Local SEO
Google AI Overview of Your Business: What to Fix Now
- Shipsar Developers
- 16 Oct 2026
- 4 min read
Google has started showing an AI-written summary of your business at the top of your local listing, in place of the plain knowledge panel. It writes that summary from what it can find about you online, and that includes your website and your Google Business Profile. If either one is thin or out of date, the summary will be too, so the fix is to bring both up to date before Google writes its version of you.
What changed in Google Search this month?
Two things, a few weeks apart.
On 17 September, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google is turning local knowledge panels into an AI Overview. Search for a business by name and you may now see an "AI Overview" label on its listing, with a "Show more" button that opens a follow-up chat. The author tested it on his own company. He found the summary mostly correct, but one description was outdated, and he pointed out that his own website was old too.
Then on 16 October, Google announced that AI Overviews and AI Mode will show inline, clickable links to the websites they draw from, along with a short note on why each source was picked. Google is also testing a section for official websites at the top of AI Mode answers.
Put those together and you get this: Google is writing a paragraph about you, and it now shows people where that paragraph came from. You want that source to be your own site.
Where does the AI summary get its information?
Google hasn't published the exact inputs. Expect it to lean on:
- Your Google Business Profile: categories, services, hours, description, photos and posts.
- Your website: the home page, service pages, about page and FAQs.
- Reviews: what customers repeat about you, good and bad.
- Other sites that mention you: directories, listings, news and social profiles.
It summarises whatever is out there. If your site still lists a service you stopped offering in 2023, or your profile says you close at 6 when you now close at 8, the summary can repeat that.
How do I check what Google says about my business?
Search your business name on your phone in a private tab, then your name plus your area. Read the summary as a new customer would and ask:
- Is anything wrong: services, hours, location, prices?
- Is anything missing that would win you the job?
- Which links does it show as sources, and are they yours?
Screenshot it so you can compare later.
What should I fix first? A 10-point checklist
Most of this is an afternoon's work. Go in order.
| # | Fix | Where | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Correct hours, phone, address | Business Profile | Wrong basics are the most damaging error in a summary |
| 2 | Primary and secondary categories match what you sell today | Business Profile | Categories frame how Google describes you |
| 3 | Rewrite the business description in plain words: what, for whom, where | Business Profile | Gives the AI a clean sentence to work from |
| 4 | List each service with a one-line description | Business Profile | Services you don't list can't be mentioned |
| 5 | One page per main service, with a clear opening paragraph | Website | These are the pages Google can cite and link |
| 6 | Remove or update stale pages and old offers | Website | Old content gets repeated as if it's current |
| 7 | An FAQ answering real buyer questions (price range, timelines, area served) | Website | Answer-style text is easy for AI to quote |
| 8 | Same name, address and phone everywhere | Directories, social | Conflicting details make the summary hedge or guess |
| 9 | Reply to reviews, especially ones that mention specific services | Business Profile | Reviews shape the "what people say" part |
| 10 | Post an update at least once a month | Business Profile | Shows the listing is active and current |
Does my website matter if I already have a Business Profile?
Yes, and more than before. Google now shows its sources inside the answer. When a customer taps one, it should land on a page that answers their question and makes it easy to call or message you. A slow mobile site that buries the phone number gives Google less to quote and the customer nowhere useful to go.
The profile is the short version. The website is the proof. The AI reads both.
Can I edit the AI Overview directly?
No. You can only change what it reads. If the summary is still wrong after your fixes, give Google time to recrawl, then use the feedback option on the result. Check again monthly.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If you'd rather not spend the afternoon on this, our Google Business Profile optimisation service covers the profile side: categories, services, description, posts and review replies. For the website side, book a free 30-minute website audit. We'll check your mobile speed, SEO basics and enquiry flow, and give you a prioritised fix list you can act on, whoever does the work.
Planning something like this?
Tell us what you want to build and get a fixed-price quote. A senior engineer replies within 4 working hours.
