[Independent Survey] AI Overview Appearance Depends on 'How It Is Asked'

On the frontlines of SEO where professionals consider responses to AI Overview (AIO), comments like the following are frequently heard:

'Since we operate in the YMYL space, AIO probably won't appear much anyway.'
'Navigational searches should naturally lead to our site, so prioritizing AIO seems low.'
'AIO priority should be determined by appearance trends across different industries.'

In this survey, it was discovered that the most significant factor determining AIO appearance is neither 'industry' nor 'purchase intent', but the 'shape of the answer' the query demands.

This release shares four key facts that will serve as a reference for SEO professionals looking to reassess the priorities of their strategies.

Key Findings of the Survey

- Whether an AIO is displayed is heavily influenced by 'how the question is asked' rather than the industry.
- AIO was particularly likely to appear for searches demanding a clear answer, such as 'what is [topic]'.
- For AIO optimization, it is crucial not to treat all keywords uniformly but to prioritize them based on the 'shape of the query'.

Survey Overview

- Survey Period: February to April 2026
- Scope: 33,201 Japanese Google search queries
- Data Acquisition: Proprietary search results monitoring system
- Labeling: 5-axis automatic classification via LLM (human-verified)
- Statistical Method: Chi-square test (significant on all axes with p < 0.001)

Each query was assigned labels across 5 axes: 'Purchase Funnel Classification (INTC)', 'Content Format', 'Industry', 'Navigational/Non-navigational', and 'YMYL Status', and their relationship with the AIO appearance rate was statistically verified.

1. The Most Decisive Factor was the 'Shape of the Query'

When comparing the relationship between the 5-axis labels and the AIO appearance rate, the largest difference was found in the 'Content Format (Shape of the Query)'.

AIO Appearance Rate by Content Format (Query Format)

- Definition type ('what is'): 93.1% (3,263 queries)
- FAQ type (asking for specific facts): 84.1% (5,605 queries)
- Method type ('how to'): 77.6% (2,917 queries)
- Comparison type ('recommendation'): 77.0% (4,642 queries)
- List type ('list of'): 68.8% (5,773 queries)
- Other: 67.5% (11,001 queries)

Even when dealing with the same industry and products, there is a 16.1 percentage point difference in AIO appearance rate between 'what is [topic]' and '[topic] recommendation', and a difference of over 25 points compared to other formats. Sorting out 'which query shapes to write articles for' before deciding 'which industries to compete in' is the first step in AIO optimization.

2. 'YMYL is Unlikely to Appear in AIO' is a Misconception

There is a view that 'AIO is suppressed for health, medical, and finance topics because Google exercises caution'. However, the actual appearance rates show the opposite trend.

AIO Appearance Rate by Industry

- Health/Medical: 86.4% (917 queries)
- Legal/Professional Services: 83.9% (1,599 queries)
- Finance/Insurance: 81.1% (7,412 queries)
- Education/Learning: 76.8% (995 queries)
- IT/Technology: 76.4% (8,161 queries)
- Marketing: 74.9% (3,312 queries)
- Housing/Renovation: 74.4% (992 queries)
- Real Estate: 74.4% (944 queries)
- HR/Career: 73.3% (1,686 queries)
- Daily Life/Living: 68.5% (2,666 queries)
- Beauty/Fashion: 66.4% (1,626 queries)
- Travel/Tourism: 55.0% (591 queries)
- Dining/Gourmet: 51.6% (787 queries)

The top three industries are Health/Medical (86.4%), Legal/Professional Services (83.9%), and Finance/Insurance (81.1%), all of which are YMYL domains. While we cannot determine the exact cause from this survey alone, it is possible that AIO is more likely to appear in YMYL areas where highly reliable sources are readily available. At the very least, it is inappropriate to uniformly conclude that 'AIO is unlikely to appear because it is YMYL'.

On the other hand, the appearance rates were low for Travel/Tourism (55.0%) and Dining/Gourmet (51.6%). While the exact cause cannot be determined from this survey alone, these queries often carry strong subjectivity and local nuances, making it difficult for AI to generate a single definitive answer, which likely impacts the low appearance rates.

3. AIO Optimization Does Not Need to be Uniform Across All Keywords

'Sweet spots' that cannot be seen on a single axis have become clear through cross-tabulation.

Combinations with Particularly High AIO Appearance Rates (Priority Candidates for AIO Optimization)
- Finance/Insurance x Informational
- Legal/Professional Services x Informational
- Health/Medical x Commercial