In short: the AI Overviews vs ChatGPT search question is really about two different pipelines. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on pages that are indexed and eligible to show a snippet in Google Search, and counts their traffic inside Search Console. ChatGPT search relies on OpenAI’s own crawler, OAI-SearchBot, and OpenAI’s documentation describes access rules rather than a traffic report, so you mostly measure it by checking answers. Amaso AI checks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity; it does not track Google AI Overviews or AI Mode, which you check in Search Console and by hand.
Owners of WordPress sites in Lagos, Kigali or Dar es Salaam now see two kinds of AI answers: the summary at the top of a Google results page, and the answer ChatGPT gives with links underneath. Both can send visitors, and both can name a competitor instead of you. But they work differently, so you cannot track them the same way. This guide sorts out what each company says, then what you can really measure.
How Google AI Overviews pick their links
Google’s documentation on AI features is clear on four points:
- No special entry ticket. To appear as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet. Google says there are no additional technical requirements.
- No AI file or special markup needed. Google says you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema.org structured data to appear.
- More than one search behind each answer. AI Overviews and AI Mode may use “query fan-out”, running several related searches to build a response.
- Not every query gets one. AI Overviews are shown only when Google’s systems decide they add something to classic results.
In practice, good SEO is the way into AI Overviews: allow crawling, keep important content in text, link your pages to each other and keep any structured data consistent with what visitors see. Google also recommends keeping Business Profile and Merchant Center information up to date.
How ChatGPT search picks its sources
OpenAI’s crawler documentation describes three robots, and only one decides search visibility:
- OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in ChatGPT’s search features. Sites that opt out of it are not shown in ChatGPT search answers, although they can still appear as navigational links.
- GPTBot collects content that may be used to train OpenAI’s models. Blocking it is a separate choice from search.
- ChatGPT-User visits a page when a user’s request needs it. OpenAI says it is not used to decide whether content may appear in search.
OpenAI adds that after you change robots.txt, its search systems can take about 24 hours to adjust. Our guide to blocking or allowing AI bots shows how to set each one on WordPress.
What you can track for each
| Signal | Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | ChatGPT search |
|---|---|---|
| Can the crawler reach you? | Googlebot rules in robots.txt; URL Inspection in Search Console | OAI-SearchBot rules in robots.txt; crawler visits in your logs |
| Clicks and impressions | Included in the Search Console Performance report, “Web” search type | No report in OpenAI’s crawler docs; watch referral visits in your analytics |
| Are you named or linked? | Check the results page by hand | Check the answer and its sources, by hand or with Amaso AI |
| Who is named instead? | By hand | By hand or with Amaso AI |
Note the important detail on the Google side: AI feature traffic is counted inside the normal Web search type of Search Console, together with classic results. Google’s page does not describe a separate AI Overviews report, so a manual check is still the simplest way to see whether an overview appears for a question and whether your page is one of its links.
A weekly routine that covers both
- Pick ten questions your customers ask, with your city: “best accountant for small business in Arusha”, “how much does a wedding photographer cost in Kigali”.
- Google, by hand: search each question, note whether an AI Overview appears, and whether your site is among its links. Write the date. Results can change from one day to the next, so look at the trend.
- Search Console: check clicks and impressions on the pages that answer those questions.
- ChatGPT and the other assistants: run the same questions and note whether you are named, cited with a link, or absent, and who is named instead. Our walkthrough on checking whether ChatGPT cites your WordPress site explains how to read the sources.
- Fix one thing per week on the page that should have been chosen, then check again.
Where Amaso AI fits, and where it does not
Step 4 is the part Amaso AI automates. To be clear about the scope first: Amaso AI does not track Google AI Overviews or AI Mode. Keep step 2 and step 3 for Google.
What Amaso AI Lite, free on WordPress.org, does cover:
- Unlimited citation checks on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, through each provider’s API with your own key (the provider bills its usage).
- For each result, the exact question, the engine and the date, with the answer and citation evidence available.
- Local logs of recognised AI crawler visits. Amaso AI says plainly that a visit does not prove indexing or citation; it only tells you the door is open.
- Allow or block settings for AI crawlers, so OAI-SearchBot can reach you even if you block training bots.
One more honest note: Amaso AI asks through the API, and its own documentation says results can differ from the provider’s consumer app and change across questions, models and dates. That is why repeating the same questions over several weeks matters more than any single answer. If you also want Search Console data inside WordPress, that comes with the paid plans, starting with Starter at $35.99 a year.
If you are also deciding which SEO plugin to rely on, our comparison of Yoast SEO and Rank Math for AI search covers what they add.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need special markup to appear in Google AI Overviews?
Google says no: there is no special schema or AI text file required. A page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet.
Can I see AI Overviews traffic separately in Search Console?
Google says sites appearing in AI features are included in the Performance report under the Web search type. Its documentation does not describe a separate AI Overviews filter.
If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT search?
Not because of GPTBot. OpenAI treats GPTBot (training) and OAI-SearchBot (search) as independent settings. Blocking OAI-SearchBot is what removes you from ChatGPT search answers.
Does Amaso AI check Google AI Overviews or AI Mode?
No. Amaso AI checks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. Check Google’s AI features by hand and in Search Console.
Why does Amaso AI’s ChatGPT result differ from what I see in the app?
Amaso AI asks through the API, and answers change with the model, the wording and the date. Compare trends over several weeks.
Start with the half you can automate: install Amaso AI Lite free and run your ten questions on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, then see the pricing page if you want scheduled checks.
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