AI Overviews vs. AI Mode
Help stakeholders understand how the two Google experiences differ so everyone knows why we monitor both.
Where it appears
AI Overviews
Standard Google web results (beta markets).
AI Mode
New AI Mode tab in Search Labs and early rollouts.
Trigger behaviour
AI Overviews
Google decides when to inject an AI panel based on query intent + quality thresholds.
AI Mode
User explicitly toggles AI Mode; nearly every query receives a generative response.
Citations
AI Overviews
Inline cards and footnotes citing web sources.
AI Mode
Answer paragraphs with appended citations; screenshot capture recommended.
Monitoring tips
AI Overviews
Track trigger/no-trigger states plus cited domains.
AI Mode
Track mention frequency, answer tone, and screenshot evidence per run.
Monitoring checklist
Use the list below when you wire automations or prepare stakeholder recaps.
AI Overviews
- Track trigger/no-trigger state per prompt.
- Log every cited domain + whether you own it.
- Capture screenshot & HTML for compliance.
AI Mode
- Monitor mention frequency + answer tone.
- Flag when competitors share the pane with you.
- Annotate spikes with campaign or news context.
Roll this explainer into your stakeholder briefings
Pair it with cached SERPs from Chatobserver and send via Slack/email when leadership needs a refresher.