Two checks take about ten minutes and tell you more than any headline. Search your business name and read what Google's AI says about you. Then filter Search Console for searches that include your name and compare the last three months with the three before.
If your clicks are down and you keep hearing that AI Overviews increase brand searches, those two checks show what is happening for your business, not for a sample of other brands. You do not need a paid tool for either one.
The talk started with a September 2026 study from DemandSphere. It measured something narrower than the headlines suggest, and it is worth knowing exactly what.
Key Takeaways
Search your business name, read any Google AI summary, and note anything wrong. Google says AI Overviews can make mistakes.
DemandSphere found AI Overviews on 26.12% of its tracked branded queries on September 1 and 82.06% on September 29. That is how often a summary appeared, not how many people searched a brand.
Filter queries containing your name, add spelling variants with regex, and compare matching periods by impressions, clicks, click-through rate and position.
Search your business name and read what Google's AI says about you
Start where your customers start. Type your business name into Google, then try your name with your city, your name with "reviews," and your name with the main service you sell. Look at the top of each results page for an AI summary.
Google says AI Overviews summarize information from Search and link to supporting pages. Google also says they do not appear for every query, and its AI Overviews help page warns that they "can and will make mistakes" and advises fact-checking important information. So, the summary for your name may be missing, accurate, or wrong.
Write down what you see: the date, the exact search, and each claim the summary makes about your hours, services, prices or location. Compare each claim with your website and your Business Profile. A wrong detail usually traces back to a page that states it, so correct the source first. Our post on what to do when Google's AI is wrong about your business walks through that fix.
DemandSphere's September data counts AI summaries on branded queries
DemandSphere, a search analytics company, published its study on October 1, 2026. It tracked branded keywords once a day through its DemandMetrics platform, across all markets and devices. It counted an AI Overview as present whenever Google returned one for the query, whether or not the brand itself was cited in it.
The share of tracked branded keywords that returned an AI Overview stayed near 27 percent in the first days of September. According to DemandSphere, the sustained rise began on September 26. Earlier spikes on September 18, 20, 23 and 24 fell back to the baseline within a day.
| Date (2026) | Share with an AI Overview |
|---|---|
| September 1 | 26.12% |
| September 26 | 69.21% |
| September 27 | 90.48% (peak) |
| September 28 | 80.23% |
| September 29 | 82.06% |
This is DemandSphere's measurement of its own keyword set, and it shows how often Google put a summary on those branded searches. It does not show how many people searched for a brand, how many clicked a result, or whether the summaries caused anyone to search a name. Your business may or may not be among the brands DemandSphere tracks, so the percentages describe its sample, not your results page.
The useful question for you is separate: are more or fewer people searching your name than before, and what does the summary say when they do?
Your branded searches are already recorded in Search Console
Search Console records the searches that showed your site and the ones that led to a click. Google's help on filtering and comparing in the Performance report describes each control used below. If you have not set Search Console up yet, our guide to setting up Google Search Console covers the first steps.
Follow these steps for a quick branded view:
- Open Performance, choose Search results, and set Search type to Web.
- Set the date range to the last three months and turn on Clicks, Impressions, CTR and Average position.
- Add a Query filter, choose "Queries containing," and type your business name.
- Record the four numbers, then compare with the three months before.
Impressions matter as much as clicks here. If more people see your name in results, impressions rise even when clicks stay flat. Compare the same months of last year too when your business has seasons.
A regex filter catches the spellings a plain filter misses
People rarely type a name the way you print it on your sign. They may leave out a space, add a hyphen, use an abbreviation or type a product name. The Query filter also accepts "Custom regex," which lets you list several versions in one pattern, for example `(brandname|brand-name|brand name|productname)`.
Search Console uses RE2 syntax, matches part of a query by default, and ignores capital letters unless you add `(?-i)` to the pattern. Build the pattern from your business name, common misspellings, product names and short forms of your name that customers use.
For a rough non-branded view, use "Queries not containing" with the same pattern. Google warns that anonymized queries are removed when you filter by query, so the totals are approximate. Treat the result as a trend line, not an exact count.
Business Profile and Google Analytics add two supporting signals
Search Console covers searches that led to your website. Two other Google tools cover brand demand from different angles, and they are most useful when read next to the Search Console trend.
Your Business Profile Performance report lists the search terms people used to find your verified profile, along with profile views, calls, website clicks, directions, messages and bookings. Compare the same three-month periods. Google says the searches metric updates at the start of each month and can take up to five days to appear.
In Google Analytics, open your traffic by default channel group and look at sessions, users and key events. Treat the Direct channel carefully. Google explains that Direct traffic means Analytics received no clear referral source. That includes typed addresses and bookmarks, but also untagged email, social posts, documents, redirects and privacy tools. A rise in Direct is a hint to look closer, not proof that an AI answer sent anyone.
Compare searches with calls and forms before you blame anything
A branded trend only matters if it connects to customers. Put the Search Console numbers beside the number of calls, form submissions, bookings and sales for the same weeks. If branded impressions rose but calls stayed flat, something between the search and the contact needs attention, such as a slow page, a confusing contact path or an outdated listing.
Several things move branded searches besides AI summaries. Google algorithm updates, press coverage, seasonal demand, advertising and events in your own business can all change how often your name is typed. Note any promotion, outage or site change on a calendar so you can match it to the chart.
If your clicks fell and your branded numbers did not, the cause may sit with your non-branded searches instead. Our post on how to check your traffic after Google's AI Mode link changes shows how to compare periods around a specific date.
You do not need special tricks for your business to appear in AI answers
Owners often ask how to get their brand mentioned in AI answers. Google's guidance on AI features says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI features in Google Search and that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Google also says traffic from AI features is included in the Search Console Performance report under Web search.
That points to the ordinary work: clear pages about what you sell, accurate details across your website and listings, a site that loads fast and works on a phone, and reviews from real customers. The checks above tell you whether that work is being found under your name.
Google's own 2024 announcement said links in AI Overviews received more clicks than traditional listings for the same query. That is Google's combined product figure, so it says little about any single business. Your account is the evidence that counts.
Paid help earns its fee when the numbers conflict
The first check is free and an owner can run it alone. Outside help becomes worth paying for when your account has several locations, several versions of your name, large seasonal swings, Search Console and Analytics numbers that disagree, untagged campaigns, or phone leads that never get tied back to a source.
In those cases a specialist can build a lasting list of branded and non-branded queries, reconcile the systems and tie the results to qualified leads. What no one can promise is a guaranteed report on which AI answer caused which search. Be wary of anyone who sells certainty the data cannot give.
If the check shows a wrong summary or a gap between what AI says and what is true, generative engine optimization work focuses on making your accurate details easy for AI systems to find and quote.
Check your understanding
Pick an answer to begin.
1. What did the DemandSphere study measure?
2. Which Search Console filter gives a quick branded view?
3. What does Direct traffic in Google Analytics mean?
Frequently Asked Questions About ai overviews increase brand searches
Do AI Overviews increase brand searches?
The DemandSphere data does not show it. The study measured how often a summary appeared on tracked branded queries, which is a different number from how many people searched a brand. Your own Search Console trend is the evidence for your business.
How do I check branded searches in Search Console?
Open Performance, choose Search results and the Web search type, then add a Query filter set to "Queries containing" your business name. Use "Custom regex" to list spelling variants, then compare matching date ranges.
How do I see what Google's AI says about my business?
Search your business name, your name with your city, and your name with "reviews." Look for an AI summary at the top of each results page, and note the date and each claim it makes about you.
How often are Google AI Overviews wrong?
Google gives no error rate. Its help page says AI Overviews can and will make mistakes and advises fact-checking important information, so check every detail the summary states about your business.
Does Direct traffic in Google Analytics mean AI sent the visit?
No. Direct means Analytics received no clear referral source. Typed addresses and bookmarks count, and so do untagged email links, social posts and privacy tools.
Do I need special tactics to be mentioned in AI answers?
Google says no additional requirements apply for AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond ordinary Search eligibility and good SEO. Accurate pages and listings are the base to build on.
Moving Forward
The September data shows Google put AI summaries on far more of DemandSphere's tracked branded searches than it did at the start of the month. What that means for you comes from two checks of your own: what the summary says when someone searches your name, and how branded impressions and clicks moved in Search Console against the matching period.
Save the branded filter, record your numbers every month, and add Business Profile searches and your calls and forms beside them. A steady record turns a scary headline into a chart you can read, and it tells you whether a change in clicks is a branded problem or something else.
If you want a second set of eyes on the numbers, Web Leveling can set up the branded and non-branded views with you and tie them to your calls and forms. Our search engine optimization work covers the query analysis, and you can contact us about a search visibility review whenever you are ready. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas.
Terms
Words used in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
AI Overview. A summary Google may show at the top of search results, with links to supporting pages.
Branded query. A search that includes a business name, product name or a version of either.
Search Console. Google's free tool that shows which searches display and send visitors to your site.
Impressions. The number of times your site appeared in a set of search results.
Regex. A short pattern that matches several spellings of a word in one filter.
Direct traffic. Visits Google Analytics could not attribute to a clear referral source.
