Definition
Gemini is Google's frontier LLM family - Pro, Flash, and Flash-Lite tiers. Grounded Gemini variants use Google Search retrieval, which makes high organic rank a near-prerequisite for citation. Ungrounded Gemini answers from training memory.
Why it matters
Gemini sits in the "Surfaces & platforms" layer of the AI search stack. Teams that handle it well get cited more, recommended more, and earn more of the AI-mediated revenue in their category. Teams that ignore it spend a year wondering why their content investment never moves the needle inside ChatGPT or Perplexity.
Related terms
- AI Overviews - Google's generative-AI answer box at the top of search results, powered by Gemini. Now appears for more than half of qualifying US queries.
- AI Mode - Google's full conversational search experience - an alternative to classic SERPs where AI answers the query end-to-end.
- Google-Extended - An opt-in agent that lets Google use your content for Gemini training. Separate from Googlebot, which is required for classic search.
- Grounding - Augmenting an LLM's answer with retrieved evidence so the model can cite verifiable sources, rather than relying on training memory alone.
Apply it
The LLM SEO playbook ties every concept in this glossary into a single operating model. If you want to see how your brand performs across all the LLMs at once - mention rate, citation share, sentiment, rank - start with the free GEO audit or skip straight to a free Livesov account.