Evidence · Our result first
One client, a month apart: 6% to 19%.
By Jonah Samarron, Founder
- The same 21 questions, asked of ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity (three of the five surfaces) on Sep 10, 2026 and again on Oct 12, 2026. We count the answers that name the client.
- Uses three of the five surfaces, one client (name withheld), and 189 answers on each date.
- Outside studies from Ahrefs, SparkToro and rater8 show why it matters. Each one links to its source. Client
Our own measurements
Figure 1 · Our own data, one real client
19%
of answers named the client on Oct 12, 2026
How to read this
Uses three of the five surfaces. Claude was measured in September (0 of 63 answers) and left out of the October checks to save cost. AI answers vary by person and session, so these are measured rates, not a guaranteed position.
On the same questions, a month apart, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity (three of the five surfaces) named one client in a larger share of their answers.
Axis: 0 to 25 percent of answers, starting at zero.
measured rates, not a guaranteed position
Figure 2 · Our own data
On a wider set of 66 questions across all 10 cities it serves, the client was named in 37% of answers.
37%
218 of 594 answers, Oct 12, 2026. A first reading with no earlier reading to compare, so it is not the end of the series in Figure 1. Uses three of the five surfaces.
Figure 3 · Our own data
ChatGPT answers that linked to the client’s own website went from 8 to 17, of 63 on each date.
8 to 17
Sep 10 and Oct 12, 2026, the same 21 general questions, ChatGPT only.
Outside context
Seven outside figures, one finding each.
Findings from Ahrefs, SparkToro and rater8 on the shift to AI search.
Figure 4 · Ahrefs
58%
Once Google shows an AI Overview, the number one result gets 58% fewer clicks.
The first result’s click-through rate, compared with and without an AI Overview on the page.
Ahrefs. Position-1 click-through rate across 300K keywords, Dec 2025 data. Checked 2026-06-03.
Figure 5 · SparkToro
~60%
About 60% of U.S. Google searches now end without a click to any website.
ended without a clicka click to any website
Datos clickstream data: 58.5% of U.S. Google searches ended without a click.
SparkToro, 2024 zero-click study. Checked 2026-06-03.
Figure 6 · Ahrefs
3 to 1
Brand mentions out-predict backlinks for showing up in AI answers, about three to one.
Correlation with AI visibility, 0 to 1 scale.
Ahrefs, 75K brands. Checked 2026-06-03.
Figure 7 · rater8
64%
The heaviest AI users are 45 to 60, not the youngest group.
Share of each age group that used AI to research a provider.
Healthcare providers rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report, released 2026-06-03.
Figure 8 · rater8
36%
AI is now named as a reason to choose a provider, ahead of Google search and personal referrals.
A year earlier, 17% named AI.
Healthcare providers rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report, released 2026-06-03.
Figure 9 · rater8
37%
Patients trust Google AI Overviews more than any other part of the results page.
37%Google AI Overviews
20%Organic links
Share who trust each part of the results page most.
Healthcare providers rater8, 2026 Patient Choice Report, released 2026-06-03.
Figure 10 · rater8
47%
47% of patients have used AI to research a healthcare provider, up from 31% nine months earlier.
Healthcare providers rater8 press release on the 2026 Patient Choice Report, released 2026-06-03.
Public posts
Three industry voices, in their own words.
-
Our research proves it: ChatGPT traffic isn’t just real, it’s 4.4× more valuable than Google traffic.
Neil Patel
View on Instagram -
We asked ChatGPT over 100 questions to learn what makes it recommend a company. Of 82 factors, only 6 strongly predict who it picks.
Neil Patel
View on Instagram -
AI tools keep growing, and zero-click search keeps rising. Most Google searches now end without anyone clicking through to a website.
Rand Fishkin
View on LinkedIn
About these sources
Neil Patel, Ahrefs, SparkToro, and rater8 are independent industry sources cited here for context. They are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, Second Dove. Every figure links to its original post or study.
What this does and does not prove.
It shows a measured rise on the same questions that held for a month. It does not prove which change caused the rise: AI assistants also refresh what they know on their own schedule, one assistant (Perplexity) moved to a newer model between September and October, and each date is one round of runs. It covers AI answers only, not Google Maps rankings or Google search rankings, and says nothing about calls or revenue.
AI answers vary by person and session, so these are measured rates, not a guaranteed position. This is one client, and your results will differ.
- Client
- A local service business on the SF Peninsula. Name withheld.
- Measured
- Sep 10, Oct 2 and Oct 12, 2026
- Questions
- 21, in plain customer language, none naming the business. Each ran 3 times per assistant.
- Answers
- 189 on each date: ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, 63 each, through the vendors’ APIs with web search on
- Surfaces
- Three of the five. Claude was measured in September (0 of 63 answers) and left out of the October checks to save cost.
See what it says about your business.
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