Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly appearing for branded search queries, with the feature now showing in 83% of US desktop branded searches, according to new research by Ahrefs.
The findings suggest that brands may have less control over what users see when they search for their names, as AI-generated summaries increasingly occupy prominent positions in Google search results and cite third-party websites such as Wikipedia, YouTube and LinkedIn.
AI Overviews surge for branded searches
Ahrefs analysed 232.8 million US desktop Google search-result crawls conducted between July and September 2026.
The dataset included:
- 92.5 million branded-keyword crawls
- 140.2 million non-branded-keyword crawls
As of September 29, AI Overviews appeared in 82.91% of search results for branded keywords, according to the research.
The monthly average also increased significantly:
- July: 61.3%
- August: 65.1%
- September: 73.3%
This represents a 12-percentage-point increase between July and September.
By comparison, AI Overviews for non-branded searches increased by only 4.8 percentage points during the same period.
Most branded AI Overviews appear at the top
The prominence of AI Overviews could be particularly significant for brands because the feature frequently appears above the brand's own website.
Ahrefs examined 100 brands selected from Interbrand's Best Global Brands 2025 across 14 weekly checkpoints.
By September 30, 63 of the 100 brand-name searches produced an AI Overview. This compared with just five among 98 usable results at the beginning of July.
More significantly, 48 of the 63 AI Overviews appeared in position one, representing 76.2% of the sample.
The average position was 1.49.
This means users searching directly for a company or brand could increasingly encounter Google's AI-generated summary before reaching the brand's own website.
Wikipedia, YouTube and LinkedIn dominate external citations
The research also examined the sources cited by AI Overviews.
Among external sources, Wikipedia, YouTube and LinkedIn were the most frequently cited.
Wikipedia accounted for almost 72% of external citations, according to Ahrefs.
While Wikipedia can provide relatively neutral information about a brand, the growing use of third-party sources creates a potential challenge for companies seeking to control their online reputation.
YouTube and LinkedIn, in particular, can contain content that brands have less direct control over.
Competitor mentions remain relatively rare
There was, however, some positive news for brands.
Of the 58 AI Overview responses where Ahrefs could examine the complete text, only two responses explicitly mentioned competitors.
One was Pepsi, whose AI Overview referenced Coca-Cola in the context of the cola wars. The other was Intel, whose response mentioned TSMC and NVIDIA.
Ahrefs also found only one verified competitor-owned website among 57 available source lists.
This suggests that while third-party sources are frequently cited, Google's AI Overviews do not commonly appear to rely on competing brands as sources.
Why this matters for businesses
The growing presence of AI Overviews could change how consumers interact with branded search results.
Traditionally, someone searching for a company by name would be expected to see the company's website prominently and click through to it.
With AI Overviews, Google can provide information directly within the search results, potentially reducing the need for users to visit the brand's website.
Ahrefs' previous research found that the presence of an AI Overview was associated with a 58% lower click-through rate for the top-ranking page.
For branded searches, however, the concern may go beyond lost traffic.
The bigger issue is who controls the information users see about a brand.
If Google generates an answer using information from Wikipedia, YouTube, LinkedIn or other external sources, a company may have less control over the narrative presented to potential customers.
A growing SEO challenge
The development could have significant implications for SEO, digital marketing and brand reputation management.
Brands may increasingly need to consider not only how their own websites rank on Google, but also how accurately and favourably information about them is represented across third-party platforms that Google's AI systems use as sources.
As Ahrefs noted, Google frequently changes how and when AI Overviews appear, meaning the current figures may change.
However, the continued expansion of AI-generated search results suggests that branded search is becoming another important area where businesses must adapt to Google's AI-driven search experience.
Source: Ahrefs Blog