Adam Singolda’s Post

New from Adam Singolda on CNBC: Generative AI search isn't the end for publishers--it's the opportunity for them to thrive. With Gen AI search affecting publisher traffic, publishers now need to move beyond clicks, to capitalize on high-value AI-driven conversations. Read more about how this shift is reshaping the open web & why AI could unlock a richer era for publishers and Google alike. 👇

Google, Bing, Perplexity and a growing list of search engines now lead with AI Overviews — instant answers that sit above the blue links we spent years fighting for. When those overviews don’t understand (or even crawl) your site, the buyer journey ends before it starts. SmartFAQs turn the tables by feeding large‑language models (LLMs) a clean, up‑to‑date source of truth they can trust and cite — driving qualified visitors back to you. https://lnkd.in/eSimrytX

So, just about a month since AI Mode went live in the UK, and what are we *really* seeing? For me, this sums it up... It’s still not great with facts, dates, or calculations. Uptake remains low compared to expectations. Google is quietly rolling blue links back into AI answers. Long-tail queries (more words, clearer intent) are showing up, and yes, CTR looks higher here, but the volume of those queries is tiny compared to the bread-and-butter 3-6 word 'traditional' searches. Google continues to drive the overwhelming majority of organic clicks. Even when you apply available insight / attribution, traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity and the like is still minimal in comparison. Plenty of people hyping things up and saying the disruption is here. The data still seems to say… not yet. What’s everyone else genuinely seeing in their analytics? I'm interested in real-life use cases - are you noticing a meaningful shift in traffic / conversions from AI search? Or are these still the exceptions / outliers? #SEO #DigitalMarketing #SearchTrends #GoogleSearch #AIsearch #OrganicTraffic #MarketingInsights #SearchEngineMarketing

Navigating the Impact of AI Overviews on Media The media landscape is experiencing a seismic shift! 📉 Penske Media, the powerhouse behind Rolling Stone, is taking a stand against Google's AI Overviews. These AI-generated summaries are accused of pulling crucial details from original reports, drastically cutting down web traffic and reducing revenue. With affiliate revenue down over one-third this year, Penske's lawsuit underscores a growing trend among publishers to protect their content. Why does this matter? Publishers relying on search referrals face a future of zero‑click sessions. How can they adapt to this evolving digital environment? Will legal action influence Google's strategies, or is it time to explore alternative revenue models? Your thoughts? 🤔

From Trust to Turbulence: How Gemini Is Reshaping Google Search -> For Better or Worse. Most would agree, for decades, “Google” was synonymous with “Internet Search” like “Xerox” was synonymous with “Photocopy” The search engine became the de-facto gateway to the internet’s collective knowledge—curated, ranked, & mostly reliable. But with the recent infusion of Gemini (Google’s multimodal AI) into its search results, I think, that trust is being tested. Have been at the receiving end on quite a few occasions lately. What was once a precision tool is now a speculative assistant. Gemini’s integration into Google Search has introduced a wave of Hallucinated & Biased outputs, confidently wrong answers that remind us of the chaotic early internet days, when misinformation thrived & verification was usually manual. 🧠 Hallucinations in Plain Sight   Gemini has suggested adding non-toxic glue to pizza to make cheese stickier. It’s invented meanings for nonsense idioms & misinterpreted basic facts. In image generation, it depicted historically inaccurate scenes.   📉 Bias & Broken Trust   Even Google has acknowledged Gemini’s “problematic” responses, some of which offended users or reflected cultural bias. Critics like Elon Musk & Nate Silver have called out the AI’s tendency to distort reality, raising alarms about its influence on search integrity. 🔄 Back to the Future of Search   Instead of surfacing authoritative sources, Gemini tends to divert users with AI-generated summaries that contradict cited material or mislead through oversimplification. I’m now back to scratching my head, cross-checking facts, & wondering: Is this real? For professionals who rely on search for Research, Strategy, or Decision-Making, this shift isn’t just inconvenient, it’s consequential. While people from Gen X (as Self) can still probably filter out ‘fact’ from ‘fiction’,  can this be said for the ~5.6 Bn Internet Users worldwide (69% of the world population)? 💡 As we embrace AI (in our daily routines) & in search, believe, we must also demand Transparency, Accountability & a Renewed Commitment to Truth. Otherwise, we risk trading Convenience for Confusion & Trust for Turbulence.

Here's the harsh truth: AI overviews, like Google's, are slicing your clicks by a whopping average of 34.5%. Ahrefs dug into 300,000 keywords and let me tell you, it's ugly. The "34%" alone doesn’t quite capture the damage. If you’re sitting pretty in position one, you're looking at an 18-19% dip. But if you’re not? Brace yourself, a hit of up to 35% is on the table. This isn't just a "nice-to-know" stat. It's a survival call for anyone who relies on organic traffic. Ignore at your own peril. The search landscape is shifting, and if your strategy isn’t evolving, you’ll find yourself watching your clicks fade away. Stay sharp, folks. This isn’t the time for complacency.

There's a lot of buzz over the latest ruling against Google… A federal judge in D.C. has ordered a major shake-up for Google, forcing them to share some of their search data with rivals. ⚖️ This landmark ruling, while stopping short of breaking up the company, will significantly impact businesses that rely on search and AI. The court's decision recognizes the rise of AI-powered "answer engines" like ChatGPT and attempts to level the playing field. In other words, generative AI has officially entered the chat. 💬 So what does this mean for your business? This ruling is a signal that the traditional search landscape is rapidly changing: the future of search will be about more than just keywords and links. The companies that will thrive are those that adapt their brand stories for this brand new AI-driven world. Ready to navigate this new AI-powered search ecosystem together? Let's talk. 📞 #AIinMarketing #SearchMarketing #DigitalStrategy

There's a lot of buzz over the latest ruling against Google… A federal judge in D.C. has ordered a major shake-up for Google, forcing them to share some of their search data with rivals. ⚖️ This landmark ruling, while stopping short of breaking up the company, will significantly impact businesses that rely on search and AI. The court's decision recognizes the rise of AI-powered "answer engines" like ChatGPT and attempts to level the playing field. In other words, generative AI has officially entered the chat. 💬 So what does this mean for your business? This ruling is a signal that the traditional search landscape is rapidly changing: the future of search will be about more than just keywords and links. The companies that will thrive are those that adapt their brand stories for this brand new AI-driven world. Ready to navigate this new AI-powered search ecosystem together? Let's talk. 📞 #AIinMarketing #SearchMarketing #DigitalStrategy

The threat of "Google Zero" The rollout of Google’s AI search tools in the UK has intensified publishers’ concerns over a sharp decline in referral traffic. With AI Overviews and AI Mode now answering queries directly, fewer users are clicking through to the source material—accelerating a trend many media executives call “Google Zero.” A term first coined by in 2024 by The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel Google Zero refers to the moment in which Google search stops sending traffic to third-party websites. Studies show up to 80% of users rely on zero-click results in a significant share of their searches. Leading publishers report search referrals have already halved over the past five years, with some lifestyle and review sites seeing up to 25% drops in traffic despite strong rankings. Google argues the net traffic impact is “stable” and that clicks are of higher quality, but publishers remain unconvinced. In response, publishers are rethinking their playbooks: 👉 Investing in direct-to-consumer relationships (subscriptions, newsletters, social, events) 👉 Reducing dependency on search traffic through a more diverse referral ecosystem 👉 Treating journalists and content creators as “talent brands” to build loyal audiences 👉 Producing hyperlocal, unique, or compelling content that AI tools can’t easily replicate 💡 Takeaway: Just as industries across tech, media, and telecom are adapting to AI-driven disruption, the publishing sector is racing to reinvent itself for a post-Google world—one where trusted brands, distinctive talent, and direct audience engagement will determine who thrives. #AI #Google #FT #Publishing #GoogleSearch #GoogleZero https://lnkd.in/d6PM3uiG

Google’s AI Overviews aren’t killing clicks. They’re reshaping them. A massive new usability study (275 tasks, 91,559 words analyzed with RAG + ChatGPT-5) just dropped: AIOs resolve ~85% of factual queries fast. But… when the stakes are high — money, health, big decisions — users still click out. They turn to names they trust: Mayo Clinic, PayPal, Reddit, YouTube. Here’s what hit me: efficiency-first users dwell for 14 seconds and barely scroll. Trust-driven users? Nearly a full minute, 2.7x more scrolling, often hopping domains. That’s where business actually happens. AI handles the trivia, authority handles the transactions. If you’re leading SEO or growth, this is the wake-up call. Your traffic strategy can’t rely on query coverage alone. Authority is currency. Users still validate with blue links, communities, and recognizable brands. Build visibility inside AIO and build trust outside it. Well... Organic is not dead — it’s just evolving into layers of validation. #SEO #AIOverviews #OrganicSearch #DigitalMarketing Source: https://lnkd.in/ePFHrppe