- Australian businesses relying on organic search rankings face a major shift, with AI-generated summaries now appearing in roughly one in four Google searches and answering queries without directing users to websites.
- Click-through rates drop by 61% when AI Overviews are present, yet brands cited within those summaries earn approximately 120% more organic clicks per impression than uncited competitors on the same queries.
- The criteria Google uses to select brands for AI Overviews differ from standard ranking factors, meaning a business can hold the top organic position yet remain invisible in the AI summary displayed above it.
- South Melbourne agency UNTMD has updated its search visibility offering to include AI Overview optimisation, focusing on structured content, citation signals, entity authority, and answer-layer signals alongside conventional SEO.
- The shift extends beyond Google, with 12% of Australians now using AI tools to search — more than double the figure from the previous year — according to research firm Telsyte.
SOUTH MELBOURNE, Australia — 16 September 2026 — UNTMD, a South Melbourne digital marketing agency, says Australian businesses that have built their visibility on organic search rankings are facing a structural shift in how Google surfaces information, as AI-generated summaries now appear on roughly one in four searches and answer queries directly without sending users to a website.
The shift is measurable. CTR drops 61% with AI Overviews, according to Seer Interactive's 2025 analysis of brand search data. Separately, Seer Interactive found that brands cited inside AI Overviews earn approximately 120% more organic clicks per impression than uncited brands on the same queries. The same search query produces two entirely different outcomes depending on whether a brand is mentioned in the AI layer or left out of it.
The problem for most Australian businesses is that the factors Google uses to select which brands and sources it cites in AI Overviews are not the same as the factors that determine a standard search ranking. A business can hold the first organic position on a query and still be invisible in the AI summary that sits above it. UNTMD says this is the gap most local brands are not aware of and have not yet accounted for in their search strategy.
"Most of our clients come in thinking their SEO is working because their rankings look fine. Rankings are still relevant, but they are now only part of the picture. The question that matters in 2026 is not just where you rank; it is whether the AI layer knows you exist, what it says about you, and whether it sends the user to you or to a competitor. Those are three different things, and most brands are only measuring one of them," said Maria Kathopoulis, founder of UNTMD.
UNTMD has updated its SEO and search visibility work to account for AI Overview optimisation alongside conventional search, covering structured content, citation signals, entity authority, and the answer-layer signals Google weighs when constructing summaries. 12% use AI to search, up from 5% a year earlier, according to Telsyte, meaning the shift is not limited to Google's own search surface.
The agency works with startups, eCommerce brands, and scale-ups nationally and holds Google Partner, Meta, Klaviyo, HubSpot, and Semrush certifications.
About us:
About UNTMD
UNTMD is an Australian digital marketing agency providing integrated strategy, SEO, paid media, content, social media, PR, email, and brand services to growth-stage founders and scaling brands. The agency is based in South Melbourne and led by Maria Kathopoulis.
Contact details:
Peter Cayetuna
Sr Seo Specialist
UNTMD
1300 009 111
[email protected]
[email protected]
