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THE WEEKLY ROUNDUP
30 OCTOBER 2026 · ISSUE 05

Radu Tyrsina

ChatGPT users still
use Google.

Almost everyone who uses ChatGPT still goes to Google too. So don’t write off search yet. But Google is moving more of it into AI Mode, and Chrome may soon send you there on its own.

Radu Tyrsina

Owner & Publisher, Search Engine Watch

Nearly 94% of ChatGPT visitors still visit Google, Similarweb finds

TOP STORY

Nearly 94% of ChatGPT visitors still visit Google, Similarweb finds

In September, 93.7% of people who visited ChatGPT also visited Google. The other way round, only 14.1% of Google’s visitors also used ChatGPT. One Google visit a month is enough to count, so this shows who uses both, not how much they still search on Google.

Read the full story →

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That’s a wrap. Thanks to everyone who joined us live on October 27. Missed it? All three talks are online now, free to watch.

Watch the replays →

The next edition is planned for November. We’ll email you when the date is set.

FEATURED GUIDES

100+ best free SEO tools in 2026: actually free options

100+ best free SEO tools in 2026: actually free options

Free trials don’t count. Start with Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and Screaming Frog, then pick by task: keywords, technical SEO, links, local or AI search. Read More

The GEO conferences worth attending in 2026 and 2027

The GEO conferences worth attending in 2026 and 2027

We checked the dates, prices and programmes of every AI search event we could find. The right one depends on your job, so start with what you need and we’ll point you to the room. Read More

11 best alternative search engines to Google in 2026

11 best alternative search engines to Google in 2026

We ran the same 12 searches on each one. DuckDuckGo without AI came closest to Google, 55 points to 58. Plus Brave, Startpage, Kagi and Ecosia, and who each one suits. Read More

ALSO THIS WEEK

AccuRanker says bad Google data can make your rankings look worse

AccuRanker says bad Google data can make your rankings look worse

On October 24, bad Google results hit 40% of its first desktop checks. After rechecks, about 3% of the rankings it saved were still wrong. So a sudden drop in your report may not be real. Read More

Google says AI Mode is holding back growth in its search ad business

Google says AI Mode is holding back growth in its search ad business

Search revenue still grew 12%, to $63.35 billion. But AI Mode earns Google less than regular search. Questions there are about three times longer, and Google is still working out where the ads fit. Read More

Chrome could decide whether your next search opens AI Mode or regular results

Chrome could decide whether your next search opens AI Mode or regular results

New code in Chrome picks AI Mode or regular Google results for each search you type. A plain question could stay on regular results. Pick an AI model or attach a tab or file, and you land in AI Mode. It’s still being built. Read More

Google says pages meant only for sharing should stay out of search

Google says pages meant only for sharing should stay out of search

If people can share reports, tools or AI answers on your site, Google wants those pages kept out of search by default. Use noindex, not robots.txt: a blocked page can still show up if other sites link to it. Read More

Reddit wants you to log in as traffic from search keeps shrinking

Reddit wants you to log in as traffic from search keeps shrinking

Reddit lost over a million search visits a week in October. It will test asking most visitors to log in, starting outside the U.S. People who click through from search should still see the post they came for. Read More

QUICK HITS

Google tests Sponsored and All products headings in AI Mode

Paid and free product listings get their own headings, so they’re easier to tell apart.

Google expands AI Mode ads to 10 new countries

Including Canada, India and Australia. Brazil, Mexico and the UK are next, before the end of the year.

Discord could put your public messages in Google search from December

Only public servers with 1,000+ members. Admins pick the channels, and members can keep their own messages out.

YouTube can pause your uploads if it suspects a channel takeover

Checks usually take 24 hours. Your channel stays online and your earnings aren’t affected.

That’s the week. Know someone who’d find this useful? Forward it on.

Radu and the Search Engine Watch team

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