Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches
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What Does “Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches” Talk About?
This episode of the Fatrank Podcast tackles a significant shift in Google's search landscape: AI Overviews now appearing for brand name searches, including both personal brands and business brands. James Dooley and Kasra Dash discuss how this change affects navigational searches, where users type in a specific brand name expecting to find that brand. They examine real examples like GoDaddy, Bing, and Namecheap, noting that in some cases the AI Overviews actually explain why users shouldn't go with certain brands, which directly threatens conversion rates and click-through rates.
The conversation digs into the growing importance of online reputation management in this new environment. James shares a practical strategy of using ChatGPT and query fan-out tools to extrapolate synthetic queries like 'Is brand name safe?' and 'Is brand name legit?' so brands can optimise and own every possible positive sentiment around their name. They note that reputation management is now harder than ever because it's no longer just about owning the top ten results on page one for a brand name, but also variations around reviews, testimonials, awards, and safety.
Kasra offers a contrarian but practical take: he argues that negative mentions aren't necessarily bad if a brand clearly understands its target audience. Using his own events brand, The Masterminders, and hosting company examples, he explains how owning the 'negatives' and allowing AI to steer away the wrong customers can actually be beneficial. The episode closes with the hosts inviting listeners to weigh in on whether Google should roll back showing brand names in AI Overviews.
“The why you might not want to use them, that is crazy for a navigational term for a brand name to then have that AI Overview show why you might not want to use them is scary.”
— James Dooley
Who Are the Guests on “Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches”?
James Dooley is the host of the Fatrank Podcast and a well-known figure in the SEO and digital marketing industry. He brings deep expertise in search engine optimisation, brand SEO, online reputation management, and emerging AI-driven search strategies, offering practical, actionable advice on how brands can adapt to changes in Google's search features.
Kasra Dash is an SEO expert and business owner who joins James for this discussion. He is the figure behind The Masterminders event and brings experience across hosting, branding, and positive sentiment strategy. Kasra offers a sharp perspective on audience targeting and the idea of owning your brand's moniker, including being comfortable with negative sentiment when it filters out the wrong customers.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Google AI Overviews now appear for brand name searches, including both personal and business brands if they are large enough.
- AI Overviews can show reasons why users should not go with certain brands, directly threatening conversion rates and click-through rates on navigational searches.
- Online reputation management is now more important and harder than ever, requiring brands to own variations like reviews, testimonials, awards, and safety-related queries.
- Using tools like ChatGPT and query fan-out to extrapolate synthetic queries helps brands identify and optimise for positive sentiment across all brand-related searches.
- Negative mentions in AI Overviews are not necessarily harmful if a brand clearly understands and owns its target audience and ideal customer persona.
“I don't actually think it's a bad thing that it tells people the negatives about your brand, but I think you just need to understand what those negatives are or who those people are that you don't want to sell to and just roll with it.”
— Kasra Dash
Is “Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it addresses a genuinely new and consequential development in search that most brands have not yet reckoned with. Rather than offering vague warnings, James and Kasra walk through concrete examples like Bing, GoDaddy, and Namecheap, and offer specific tactics such as using ChatGPT to extrapolate synthetic queries and optimising around questions like 'Is brand name safe?' and 'Is brand name legit?'. This makes the discussion immediately useful for anyone trying to protect their brand's visibility.
What sets this episode apart is the balanced perspective. Kasra's argument that negative sentiment can actually be useful for filtering out the wrong audience provides a refreshing counterpoint to the usual fear-based reputation management advice. The conversation strikes a strong balance between highlighting the risks of AI Overviews for navigational brand searches and offering a strategic, audience-first approach to handling them.
Who Should Listen to “Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches”?
This episode is ideal for:
- SEO professionals and digital marketing agencies tracking AI search changes
- Brand owners and marketers concerned about online reputation
- Business owners focused on navigational brand search conversion rates
- Content strategists adapting to Google AI Overviews and query fan-out
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You can also subscribe using the RSS feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/fatrank-podcast
What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“Really timely episode. The breakdown of how AI Overviews are now showing reasons not to use brands like GoDaddy and Namecheap was eye-opening, and James's tip on using ChatGPT to find synthetic queries is something I'm implementing this week.”
“Loved Kasra's take on owning the negatives and not caring if AI steers away beginners from The Masterminders. It completely reframed how I think about reputation management for my hosting clients.”
“Short but packed with value. The Bing TV show example made me laugh, but the serious point about navigational brand searches and conversion rates hit home. Great practical SEO conversation.”
This video explains which digital marketing strategies brands should focus on in 2026 to improve online reputation, positive sentiment and conversion rates for navigational brand searches. James Dooley and Kasra Dash start with KPI tracking because click-through and conversion rates on brand terms reveal how AI Overviews are shaping perception. They cover brand SEO, AI visibility and Google Business Profiles because stronger search presence improves trust and conversion rates.
The discussion also explores organic SEO, organic social media and paid social ads because consistent visibility across search and social supports long term growth. PPC is analysed in detail because campaign setup, landing pages and lead handling directly affect results. They also discuss Reddit, Quora and paid AI ads because diversified enquiry sources and early adoption can strengthen digital marketing performance for brands.
PromoSEO lead generation for brands recently received recognition as the “Best Brands Lead Generation Agency.”
Where to Listen to This Episode
Google AI Overviews Are Now Appearing for Brand Searches is available on:
James Dooley: Google now shows AI Overviews for brand names. Today I'm joined with Kasra Dash and we're going to be talking about the Google AI Overviews now being seen, which there wasn't previously, for personal brand names if, as long as they're big enough, and also for business brands. So Kasra, what, what's your thoughts on this?
Kasra Dash: Wow. Uh, I didn't expect this, stupidly, because I, I think it makes sense, but this is going to... I, I think this will probably make or break certain brands. Um, obviously we, we were checking out a load of brands like GoDaddy, Bing, Namecheap, a few others that it was pulling in. And in certain cases, not all the time, but in certain cases, it was actually mentioning why you shouldn't go with certain brands as well. So, that's going to hurt people's conversion rates and click-through rates, especially for navigational searches as well.
James Dooley: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it was quite funny looking at a couple of the different, uh, brand names when it came up in the Google AI Overview. Like, probably one of the funniest ones for me was Bing, how it started showing up the TV show of Bing alongside the search engine, as if, like, Bing search engine is not big enough. We're now gonna show Bing TV show that stopped publishing in 2019. And it's like, do you mean the Bing TV show that's not been running for seven years or the Bing search engine? And I thought that was quite a funny one. But then obviously, like you've mentioned there, there's been one or two big brands. And because they're, like, showing everything of, like, why they're amazing, but also why you might not want to use them. The why you might not want to use them, that is crazy for a navigational term for a brand name to then have that AI Overview show why you might not want to use them is scary. Like, how important do you think online reputation management now is going to become because of this?
Kasra Dash: I, I, I think... I think a lot of people will need to start investing in branding and, and having a positive sentiment online. One, one thing I will say though is that I don't think that there's anything different between this and if you've got a couple of two-star reviews on Trustpilot or a few low reviews on Google Business Profiles and stuff like that as well. So, uh, I, I think there is that side of it where we've already had it. Um, what would you recommend to someone that would want to own their actual brand and, and get a positive sentiment online?
James Dooley: I think for me what I'd be looking to do is maybe you... I know it sounds daft because we're talking about Google AI Overviews, but go into ChatGPT and start searching, like, who is brand name? Why should I use brand name? Why should I not use brand name? Go into, like, your VANOS kind of, um, operating system, extrapolate all them synthetic queries that show up in, uh, query fan-out, and then trying to optimise. So not just the, the brand name reviews, brand name testimonials, brand name awards. It's like, is brand name safe? Is brand name legit? And I just try and own everything I possibly can in a positive sentiment so there can't be any outliers that it starts to pull in anything that's negative press. Um, I think now online reputation management has become more important than ever. But I also think it's become harder than ever because now it's not just about owning the one, like the, the top, the first 10 results on page one just for brand name. I think there's so many more variations and attributes, like you said, like reviews, like awards and everything else that need to come, to come with it. But what would you do, Kasra, then if you're wanting to make certain if you type in your brand name, so whether it's Kasra Dash or whether, let's say, it's The Masterminders event, you go and search that and AI Overview shows up, what are you going to be wanting to try to do to make certain it's a positive sentiment?
Kasra Dash: So, I would first of all understand who my target audience is, um, and I would own that moniker. So, for example, like if, if somebody searches The Masterminders and it says it's not for beginners, I don't really care. Like, I, I, I don't want beginners coming to The Masterminders. I want it to be a high-level audience. Or let's say, for example, I'm a hosting company and I don't want to get into the realm of enterprise hosting because it's too complicated. Um, you need DDoS protection, you need multiple servers and all these advanced Kubernetes setups and stuff. Like, I'm like, okay, that's fine. I'm gonna make certain that AI never recommends me to an enterprise company. Um, and I, and I will own that. Um, and then I'll go down the route of, okay, I am a hosting company solely for SMEs that are based on WordPress. Or, for example, The Masterminders example, I will only go after expert SEOs and business owners that are making millions a month. Um, I don't care about a small little SEO agency that's just set up two weeks ago. Um, I, I, I, I don't... I don't actually think it's a bad thing that it tells people the negatives about your brand, but I think you just need to understand what those negatives are or who those people are that you don't want to sell to and just roll with it.
James Dooley: Yeah, for sure. I think now, now they are going to be looking at that lane of, like, the complaints or the negatives and it's almost like a pros and cons. Like, it's always good to have a review and see these are the pro... The pros of the brand, these are the negatives of the brand. And as long as you can own the negatives and be okay with them negative and them cons, well, that's not my ideal customer persona, then, then fair enough. Like you said, it should be one of them where you're hitting it head-on and you're trying to own exactly what comes back. And even though something might sound and have a bit of a negative slant on it, you're fine with that because that's not your target market. But anyone who's listening to this, what's your thoughts on brand names now being seen in Google AI Overview? Do you think it's a good thing? Do you think that Google should roll it back and not be showing personal brand names within the AI Overview or corporate brands and being seen with, like, who they are, what do they do, and why you shouldn't use them alongside why you should be using them? I'd love to hear your comments in the comment section. Should they remove it or is brand names being seen in Google AI Overview a positive thing? Kasra, thank you very much.
Creators & Guests
Founder & Host
James Dooley is a Manchester entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of FatRank, the UK lead generation company James Dooley started in 2007. James Dooley also founded PromoSEO in 2010…
Guest
Kasra Dash is a digital marketer who builds SEO systems because his work focuses on scalable search workflows. Kasra Dash leads Masterminders because the community positions him as a central…