Google AI Overviews for brand searches reported moving to right column
What this answers
- Is Google putting AI Overviews in the right column for brand searches?
- SEOs report that for many brand-name searches on desktop, Google now shows the AI Overview in a right-hand panel where a Knowledge Panel used to sit, rather than in the main results. Google has not commented.
Google appears to be showing AI Overviews for many brand-name searches in the right-hand column on desktop, in the spot where a Knowledge Panel would sit, instead of at the top or middle of the main results, per Search Engine Roundtable. SEO Chris Long posted examples on Nov 2, and David McSweeney reported a similar layout change on Oct 31, noting some variations where the panel appears further down the page. Google has not commented, and it is not clear whether this is a test or a rollout.
Why it matters: Brand queries are where an AI Overview describes a company in Google's words, and moving it into the panel slot once held by the Knowledge Panel changes what a brand's results page looks like, though Google has not said whether this is a test or a rollout.
The record: GoogleGoogle AI Overviews
Glossary: SEOAI Overviews
Via Search Engine Roundtable ↗
Posted to the wire November 2, 2026. Edited by Joe Balewski.