By Raise your hand if you remember these roundup posts! No? That’s just me? I was the only one paying attention to these in 2008? Come onnnn. We all love a good roundup post. This one’s like a “SparkToro Wrapped” except it’s not about you… yet it has everything to do with you.
These are our top five most-viewed blog posts over the past year. Most of it is research, and hopefully, all of it will help you have your best 2026. Bookmark this page for the holiday break, and then hide in the powder room to read these when you need to desperately avoid your weird Uncle Sally.
2024 Zero-Click Search Study: For every 1,000 EU Google Searches, only 374 clicks go to the Open Web. In the US, it’s 360: Racking up ~24,000 views, this research was our top-viewed blog post this year. In this joint study with Datos, we analyzed millions of Google searches across the US and EU and found that nearly 60% end without any click at all. For every 1,000 queries, only 360-374 visits reach the open web, while almost 30% of clicks stay inside Google’s own properties. Almost half of mobile searches in both the US and EU end the browsing session entirely; more than 2X the percent of such searches on desktop devices. Universally, ~22% of searches result in another search.
Stop Making Your Team Own Tasks. Let Them Own Programs Instead: Coming in at a close second was this blog post from yours truly, proposing a program ownership structure in your team. Most marketing teams are structured around task handoffs instead of true ownership — and that’s killing speed, autonomy, and audience insight. I make the case for “program owners” (newsletter, webinars, social, etc.) who can write, handle basic tech, and actually understand the audience. When you hire for those skills and stop micromanaging, you ship more, move faster, and get better marketing across the board.
New Research: Google Search Grew 20%+ in 2024; receives ~373X more searches than ChatGPT: This post tackles the AI hype head-on: are AI tools actually stealing meaningful search share from Google? Using Datos clickstream data, Semrush’s ChatGPT research, and public statements from Google and OpenAI, it estimates daily “search-like” queries on ChatGPT vs. Google. The result: Google handles ~14 billion searches per day while ChatGPT does ~37.5 million — a paltry 0.27% of Google’s volume. Even combined with other AI tools, they’re still under 2% of search market share.
“AI will replace all the jobs!” Is Just Tech Execs Doing Marketing: Rand was sick of hearing about AI supposedly replacing all jobs — so he found answers. Digging into the “AI will kill 20–50% of jobs” narrative, he found… no evidence. Looking at centuries of technological change (from tractors to computers) plus modern research, he found productivity tech has consistently created more jobs than it destroyed. AI so far is no different: its measurable impact on employment is tiny compared to interest rates, pandemics, and trade policy. The real story? Fear-based AI hype is great marketing, not solid economics.
New Research: 20% of Americans use AI tools 10X+/month, but growth is slowing and traditional search hasn’t dipped: This study shows AI tool adoption is booming — but not at search’s expense. Around 38% of Americans now use tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity monthly, and 20%+ are heavy users (10×+/month). However, 95% still rely on Google, Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo and 86% are heavy searchers. And when new users adopt ChatGPT, their quantity of Google searches spikes, and remains higher-than-before even months later. Clickstream data from Datos reveals AI growth is real but slowing, while search volume and heavy usage keep rising — undercutting the “AI will replace search” narrative.
If there’s a theme across all of these, it’s this…
The channels and tools might be changing fast, but the fundamentals aren’t. Search is still massive, AI is real (but overhyped), and the teams who win are the ones who actually know their audience and own their programs end to end.
So pick one post that hits your biggest 2026 priority, send it to your team, and start there. Future you will be very pleased with present you. (And while we’re talking about future and present yous, be sure to set out a tall glass of water and a light snack on your nightstand before you go out partying for the holidays. In the morning, future you is going to be so grateful for the present you.)