How Changing a Phone Number Format Fixed a Google AI Overview

Let’s talk about something totally ridiculous but 100% real.

We recently found out that you can actually influence Google’s AI overviews with something as basic as how you format your phone number. I know. It sounds like something that shouldn’t work in 2025, but it does.

And yes, it’s as dumb as it sounds.

When Google Gets It Wrong

We found a pretty major issue for a home services client of ours. Google was showing their competitor’s phone number in the AI overview. As in, if you Googled their business name, someone else’s number came up in the box.

This isn’t shocking, they get it wrong a lot.

Pretty irritating, right?

So we started digging.

The Only Difference? Parentheses

After comparing everything between the two businesses, we found one tiny formatting detail that stood out.

• The competitor’s phone number had the area code in parentheses.
  
• Our client’s phone number didn’t.

That’s it. That was the difference.

We Updated the Format. Google Fixed the AI Overview.

No joke, all we did was change how the number was written on the site.

Instead of:
416-555-1234
We used:
(416) 555-1234

And just like that, Google corrected the mistake. The AI overview updated almost instantly to show the correct phone number for our client.

What This Tells Us About AI Overviews

It’s easy to think AI is always right or at least getting smarter. But this shows us that small formatting quirks still trip up even Google’s own systems.

The AI doesn’t always understand context or logic. Sometimes, it’s just looking for what “looks right” based on common formatting patterns.

Want to Avoid This? Keep Your Formatting Consistent

If your phone number is showing up wrong (or worse, showing someone else’s number), double check how it appears:

• Use parentheses around the area code.
  
• Make sure the number format matches what others in Google’s search results are using.
  
• Keep it consistent across your entire site and listings.
  

It might seem minor, but clearly, it matters more than it should.