With Google's AI mode developments, we're heading toward a future where search results could eventually roll up into one big AI Overview.
Soon it won't be a case of "Should I, or shouldn't I optimize for AI Overviews?"
If you want any chance of search visibility, you'll need to understand how to rank in Google's AI results.
With this new reality in mind, we've analyzed 75,000 brands to see which search factors are most likely to influence brand mentions in AI Overviews.
Let's get into it.
Top takeaways
The objective of this study was to find out which search factors correspond with higher brand visibility in AI Overviews.
Brand web mentions show the strongest correlation (0.664) with AI Overview brand visibility.
Web mentions (0.664) correlate much more strongly than backlinks (0.218).
The top 3 correlations are all off-site factors: brand web mentions (0.664), brand anchors (0.527), and brand search volume (0.392).
Paid factors like branded ad traffic (0.216) and branded ad cost (0.215) show weak positive correlations.
Brands earning the most web mentions earn up to 10X more mentions in AI Overviews vs. the next closest quartile.
26% of brands have zero mentions in AI Overviews.
The methodology
In this study, we set out to research "domain" factors and "keyword" factors, and see how they correlated with visibility in AI Overviews.
Domain Factors:
- •Domain Rating (DR)
- •# of referring domains
- •# of backlinks
- •Ad traffic & Ad cost
- •URL rating
Keyword Factors:
- •Branded web mentions (mentions of the brand name anywhere across the web)
- •Branded anchors (mentions in hyperlinked text)
- •Branded search volume (monthly search volume)
1. Your brand's web presence is everything
The strongest correlations with AI Overview mentions are all off-site factors:
- 0.664 — Branded web mentions
- 0.527 — Branded anchors
- 0.392 — Branded search volume
This aligns with what we're seeing across the industry: AI visibility isn't just about your website—it's about how widely your brand shows up across the web.
"Brand search volume is the biggest predictor for visibility in ChatGPT… The number of AI Chatbot mentions and brand search volume have a correlation of .334 - pretty good in this field."
— Kevin Indig, Organic Growth Advisor
2. AI Overview visibility correlates weakly with link metrics
When it comes to brand visibility in AI Overviews, online brand mentions appear to be more impactful than link building.
- 0.326 — Domain Rating
- 0.295 — Number of referring domains
- 0.218 — Number of backlinks
3. Branded traffic matters, but not as much as you'd think
Branded traffic is the organic traffic your site receives from branded keywords.
We found it to show a weak correlation (0.274) with brand mentions in AI Overviews.
AI Overviews are more likely to favor text-based signals like web mentions (0.664) and anchors (0.527), over user behavior signals like organic traffic (0.274).
4. Ads won't save you if you want AI Overview visibility
We saw relatively weak correlations between paid efforts and AI mentions:
- 0.216 — Branded ad traffic
- 0.215 — Branded ad cost
It seems that throwing money at paid search won't necessarily boost your brand's AI Overview visibility.
5. Brands with top web mentions earn up to 10X more AI mentions
Brands in the top 25% for "web mentions" average 169 AI Overview mentions—that's over 10X more than the next quartile down (14 mentions).
If your brand sits in the lower 50% of web mentions, you're essentially invisible to AI systems.
What's next?
If you want to boost your brand's AI Overview presence, here's what to prioritize:
01Build your web mentions
With the strongest correlation (0.664), focus on getting your brand discussed across the web. Think: PR, thought leadership, and strategic partnerships.
02Encourage relevant brand anchors
Brand-rich anchor text (0.527) matters significantly. Make sure publications are linking to you with your brand name in the anchor.
03Drive branded search volume
The third strongest factor (0.392) suggests you should invest in campaigns that get people actively searching for your brand name.
04Mind the visibility cliff
If you're in the bottom 50% of web mentions, you're essentially invisible to AI. Prioritize climbing into that top quartile.
Ultimately, building and measuring your brand awareness is key to earning compounding visibility in AI search.
