AI answers on brand searches sit below the normal results
Two more SEOs checked the finding that Google now writes AI answers when people search a company by name.
Two more SEOs have checked the report that Google now shows AI Overviews on brand name searches, and the placement looks better than it first sounded. An AI Overview is the AI written answer Google puts on a results page.
The original finding came from Chris Long, who reported that 93% of the brands he tested now trigger one, including Reddit, Salesforce, Amazon and Adobe. Ann Smarty ran her own searches to verify it and put the figure at about 90% of brand name searches.
Lily Ray then tested a few herself and found the brand's paid ad and its normal listing still sitting at the top, with the AI answer underneath both. She noted that branded paid clicks make Google a lot of money, which makes pushing the AI answer above them unlikely.
Why anyone cares about brand searches
When someone types your business name into Google, that person already knows who you are and usually wants your site. An AI summary in the way means Google is describing your business for you, using sources you did not pick.
Ann Smarty's complaint was about exactly that. In the examples she looked at, the videos Google listed as sources were not from the official account, so the summary can repeat old prices or old product details. She also expects it to pull some clicks away from the official site, and to make it easy for people to slide into AI Mode and keep chatting instead of visiting.
What to do
Search your own business name in Google, on a phone and on a desktop, and see whether an AI answer appears and what it says about you. Check the sources it lists. If it is quoting a stale review site or a video that is not yours, the fix is the same as always, which is to make sure the correct facts are stated plainly on your own pages, on your Google Business Profile and anywhere else Google is likely to read them.
For most small businesses this is a watch item, not an emergency. Your own listing and your ad still appear above the AI answer in the tests done so far. Nobody has measured yet how much branded click-through actually drops, so treat any number you see on that as a guess.
I just tested a few of these and I鈥檓 seeing the branded paid and organic listing up top.
those videos listed for sources are not from the official account and may very well include outdated product information, for example