How to use Google Gemini for online search: web access, grounding, API options, and advanced workflows

Graziano Stefanelli
5 hours ago
4 min read

Gemini introduces multiple search interfaces across Google platforms.

Google Gemini has transformed the traditional web search experience by embedding AI-powered reasoning and source-grounded responses across multiple touchpoints. Users can trigger Gemini-enhanced search not only from the main Google Search interface but also through the Gemini web and mobile apps, the Chrome side-panel, and even spoken interactions via Gemini Live.

The feature called AI Overview (formerly Search Generative Experience) is now widely available in most regions. It provides a summarization of search intent, grounded in fresh web results, and displays them above the list of links. The experience can be manually activated by appending &ai=1 to search URLs or automatically triggered for complex queries like comparisons or technical explanations.

Gemini also supports manual search via its Web grounding toggle inside chats or project sessions, allowing users to combine model knowledge with real-time data.

Gemini offers four primary ways to perform grounded searches.

Interface	Access Method	Grounding Capability
AI Overview	Google.com search → AI Overview toggle (or auto)	Google Search (web-sourced)
Gemini Chat	app.gemini.google.com → toggle “Web”	Live web grounding with citations
Chrome Side Panel	Press Alt+G or click Gemini tab	Summarizes current webpage
Gemini Live (Mobile)	Voice: “Hey Google, open Gemini”	Spoken questions with live web answers

Each mode provides access to real-time citations, displays links under each answer, and allows follow-up refinement without resetting the search.

Web-grounded responses are sourced and cited transparently.

One of Gemini’s most powerful features is the source pinning system, which collapses all referenced URLs used in each AI-generated answer. These sources are fetched in real-time using Google’s search index, ranked for relevance, and extracted for snippet synthesis. This makes Gemini different from static knowledge models like Claude, as it ensures freshness and verifiability.

Users can:

Click each source to view the original content
Ask Gemini to remove or favor certain domains
Expand hidden snippets for deeper inspection

AI Overviews are optimized for clarity and factual support, and are regularly audited internally by Google.

Advanced features expand Gemini’s research capabilities.

Gemini also supports more advanced workflows tailored for research, writing, and information synthesis:

Deep Research Mode: Users can upload a document (PDF, Docs, Slides) and ask Gemini to augment it with live online context. The feature decomposes questions and integrates both file and web inputs into a long-form output.
Side-panel summarization: From any webpage in Chrome, users can right-click text and choose “Summarize with Gemini.”
API Web Grounding: Developers using Gemini via the API can enable "googleSearch": true in the request body to force grounded results.
Snapshot & Save: Users can save AI Overviews to their Reading List or Google Collections.

These features are particularly useful for students, professionals, journalists, and analysts dealing with dynamic or evolving topics.

Quota and plan differences determine how much grounded search is available.

Plan	Grounded Query Allowance (Est.)	Models Used	Access Features
Free / Workspace	Varies (~25–40/day, capacity-based)	Gemini 2.5 Flash	AI Overview, chat grounding
AI Pro	Confirmed: 100/day	Gemini 2.5 Pro + Flash	Docs/Slides export, Deep Research
AI Ultra	Higher quota (not publicly stated)	Gemini 3 Ultra	Gemini Live + large file context

Note: Only AI Pro’s quota (100/day) is officially confirmed. Free users are subject to dynamic load limits, and AI Ultra’s capacity is inferred from service behavior, but not published.

Prompting strategies can refine and enhance search output.

To get the best results from Gemini search, users should adopt prompt structures that guide the model toward precise and verified responses:

Start specific: “Compare the tax benefits of an LLC vs. S-Corp in California.”
Ask for sources: “Include at least 5 sources with links.”
Refine in context: “Now show only 2024 data.”
Use quotes: “Search for the phrase ‘energy storage breakthrough’.”
Confirm freshness: “Are these results from the last 6 months?”

These methods help bypass generic results and leverage Gemini’s real-time indexing effectively.

Limitations and roadmap expectations remain.

Despite its strengths, Gemini’s search tools do have some current limitations:

Paywalled sources may be cited but not summarized unless the user has access.
No Boolean logic in AI Overviews (AND/OR/NOT filtering must be done via prompt wording).
Chrome summarizer cannot access authenticated (logged-in) content.
Deep Research mode lacks a clear page-limit policy for uploads.
Customization of domain filtering is not yet user-facing.

However, several updates are listed on the roadmap:

Planned Feature	ETA (approx.)	Impact
Custom domain filtering	Q4 2025	Include/exclude sites in citations
Team research collaboration	Q1 2026	Shared Gemini chat spaces for real-time workflows
Voice-driven search interface	Q1 2026	Spoken AI Overviews using Gemini Live
Personal content grounding	Q2 2026	Pull answers from user’s Docs, Gmail, Drive

These additions aim to transform Gemini into a full-stack research and discovery platform across consumer and enterprise needs.

Gemini’s integration of live web data and conversational context makes it a dynamic search assistant.

By grounding its answers in real-time sources and providing flexible input methods—typing, clicking, speaking, uploading—Gemini extends traditional search into a conversational, verifiable, and multi-modal experience. Whether through casual research, academic work, or deep-dive analysis, its combination of AI synthesis and citation-based transparency delivers usable knowledge with minimal friction.

____________

DATA STUDIOS

datastudios.org