your categories decide which searches Google treats you as relevant for (Google).
Done when: the primary category is the most specific one that is true, and you've added extra categories only if they are true too.
2. Services, with prices where your category allows them
When AI Mode splits a question into "root canal cost" or "keratin treatment," your service list is what answers it.
Done when: every service you want named in an answer is on the list.
3. Attributes
Attributes answer filter questions such as wheelchair access, Wi-Fi, women-owned or accepts cards.
Done when: every attribute that is true for you is set.
4. Hours and special hours
"Open now" and "open Sunday" answers come from your hours. If your hours are wrong, the AI's answer is wrong.
Done when: you've set festival and holiday hours before the day comes.
5. Description
The description is a plain-text summary an AI can quote. Google allows 750 characters, with no links or promotions.
Done when: the first sentence says what you do, who it's for and where you are.
6. Reviews and replies
Google counts reviews toward prominence (Google). Ask Maps answers questions like "quiet cafe with sockets" from places data and reviews from more than 500 million contributors (Google). SOCi links low reply rates with not showing up in AI answers (SOCi). Google doesn't publish how it weighs review text. Still, a review that names a service, plus a reply that confirms it, gives the AI a sentence to quote.
Done when: every review from the last 90 days has a reply, and the replies name the service.
7. Photos
Google's own tips list photos and videos (Google), and Ask Maps uses imagery.
Done when: you have recent photos of the outside with your signboard, the inside, your team and your main services.
8. A website with the same facts
About 93% of the domains AI platforms cited were business websites (BrightLocal). Google asks for important content in text, and for structured data that matches the visible text (Google Search Central).
Done when: your name, address, phone, hours and services are written as text on the site, and your LocalBusiness schema matches them.
Where to make each fix (October 2026)
| Fix | Where in Google | Can Reach do it? |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Where in GoogleEdit profile | Can Reach do it?No, only in Google |
| Additional categories, description, hours, special hours, attributes, services, service areas, phone, links, logo, cover, photos | Where in GoogleEdit profile | Can Reach do it?Yes. Presence page, then Save to Google. Reach reports what Google applied and what it refused. |
| Review replies | Where in GoogleRead reviews | Can Reach do it?Yes. Reviews drafts replies in the review's language, and you approve them. |
| Posts | Where in GoogleAdd update | Can Reach do it?Yes, in Posts |
| Website facts | Where in GoogleYour website | Can Reach do it?Partly, through the Reach booking website |
How do I check whether AI Overviews mention me?
- Pick 5 questions your customers really ask, such as "dentist open Sunday in [your area]."
- Search each one in Google Search and in AI Mode. Use incognito or log out, and search from your shop's area.
- Write down whether you're named and which text is quoted.
Results change with where the searcher is, because distance is a ranking factor (Google). Test from where your customers are, or use a grid of locations.
For traffic, open Search Console. AI feature clicks are counted inside the Performance report under the Web search type. There is no separate AI report (Google Search Central).
Worked example (illustrative)
Glow Studio is a salon in Kemang, Jakarta. The owner searches AI Mode for "salon with keratin treatment in Kemang open Sunday." The answer names two rival salons.
The audit finds:
- Primary category is Beauty salon, which is fine.
- The services list is empty.
- No special hours are set for the coming holiday weekend.
- 86 reviews, with replies on 12% of them.
- The description says "best salon Jakarta."
Over one week, the owner:
- adds 14 services, including keratin with a price range
- sets every true attribute
- rewrites the description to say what the salon does, for whom and where
- replies to 30 recent reviews and names the service in each reply
After that, the owner checks the same 5 searches once a month and notes what changes.
| Part of the search | Profile field that answers it |
|---|---|
| Salon with keratin treatment | Services |
| Open Sunday | Hours and special hours |
| Accepts cards, wheelchair access | Attributes |
| Which salon is good | Reviews and replies |
FAQ
- Can I pay to appear in AI Overviews?
- No. Google says you can't request or pay for a better local ranking (Google), and AI features have no special requirements (Google Search Central).
- How do I know if AI Overviews send me traffic?
- Look in the Search Console Performance report under Web. AI traffic is counted there and not shown separately.
- Does Ask Maps work in India?
- Yes. It launched there in March 2026. The first section lists the dates and which features differ by country.
- Which profile fields does AI Mode use?
- Google hasn't published this.
- Do posts help with AI Overviews?
- There's no evidence either way. Posts keep your profile current, but don't expect them to change your ranking.
- Can I stop Google's AI from quoting my website?
- On your website, yes. You can use nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex (Google Search Central). This does not apply to your Business Profile.
Keeping fixes 2 to 7 current every week
Fixes 2 to 7 need attention every week. Reach by Locus gives your profile a score out of 100 on the dashboard home and lists what's missing. You fill in fields on the Presence page and save them to Google. The Reviews page drafts replies for you to approve, and the Posts page schedules updates. Search Visibility checks your tracked searches on a 3x3 grid every week. Reach does not control AI Overviews, and it can't change your primary category.
See which of the eight fixes your profile is missing: free profile score in Reach.