Google is testing a box for official websites. Is yours ready?

Sunday evening one from us, short again :)

This week Google announced a few changes to AI Mode and AI Overviews. More links inside the answers, and shown higher up. And one test we think every small business should notice: a section at the top of some answers that highlights official websites, with a short note on why each link is useful.

They wrote it up on their own blog on Thursday, worth 3 minutes: blog.google

Google didn't say how it picks those official sites. So this is our guess, but it's the boring basics anyway:

1. Make it obvious you are the official site. Your business name, what you do and where you are, on the homepage, in plain words. Not hidden in the footer.

2. Same details everywhere. Website, Google Business Profile, socials. Same name, same address, same phone. If they don't match, how is anyone (or any machine) supposed to know which one is real?

3. Answer the task, not only the brand. People ask "boiler service in Leith this week", not your company name. Have a page that answers that.

Will it bring more clicks? Nobody knows yet, Google shared no click numbers. But fixing these costs you one evening.

Have you checked how your business shows up in AI Mode yet? Tell us what you found!