Google's AI Overviews are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of many search results, synthesizing information from across the web to answer queries directly. Some users find them helpful, while others prefer to see traditional links without an AI summary. If you want to reduce how often you encounter AI Overviews or understand what control you have, this guide explains the practical options and what they mean, along with why this matters for businesses and marketers.

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What AI Overviews Are

AI Overviews are generated by Google's AI to provide a quick summary in response to certain queries, often appearing above the traditional results. They pull from multiple sources and may include links. They are most common for informational questions. Understanding what triggers them helps you set expectations about when and where they appear.

Why You Might Want Fewer AI Overviews

Some users prefer evaluating sources themselves, worry about summary accuracy, or simply want faster access to traditional links. Marketers may be concerned about reduced click-through when answers appear directly in search. Whatever the reason, it helps to know what realistic options exist, since the ability to fully disable the feature is limited and changes over time.

Use the Web Filter for Links-Only Results

Google offers a Web filter that shows traditional text links without many enhanced features, including AI Overviews. After searching, look for the filter options and select Web to view a more classic results page. You can often bookmark or set up a search that defaults to this view, giving you a links-first experience for your queries.

Adjust Search Settings and Experiments

Some AI features are tied to experimental programs or labs. Reviewing your Google account and search settings, and opting out of experimental features where available, can reduce certain AI elements. Availability varies by region, account, and over time, so check current settings rather than relying on a fixed method, as Google updates these options frequently.

Consider Browser-Level and Alternative Options

Some people use browser extensions or alternative search engines to minimize AI summaries. These approaches vary in reliability and may change as products evolve. If avoiding AI Overviews is important to you, alternative search engines that present traditional results, or tools designed to customize your search experience, are worth exploring with appropriate caution.

What This Means for Marketers

Even if individuals reduce AI Overviews for themselves, the feature remains prominent for most users. Rather than hoping to avoid it, businesses should optimize to be cited within these summaries. Being a source AI draws from preserves visibility even when overviews capture the top of the page, turning a potential threat into an opportunity.

Adapt Your Strategy Going Forward

AI Overviews reflect a broader shift toward AI-mediated search. Focus on clear, authoritative, well-structured content that AI is likely to cite, and monitor how these features affect your traffic. As Google continues evolving its AI features, staying informed and adaptable ensures your visibility and strategy keep pace with the changing search experience.

Why Full Removal Is Limited

It is important to set realistic expectations: Google does not currently offer a simple, permanent switch to disable AI Overviews entirely for all searches. The available options reduce how often you see them or provide alternative views, but the feature is a core part of how Google is evolving search. Methods that work today may change as Google updates its products, and approaches that rely on extensions or third-party tools can break without notice. Understanding this helps you avoid frustration and focus your energy where you have real control, which for most users and businesses means adapting to the feature rather than fighting to eliminate it.

For everyday users who simply prefer traditional results, the Web filter is usually the most reliable option, giving a familiar links-first experience whenever you want it. Keeping it handy is more dependable than chasing settings that shift over time.

Turn AI Overviews Into an Opportunity

For businesses, the more productive response is to optimize for inclusion in AI Overviews rather than hoping users avoid them. When your content is clear, authoritative, well-structured, and trusted, it is more likely to be the source these summaries draw from, preserving your visibility even when the overview occupies the top of the page. Focus on answering questions directly, demonstrating expertise, implementing structured data, and earning credible mentions across the web. As AI-mediated search grows, the brands that adapt by becoming citable sources will maintain and even grow their presence, while those who simply wish the feature away risk fading from view. Treat AI Overviews as a new surface to win rather than an obstacle to escape.