Gemini

Gemini is Google's family of AI models and also the name of Google's AI assistant. You can use Gemini as a separate app or website, but the technology is also woven into other Google products, such as Gmail, Google Docs and Android. For search visibility, what matters most is that Google also uses its Gemini models in search, including for AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Gemini is an LLM, a large language model, but with one important advantage: it has direct access to Google's search and knowledge infrastructure. That makes it one of the most influential AI systems when it comes to whether your business gets found.

How does Gemini use information from the web?

When you ask Gemini a question, the answer can be based on knowledge from the model's training, on current Google search results, or on a combination of both. For questions about current or local topics, Gemini often retrieves information from the web and can show sources. It can also draw on Google's knowledge of businesses and places, such as information from Google Maps and the Google Business Profile.

Google doesn't fully disclose exactly how those sources are selected. It is plausible, though, that pages that perform well in Google Search also have a good chance of being used by Gemini.

Why does Gemini matter for your business?

• Reach: Gemini is built into products many people use every day, from search to Android phones.
• Local questions: thanks to the link with Google Maps, Gemini can recommend local businesses for questions such as "good bakery near me".
• Overlap with SEO: what you do for your Google visibility, such as good content and a strong business profile, probably helps in Gemini too.

How to improve your chances of appearing in Gemini

1. Complete your Google Business Profile: category, opening hours, services, photos and up-to-date contact details.
2. Collect and respond to reviews, so your reputation is visible and current.
3. Answer concrete questions on your website in clear language, with specific information about price, area and how you work.
4. Use structured data to describe your business details unambiguously.
5. Make sure your site is technically healthy and properly crawled and indexed.

An example: a bakery in Manchester

Someone asks Gemini: "Where can I buy fresh croissants in Manchester on a Sunday?" A bakery that lists clear Sunday hours in its business profile, has positive reviews and clearly shows its range and opening hours on its website has a logical chance of appearing in that answer. A bakery with outdated opening hours or no profile will probably miss out, however good its croissants are.

Tracking Gemini alongside other AI tools

Gemini is one of the AI assistants your customers use, alongside ChatGPT and Perplexity. Each system gives its own answers. That is why it pays to look at your presence in all those environments. With visibility tracking, you can see how often your business appears in Gemini and other AI answers and how that develops over time.