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How to rank in Gemini: 5 checks from Google's own docs

To show up in Gemini answers, your pages need to be in Google Search, and your robots.txt must not block Google-Extended. Google says "some Gemini responses are grounded on Search results," and its crawler docs say Google-Extended manages whether your content may be used for grounding in Gemini Apps, which means "providing content from the Google Search index to the model at prompt time."

No one can promise that Gemini cites your site. These checks remove the reasons it can't. Type your domain to see where you stand first:

What Google says about Gemini and your site

Four Google help pages cover how the Gemini app uses the web:

The Gemini Apps Privacy Hub says: "some Gemini responses are grounded on Search results."
The Connected Apps page says Gemini can use public information from Google Search in every case, with Keep Activity on or off and with the user signed in or out. It lists Google Maps among the services Gemini draws public information from, with Keep Activity on.
The crawler docs say Google-Extended is the token that manages training and grounding use in Gemini Apps, and that it "does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search nor is it used as a ranking signal in Google Search."
The sources page says Gemini may link to "public websites" in a Sources panel, and that "not all responses include related links or sources."

Google does not publish a ranking guide for the Gemini app. What it does publish points to one path: be in the Search index, and don't opt out of grounding.

Gemini app vs AI Overviews

AI Overviews and AI Mode are features of Google Search. The Gemini app at gemini.google.com is a separate product. The same robots.txt lines affect them in different ways:

Setting	Google Search, AI Overviews, AI Mode	Gemini app grounding
Googlebot blocked or page set to noindex	Page can't appear	Grounding draws from the Search index, so the page has nothing to give
Google-Extended blocked	No effect, per Google	Google says this token manages grounding use in Gemini Apps
Both allowed, page indexed	Eligible	Eligible

For the Search side, see our guide on how to rank in AI Overviews.

The 5 checks

Make sure Googlebot can crawl and index your key pages.
Leave Google-Extended allowed if you want Gemini answers to use your pages.
If you serve local customers, claim your Google Business Profile.
Follow standard SEO basics: clear text, a sitemap, a meta description, and structured data.
Ask Gemini the questions your buyers ask and open the Sources panel.

Step 1: get indexed in Google Search

Grounding uses content "from the Google Search index," so a page Google has not indexed can't feed a Gemini answer. Check that robots.txt does not block Googlebot, that your key pages have no noindex tag, and that they return a 200 status. URL Inspection in Search Console shows if a given page is indexed. Google's AI features page says "the best practices for SEO remain relevant" for its AI features.

Step 2: don't block Google-Extended

A robots.txt group like this opts your site out of training and grounding in Gemini Apps:

User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /

If you want Gemini answers to draw on your pages, remove that group or change it to Allow: /. Google says Google-Extended "doesn't have a separate HTTP request user agent string," so you will not find it in your logs. Google crawls with its normal user agents and reads the token as a control. See the Google-Extended page for the details.

In our scan of 500 software homepages on October 18, 2026, 3 of 467 scored sites blocked Google-Extended: chatgpt.com, figma.com, and bardeen.ai. Blocking training is a fair choice. Know that the same token covers grounding.

Step 3: claim your Google Business Profile

Gemini draws public information from Google Maps, per Google's Connected Apps page. For a local business, the Maps listing is your Business Profile. Google's Business Profile help says: "When you add and verify your Business Profile, customers can find your business on Search and Maps," and "You can add or claim your business at no charge." Keep the name, hours, phone, and categories current.

Step 4: cover the SEO basics

Put your main text in the HTML, list your pages in a sitemap, write a plain meta description, and add JSON-LD for your organization and products. In our scan, 23 of 467 sites had no sitemap we could find, 10 had no meta description, and 101 (22%) had no JSON-LD. Our schema markup for AI search guide covers what to add.

Step 5: check what Gemini shows

Ask Gemini the questions a buyer would ask, such as "best [your service] in [your city]." When Gemini links sources, the Sources button sits at the bottom of the answer or in line with it, and opens a side panel with the links. If no Sources button appears, Google says "Gemini Apps didn't provide any links for that particular response."

The other AI answer engines

How to show up in ChatGPT search: OAI-SearchBot and OpenAI's IP ranges.
How to rank in Perplexity: PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User, and firewall rules.
How to get cited by Claude: Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User, and ClaudeBot.
AI crawlers in robots.txt: rules for every major AI bot in one file.

Check your site

Run the free check on your domain. It tests Google-Extended and seven other AI user agents in robots.txt, text without JavaScript, JSON-LD, sitemap, meta description, and llms.txt. The $19 deep report crawls 25 pages and lists fixes in order.

FAQ

How do I get my website to show up in Gemini? Get your pages indexed in Google Search and don't block Google-Extended in robots.txt. Google says some Gemini responses are grounded on Search results, and Google-Extended manages grounding use in Gemini Apps.

Does blocking Google-Extended remove me from Google Search? No. Google says Google-Extended "does not impact a site's inclusion in Google Search nor is it used as a ranking signal in Google Search."

Is ranking in Gemini the same as ranking in AI Overviews? No. AI Overviews is part of Google Search. Google says AI Overviews has no extra requirements, and Google-Extended does not affect it. The Gemini app is a separate product, and Google-Extended applies to grounding in it.

How do I get my business on Gemini? Make sure your site is indexed in Google Search and claim your Google Business Profile. Gemini draws public information from Google Search and Google Maps.

Can I see Google-Extended in my server logs? No. Google says it has no separate user agent string. It is a robots.txt token that Google reads as a control.

Checked 2026-10-23. Prices and policies change. Confirm on the source before you buy.

Sources

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