A Semrush study published on October 21, 2026 finds that Google's AI Overviews now appear on 88% of a fixed set of 400 US commercial searches, up from 45.75% a year earlier. It matters to any business that relies on comparison, pricing, review or "best X for Y" pages to reach buyers.
What we know
- Who and how: Semrush, a company that sells SEO tools, tracked a fixed panel of 400 commercial keywords in banking, ecommerce and software every month from September 2025 to August 2026, using its US desktop Google data.
- The headline figure, per Semrush: AI Overview coverage rose from 45.75% in September 2025 to 88% in August 2026. Weighted by estimated search volume, it reached 97.08%.
- By search type, per the study: "reviews" searches went from about 30% to nearly 90%; "best X for Y" ended at 96.12%; "brand vs brand" rose from 63.41% to over 86%; "alternatives" gained 34 points, to more than 82%.
- By industry, per Semrush: ecommerce price and cost searches climbed from 4.76% to 71.43%, and banking review searches from 13.79% to 89.66%. The lowest in August were banking alternatives (65%), ecommerce pricing (71.43%) and software reviews (75%).
- Who gets cited: in the example the study shows, the overview cites one brand's own guide, a third-party article, a YouTube video and another outside site.
What changes and what doesn't
What changes is the assumption that AI summaries are mainly for informational questions. In this sample they now cover almost every search where a buyer compares options before purchasing.
What doesn't change is what the study can prove. It covers 400 keywords chosen by Semrush, US only, desktop only, in three industries, with no mobile or non-English data. It measures whether an overview appears, not how many clicks a site loses or gains: Semrush's remark that ranking first likely brings less traffic than a year ago comes without a measurement. And the publisher sells the tools it recommends for tracking this.
How to check if it affects you
- Make your list. Write down the 10 commercial searches that matter most to you: "[your service] pricing", "[your brand] reviews", "best [product] for [use]", "[your brand] vs [competitor]".
- Search them yourself. In a private window, note which ones show an AI Overview and which sites it cites. If a competitor, a video or a forum is cited and you aren't, you know where you stand.
- Check Search Console. In the Performance report, filter for those queries and compare clicks and CTR over the last three months with the same period a year ago. Falling CTR with steady impressions fits an AI summary sitting above your result.
- Refresh your pricing and comparison pages. Current prices, a visible update date and a clear answer in the first paragraph, in sentences that make sense on their own.
- Look after reviews beyond your site. Overviews also cite third parties: ask real customers for reviews on your Google Business Profile and on your industry's review sites, within their rules.
Related: Google Adds More Links to AI Mode and AI Overviews
Sources
- Semrush, "AI Overviews have nearly doubled across five commercial search modifiers [Study]", October 21, 2026
- PPC Land, October 22, 2026
- Search Engine Land, October 22, 2026
Updates: if Google publishes data on how often AI Overviews appear on commercial searches, it will be added here with a link.