Most AI users only click when they’re in the decision-making process.
Sooo, are we creating content for AI or humans?
In this edition:
- 🔎 Most AI Mode users don’t click away
- đź“Š The new frontier of SEO KPIs
- 🗞️ Stories to *not* doomscroll
🔎 Most AI Mode users don’t click away
Kevin Indig watched 37 people complete 250 tasks in Google’s AI Mode, and the pattern is blunt:
People read the panel, make up their minds inside it, and only click when they’re ready to buy.
- In roughly three-quarters of sessions, users never left the UI
- 88% engaged the AI text first
- The median number of external clicks per task was zero
- Most sessions held attention for 52-77 seconds
What that means for us: We can’t count on getting clicks like the old days. Your content should shape the narrative of WHY your brand is worth mentioning as a solution.
đź“Š The new frontier of SEO KPIs
Traditional SEO metrics like impressions, rankings, and clicks are losing ground as LLMs become the first stop for decision-makers.
Capturing demand from search now depends on whether your brand appears in AI-generated responses, how it’s described, and what sources the AI trusts.
The 4 new “AI KPIs” that matter most:
- Mentions – The #1 KPI we need to be tracking for measuring our revenue impact from LLM answers (although, good luck tracking attribution on this).
- Sentiment – How is your brand perceived in answers? AI’s opinion on your brand directly impacts how often it mentions you.
- Sources – Who gets cited as the resource influencing AI’s answer? Being cited as a source isn’t as impactful as mentions, but it still gives you an opportunity to get a fraction of the clicks.
- Competitive share – Your presence vs rivals across prompt types. Map where they outrank you and where you already win.
Treat these signals like a compass. You need to translate AI KPIs into content and positioning moves to own the answer box.
🤥 GA4 says “Direct”
But I can smell AIO on it.
🗞️ Stories to not doomscroll
Google ads are moving into AI Overviews. By year-end, the rollout to new English-speaking markets will blend paid spots into AI answers.
Google updates its ad labels. A new global “Sponsored results” tag lets users hide entire ad groups, potentially reshaping click-through rates and ad visibility across Search.
Google tightens its ad rules. Starting October 28, advertisers must disclose full pricing details or face warnings for dishonest pricing practices in Google Ads.
YouTube launches Brand Pulse. The new AI-powered report tracks paid, creator, and organic mentions across videos, linking exposure to search lift and total brand impact.
AI is taking over B2B creative. 73% of marketers say AI-generated content will define advertising by 2030, with 85% already investing in machine learning tools.
Performance marketing is thriving in tough times. 84% of B2B marketers are shifting budgets from brand to performance channels as search and retail media prove more resilient.
X revamps its business plans. The new gucci Premium Business tiers start at $200 per month, offering gold checkmarks, VIP support, and paid access to @handle auctions.
AI agents are coming for retail. 60% of shoppers plan to use agentic AI within a year, forcing brands to adapt as bots, not buyers, start driving decisions.
ChatGPT dominates AI SEO priorities. 68% of SEOs are optimizing for ChatGPT versus 31% for Gemini and 24% for Perplexity.
Google’s August spam update hit harder than expected. A 26-day rollout shows lasting ranking drops across legitimate sites, echoing past Helpful Content declines.
Google debuts Gemini 2.5 Computer Use. The new model lets AI control real UIs, clicking, typing, and filling forms, with 70%+ benchmark accuracy and lower latency than rivals.
🤝 Need a hand with your content marketing?
I run Stat Digital, a fractional content marketing team for B2B SaaS companies.
We can help you:
- Create blogs that capture ready-to-buy leads from SEO.
- Launch and run newsletters to nurture the thousands of neglected contacts going stale in your CRM (like this one)
Want me to audit your current marketing strategy? Schedule a free strategy session here.
Thanks for reading! See ya next week.
~ Jacob Statler
Contact me at jacob@jacobstatler.com or by replying to this email.