{"id":702832,"date":"2025-12-09T18:46:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T18:46:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:46:04","slug":"mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mentions, citations, and clicks: Your 2026 content strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f97b87eefb\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f97b87eefb\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#Your_next_wins_depend_on_the_signals_models_see_not_the_pages_users_visit_Adapt_your_content_before_agents_take_over_the_journey\" >Your next wins depend on the signals models see, not the pages users visit. Adapt your content before agents take over the journey.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#Content_type_popularity_and_engagement_trends\" >Content type popularity and engagement trends<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#TLDR_of_the_Siege_Media_study\" >TL;DR of the Siege Media study<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#Dont_forget_the_TOFU\" >Don\u2019t forget the TOFU!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#But_wait\" >But wait!<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#More_about_TOFU\" >More about TOFU<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#Why_bottom-funnel_stability_wont_last_much_longer\" >Why bottom-funnel stability won\u2019t last much longer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#Why_do_these_protocols_matter_to_a_content_strategist\" >Why do these protocols matter to a content strategist?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy\/#The_2026_strategy\" >The 2026 strategy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_next_wins_depend_on_the_signals_models_see_not_the_pages_users_visit_Adapt_your_content_before_agents_take_over_the_journey\"><\/span>Your next wins depend on the signals models see, not the pages users visit. Adapt your content before agents take over the journey.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>Generative systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are quietly taking over the early parts of discovery \u2013 the \u201cwhat should I know?\u201d stage that once sent millions of people to your website.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Visibility now isn\u2019t just about who ranks. It\u2019s about who gets referenced inside the models that guide those decisions.<\/p>\n<p>The metrics we\u2019ve lived by \u2013 impressions, sessions, CTR \u2013 still matter, but they no longer tell the full story.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mentions, citations, and structured visibility signals are becoming the new levers of trust and the path to revenue.<\/p>\n<p>This article pulls together data from Siege <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a>\u2019s two-year content performance study, Grow and Convert\u2019s conversion findings, Seer Interactive\u2019s AI Overview research, and what we\u2019re seeing firsthand inside generative platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Together, they offer a clearer view of where visibility, engagement, and buying intent are actually moving as AI takes over more of the user journey \u2013 and has its eye on even more.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"content-type-popularity-and-engagement-trends\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Content_type_popularity_and_engagement_trends\"><\/span>Content type popularity and engagement trends<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a robust study, the folks at Siege Media analyzed <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.siegemedia.com\/research\/blog-ai-content-shift\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">two years of performance<\/a> across various industry blogs, covering more than 7.2 million sessions. It\u2019s an impressive dataset, and kudos to them for sharing it publicly.<\/p>\n<p>A disclaimer worth noting: the data focuses on blog content, so these trends may not map directly to other formats such as videos, documentation, or landing pages.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, here\u2019s a run-through of what they surfaced.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tl-dr-of-the-siege-media-study\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"TLDR_of_the_Siege_Media_study\"><\/span>TL;DR of the Siege Media study<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Pricing and cost content saw the strongest growth over the past two years, while top-of-funnel guides and \u201chow-to\u201d posts declined sharply.<\/p>\n<p>They suggest that pricing pages gained ground at the expense of TOFU content. I interpret this differently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pricing content didn\u2019t simply replace TOFU because the relationship isn\u2019t zero-sum.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As user patterns evolve, buyers increasingly start with generative research, then move to high-intent queries like pricing or comparisons as they get closer to a decision.<\/p>\n<p>That distinction \u2013 correlation vs. causation \u2013 matters a lot in understanding what\u2019s really changing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1364\" http: alt=\"Image 27\" class=\"wp-image-465798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27-768x655.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27-1536x1309.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1364\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27.png\" alt=\"Image 27\" class=\"wp-image-465798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27-768x655.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-27-1536x1309.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The data shows major growth in pricing pages, calculators, and comparison content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, guides and tutorials \u2013 the backbone of legacy SEO \u2013 took a sharp hit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Keep that drop in mind. We\u2019ll circle back to it later.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1320\" http: alt=\"Image 24\" class=\"wp-image-465795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24-768x634.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24-1536x1267.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24.png\" alt=\"Image 24\" class=\"wp-image-465795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24-768x634.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-24-1536x1267.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Interestingly, every major content category saw an increase in engagement. That makes sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As users complete more of their research inside generative engines, they reach your site later in the journey or for additional details, when they\u2019re already motivated and ready to act.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1343\" http: alt=\"Image 26\" class=\"wp-image-465797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26-768x645.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26-1536x1289.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26.png\" alt=\"Image 26\" class=\"wp-image-465797\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26-768x645.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-26-1536x1289.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019re a data-driven SEO, this might sound like a green light to focus exclusively on bottom-of-funnel content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why bother with top-of-funnel \u201ctraffic\u201d that doesn\u2019t convert?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leave that for the suckers chasing GEO visibility metrics for vanity, right?<\/p>\n<p>But of course, this is SEO, so I have to say it \u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" http: alt=\"Image 28\" class=\"wp-image-465799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28-768x512.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28.png\" alt=\"Image 28\" class=\"wp-image-465799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-28-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Did you expect me to say, \u201cIt depends?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a question instead: when that high-intent user typed the query that surfaced a case study, pricing page, or comparison page, where did they first learn the brand existed?<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: AI agents in SEO: What you need to know<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"dont-forget-the-tofu\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_forget_the_TOFU\"><\/span>Don\u2019t forget the TOFU!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but you\u2019ll have to keep making TOFU content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You might need to make even more of it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" http: alt=\"Image 29\" class=\"wp-image-465800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29-768x512.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29.png\" alt=\"Image 29\" class=\"wp-image-465800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-29-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s think about legacy SEO.<\/p>\n<p>If we look back \u2013 waaaaay back \u2013 to 2023 and a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.growandconvert.com\/content-marketing\/scaling-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study<\/a> from Grow and Convert, we see that while there is far more TOFU traffic\u2026<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"746\" http: alt=\"Image 31\" class=\"wp-image-465802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31.png 1200w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31-768x477.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"746\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31.png\" alt=\"Image 31\" class=\"wp-image-465802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31.png 1200w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-31-768x477.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u2026it converts far worse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"741\" http: alt=\"Image 33\" class=\"wp-image-465804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33.png 1200w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33-768x474.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"741\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33.png\" alt=\"Image 33\" class=\"wp-image-465804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33.png 1200w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-33-768x474.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Note: <\/strong>They only looked at one client, so take it with a grain of salt. However, the direction still aligns with other studies and our instincts.<\/p>\n<p>This pattern also shows up across channels like PPC, which is why TOFU keywords are <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly cheaper than BOFU.<\/p>\n<p>The conversion rate is higher at the bottom of the funnel.<\/p>\n<p>Now we\u2019re seeing this shift carry over to generative engines, except that generative engines cover the TOFU journey almost entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rather than clicking through a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of low-conversion content pieces as they move through the funnel, users stay inside the generative experience through TOFU and often MOFU, then click through or shift to another channel (search or direct) only when it\u2019s time to convert.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when I asked ChatGPT to help me plan a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> to the Outer Banks:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1135\" height=\"362\" http: alt=\"Image 19\" class=\"wp-image-465790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png 1135w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19-768x245.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1135px) 100vw, 1135px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1135\" height=\"362\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png\" alt=\"Image 19\" class=\"wp-image-465790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png 1135w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-19-768x245.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1135px) 100vw, 1135px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>After a dozen back-and-forths planning a trip and deciding what to eat, I wanted to find out where to stay.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1129\" height=\"744\" http: alt=\"Image 23\" class=\"wp-image-465794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23.png 1129w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23-768x506.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1129px) 100vw, 1129px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1129\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23.png\" alt=\"Image 23\" class=\"wp-image-465794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23.png 1129w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-23-768x506.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1129px) 100vw, 1129px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>That journey took me through many steps and gave me multiple chances to encounter different brands and filtering or refinement options.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I eventually landed on my BOFU prompt, \u201cSome specific companies would be great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From there, I might click the links or search for the company names on Google.<\/p>\n<p>What matters about this journey \u2013 apart from the fact that my final query would be practically useless as insight in something like Search Console \u2013 is that throughout the TOFU and MOFU stages, I was seeing citations and encountering brands I would rely on later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Once I switched into conversion mode, I wanted help making decisions. That\u2019s where I\u2019m likely to click through to a few companies to find a rental.<\/p>\n<p>So<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">, when we read statistics like Pew\u2019s finding that AI Overviews\u00a0reduce CTR by upwards of 50%, and then consider<\/span> what h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens when AI Mode hits the browser, it\u2019s easy to worry about where your traffic goes. Add to that ChatGPT\u2019s 700 million weekly active users (and growing):<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"914\" height=\"511\" http: alt=\"Image 20\" class=\"wp-image-465791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png 914w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20-768x429.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"914\" height=\"511\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png\" alt=\"Image 20\" class=\"wp-image-465791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png 914w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-20-768x429.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>And according to their research on how users engage with it:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"909\" height=\"566\" http: alt=\"Image 21\" class=\"wp-image-465792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21.png 909w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21-768x478.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 909px) 100vw, 909px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"909\" height=\"566\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21.png\" alt=\"Image 21\" class=\"wp-image-465792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21.png 909w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-21-768x478.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 909px) 100vw, 909px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>We can see a clear TOFU hit and very little BOFU usage.<\/p>\n<p>So, on top of the ~50% hit you may be taking from AI Overviews, 700+ million people are going to ChatGPT and other generative platforms for their top-of-funnel needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I did exactly that above with my trip planning to the OBX.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: 5 B2B content types AI search engines love<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 id=\"but-wait\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"But_wait\"><\/span>But wait!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" http: alt=\"Image 30\" class=\"wp-image-465801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30-768x512.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30.png\" alt=\"Image 30\" class=\"wp-image-465801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30.png 1536w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-30-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is that while that vacation rental company or blue widget manufacturer might not see me on their site when I\u2019m figuring out what to do \u2013 or what a blue widget even is \u2013 I\u2019m still going to take the same number of holidays and buy the same number of products I would have without AI Overviews or ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Unless you\u2019re a publisher or make money off impressions, you\u2019ll still have the same amount of money to be made.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It just might take fewer website visits to do it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"more-about-tofu\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"More_about_TOFU\"><\/span>More about TOFU<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Traffic at the bottom of the funnel is holding steady for now (more on that below), but the top of the funnel is being replaced quickly by generative conversations rather than visits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The question is whether being included in those conversations affects your CTR further down the funnel.<\/p>\n<p>The folks at Seer Interactive found that organic clicks rose from 0.6% to 1.08% when a site was cited in AI Overviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And while the traffic was far lower, ChatGPT had a conversion rate of 16% compared with Google organic\u2019s 1.8%.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"914\" http: alt=\"Image 22\" class=\"wp-image-465793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22-1536x877.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"914\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png\" alt=\"Image 22\" class=\"wp-image-465793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png 1600w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-22-1536x877.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If we look at the conversion rate for organic traffic at the bottom of the funnel \u2013 which we saw above \u2013 it was 4.78%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Users who engage with generative engines clearly get further into their decision-making than users who reach BOFU queries through organic search.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But why?<\/p>\n<p>While I can\u2019t be certain, I agree with Seer\u2019s conclusion that AI-driven users are pre-sold during the TOFU stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve already encountered your brand and trust the system to interpret their needs. When it\u2019s time to convert, they\u2019re almost ready with their credit card.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-bottomfunnel-stability-wont-last-much-longer\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_bottom-funnel_stability_wont_last_much_longer\"><\/span>Why bottom-funnel stability won\u2019t last much longer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Above, I noted that \u201ctraffic at the bottom of the funnel is holding steady for now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s only fair to warn you that through 2026 and 2027, we\u2019ll likely see this erode.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The same number of people will still travel and still buy blue widgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They just won\u2019t book or buy them themselves. And at best, attribution will be even worse than it is today.<\/p>\n<p>I spoke at SMX Advanced last spring about the rise of AI agents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I won\u2019t get into all the gory details here, but the Cliff Notes are this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" http: alt=\"Image 25\" class=\"wp-image-465796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25.png 800w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25-768x384.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25.png\" alt=\"Image 25\" class=\"wp-image-465796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25.png 800w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2025\/12\/image-25-768x384.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Agents are AI systems with some autonomy that complete tasks humans otherwise would.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re rising quickly \u2013 it\u2019s the dominant topic for those of us working in AI \u2013 and that growth isn\u2019t slowing anytime soon. You need to be ready.<\/p>\n<p>A few concepts to familiarize yourself with, if you want to understand what\u2019s coming, are:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cloud.google.com\/blog\/products\/ai-machine-learning\/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol)<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> A standard that allows agents to securely execute payments on your behalf. Think of it as a digital letter of credit that ensures the agent can only buy the specific \u201cblue widget\u201d you approved within the price limit you set. Before you say, \u201cBut I\u2019d never send a machine to do a human\u2019s job,\u201d let me tell you, you will. And if you somehow prove me wrong individually out of spite, your customers will.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/technology\/google-deepmind\/gemini-computer-use-model\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Gemini Computer Use Model API<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong> A model with reasoning and image understanding that can navigate and engage with user interfaces like websites. While many agentic systems access data via APIs, this model (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platform.openai.com\/docs\/guides\/tools-computer-use\">OpenAI has one too<\/a>, as do others) lets the agent interact with visual interfaces to access information it normally couldn\u2019t \u2013 navigating filters, logins, and more if given the power.<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/model-context-protocol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>MCP (Model Context Protocol)<\/strong><\/a>: An emerging standard acting as a universal USB port for AI apps. It lets agents safely connect to your internal data (like checking your calendar or reading your emails) to make purchasing decisions with full context and to work interactively with other agents. Hat tip to Ahrefs for building an awesome MCP server.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>How Model Context Protocol is shaping the future of AI and search marketing<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-do-these-protocols-matter-to-a-content-strategist\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_these_protocols_matter_to_a_content_strategist\"><\/span>Why do these protocols matter to a content strategist?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Because once AP2 and Computer Use hit critical mass, the click \u2013 that sacred metric we\u2019ve optimized for two decades \u2013 changes function.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It stops being a navigation step for a human exploring a website and becomes a transactional step for a machine executing a task.<\/p>\n<p>If an agent uses Computer Use to navigate your pricing page and AP2 to pay for the subscription, the human user never sees your bottom-of-the-funnel content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So in that world, who \u2013 or rather, what \u2013 are you optimizing for?<\/p>\n<p>This brings us back to the Siege Media data.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Right now, pricing pages and calculators are winning because humans are using AI to research (TOFU and MOFU) and then manually visiting sites to convert (BOFU).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But as agents take over execution, that manual visit disappears. The \u201ctraffic\u201d to your pricing page may be bots verifying costs, not humans persuaded by your copy.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-2026-strategy\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_2026_strategy\"><\/span>The 2026 strategy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This reality pushes value back up the funnel.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If the agent handles the purchase, the human decision \u2013 the \u201cmoment of truth\u201d \u2013 happens entirely inside the chat interface or agentic system during the research phase.<\/p>\n<p>In this world, you don\u2019t win by having the flashiest pricing page.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You win by being the brand the LLM recommends when the user asks, \u201cWho should I trust?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Your strategy for 2026 requires a two-pronged approach:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>For the agent (the execution):<\/strong> Ensure your BOFU content is technically flawless. Use clean schema, accessible APIs, and clear data structures so that when an agent arrives via MCP or Computer Use to execute a transaction, it encounters no friction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>For the human (the selection):<\/strong> Double down on TOFU. Focus on mentions and citations. You need to be the entity referenced in the generative answer so that users \u2013 and agents \u2013 trust you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As we move toward 2026 and then 2027 (it\u2019ll be here sooner than you think), the \u201cclick\u201d will become a commodity more often handled by machines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The mention, however, remains the domain of human trust. And in my opinion, that\u2019s where your next battle for visibility will be fought.<\/p>\n<p>Time to start \u2013 or hopefully keep \u2013 making the TOFU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/mentions-citations-and-clicks-your-2026-content-strategy-465789\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your next wins depend on the signals models see, not the pages users visit. Adapt your content before agents take over the journey. Generative systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity are quietly taking over the early parts of discovery \u2013 the \u201cwhat should I know?\u201d stage that once sent millions of people to your&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-702832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}