Unexpected Traffic: Of Course, AI Search Is Expected To Grow … But So Is SEO!
It’s pretty rare to see positive numbers associated with traditional SEO these days.
Yet actual recent projections from Branch have web traffic from traditional SEO up 8 percentage points (45% last year to 53% for 2026). Alongside it, traffic from AI search is expected to grow from 35% to 50%.
AI usage continues to grow. Just 18% of journalists say they use none of the listed tools, down from 23% last year, meaning adoption has risen from 77% to 82%.
Text Tide: Consumers Prefer SMS Over Email For Mobile Interactions
Email has slipped — at least slightly — in the mobile media mix, according to one measure in the 9th Mobile Consumer Insights Report from Vibes. Of the consumers polled, “41% say they’re more likely to redeem digital wallet offers sent to them via text message than sent through email or made available to them in a brand’s mobile app,” the study says.
CMO Navigator: Rethinking Marketing In The Age Of AI
Almost half of CMOs lack confidence in their organization’s ability to implement some of the strategies they deem most important. CMOs report being more confident when it comes to AI adoption as a measure to enhance effectiveness and generate savings, but they seem less confident when it comes to generating net new value out of AI capabilities.
