AI Overviews Now Appear on Most Google Searches, Third-Party Data Shows

AI Overviews now appear on a large majority of Google searches. On October 26, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported that AI Overviews show on over 80% of Google queries, drawing on data from Semrush, SE Ranking and seoClarity. Exact rates vary by dataset and industry, but the direction is clear: the AI summary is now the default top of the results page.

What happened

Barry Schwartz pulled together three third-party datasets in his October 26 report:

• Semrush tracks AI Overview presence in its Sensor tool and published a study of AI Overviews on commercial-modifier queries, broken down by industry and query type.
• SE Ranking found AI Overviews on 82.5% of US branded searches, meaning even searches for a company name often return an AI summary first.
• seoClarity, via Mark Traphagen, shared data showing AI Overviews on over 62% of queries, ranging from 55% to 84% depending on industry.

Schwartz framed the overall picture as “over 80%” and compared it to his earlier reports of about 50% in the prior June and roughly 15% the year before. The numbers come from different keyword sets and methods, so treat any single percentage as directional. The trend across all three is the important part.

Search Engine Roundtable also reported in October that AI Overviews are appearing for typo queries and searches with no good results, another sign Google is extending coverage rather than limiting it.

Why it matters for B2B marketers

For B2B SaaS teams, the practical effect is that the “position 1” you report on is often below an AI-written answer that may or may not mention you.

• Commercial queries are covered too. Semrush’s study specifically looks at commercial modifiers (“best,” “top,” “vs,” “pricing”), the queries closest to pipeline.
• Branded queries are not safe. With SE Ranking’s 82.5% figure for branded searches, a prospect searching your company name may read Google’s summary of you before visiting your site. If that summary pulls outdated pricing or a competitor comparison, it shapes the first impression.
• Citation is the new ranking. Pages cited inside the overview get visibility even when users do not scroll. Pages not cited compete for fewer clicks.

Dataset	What it measured	Reported figure
Combined (SER summary)	All Google searches	Over 80%
SE Ranking	US branded searches	82.5%
seoClarity	Queries by industry	Over 62% (55% to 84%)

What to do now

• Map AI Overview coverage on your money queries. Take your top 50 non-branded and 20 branded queries and record which trigger an AI Overview.
• Record who is cited. For each overview, note the cited domains. Third-party review sites and competitor comparison pages are common winners in B2B.
• Check your branded overview. Search your brand name, “[brand] pricing,” and “[brand] vs [competitor].” Correct anything inaccurate at the source page Google cites.
• Restructure for extraction. Put a direct 40 to 60 word answer under each question-style heading, use tables for comparisons, and keep facts current. Our Google AI Overviews optimization guide walks through the page patterns.
• Update reporting. Add “AI Overview present” and “cited: yes/no” columns to your rank tracking so stakeholders see the real SERP. See how to structure content for AI Overviews for a template.

Sources

• Search Engine Roundtable, “Over 80% Of Google Searches Have AI Overviews & Growing” (Oct 26, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/over-80-of-google-searches-have-ai-overviews-42372.html
• Semrush, AI Overviews commercial modifiers study: https://www.semrush.com/blog/ai-overviews-commercial-modifiers-study/
• SE Ranking, AI Overviews on branded searches: https://visible.seranking.com/blog/ai-overviews-branded-searches/
• Search Engine Roundtable, AI Overviews for no-result queries: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-overviews-no-results-42275.html