Guide · UK food and drink

Generative engine optimisation explained: how food and drink brands get linked in Google's AI answers

Google now puts more links inside its AI answers. That gives your site more chances to be clicked. You can count how often you appear, but not yet how often you are clicked.

By Pasi Sipilä, founder of Ziild · 23 October 2026

In short

Generative engine optimisation means getting your pages cited and linked inside AI answers. Google's October 2026 changes add more places for those links, but Search Console still shows AI impressions only, not clicks.

What generative engine optimisation means for a food or drink site

Generative engine optimisation, often written generative engine optimization, is the work of getting your pages cited and linked inside AI-generated answers. In Google that means AI Overviews and AI Mode. Outside Google it includes ChatGPT search.

Classic SEO aims for a place in a list of ten links. GEO aims for a place inside the answer itself.

For a wine, spirits, beer or food brand, the question is simple. When someone asks what to drink with a dish, or where to buy a product, is your page one of the links in the answer?

What Google changed on 15 October 2026

Google announced five changes to links in AI Mode and AI Overviews on its Keyword blog. Its SVP Nick Fox listed them.

Inline links will also appear higher up in responses, and more often.

More inline links embedded directly in the response.
A new section at the top of a response that highlights the 1–2 links you need to complete a specific task or find exact information.
News carousels, available globally.
A Dive Deeper section with a more clickable design and image thumbnails.
Clickable publisher and creator names in video results.

Why more links means more chances to be clicked

Every new link slot is another way into your site. A related-links section creates a click surface for pages that are not cited in the main body of the answer. You no longer have to be the quoted source to get a link.

The section for the 1–2 links you need to complete a task matters most for brands. If someone wants to find a product or a stockist, the official site is the obvious link. Google says this official-sites section is a test, as are the clickable creator names.

This builds on an earlier round. On 6 May 2026 Google added five outbound link features, including an 'Explore new angles' section, a first-hand perspectives section, inline links and desktop hover previews.

One caution. Google's post did not give rollout dates or countries. Do not assume UK users see all of this yet.

What you can and cannot measure in Google

You can measure appearances. On 3 June 2026 Google introduced Search Console reports showing impressions within generative AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. They break down by page, country, device and date. Google says that as of 31 August 2026 these reports are rolled out to all websites worldwide.

You cannot measure clicks. The AI reports show impressions but not clicks. And all links within an AI Overview share a single position in Search Console, so you cannot tell whether you were the first link or the last.

So treat impressions as a signal of presence, not of sales or traffic.

ChatGPT: a short warning about measurement

OpenAI's publisher help page says ChatGPT automatically adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to the links it sends. That tag is how you see ChatGPT traffic in analytics.

Between about 8 and 15 October 2026, many of those clicks arrived without the tag and showed up as Direct traffic. Adobe's Cedric Huesler looked at about 500 pages where ChatGPT had been at least 5% of visits. Comparing 9–13 October with the week before, ChatGPT traffic fell by about 31,000 visits a day and Direct rose by about 26,000 on the same pages.

Huesler says OpenAI told him on 14 October it was a bug, and that a fix began rolling out on 15 October. That confirmation is second-hand. OpenAI has not said anything publicly, and its ChatGPT release notes do not mention the bug or the fix.

The practical point: a dip in ChatGPT visits plus a jump in Direct in mid-October is probably a tagging problem, not a change in demand. Note it in your reports.

The UK rule: the CMA conduct requirement

On 3 June 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority announced requirements on Google search in the UK. Publishers get tools to stop their content being used to power AI features such as AI Overviews. Google must make sure publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI-generated results. Publishers can also opt out of their content being used to fine-tune AI models.

The CMA's interpretive notes say click data should be separated from organic search results and delivered through a commonly accessible platform such as Search Console. That would close the measurement gap above.

Sources disagree on when these requirements take effect. Check the CMA case page before planning around a date. This is a summary, not legal advice.

What to do on Monday

None of this needs a new team. It needs a few hours and some discipline.

Open Search Console and look at your AI feature impressions by page. Find the pages that already appear.
Make sure your official site is the clearest place to complete the tasks people ask about: finding a product, a stockist, a pairing.
Use good images on key pages. The new Dive Deeper section shows thumbnails.
Annotate 8–15 October 2026 in your analytics as a ChatGPT tagging problem.
Report AI impressions separately from clicks, and do not treat one as the other.
Decide your position on the CMA opt-out before the date is confirmed, not after.
If you run recipe or brand content at scale, Ziild CMO is built for this work: a recipe network it runs for a Nordic wine and food importer earned 210,000+ Google AI-answer impressions in three months. You can book 15 minutes at ziild.co.uk/book.

Questions people ask

What is generative engine optimisation?

It is the work of getting your pages cited and linked inside AI-generated answers, such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode or ChatGPT search, rather than only ranking in a list of links.

Can I see clicks from Google's AI Overviews?

Not yet. Search Console's AI reports show impressions by page, country, device and date, but not clicks. All links in an AI Overview also share a single position.

Will UK users see Google's new inline links and Dive Deeper cards?

Google did not give rollout dates or countries in its 15 October 2026 post, and some features are tests. Do not assume they are live in the UK yet.

Why did my ChatGPT traffic drop in October 2026?

Between about 8 and 15 October many ChatGPT clicks arrived without the utm_source=chatgpt.com tag and were counted as Direct. One analyst says OpenAI told him privately it was a bug. OpenAI has not confirmed this publicly.

Can I stop Google using my content in AI Overviews?

The CMA's June 2026 requirements give UK publishers tools to prevent their content powering AI features in search. Sources disagree on when this takes effect, so check the CMA case page. This is a summary, not legal advice.

Sources

Written by the Ziild machine from the sources above and approved by Pasi before publishing. Spotted an error? pasi@ziild.co.uk