Clicks still inform AI-driven results

Today I'm sharing my notes on recent news/research in the worlds of AI and Google Search.  I'm breaking down 3 key pieces:

• Ross Simmonds of Foundation Inc shows how Reddit influences buyer discovery earlier than many marketers realize. 
• Cyrus Shepard of Zyppy Signal argues that clicks still matter — not as a vanity metric, but as a signal of relevance and satisfaction. 
• Wil Reynolds of Seer Interactive offers a brutal real-world reminder that if you don’t publish defensible facts about your brand, AI may fill in the gaps with whatever scraps it can find.

If you want a more polished version of this episode along with a spiffy graph, read my blog post.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:27 Why these three studies belong together
01:05 Ross Simmonds on Reddit’s growing role in SaaS search
03:05 Cyrus Shepard on why clicks still matter
04:18 Zero-click does not mean clicks stopped mattering
06:10 Wil Reynolds on AI surfacing an old negative review
07:26 Why “the truth is out there” is not enough if it isn’t published
09:08 What marketers should do now

Big thank you to my launch sponsor, SparkToro, the makers of fine audience research software. Rand Fishkin/SparkToro did the research that also supports the ideas in this episode.

ZCM Field Notes are short reactions to news or observations of what’s happening in the field.

Learn more: zeroclickmarketing.co

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