AI answers now show on brand searches, but lower down
Two more SEOs checked Google's new AI answers on brand name searches. One verified about 90% of brands show them, another found they sit below the normal listings, which softens the blow.
Why your traffic moved
A second wave of the spam update hit on September 30
Google's September spam update (a ranking change aimed at sites breaking its spam rules) appears to have hit again on September 30, catching sites that were fine until then. Glenn Gabe says several site owners reached out reporting big drops right on that date, and he expects the rollout to take two weeks.
several site owners reaching out seeing specific big drops right on 9/30... They were unaffected by the update until then
Who this affects: Everyone with a website, especially anyone who saw no change last week.
- Compare your Search Console clicks before and after September 30.
Getting into AI answers
AI answers on brand searches sit below the normal results
Two more SEOs checked yesterday's finding that AI Overviews (the AI written answer at the top of results) now appear on brand name searches, and where they land matters. Lily Ray tested several and saw the brand's ads and normal listing still on top, with the AI answer below both.
those videos listed for sources are not from the official account and may very well include outdated product information, for example
Who this affects: Anyone whose customers search for their business by name.
- Search your own brand name and see what the AI answer says.
- Our take: fix outdated info on the pages it cites.
Do not do this
Listing yourself first in your own roundup is backfiring
Pages where a brand ranks itself number one in a "best of" roundup are getting cited far less by Google's AI answers. Across about 100 queries, Lily Ray found 38% fewer of these self-promoting listicles cited in September than in June, and the brand behind them left out of the recommendation 83% of the time, up from 69%.
in 70% of cases, the self-promoting listicle is now helping competitors get recommended while the brand recommending itself is not part of the recommendation
Who this affects: Anyone who publishes "best tools" or "best services" posts featuring themselves.
- Check if your roundup posts rank you first without honest reasoning.
- Our take: rank honestly, explain who each option suits.