Until recently, the Google search results page had looked much the same for years: a few ads, a map with businesses and a list of ten links. Today, more and more often, an answer written by artificial intelligence appears at the very top. For business owners this is one of the biggest changes in the history of the search engine – and a reason to take a fresh look at your SEO strategy.

In this article we explain what AI Overviews (Polish: Przegląd od AI) and AI Mode (Polish: Tryb AI) are, how they affect website traffic and what specifically you can do to benefit from these changes.

What are AI Overviews?

An AI Overview is a summary generated by the Gemini model, which Google displays above the traditional results. It answers the user’s question in a few paragraphs or bullet points and points to the pages it used. In Poland the feature has been available since March 2025, including in Polish.

AI Overviews do not appear for every search. You will see them most often for informational and how-to questions – “how”, “why”, “what is”, “how much does it cost”. According to analyses by the Senuto tool from 2025, they appeared for roughly one in four queries in Polish Google. They are displayed less often for simple navigational queries, e.g. the name of a specific company.

What is AI Mode?

AI Mode is a separate, conversational tab of the search engine, available in Poland since October 2025. In it, users ask longer, complex questions – e.g. “I’m looking for an agency that will build a website and do SEO for a restaurant in Gdynia, what should I pay attention to?” – and Google splits them into many smaller queries, gathers information from various sources and prepares a single answer with links. You can ask follow-up questions, as in a conversation with an assistant.

The difference in practice: in AI Overviews, the user still sees the classic results underneath. In AI Mode, the classic list of links takes a back seat, and the most important thing becomes the pages cited in the answer.

How does this affect traffic to your website?

Since the user gets an answer straight away, some people do not click on any result. This is felt most by websites that earn from simple information – definitions, short tips, round-ups. At the same time, people who click a link from an AI answer are often already better prepared to make a decision: they know the basics and are looking for a specific provider.

The conclusion is simple: what matters less is traffic itself, and what matters more is whether your business appears in the answer and whether your website convinces the people who land on it.

How can you increase the chance that Google will cite your website?

Google stresses that AI features use the same core quality and ranking systems as the regular search engine. There is no separate “SEO for AI” that will replace good fundamentals. There are, however, elements that have gained in importance.

1. Answer specifically and straight away

AI systems readily use passages that clearly answer the question. Start sections with a direct answer, and only then expand on the topic. A question in the heading, the answer in the first sentence below it – this is a simple, effective pattern.

2. Write from your own experience

An AI answer is a synthesis of many pages. The page that stands out is the one that contributes something not available elsewhere: data from your projects, examples, photos, specific figures. Generalities that can be found on hundreds of websites are rarely cited. Case studies are a good example, such as Targ Rybny Gdańsk.

3. Take care of structure and technical aspects

Clear headings, lists, tables and correct structured data help machines understand the content. The website must also be correctly indexed and fast – without this it will reach neither the classic results nor AI answers. More in the guide technical SEO.

4. Build brand authority beyond your website

Mentions of your business on industry and local websites, customer reviews and valuable links are signals that your brand is credible. You can read more in the article off-page SEO.

5. Take care of “decision-making” content

The questions AI answers most often are informational. But when users are ready to buy, they look for the price, the scope of the service, reviews and proof of effectiveness. This information should be stated plainly on your website – as in the article how much SEO costs.

Can you block your website from being used in AI answers?

Yes. In 2026 Google added an option to the Search Console settings that lets you exclude your website from the search engine’s generative features (AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI features in Discover). Remember, however, that opting out means no impressions and no traffic from these places. For most service businesses it pays off more to be a cited source than to disappear from the answers.

How can you check whether your website appears in AI answers?

Search Console already has separate reports showing your website’s impressions in AI features. We describe them in detail in the article how to measure visibility in AI.

Frequently asked questions

Is SEO becoming pointless?

No. Its goal is changing. Pages that rank high in the classic results also have a greater chance of being cited in AI answers. The fundamentals – technical aspects, content, authority – are more important today than ever.

Do AI Overviews appear for local queries?

For queries such as “hairdresser Gdynia”, Google still often relies on the map with businesses. That is why the Google Business Profile remains key for local businesses – read how a local business can win customers in the AI era.

Where should you start?

By checking how your website performs today: whether it is correctly indexed, which questions it answers and what is missing. We will do this as part of a free SEO audit.

Summary

AI Overviews and AI Mode have not replaced the search engine – they have changed what it looks like and who uses it. The winners are businesses that answer specifically, show their own experience and have technically polished websites. If you want to prepare your website for these changes, see how we work as part of our search engine optimisation service.