March 2026 will go down in history as the month when “traditional” search finally merged with the era of AI agents. Both Google and OpenAI stopped just answering and started acting for users.
Where is he actually looking today?
For a long time, we've lived in the idea that SEO = Google. But new research from SparkToro and Datos shows that the reality of 2026 is much more fragmented. Search is happening across platforms.
Google below 75%: In the US, Google's share of desktop search dropped to 73.7% for the first time.
Amazon and YouTube more powerful than ChatGPT: Even though AI is being talked about everywhere, people are increasingly looking for products directly on Amazon and tutorials on YouTube. ChatGPT accounts for "only" about 3% of queries.
Social networks as search engines: no longer just for fun, Instagram and TikTok are the primary place to find information for 5.5% of users.
SEO is no longer just “Search Engine Optimization” but “Search Everywhere Optimization”. If you’re not visible where your customer is spending time (like on Reddit or Amazon), you’re losing.
Martin Hill, Head of SEO
Google AI Mode: A closed ecosystem that won't let you go
The study by SE Ranking confirms the trend we feared. Google is increasingly citing itself as part of its AI Mode.
Google.com as the top source: it accounts for 17.4% of all citations, more than the next six largest domains combined (YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Amazon...).
Entrenchment in the ecosystem: Instead of sending you to your website, AI Mode will often refer you to another Google search result or to Google Business Profile.
A 300% increase: a year ago, Google cited itself 5.7% of the time; today it's triple that.
For SEO consultants this means one thing, visibility is more than a click through. If AI mentions you, you're building a brand even if the user doesn't come to the site.
Economics and hardware: Why is Google winning the AI race?
While Google was talking about "code red" in 2023, March 2026 shows that the tables have turned. Analysis from Sistrix provides hard data on why Google is starting to crush its competitors (including OpenAI) technologically and economically.
Custom chips (TPU): Google doesn't use expensive Nvidia chips like others. It has its own hardware (TPU) which is more efficient and cheaper. As a result, Google has 3x to 5x lower cost in AI computing than OpenAI.
Gemini is growing, ChatGPT is stagnating: while ChatGPT has stabilized at about 6 billion visits per month, Gemini (integrated directly into Android and search) has tripled its traffic in the second half of 2025.
The end of free data for others: while OpenAI has to pay publishers billions for training data, Google takes it as a "tax" for submitting sites to search.
Google isn’t forcing AI on users as a new application, but simply “bundling” it with search, which billions of people already use. For us, this means that optimizing for Gemini is a necessity to survive in the organic world.
Martina Radil Ježková, SEO Specialist
Impact on click-through rates (CTR) in Europe
Sistrix has also published alarming figures for the German (and by extension Czech) market. The integration of AI Overviews into search results is dramatically changing user behaviour:
The first position loses its breath: while normally about 27% of people click on the 1st position, if the AI Overview is above it, the CTR drops to only 11%.
Losing 60% of clicks: this is the reality for sites that previously basked in the limelight of the top position but failed to make it into the AI aggregate.
This data confirms that the March arrival of "Agentic Commerce" and "Search Live" is not a coincidence, but a logical step for Google to leverage its hardware and data dominance.
ChatGPT as Google Shopping in disguise?
An interesting revelation was made by Search Engine Land. If you come across a product carousel in ChatGPT, there is an 83% chance that the data came from Google Shopping.
Dependence on Google data: openAI uses "shopping query fan-outs" to pull the most relevant products from Google.
The position in Google is decisive: If you are not in the top 20 in Google Shopping, you are highly unlikely to appear in the ChatGPT carousel.
Google Search Live: live search
One of the biggest announcements of March is the global expansion of Search Live. With this, Google is finally breaking down the barrier between "typing a query" and "seeing the world".
Multi-modal search without boundaries Search Live allows users to point their phone's camera at any object or scene and have a real-time voice dialogue with the search engine. No need to take pictures and record - Google "sees" and "answers" live.
AI agent in your pocket: the feature uses advanced Gemini models that can identify not only products (e.g., "Where do I buy these shoes?") but also complex situations (e.g., "How do I fix this burst pipe?") in the field.
Connecting with local services: this means a new opportunity for companies. If a user points a camera at your storefront, Search Live will instantly show them the current offer, a review or a booking option via Google Business Profile.
Search Live takes SEO into the realm of visual and voice assistance. If your local profiles and product feeds aren’t 100% up to date, you simply won’t show up in this “live” search.
Martin Hill, Head of SEO
The era of "Agentic Commerce": shopping without clicks
The end of the month belonged to the future of e-commerce. Shopify and Google launched the concept of Agentic Commerce.
Buying directly in chat: thanks to Shopify's integration into ChatGPT, hundreds of millions of users can now buy products directly in conversation. The agent handles selection, comparison and checkout.
Search Live: Google has launched Search Live globally. Using your voice and camera, you can have a dialogue with the search engine about the things you see in front of you, and the AI will tell you where to buy them right away.
Google Search Console: New toys for analysts
March also pleased those who like to dig into data. Google Search Console (GSC) finally introduced a native filter for brand queries.
Brand vs. Non-brand: With one click, you now separate people who searched for you specifically from those who discovered you through generic keywords.
Better performance measurement: No more complicated regular expressions. GSC now automatically (via AI) detects variations and typos in your brand.
AI Headline Rewrites: when Google writes for you
One of the most controversial news of the month. Google confirmed AI testing of rewriting headlines directly in organic results.
Loss of control: Google can ignore your carefully crafted headline and generate its own, which it thinks better matches the user's query.
Change of tone: Tests have shown that AI sometimes shortens headlines so radically that the original tone of the brand or joke is lost.
How to measure success in the AI era? (New KPI)
Finally, a practical tip. If you are still measuring only cranks and positions, you are only seeing half the truth. The Peec.ai website and experts like Aleyda Solis recommend tracking these metrics:
Visibility Percentage: How many % of the time on relevant queries does the AI mention your brand at all?
Brand Sentiment: how does AI talk about you? Does it recommend you as a leader or as a cheap substitute?
LLM Visibility: tracking in tools like Perplexity, Gemini or ChatGPT is becoming the new "Rank Tracking".
March showed us that SEO is no longer about fighting for the top spot, but about fighting to be part of the conversation that AI is having with your customer.
Martin has been doing SEO since 2012. When he’s not in the woods, on his bike, or with a fishing rod by the water, he’s the head of the Keypers SEO team, where he’s been since 2017. Starting out on his own websites, he now focuses on strategy, technical SEO and project management. He enjoys finding ways to do things better — whether it’s processes, deliverables, or connecting SEO to other channels. SEO is a strategic detective for him — finding what’s not working, understanding the context and designing a solution that makes business sense.
Martina studied political science and started out in political marketing — handling PR, managing social media for politicians, and running campaigns. But in the end, it wasn’t politics that won her over — it was writing. She loves working on topics where she can learn something new. Whether it’s power tools, cosmetics, or anything in between, she always finds a way to make it clear, engaging, and effective — not just for search engines, but for real people too.
Martin Hill, Head of SEO
Martina Radil Ježková, SEO Specialist
