Google moves brand AI Overviews to the right column
Google appears to have moved AI Overviews for many brand queries into the desktop right column, where knowledge panels sat. Google has not announced it, and no click data exists yet on the effect.
- AI Overviews for many brand queries now show in the desktop right column, in US examples.
- The brand's own site leads the main column again, but traffic impact is unmeasured.
- Audit your branded SERPs, check what the AI panel says, and track branded clicks.
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Google has moved AI Overviews for many brand-name searches from the main results into the right-hand column of desktop results, the spot knowledge panels have long occupied. Google has not announced the change, according to Search Engine Roundtable and PPC Land.
What changed in Google’s brand search results?
As reported by Search Engine Roundtable on November 2, 2026, AI Overviews for “many” brand keywords now appear in the right column instead of at the top or middle of the main results. Chris Long of Nectiv and David McSweeney spotted it on X. Long wrote that Google is showing AI Overviews “instead of a Knowledge Panel” for brand terms.
PPC Land notes that its examples (Apple, Zillow, Coca-Cola, Google) all show US results, that Google has not said whether this is a test, and that the rollout looks uneven: McSweeney saw some AI Overviews further down the page instead.
Does the new layout help or hurt brands?
It is a mixed picture, and much of it is still interpretation. In PPC Land’s examples, the official site and its sitelinks lead the main column again. Earlier Ahrefs data cited by PPC Land showed AI Overviews taking position one for 48 of 63 brand names in its panel by September 30. So for navigational queries, the page looks more like the old results.
The catch is who writes the brand description. A knowledge panel was built from entity data brands could influence. An AI Overview is generated from sources the model picks, and Ahrefs found Wikipedia cited most often. PPC Land also points to a Zillow panel where the AI text said the company was founded in 2006 while a fact row said 2004. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable questioned whether AI should describe a brand better than its own site.
Nobody has published click data for this placement. Per PPC Land, Search Console’s generative AI report shows impressions but no clicks or queries, so brands cannot measure the effect first-hand.
How to check your brand’s AI Overview in Google
- Search your brand name, product names and top navigational queries on desktop, and screenshot the result. Do it from the US and your main markets, since the layout may vary.
- Read the AI-written description line by line: founding date, leadership, products, locations. Note errors and where they disagree with the fact rows.
- Check which sources it cites. If it relies on Wikipedia or third-party pages, fix inaccuracies there and keep your own About and facts pages clear and consistent.
- Use the “Suggest edits” option if your panel shows it. Google has not said whether it covers the AI text.
- Compare branded clicks and CTR in Search Console before and after November 2, and annotate the date. Treat any change as a correlation, not proof.
- If you run brand paid search, review the page your branded clicks land on, since the layout around them changed.