AI generated summaries from Google now appear in 20.29% of searches carried out in Belgium, up from 3.37% in May 2025. That is what a study of 70 Belgian websites found, relayed on 12 October 2026 by Bloovi. Organic traffic to these sites has fallen by an average of 6.59% over the year. For any company that relies on Google to be found, the question is no longer theoretical.
1. The share of searches affected has exploded in a year
In May 2025, when Google launched AI summaries in Belgium, only 3.37% of searches displayed one. By September 2026, that share had reached 20.29%, according to the study relayed by Bloovi. The analysis covers 70 Belgian websites across seven sectors.
As a direct result, organic traffic to these sites has fallen by an average of 6.59% over the period. A growing share of users now gets an answer directly on the results page, without clicking through to any website.
2. Belgian sectors are not affected equally
Travel shows the sharpest decline, with organic traffic down 39% according to the same study. News sites fall by 10%, while sport and entertainment move against the general trend.
Health related queries trigger an AI summary most often, while real estate remains the least affected sector, at a frequency of 5.36%. Belgian news sites such as VRT, De Standaard or HLN see an AI generated answer appear on around 30% of their queries.
3. Being cited in the answer becomes a metric worth tracking
Belgian sites cited as a source within an AI summary rose by 50% over the year. They now appear in 4.8% of searches with an AI summary, up from 1.98% at the end of 2025.
The figure remains modest, but it points to a new area of visibility alongside the traditional click. Appearing within an AI generated answer does not replace a presence on the website, but adds to it as a trust signal for Google and for users.
The AI lens, humans first
An AI tool can analyse within minutes which pages of a website appear in Google's summaries, flag the queries where a company is missing, and suggest rewording to better answer what users are asking. It does not decide which content deserves priority, nor how to position a company against its competitors. That choice stays strategic, and human. AI executes. Expertise decides, and keeps watch.
This week
Check in Google Search Console whether your most visited pages have lost impressions or clicks since summer 2026. Identify the three questions your customers ask most often and make sure a page answers them clearly within the first lines. Type your most important business queries into Google and note whether your company appears as a cited source.
Vistalaro Build reworks a website's technical structure and content so it stays findable by Google, including within its AI generated summaries. Vistalaro Pilot works with the company to identify which pages and content to prioritise in this shift, led by a dedicated senior marketer.
Does your company appear in Google's AI summaries?
A quick audit will tell you, and help you decide what to prioritise.
Let's talk- Online Marketing Monkey, Onderzoek september 2026: Google AI Overviews in België blijven groeien (2 October 2026, in Dutch)
- Bloovi, Google AI beantwoordt 1 op 5 zoekopdrachten zelf waardoor websites bezoekers verliezen (12 October 2026, in Dutch)
- RTBF, Google repense la recherche en ligne et lance ses 'Aperçus IA' en Belgique (21 May 2025, in French)