Hi all,

To whet your Thanksgiving appetite, today’s quiz on recent Perceptive Marketer issues is provided in three courses by our very own VP of SEO/SAIO and Strategy, Marc Engelsman:

Appetizers 🥗

1. A recent report showed significant drops in Click-Through Rates (CTR) for both Organic Search and Paid Search when AI Overviews are present on Google Search Results Pages (SERPs). Even when AI Overviews are not present, data showed Organic CTRs were down ____ year-over-year?

a. 21%

b. 41%

c. 61%

d. Deviled Eggs%

2. Which 2 of the below websites are among those being cited most by AI search platforms?

a. YouTube.com

b. NYTimes.com

c. LinkedIn.com

d. CheeseBalls.com

Side Dishes 🌽

3. Which of the following are elements of the 4Ms of Marketing Plans?

a. Market Intelligence

b. Modeling

c. Mix

d. Mac & Cheese

4. 34.8% of people surveyed (in Search Engine Journal’s recent State of Search Survey) answered this was one of their “most improved outcomes”?

a. Brand visibility had increased.

b. Brand authority had increased.

c. Brand ROI had increased.

d. Everyone wanted seconds of the Green Bean Casserole.

Dessert 🥧

5. Which one of the following statistics regarding the fragmented search journey was not included in Yext’s data?

a. 45% of U.S. consumers still start product research on a traditional search engine.

b. 52% say they use social media to find reviews.

c. 73% say they’ve used AI-powered search tools more in the past year.

d. 33% say they’ve used AI-powered search tools to specifically find AIpple pie recipes.

• THIS TRICK IS CRAZY COOL! Discover the queries ChatGPT is using to develop responses. (Warning: you have to look at the backend code.) With the right prompt, you now have an interesting new way to conduct keyword research for SEO and SAIO.

• What is the impact of AI platforms on my organic search and paid search success metrics? What metrics should I be focused on to show digital marketing success moving forward? Find out which metrics are relevant in tracking search performance in this AI-driven age.

• Tacking on to that, Brand Visibility and Authority are also important metrics in today’s search environment. Long-time SEO-er Bill Hunt adds an interesting perspective in his post “Digital Equity Is Brand Equity: Don’t Lose Search Visibility In a Merger.” The digital equity he describes is “increasingly stored in search visibility, content authority, and structured presence across AI and web ecosystems.” He discusses the potential value losses due to the “Digital Dilution Effect” in mergers & acquisitions and offers some remedies.

• Adobe is acquiring Semrush in a $1.9 billion all cash deal. Read Search Engine Land‘s coverage but remember Semrush owns SEL so it does feel PR-ish. At least they provide links to major media coverage at the bottom.

• A branded search query filter in Google Search Console? Yes, please.

• The 2026 B2B Content and Marketing Trends Report is out. Don’t have 30 minutes to read the full report? Here are our quick highlights:
  • “Creating content that prompts a desired action” ranks highest as B2B marketers’ biggest content marketing challenges.
  • AI-assisted content creation has positively impacted productivity and operational efficiency aspects of B2B marketing operations more than it has improved content creative capabilities, quality, and performance. (That said, AI investments are at the top of the 2026 marketing budget priority list.)
  • “Everyone creates thought leadership, but few manage it at scale.” LinkedIn is cited as the most effective channel for publishing thought leadership by a wide margin.

• One of my newest hobbies: spotting AI videos in my feed. TikTok apparently wants to help limit AI with a new setting and visible watermarking on videos created with some AI tools.

• Are you a Canva fiend? Do you squeal when someone asks you to make an event flyer? Did you make your last month’s social content exclusively on the platform? Well, these new launch features are for you!

We know that the mental illness crisis is widespread and people need support. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation is one of those organizations working to alleviate the suffering caused by mental illness. They award grants to discover scientific breakthroughs in this area. Learn more about them: Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

You almost always have time for a ten-minute break.

Let me make this a little more specific.

You almost always have time for a ten minute break, even during the holidays.

I’ve brought this up before, but it’s especially relevant this time of year.

Take a breath. Take a break. You got this.

Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate!

Natalie

1. “Organic CTRs for queries without AI Overviews perform better (1.62%), but that’s still down 41% year-over-year.”
2. YouTube and LinkedIn are among the top cited websites in AI search results – and have an element of our SAIO strategy from the start two years ago.
3. Market Intelligence, Modeling, and Mix. FYI, the real 4th element is “Measurement”.
4. Brand Visibility has increased. Econsultancy also had an article mentioning “brand visibility is the ‘new version of ranking on page one.‘” And our own Marc Engelsman covers this in his recent blog on Measuring Search Success In The AI Age.
5. Couldn’t resist the AIpple Pie typo – maybe it’ll bring a little smile when it’s served at your holiday feast. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! P.S. here’s the link to the Yext story.