--- title: "Google’s AI summary now shows on over 80% of searches" description: "Three tracking tools say AI Overviews now appear on most Google searches. What it means for a small business and what to check this week." url: https://dumbcmo.com/blog/ai-overviews-on-80-percent-of-searches category: "Getting found" tags: ["news", "ai overviews", "seo", "google"] published: 2026-10-26 updated: 2026-10-26 reading_time: 3 min author: "The DumbCMO" --- # Google’s AI summary now shows on over 80% of searches > **TL;DR:** Tracking tools now put Google’s AI summary on 80%+ of searches, up from about half in mid-2025. Your clicks may keep falling. Your job is to be the business the summary mentions. [Notebook](https://dumbcmo.com) › [Blog](https://dumbcmo.com/blog) › Getting found › Google’s AI summary now shows on over 80% of searches Remember when Google showed ten blue links and you fought for the top one? Now there’s a big box above all ten, written by a robot, and most people never scroll past it. ## In normal-people words Google’s AI summary is called an AI Overview (). On 26 October 2026, Search Engine Roundtable reported data from three tracking tools (Semrush, SE Ranking and seoClarity) suggesting it now appears on **over 80% of Google searches**. That’s up from about 50% in June last year. The tools don’t agree exactly. SE Ranking found the summary on 82.5% of brand searches in the US. seoClarity, about a month earlier, had it at 62%, ranging from 55% to 84% depending on the industry. Different tools, different search lists, different numbers. The direction is the same. > **The DumbCMO:** Eighty percent. The box isn’t the exception any more. The box is the d#mn page. ## What it means for a small business **What to do about it** - **If** You write blog posts that answer simple questions **→ then** Expect fewer clicks on those. Google can answer “how long does fondant last” by itself. - **If** Your customers search for you by name **→ then** Good news. Brand searches show the box too, but people who want you still scroll down and find you. - **If** You rely on traffic from “how to” posts **→ then** Check how many of those visitors ever bought. If it’s almost none, you’re losing vanity, not money. ## The chai stall version Your chai stall sits on a busy road. One day a new board goes up on the corner: “Best chai nearby: ask this board.” The board gives people your name, or the stall opposite’s. **You can’t take the board down. You can make sure it knows your name.** ## The boring fixes still work The box is built from pages and reviews Google trusts. So the old basics are now the new strategy: - Answer real customer questions clearly, in plain words, on your own site. - Keep your [Google Business Profile](/blog/google-business-profile) and reviews fresh. That’s what local summaries lean on. - Make sure people can search your name and find you. For the full explainer, read [Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI?](/blog/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-answers) ## Do this today - [ ] Search your own business name and two things you sell. Screenshot what the AI box says. - [ ] Open Search Console and compare impressions with clicks over the last three months. A growing gap is the box at work. - [ ] Pick your three most-asked customer questions and make sure each has a clear answer on your site. - [ ] Ask three happy customers for a Google review this week. ## Not-so-frequently asked questions ### Is SEO dead? No. The people who want to buy still search and still click. What’s dying is traffic from simple question-and-answer posts. ### Can I switch the AI summary off for my site? Google has controls to limit how your content appears, but blocking it also means being absent from the box. Think hard before you do. ### Why do the tools show different percentages? Each one tracks a different list of searches. Treat the numbers as a trend, not a fact. ### Should I pay someone for “AI SEO”? Ask what they’ll do that isn’t clear answers, good reviews and a findable name. If nothing, save your money. ## Things your agency won’t say - “We’ll get you into the AI box” is a promise nobody can guarantee. Google picks, not the agency. - Fewer clicks doesn’t mean fewer customers. Check sales, not just traffic. - Your best defence is the same as always: be clearly good at one thing, for a clear group of people. ## Jargon Jail **Locked up: “AI Overview”** Google’s robot-written summary at the top of search results. **It answers the question so people may not click anything.** It’s built from pages Google already trusts. ## Where to go next - The explainer: [Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI?](/blog/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-answers) - The basics: [What is SEO?](/blog/what-is-seo) - Local businesses: [Google Business Profile](/blog/google-business-profile) - Everything on AI answers: [SEO, dumbed down](/seo) ## Sources 1. Search Engine Roundtable, [“Over 80% Of Google Searches Have AI Overviews & Growing”](https://www.seroundtable.com/over-80-of-google-searches-have-ai-overviews-42372.html), 26 October 2026. Figures from Semrush, SE Ranking and seoClarity. ## Related notes - [Google rankings shook on 24 October. Should you do anything?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/google-ranking-shake-october-24): Many rank trackers spiked on Saturday 24 October 2026, which suggests Google changed something. Google hasn't confirmed it. Wait a week, check Search Console, and change nothing in a panic. - [Does SEO still matter now that Google answers with AI?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/seo-in-the-age-of-ai-answers): Yes, SEO still matters, but fewer people click through when Google shows an AI summary. Be the business the summary is built from: clear answers, real reviews and a name people search for. - [How long does SEO actually take?](https://dumbcmo.com/blog/how-long-does-seo-take): Expect three to six months before SEO brings steady visitors, and longer in busy markets. The early weeks are setup. The payoff is that it keeps working after you stop. --- From [DumbCMO](https://dumbcmo.com): The marketing notes you were too embarrassed to take.