Google now displays AI Overviews on 98% of software review searches, according to a new study highlighted by EIN News. The finding points to near-total AI Overview saturation in one of the most commercially contested search verticals — queries where buyers compare tools and vendors before purchasing.

The 98% figure is a study result, not a confirmed statement from Google. The search engine has not published its own AI Overview coverage data, so the number reflects sampled query testing by the study's authors rather than an official disclosure. Google has said only in general terms that AI Overviews appear for a share of queries where they can add value, and that coverage expands over time.

What the number means for software review sites

Software review queries are high-intent, commercial-search terms. Sites in this space — review aggregators, comparison publishers, SaaS blogs with tool roundups — have built traffic models around ranking for phrases like "best project management software" or "[tool A] vs. [tool B]." If AI Overviews appear on virtually all of those searches, the click-through dynamics of the entire vertical shift: the AI-generated summary occupies the top of the results page and can answer comparison questions before a user ever reaches an organic listing.

A 98% coverage rate is markedly higher than earlier, broader measurements of AI Overview presence across all query types. Studies of general search activity through 2024 and 2025 documented AI Overviews on a far smaller share of overall queries, with informational long-tail terms triggering them most often. The new study suggests that in vertical niches defined by comparison and review intent, coverage is approaching universality — a pattern publishers in other commercial verticals, such as finance, health and e-commerce comparisons, have reported anecdotally through rank-tracking tools.

Confirmed versus speculative

Two things should be separated here. The 98% figure itself is the study's measured result, drawn from its sample of software review searches; the sample size and methodology were not specified in the report summary, which limits how precisely the finding can be generalized. Any claim about traffic losses, ranking declines or revenue impact for review publishers would go beyond what the study establishes — the coverage number documents presence, not click behavior.

Google's own position, stated previously and repeatedly, is that AI Overviews send higher-quality clicks and that links inside the summaries give publishers exposure. That is the company's framing; independent click-data studies have contested it, but nothing in this new study speaks directly to click volume.

Why software reviews attract AI Overviews

The vertical fits the pattern Google has described for when AI Overviews trigger: questions with multiple sources, comparison-heavy intent, and answers that benefit from synthesis across sites. Software review queries ask exactly that — "which CRM is best for small business" pulls feature sets, pricing and ratings from many publishers, which is precisely the synthesis task AI Overviews are built to perform. High coverage here is consistent with how the system works rather than an anomaly.

For publishers, the practical consequence is structural. A review site that ranks first organically may still sit below an AI Overview that summarizes its own content alongside competitors'. Sites with strong brand queries, unique data, proprietary testing or user-generated reviews are better positioned to be cited within the summaries and to receive the residual clicks; thin aggregator content faces the sharpest risk of displacement.

What to watch next

The study's headline number invites replication: watch for follow-up measurements covering additional verticals, larger query samples and — most importantly — click-through data from sites in the software review space, which would show whether near-universal AI Overview presence translates into measurable organic traffic declines.