How to get recommended by Gemini
Gemini relies on Google Search. If Google has you properly indexed and understands what you offer, Gemini has somewhere to find you.
How it decides who to recommend
Gemini uses Google's index to answer with current information, and Googlebot is what fills it. Whatever Google hasn't crawled or doesn't understand, Gemini doesn't have either.
Google-Extended isn't a separate crawler: it's a permission. It tells Google whether it can use your site for Gemini (training and answering in its apps). According to Google, blocking it doesn't affect your ranking in Search or Search's AI Overviews.
The crawlers that need to get in
- Googlebot
- Google-Extended
If robots.txt or your firewall turns them away, they can't read you. The free analysis checks each one.
What to do, step by step
Let Googlebot and Google-Extended in
It's the first thing and the one that fails most: a robots.txt copied from another site, a security plugin or a firewall that blocks "unusual bots" shut Gemini out without warning. Check that robots.txt doesn't name them with Disallow and that your server doesn't answer them with a 403.
Put your text in the HTML
AI crawlers almost never run JavaScript. If your site paints its content in the browser (very common with Lovable, Bolt and other AI-built sites), Gemini receives a blank page. Whatever isn't in the HTML your server sends doesn't exist for it.
Say clearly who you are and what you offer
A title and description that say what you do and where, a clear H1 and structured data (Organization or LocalBusiness, Product, FAQPage). AI doesn't guess: if you don't say it, it doesn't know.
Answer what your customer asks
Gemini recommends whoever best answers a specific question: "best bike shop in Valencia", "how much does… cost". Prices, area, opening hours, comparisons and FAQs as text, not in images or PDFs.
Look after your profile and Search Console
If you're a local business, complete your Google Business Profile with hours, area and photos. And add your site to Search Console to see which pages Google indexes and which it doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
Does blocking Google-Extended remove me from Google?
No. According to Google, Google-Extended doesn't affect Search or Search's AI Overviews. It does keep your site out of what Gemini uses in its apps.
Is showing up in Gemini the same as in AI Overviews?
They go hand in hand, but they're not the same: AI Overviews is part of Search and depends on Googlebot; the Gemini app also depends on Google-Extended.
Is good SEO enough?
It helps a lot, because Gemini starts from Google's index. But your site also needs to answer specific questions in text and say clearly what you offer.