Short answer: rarely, when someone searches for an accountant near them. For searches like "accountants near me", Google still mostly shows the map pack, the box of three local businesses with a map, built from Google Business Profiles. AI Overviews tend to appear on the questions people ask before they choose a firm, such as "what does an accountant do". So your profile wins the "near me" search, and your website's answers win the research before it.

What an AI Overview is

An AI Overview is the AI written summary that can appear at the top of Google's results, with links to the pages it drew on. Google's help page on AI Overviews says they appear when its systems judge that generative AI can be especially helpful. Its guidance for site owners goes further and says AI Overviews are only shown when they add something to the normal results, and as a result they often don't appear at all.

What happens on a local search

A UK study by Lekker Marketing gives a useful picture. In September 2026 it checked 107 common local service searches using the search features recorded in Ahrefs' UK database. The full study found:

  • Only 7 of 59 "near me" and service searches (12%) showed an AI Overview.
  • The map pack appeared on 52 of those 59 searches (88%).
  • "Accountants near me" showed a map pack and no AI Overview.
  • Question searches were different. 29 of 48 (60%) showed an AI Overview, including "what does an accountant do".

The author is clear about the limits. It is one snapshot of one results page per search, the searches were chosen rather than picked at random, and results vary by location, device and time. Treat it as a guide to the pattern, not a national rate.

Why this matters for a practice

People rarely go straight from needing help to booking a call. They ask questions first. Do I need to register for VAT? Should I be a sole trader or a limited company? What does an accountant actually do for a small business? Those are the searches where an AI Overview is more likely to appear, and where Google links to the pages it used.

So there are really two moments to plan for.

The "near me" search. Here the map pack still does most of the work. Your Google Business Profile, your reviews and a website that clearly says what you do and where you do it are what count. Our guide to Google Business Profile for accountants covers the basics.

The question before the search. Here clear, specific answers on your own website give Google something worth linking to. A firm that explains the topics its clients ask about has more chances to appear before the person has even picked a shortlist.

Does a page need anything special to be included?

No. Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews, and no special markup or AI text files are needed. To be eligible as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and able to show a snippet in normal search results. Google's list of worthwhile basics includes:

1. Letting Google crawl your site, in robots.txt and with your hosting provider. 2. Linking to important pages from elsewhere on your site. 3. Putting key content in text, not only in images or PDFs. 4. Keeping your Business Profile information up to date.

Google also notes that meeting all of this does not mean a page will be shown. It decides that search by search.

If your firm isn't appearing in ordinary results yet, start there. Our post on why your accountancy firm isn't appearing on Google walks through the usual causes, and our guide to showing up in AI search covers ChatGPT and Gemini too.

How to check your own results

Search the way a client would, from where your clients are. Try "accountants near me", then "accountant" plus your town, then two or three questions your clients often ask you. Note whether an AI Overview appears and which firms or pages it links to. Repeat it now and then, because Google's results change over time.

See what AI says about your practice

Run our free AI visibility checker to see what Google Gemini says about your firm. If you would like help with your profile, pages and answers, our SEO service for accountants covers it. Get in touch and we will tell you plainly what we would change first.

Common questions

Do AI Overviews replace the map pack?

Mostly not, on current evidence. In the Lekker Marketing study the map pack appeared on most "near me" searches, including "accountants near me", and AI Overviews were rare there.

Can I turn off AI Overviews on my searches?

Not completely. Google says they are a core feature, but you can choose the Web filter after searching to see text links only.