AI Overviews now show up on 8 in 10 brand searches. Know what Google is saying about you.
by Julian Rogers
Someone hears about your practice from a friend, opens Google and types your name. A few years ago, that search was a straight line to your website. Today, Google is likely to answer first.
And it might be wrong.
AI Overviews have gone from an occasional experiment to the default. Semrush data reported by Search Engine Roundtable shows AI Overviews on more than 80% of Google searches, up from nearly half in July. Brand searches aren’t exempt. SE Ranking found AI Overviews on 82.5% of U.S. brand searches, and seoClarity puts the range at 55% to 84% depending on industry.
That summary can describe what you do, who you serve, what you charge and what your reviews say. It can also pull from sources you don’t control and haven’t looked at in years. So the question isn’t whether Google is talking about your brand. It’s what Google is saying, and where it got its information.
What AI Overviews are (and why the jump matters)
AI Overviews are the AI-generated summaries Google places at the top of search results, built on its Gemini models. The pitch is convenience: give searchers the gist without making them scan 10 links.
The catch is that they’re baked into the default results page. Searchers can’t turn them off there. Google did add a Web filter that strips out AI Overviews and shows only traditional links, but that’s an extra click most people will never make. For the average searcher, the AI answer is the first impression.
Don’t assume your category is the exception. The 55% to 84% range from seoClarity means coverage varies by industry, topic and intent. The direction, though, only goes one way.
Your brand name isn’t a safe zone
The 82.5% figure is the one that should get your attention. Someone searching your name, or your name plus a service, isn’t browsing. They’re close to a decision. They’re comparing providers, checking credibility and looking for a reason to call. If an AI Overview shows up first, it becomes part of that evaluation whether you like it or not.
Google builds that summary from whatever it can find: your pages, directory listings, review sites, third-party descriptions and old material that no longer reflects what you offer. The result may be accurate. It may be incomplete. It may be flat-out wrong. The risk climbs when your information across the web is outdated or inconsistent.
What Google may be saying about you
• What you do and who you serve
• Your reputation and the themes in your reviews
• Your experience and areas of expertise
• What you charge, or what people think you charge
Every one of these shapes a buying decision. Leave out a core service, and you look less relevant. Repeat an old price, and you create sticker shock before the first conversation. Lead with a handful of negative reviews, and you’ve lost trust before the prospect hears your side.
How to audit your brand in AI Overviews
Start with a branded search audit. You’re looking for three things: whether an AI Overview appears, what it says and which sources it leans on. Run every check on desktop and mobile, because results can differ by device.
Run these searches
1. Your brand name alone
2. Your brand name plus your main service
3. Your brand name plus “reviews”
4. Your brand name plus “pricing” or “cost”
For each one, capture the summary and the sources it cites. (Grab screenshots and copy the text. You’ll want both later.)
Compare it to what you’d actually say
Put the summary next to your approved messaging. Flag factual errors, missing services, outdated claims and review themes presented without context. Note whether the summary links to your site or leans on third-party pages. That record becomes your baseline and your correction brief.
One query isn’t an audit. AI Overviews behave differently across brand-plus-service combinations, so if you offer several services or specialties, check each one. You’re after coverage, not a single screenshot.
What to do when the summary is wrong
Here’s the part most people get backward: a wrong AI Overview is usually a source problem, not a search problem. Google is summarizing what it can find. If the summary says you offer a service you dropped two years ago, some page or profile out there still says so.
1. Find and fix the source
Review the pages and profiles the summary seems to draw from. Look for outdated service pages, old bios, stale review snippets and directory listings nobody has touched since launch. Fix the claim where it lives. If it lives on someone else’s site, update your own page first, then request a correction from the site that owns the content.
This is the unglamorous step. It’s far less satisfying than rewriting your homepage. It’s also the step most likely to change the summary. If the source stays wrong, the summary keeps repeating it. Fix the source, then recheck the query.
2. Give Google better evidence
Google’s own guidance on AI search points to unique, non-commodity content backed by evidence and authority signals. Translation: clear service pages, specific explanations of how you work, proof of experience and the same facts everywhere you show up online. Thin pages full of generic claims give the system nothing to work with.
Publish content that answers what a buyer wants to know before they contact you. Explain your process, your qualifications and the clients you serve. If you publish pricing, keep it current. Make reviews and case examples easy to verify.
You’re not trying to trick the summary. You’re giving Google a better source to summarize.
Make monitoring a habit, not a project
AI Overviews change. Coverage shifts by industry, query and available sources. A one-time check helps, but it won’t protect you through a service change, a rebrand or a new wave of reviews. For most businesses, a monthly check works, with extra checks after any major change.
• Keep a list of priority branded queries.
• Record whether an AI Overview appears.
• Save the summary text and source links.
• Flag errors, omissions and outdated claims.
• Recheck after you correct sources or update content.
That log does more than catch mistakes. It shows which messages are reaching the results page, which sources Google trusts and where your own content is weak. That’s a marketing asset.
Why this belongs in your marketing plan
Your buyers research before they reach out. They compare expertise, read reviews and look for proof you understand their problem. The branded search is where that research gets specific. They already know your name. Now they want confirmation.
An AI Overview can confirm the right things or reinforce the wrong ones. And because it’s part of the default results page, it’s not a channel you get to opt out of. It’s your first impression, written by someone else.
The fix has two parts. First, monitor what Google says about you and correct the sources behind bad information. Second, strengthen the pages and profiles that should be feeding the summary. That work sits where SEO, content, reputation management and demand generation overlap. All of it depends on a clear, consistent answer to one question: What does your business do, and who is it for?
The Jooj helps healthcare practices and professional services firms get that answer right everywhere it shows up, through SEO, AEO and GEO content strategy, reputation management and demand generation. Start with a branded search audit. If you don’t like what you find, request a proposal and let’s talk.
Frequently asked questions
Do AI Overviews appear on branded searches?
Yes, and often. SE Ranking found AI Overviews on 82.5% of U.S. brand searches. A search for your company name, or your name plus a service, can trigger a Google-generated summary above your own website. Check your core branded queries, note which sources feed the summary and trace any errors back to where they started.
Can I turn off AI Overviews?
Not on the default results page. Searchers can’t opt out of seeing them there. Google’s Web filter removes AI Overviews and shows only traditional links, but searchers have to choose it. Either way, you still need to monitor what AI Overviews say about your brand. They are here. Probably not going away. We need to deal with it.
What should I do if an AI Overview shows the wrong pricing?
Find where the claim came from. Check your service pages, third-party profiles, review snippets and older content. Correct the outdated pricing at the source, then update your own pages with clear, current pricing context. Recheck the query after the fix and keep monitoring, because AI Overviews change.
How often should I check AI Overviews for my brand?
Monthly works for most businesses, plus an extra check after a service change, rebrand or reputation issue. Log the summary, its sources and any errors. Check a set of branded searches, not just one, and recheck after you update the pages that feed the summary.
Do AI Overviews replace SEO?
No. AI Overviews pull from web sources, and Google’s guidance still rewards unique, non-commodity content with evidence and authority behind it. SEO is still the work of making your expertise clear, consistent and easy to verify. AI Overviews add a layer on top. They don’t remove the need for strong pages and credible sources.