But here’s something important for anyone with a business or a website: How do these AI Overviews affect searches for your brand name compared to general questions? Understanding this difference is super important for planning how to get your website noticed (what we call SEO).
What Exactly Are AI Overviews?
Google’s AI uses advanced technology, like Google Gemini, to create these summaries. Gemini is like a super-smart brain that can read and understand tons of information from many different websites. It then puts the most important parts together into a concise answer for you. These AI summaries are now showing up for almost 55% of Google searches, proving how important they’ve become.
Why AI Overviews Show Up Differently for Brand Names vs. General Questions
Here is the thing. AI Overviews do not present the same way for all searches. There’s a clear difference between:
- Branded Queries: These are searches where someone types in your exact company or brand name. For example, “Nike running shoes,” “Starbucks coffee,” or “Rankingeek SEO services.”
- Non-Branded Queries: These are searches for general topics or problems, not a specific brand. For example, “best running shoes,” “coffee shops near me,” or “how to do SEO for beginners.”
The Big Difference in How Often They Appear: Studies show that branded queries are much less likely to trigger AI Overviews than non-branded ones. For instance, some data from mid-2025 suggests that only about 4.8% of branded keywords triggered an AI Overview.
Why is this? When you search for a specific brand, Google often knows you want to go directly to that brand’s website or find very specific information about that brand. So, Google is more likely to show you direct links (like “sitelinks”) to that brand’s website. AI Overviews are more about summarising information from many sources, which isn’t always needed when you know exactly what brand you’re looking for.
However, some industries are different! In Healthcare, for example, even branded searches can trigger AI Overviews more often (around 39.6%). This might be because people are looking for quick, summarised health information, even if it’s related to a specific product or company.
Website Clicks: A Mixed Bag of Results
Now, let’s talk about Click-Through Rates (CTR) – that’s how often people actually click on a website link after they see it on Google. AI Overviews can affect CTR in different ways for branded and non-branded searches.
For Non-Branded Searches: This is where the impact can be tougher. When an AI Overview appears for a general question (like “how to bake sourdough”), it often provides a full answer. This means people get what they need right there, leading to fewer clicks on the actual website links below. Studies show a significant CTR decline for non-branded terms, sometimes nearly 20%, when an AI Overview is present. Top-ranking pages can see drops of over 30% in CTR. If your website relies on getting free visitors from these general informational searches, you might see a dip in traffic.
For Branded Searches: Here’s the interesting part: while branded keywords trigger AI Overviews less often, when they do appear alongside an AI Overview, the CTR for those branded keywords can actually improve! Some data shows an increase of over 18% in CTR.
How AI Overviews Affect Overall Website Performance
The appearance of AI Overviews creates a mixed bag for how websites perform in organic search (the free listings).
- For Non-Branded Content: If your website creates a lot of articles that answer general questions (like “what is” or “how to”), you might see a decrease in the number of people visiting those pages directly from Google. This is because the AI Overviews are answering the questions without a click. This means websites need to adapt their content strategies for these informational queries.
- For Branded Content: If your website is well-known and people search for your brand specifically, the impact might be less negative, and in some cases, even positive. This highlights the growing importance of building a strong, recognisable brand.
Overall, the data is clear: AI Today, we are seeing a large shift in which traditional search results are being outdone by AI Overviews. What we are also seeing is that businesses that used to dominate in the top 3 for general keywords may now be seeing a drop in clicks.
Smart Moves for Brands in the AI World
So, what should brands do to stay strong and visible with these changes?
- Build Strong Brand Recognition (Brand Equity): This is more important than ever. If people already know and trust your brand, they are more likely to seek you out directly, even if an AI Overview is present. Focus on building your brand via social media, advertising, great customer service, and consistent messaging everywhere.
- Optimise for Featured Snippets, Especially for Non-Branded Queries: While AI Overviews are new, they often pull information in similar ways to “Featured Snippets.” If your content is well-structured and directly answers common questions (using headings, lists, and clear answers), it has a better chance of being picked for a Featured Snippet and an AI Overview. This is especially key for non-branded queries where competition for clicks is tough. Making your content super concise and “snip-able” helps here.
- Focus on “Lower-Funnel” Non-Branded Keywords: Instead of just trying to rank for all general informational questions, focus on non-branded searches where people are closer to buying something. For example, “best [product type] for [specific need]” instead of just “what is [product type]”. These kinds of keywords might have fewer searches, but they can lead to more valuable clicks.
- Think Beyond Just Clicks: While clicks are great, also think about how often your brand is seen (impressions) or mentioned in AI Overviews. This still builds brand awareness and trust.
Bigger Picture: Other Changes in How We Search
AI Overviews are part of an even bigger shift happening online:
- More “Zero-Click Searches”: As AI gets better at giving direct answers, more searches will end without a click to a website. We’re already seeing nearly 60% of searches resulting in no clicks. This trend is being fueled by AI.
- Shifts to Paid Search Ads: With organic (free) results potentially getting fewer clicks, some businesses might put more money into paid ads (the ones at the very top or bottom of Google with “Ad” next to them). This is because ads can guarantee visibility.
- More Conversational Search: People are asking more complex, conversational questions to Google, knowing AI can handle them. This means our content needs to be written in a more natural, answer-focused way.
These trends mean the online landscape is always moving, and we need to move with it!
Conclusion
To wrap up, understanding the impact of AI Overviews on branded vs. non-branded queries is absolutely crucial for anyone doing SEO. While branded searches often see less disruption (and sometimes even a boost in CTR), non-branded searches can experience a significant drop in clicks due to AI Overviews.
This means brands need to be smart. Focus on building a strong brand name that people trust, and make your general informational content super clear, concise, and optimised for those quick AI answers and Featured Snippets.
Don’t let these shifts catch you off guard! If you need help making sure your website is ready for the new world of AI search, contact us at Rankingeek Marketing Agency today for SEO services. We can help you navigate these changes and keep your brand in the spotlight!
