Search your business name on Google today, and there's a good chance the first thing you see isn't your website. It's a summary of your business written by Google's AI.
In late September, data from search tracking company DemandSphere showed Google's AI Overviews appearing on more than 80% of the branded searches it tracks, up from about 26% at the start of the month. A separate test of 100 brands found AI summaries for 93 of them, including smaller companies. Google hasn't announced the change.
That means the first impression many customers get when they look you up is a paragraph Google wrote, pulled from sources you may not control.
1. Why this matters for small businesses
People who search your name already know who you are. They're referrals, repeat customers, or someone who saw your sign or your truck. These are your warmest leads. If the AI summary gets your hours wrong, brings up an old complaint, lists services you don't offer, or leans on a directory listing that's out of date, it shapes their decision before they ever reach your site.
Nobody has measured yet how much these summaries reduce clicks to business websites. But whether people click or not, what the summary says about you needs to be accurate.
2. Check what the AI says about you
Search your business name a few different ways: your name alone, your name plus your town, and your name plus words like "reviews," "pricing," or "hours." For each one, read the AI summary closely. Is it accurate? Which sources does it link to? Is your own website one of them?
3. Fix the sources it pulls from
AI summaries are built from what's already online, so fixing the summary means fixing the sources. Start with your own website. Make sure your About, Services, and Contact pages clearly state who you are, what you do, where you work, and when you're open. Then update your Google Business Profile and the directories that matter in your industry so your details match everywhere.
4. Give the AI clear facts to work with
Write plainly. A sentence like "We're a family-owned HVAC company serving Suffolk County since 2009" is easy for AI to pick up and repeat. Vague marketing language is not. Answer common questions directly on your site, too. A short FAQ about pricing, service area, and how you work gives the AI accurate material to draw from.
Add Organization or LocalBusiness schema markup so search engines can read your key details in a structured format. It's one of the simplest ways to make sure machines get the basics right.
Check again every month or two. AI summaries change as their sources change, and a quick search of your own name is the easiest way to catch a problem before your customers do.
What I'd do this week
Spend 15 minutes searching your business name a few different ways and screenshot what you see. If something's wrong, trace it back to where it came from and fix it there.
Checking how AI search describes a business is now part of every website review I do. If you'd like a second set of eyes on what Google is saying about yours, I'm happy to take a look.
