Ahrefs tracked 963 domains after AI Overviews rolled out in France and found the most-exposed sites lost 23.1% of click-through rate within nine days.

Ahrefs' research shows AI Overviews now display on 83% of branded search queries, potentially diverting clicks away from brand websites to third-party sources.

MIT and Stanford research demonstrates that AI agents can exploit and manipulate SEO metrics, requiring teams to adopt metrics resistant to gaming.

A consultant's two controlled GEO experiments across multiple AI platforms reveal that listicles plus PR, source authority, and exact-match keyword targeting outperform conventional advice—and that one popular theory didn't hold in the second test.

Nick Fox, Google's SVP of Knowledge & Information, told an interviewer that EU regulations forced Google to reduce search quality in ways that made him feel "terrible" and "sad."

Orbit Media's 2026 blogging survey found content marketing success fell to 14% of marketers reporting strong results, even as AI adoption hit 92%, because marketers abandoned proven tactics like keyword research and expert collaboration rather than because of AI itself.

Search Engine Journal analyzed 120K mentions to identify four key signals that drive multi-location business visibility across five AI models including ChatGPT and Gemini.

Two studies reveal that search intent is fragmenting across AI Mode, video platforms, and zero-click results, with Google's own data showing shifts in where clicks now land.

SOCi's analysis of expanding versus contracting restaurant chains reveals expanding brands earn 6–7x more ChatGPT recommendations and maintain consistently higher scores across search, reviews, and social signals.

Semrush surveyed 2,338 US consumers and found that 57.5% of AI users have been talked out of purchases by chatbots, and 65% have replaced some product searches with them.

Erase.com's analysis of 714 suppression campaigns shows that starting position and negative type matter far more than publishing volume, and AI Overviews may require pushing negatives beyond page two.

A 774-output localization benchmark found AI workflows outperformed human translators on 4 of 6 content types tested, suggesting model choice matters more than post-editing alone.

GatherUp analyzed nearly 9,000 businesses to benchmark review volumes, NPS, and star ratings across healthcare, insurance, restaurant, legal, storage & transportation, and construction sectors for 2025.

A controlled test shows source order has less influence on AI citation patterns than surface metrics suggest, with structured rewrites playing a larger role in attribution.

Local SEO expert Joy Hawkins outlined how reviews factor into Google rankings alongside proximity, category, and website authority—emphasizing recency, engagement, and responsiveness over perfect ratings or keyword-stuffed text.

New research indicates users are blending traditional Google searches with AI tools rather than entirely switching away from Google.

Semrush found that manufacturing brands cited in AI search results don't see corresponding traffic gains from those mentions.

A LeanData survey found 93% of B2B go-to-market teams have deployed AI agents, yet nearly one-third don't know how many agents they're running and 30% have discovered unaudited actions.

A Semrush survey found that 81% of shoppers using chatbots have rejected purchases based on AI guidance, creating a new challenge for brands beyond traditional search visibility.

A survey of 131 SEO professionals by Zyppy ranks relevance and search intent first, backlinks second, and content quality third among Google's perceived ranking factors.

Stas Levitan of LightSite AI outlines four first-party metrics marketers can monitor to correlate AI bot engagement with actual organic traffic outcomes.

Alchemer's survey finds 60% of consumers expect faster responses from companies using AI, yet 89% report AI has hurt their experience in some way.

MIT and Harvard research outlines how SEO and paid media managers can advance to director roles by demonstrating AI's value and developing team reskilling strategies.

Google AI researcher Jeff Dean discusses the design decisions and philosophy behind Gemini's development.

Lenny's Newsletter interviews two Grok Bot designers at xAI about using AI agents to automate website updates, design tasks, and product prototyping.