Where they started
The firm had a large, established site and good traffic from Google. But when we checked 16 searches their buyers make, Google showed an AI Overview on 13 of them, and none named the firm.
The firm was also relaunching its site. About 650 old URLs needed a new home, and the sector pages, the ones hiring managers read, needed a rebuild.
What we did
- JulyA baseline. We checked the 16 searches in Google's AI Overviews and in ChatGPT, and saved each answer.
- RelaunchAbout 650 old URLs mapped. Each old address was mapped and redirected, so the relaunch kept what Google already knew.
- NextSector pages rebuilt. These are the pages hiring managers read for each sector the firm covers.
- OngoingEnquiries tracked by source. Every enquiry form is tracked by where the visitor came from, including AI tools.
What moved
On 4 September, Google's AI Overviews cited the firm on 14 of the 15 searches that showed one. We kept checking the same 16 searches after that.
1 October fell during Google's September 2026 spam update: fewer AI Overviews appeared, and fewer cited the firm. By 18 October, 9 of 10 cited it again.
UK clicks, from the firm's own Search Console, 31 May to 6 June against 23 to 29 October 2026.
In October, ChatGPT was the largest single source of enquiry forms on the firm's website, in their own Google Analytics. On 27 October 2026 the firm was first on Google for 105 searches.
What has not moved yet
AI answers still change from one check to the next, and some questions still name other firms. That is the next part of the work, and we report it each month with the rest.
Robin Laires, founder
Robin ran this work and checks every figure on this page against the client's own data.