Google AI Overviews sit above the classic results for many searches, and AI Mode gives a full conversational answer. If your pages are cited there, you gain visibility even when fewer people click. This guide shows how to check both, manually and with a tracker.
Last updated: October 17, 2026. Menus and button names can change, so if something looks different, look for the closest matching option.
Best for: SEOs tracking Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
Starting price: Basic $18.85/month (billed yearly)
Method 1: Quick manual check
Step 1: Use a clean browser window
Open a private window so personal history affects results less. Results still vary by location and over time.
Step 2: Search 10 key questions
Type your most important customer questions into Google and note whether an AI Overview appears.
Step 3: Check mentions and source links
Expand the overview and look for your brand name and links to your site among the sources.
Step 4: Try AI Mode
Ask the same question in AI Mode and note mentions and cited sources.
One manual check is a snapshot. AI answers vary between runs, so do not make big decisions from a single result.
Method 2: Automated tracking with AI Search Watcher
Step 1: Create a monitor for your brand
Follow our setup guide and add your key prompts.
Step 2: Select Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
Choose these two engines (add ChatGPT and Gemini to compare).
Step 3: Read visibility and citations
Check how often you appear across runs and how often your pages are cited, plus the average citation rank.
Step 4: Compare with organic rankings
Use SERPWatcher or Search Console to compare. Pages ranking in the top 10 but not cited in AI Overviews are your best optimisation candidates.
How to improve AI Overviews visibility
- Answer the question directly in the first 1–2 sentences of the section
- Use clear headings that match the question
- Add specific facts, numbers and dates
- Keep pages updated and technically indexable
- Follow our page optimisation checklist
More AI search visibility guides
- How to Track Your Brand in ChatGPT and AI Search (Step-by-Step)
- How to Choose the Right Prompts for AI Visibility Tracking
- How to Compare Your Competitors in AI Search Results
- How to Find Which Sources AI Cites and Get Your Pages Cited
- How to Run a GEO Audit in 60 Minutes
- How to Build an AI Visibility Report in Looker Studio
- How to Fix What AI Says About Your Brand
- How to Optimize a Page So AI Search Engines Cite It
- How to Measure GEO Results Month Over Month
- Best AI Search Visibility Tools in 2026: LLM Rank Trackers Compared
- Mangools AI Search Watcher Pricing 2026: What You Get on Each Plan
- AI Search Watcher vs Otterly.ai (2026): Which LLM Tracker Is Better Value?
Frequently asked questions
Does Search Console show AI Overviews traffic separately?
Not as a separate filter at the time of writing, which is why dedicated trackers are useful.
Do I need to rank in the top 10 to be cited?
Many cited pages also rank well organically, but citations can come from other positions too. Track both.
Wrap-up
Do a quick manual check for orientation, then track AI Overviews and AI Mode automatically, compare with organic rankings and optimise the pages that rank but are not cited.
This guide is independent and is not sponsored by Mangools. Some links may be affiliate links, which never change our recommendations. See our Affiliate Disclosure.