DemandSphere’s daily tracking found an AI Overview on 26.12% of its tracked branded keywords on September 1, 2026, rising to a peak of 90.48% on September 27 and ending at 82.06% on September 29. Those figures describe one dataset—not every brand search—and count an Overview appearing on the results page, not Google citing the searched brand.
What DemandSphere’s September figures show
In an October 1, 2026 post, DemandSphere author Ray Grieselhuber characterized the change this way: “AI Overviews have more than tripled in the month of September for branded queries.” The company’s published daily series shows a sharp rise from September 1 to the September 27 high, followed by lower readings. It was volatile rather than a steady, day-by-day climb.
| Date | Tracked branded keywords with an AI Overview |
|---|---|
| September 1, 2026 | 26.12% |
| September 27, 2026 | 90.48% (series high) |
| September 29, 2026 | 82.06% (last value published in the post) |
These are DemandSphere’s reported percentages for its tracked keywords. The post does not give the number of keywords, the sampling frame for brands and queries, or comparable figures from earlier months. Grieselhuber said the company was “working on pulling previous months as well.”
What counts as a branded query—and an Overview
DemandSphere describes its tracked terms as branded keywords; that is broader than searches consisting only of a company’s exact name. Its measure is binary: if a Google results page returned an AI Overview for a tracked query, that query counted as having one. The brand did not have to be mentioned or cited in the Overview.
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So the result supports “AI Overviews appeared on tracked branded queries.” It does not support the different claim that Google cited brands in 82% of searches. Presence on a results page and citation within the generated answer are separate measures.
How the other September measurements compare
Ahrefs also reported high AI Overview prevalence, but its figures come from different samples and methods. They provide context, not a second reading of DemandSphere’s same keyword set.
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| Publisher and measure | Scope and query sample | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| DemandSphere daily series | All markets and devices; branded keywords tracked in DemandMetrics once per day per keyword. Keyword count and sampling frame not stated in the October 1 post. | 26.12% on September 1; 90.48% on September 27; 82.06% on September 29. |
| Ahrefs result-crawl analysis | 232.8 million US desktop Google-result crawls from July to September 2026: 92.5 million for branded keywords and 140.2 million for non-branded keywords. | 73.3% September monthly average for branded keywords; 82.91% on September 29. |
| Ahrefs exact-name panel | Exact-name searches for 100 brands selected from Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2025, checked at 14 weekly checkpoints. | 63 of 100 brand searches showed an AI Overview on September 30. |
| Chris Long observation, reported by Search Engine Roundtable | A test of 100 enterprise brand names; the September 30 account describes many examples as showing an Overview mid-page. | 93 of 100 tested brand names had an AI Overview. |
The measures are not interchangeable: the datasets differ in geography and device scope, query definition, sampling frame, observation schedule, and whether a figure is a daily result or a monthly average. Ahrefs’ broader branded-keyword analysis should also be kept separate from its 100-brand exact-name panel. The Chris Long observation, relayed by Search Engine Roundtable, is a small test rather than a representative survey of all brands.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How DemandSphere collected its data
DemandSphere says it checked tracked keywords daily in DemandMetrics, once per day per keyword, across all markets and devices. The reported result is whether an Overview appeared; it does not depend on whether the brand was cited. The post says market and device breakdowns were still in progress and does not disclose the tracked keyword count or query-selection method.
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For its larger crawl analysis, Ahrefs reports 232.8 million US desktop Google-result crawls across July to September 2026, including 92.5 million branded-keyword crawls. Its separate panel used exact-name searches for 100 selected brands at 14 weekly checkpoints. The different Ahrefs samples answer different questions and should not be combined into one percentage.
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What the data do not establish
- Why the rate changed: The cited reports do not establish a cause. DemandSphere’s post says Google had made no announcement about this change.
- Whether the shift continued: DemandSphere’s published series ends on September 29; the figures alone do not show what happened afterward.
- What users saw or did: These presence measurements do not establish how many people viewed or clicked an Overview.
- Business effects or accuracy: The reports do not show whether branded traffic or conversions changed, or whether a brand’s information was represented accurately.
Sources
- DemandSphere: “AI Overviews on branded queries tripled in September” (Ray Grieselhuber, October 1, 2026).
- Ahrefs: “AI Overviews Currently Appear for 83% of Branded Searches” (accessed October 3, 2026).
- Search Engine Roundtable: “Google AI Overviews Showing For Many Large Brand Names” (Barry Schwartz, September 30, 2026).
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