Google Moves Brand AI Overviews to the Side: What MENA Brands Should Track Now

On Monday 2 November 2026, Google started showing AI Overviews for many brand searches in the right-hand column of desktop results instead of above or between the links. PPC Land reported it on 3 November with examples for Apple, Zillow, Coca-Cola and Google itself. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable described it as AI Overviews essentially replacing the brand knowledge panel.

Two caveats before you act on it. Every published example was a US desktop result, and Google has not announced or confirmed the change. A Google spokesperson only said that AI Overviews create new opportunities for brands.

What changed in the brand results?

For a brand query, the space on the right of the desktop results used to hold the knowledge panel: logo, short description, social profiles, sometimes stock price or opening hours. In the examples reported on 2 November, that space now holds an AI Overview. The organic results and ads in the main column move up, because the AI Overview no longer sits on top of them.

Ahrefs had already found AI Overviews on 63 of 100 brand names by 30 September 2026, so brand searches were not free of AI answers before this. What is new is where the answer sits.

Does it apply to Arabic and MENA brand searches?

We do not know yet. None of the reports name an Arab market or Arabic queries. On 8 November we checked 10 Arabic and English brand searches with Saudi, UAE and Egyptian settings. The results are in the next section.

What we saw in Arabic and English brand searches (Update, 8 November 2026)

Update, 8 November 2026: We searched 10 well-known regional brand names on desktop, five in English and five in Arabic, with the Google country set to Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Egypt. In none of the 10 did the AI Overview sit in the right-hand column. So the move reported in the US had not reached these searches on that day.

Eight of the 10 searches showed an AI Overview, all in the main column. Six of those sat below the brand’s own first result, and two (both for Careem) sat at the top. The knowledge panel was still on the right in six searches. Arabic and English behaved the same way for every brand except Jarir, where neither version showed an AI Overview.

One finding matters more than the position. For noon, the AI Overview said the company is headquartered in Riyadh with a second hub in Dubai, while the knowledge panel on the same page listed Dubai as the headquarters. The two boxes Google shows for one brand gave different answers. That is the kind of conflict a brand should look for in its own results.

How we tested: Chrome on desktop, signed in to a Google account, from a connection in Egypt, with the country and language set in the search URL. Google can still personalise results by account and location, so treat this as one snapshot, not a measurement for the region. We will repeat it if the US change spreads.

What should a MENA brand track now?

1. In Search Console, filter Performance to your brand queries (Arabic and English spellings) and compare the days from 2 November with the four weeks before. Watch click-through rate on desktop separately from mobile.
2. Search your own brand name on desktop, signed out, with the country set to each market you sell in. Note what sits on the right side: a knowledge panel, an AI Overview, or nothing.
3. Read the AI Overview for your brand if one appears. Check that it names the right products, prices and locations. Errors there are now in the most visible spot on the page.
4. If you run brand Search campaigns, note that Google’s help pages say Performance Max may filter out navigational and brand searches in favour of dedicated brand Search campaigns. Keep a separate brand campaign if brand clicks matter to you.

What does this mean for GEO?

For brands, the AI Overview on your own name is now a first impression. The sources it draws on are the same ones that shape ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity answers about you: your own site, Wikipedia or Wikidata where you have an entry, reviews, directories and news coverage. Keeping those consistent in Arabic and English is the work that pays off whichever column Google chooses.

Frequently asked questions

Has Google confirmed the move?

No. As of 8 November 2026 Google had not announced it. The reports are based on observed results.

Is the knowledge panel gone?

In the reported US desktop examples, the AI Overview took its place on the right. Mobile results and other countries were not covered.

Sources: PPC Land, 3 November 2026; Search Engine Roundtable as quoted by PPC Land; Ahrefs brand AI Overview data as cited by PPC Land.