The number that should change your plan
SparkToro, Rand Fishkin's company, ran the numbers on Similarweb clickstream data: in early 2026, 68% of US Google searches ended without a single click to any website. Ten years ago that was around 45%. A big reason is Google's own AI answers — it replies right there, so nobody needs to leave. And in AI chat it's worse: by Fishkin's data, only about 1.3% of ChatGPT answers send a click out, versus roughly 29% on Google.
And now the chat itself is the store
OpenAI has started putting ads next to the images ChatGPT generates; TikTok launched AI shopping agents that recommend products inside the video; ChatGPT even added a virtual try-on. People are deciding inside the chat. If someone asks an AI about what you sell and your name never comes up, it won't matter how pretty your website is — you're already out of the game.
What still works
One: branded search still sends clicks. Around 44% of Google searches are brand searches — someone typing your name — and nobody can take those from you. So make people want to search your name. Two: give the value inside the post; stop using posts as bait for a link nobody clicks. What sticks in someone's head is what ends up selling. Three: turn rented attention into owned attention — every time someone discovers you, give them a real reason to leave an email or join your community, because that's the one audience no platform can raise the price on. Four: measure differently. If you only watch visits, you'll think everything is getting worse exactly when it's getting better. Track how many people search your name and ask every new client how they found you.
The new SEO: getting cited by the AI (GEO)
Write clear, quotable answers, use FAQ and structured data, and keep your facts current. That's how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI decide to cite you instead of someone else. It's exactly what we build into every site at La Media Social — so your name shows up in the answer, not three clicks away.
