How Google's AI Overview Is Rewiring Our Search Behaviour

For almost two years, Show and Tell has been helping clients prepare for a fundamental shift in search behaviour: the rise of AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude. We positioned generative engine optimization as critical because we saw users beginning to bypass traditional search entirely in favour of conversational AI interfaces.

We still believe that trend is real and important. But in the last few months, we've recognized something bigger happening in plain sight — and it’s given us reason to revisit our own assumptions.

[Sidebar: With any technology, but especially AI, things happen fast. We have an advantage in spotting trends and validating assumptions because we’ve been swimming in these waters for a while. Beware the newcomers.]

Google just became an AI answer engine (not that you noticed)

According to a report by Advanced Web Ranking, Google now serves AI Overviews in over 60 per cent of searches as of November 2025, up from just 13 per cent in March. This is the new default experience for the majority of Google users, whether they realize they're interacting with AI or not.

This matters because it reframes the opportunity. The shift to AI-powered search isn't some speculative future where users abandon Google for ChatGPT. It's happening right now, on the platform that already dominates search behaviour. Google has become the default AI answer engine, and most users don't even know it.

4 reasons not to worry (and to embrace AI Overviews)

For marketers, this is better news than we initially thought.

1. This isn't about changing user behaviour. It's about adapting to behaviour that's already shifted. Your customers are already encountering AI-generated answers when they search. The question is whether your brand shows up in those answers or gets left out entirely.
2. The same principles that govern generative engine optimization apply directly to Google's AI Overviews. (Want a primer? We wrote one several months ago. Or, just reach out to chat with us.) The platform is still Google. The index is still Google's index. The ranking signals, the structured data, the content quality standards—it's all the same infrastructure we've been optimizing for years, just processed through a new interface layer.
3. This is a much easier conversation with clients. Senior leaders understand Google. They've been investing in search for years. Explaining why they need to show up in AI Overviews on Google is far more intuitive than convincing them to optimize for a new, lesser-known platform. It's the same search behaviour they've always cared about, just evolved.
4. It solves a common objection we've heard: "If we're getting so little traffic from ChatGPT, why invest in this?" The answer is no longer speculative. It's because more than half of your Google searches now surface AI-generated content, and if you're not optimized for it, you're invisible in the majority of search results.

Show and Tell's early-mover advantage (and why most agencies are already behind)

Here's where our early-mover advantage comes in. While many agencies are just now waking up to the opportunity in generative AI and search visibility, Show and Tell has been immersed in this space for years. 

We've been testing, iterating and refining strategies while the landscape was still forming. That means we can recognize patterns and anticipate shifts that others are only beginning to notice (including the one at the heart of this article… sorry if that's too meta).

AI search isn't replacing Google — it's leveraging it

AI search is usually a supplement to traditional search, not a replacement. We’ve seen this first-hand over the last year-plus, by analyzing our clients' AI search data.

Users aren't leaving Google: they're getting AI-powered answers when they search. Following this example, the companies that understand how to show up in both experiences will reap the most rewards.

Show and Tell has the experience and the insights to help you dominate the AI-powered search experience that's already here. If you're wondering whether your content is optimized for this new reality (or if you're still treating AI Overviews as a distant concern), contact us for a FREE discovery call.