Seer's AI "Need-To-Knows" for May 2026
1. AIO click-through rates are stabilizing. Cautiously embrace your new normal.
What's happening: After 18 months of decline, organic CTR on AI Overview queries rebounded from 1.3% to 2.4% between December 2025 and February 2026. But this aggregated data is directional, your numbers will look different.
What to do about it: Segment your own data and look at what your comparison and question-format pages are doing, because that's where 85–95% of the AIO action is. If getting that data means logging a ticket with your analyst, that mindset needs to evolve this year.
2. Brand recognition is now a search input. Your search team needs access to that data.
What's happening: About half of professionals include a brand name directly in their AI prompts, and 88% of users accept an AI shortlist without verifying elsewhere. If your brand isn't in the initial consideration set, you may never get a shot.
What to do about it: Find out how your organization measures brand strength. If nothing exists, use search data as a proxy: monthly branded search volume, paid impression trends. Your search marketers need access to this data, and right now, a lot of them don't have it.
3. The ultimate guide format is dying. Don't rewrite, test restructuring.
What's happening: Density is not moving the needle. The citation sweet spot is 500–2,000 words, and pages where 25–50% of headings are questions earn a 33% citation rate.
What to do about it: Audit your pages over 2,000 words with 20+ subheadings. Don't write new content. Take a sample of those pages, restructure them into focused single-question answers, and see if it changes your visibility.
4. Bing just gave you the AI search data Google hasn't. Don't wait.
What's happening: Bing Webmaster Tools now offers first-party AI search reporting, including the actual grounding queries that surfaced your content in Copilot. This is the data we've all been approximating with third-party tools.
What to do about it: If you're a B2B marketer, your audience is almost certainly on Copilot. This is a treasure trove. Set up Bing Webmaster Tools today, verify your domains, and don't wait for Google's version.
5. AI sentiment splits sharply between B2B and B2C. One message won't fit both.
What's happening: 58% of employees globally use AI at work semi-regularly and trust capability messaging. But 52% of consumers say AI products make them nervous. "AI-powered" copy without a clear user payoff doesn't just underperform in B2C, it backfires.
What to do about it: If you're marketing to consumers, make sure they understand what's in it for them and why they should trust how you're using it.
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Buying ads on ChatGPT? Why you should check organic reputation first!
Most paid teams are approaching LLM ads the way we approach any new placement:
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Seer Interactive Launches Local GEO Academy
Yes, we're paying young people to learn and test improving AI results A lot of companies right now are cutting entry-level roles. Some are replacing them with A…
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