The AI summary is the new first impression
Pre-2024, the SERP was the first impression: ten ranked links the buyer skimmed. Now a synthesised paragraph shapes the buyer's hypothesis before they click anything.
If your competitor is named in that paragraph and you aren't, you're losing the deal at the consideration stage — not the conversion stage.
What to do this quarter
Track the 20 prompts your sales team hears most. Measure your mention rate inside AI Overviews monthly. Treat 'not mentioned' as a P1 marketing bug, not a long-tail SEO gripe.
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