The top marketing trends for the week of November 2, 2026 are Google admitting that AI Mode earns less per search than regular results and a study showing AI Mode sends 57% of product links to Google Shopping. Add a small test that put AI click-through near 0.9%, rising holiday media costs, and TikTok launching Must Eat, an in-app restaurant guide.
Most of this week comes down to one question. Who gets paid when AI answers the search? Google, mostly, and it's still working out how. Below you'll find what each story says, what it means for a small business, and what I'd check before Friday. If you missed last week, the October 26 edition covers the extra links in Google AI answers and the ChatGPT tracking bug.
What you'll learn this week
- Why Google says AI Mode earns less per search than the old results
- What the 57% Google Shopping number means if you sell products online
- What one small test says about the 0.9% click rate and the cost of opting out of AI
- Why holiday media costs are pushing brands toward ads that tie to sales
- How TikTok's Must Eat guide could change the way locals pick a restaurant
This week's trends
Google Admits AI Mode Earns Less Per Search
On its third quarter earnings call, Google said search query growth hit a five-year high, driven by AI. Search ad revenue growth still slowed. Philipp Schindler, Google's chief business officer, pointed to AI Mode and its "lower monetization." Google didn't say how much less AI Mode earns or how much it dragged on the quarter. He also said AI Mode queries run about three times longer than regular searches, that most of them are extra searches and not replacements, and that click-through rates are already similar for sponsored and organic product listings in AI Mode. One more detail: Google plans to bring AI agents to Search that can book reservations, schedule appointments, fill out forms and make purchases.
This lines up with the ad news from earlier in the week. Google is expanding ads in AI Mode to 10 more countries, and multiturn ads, which show up during follow-up questions, are live in the US. My read is that Google makes less per AI search, so it adds ads in more places to make it back. For you, the longer questions matter most. Someone asking about a plumber with weekend hours needs a page that answers every piece of that, and a booking agent needs clean hours and services to work from. Open your Google Business Profile today and check the hours, services and booking link. If the bigger picture is new to you, here's how GEO works.
Read the original on Search Engine Land (Oct 29, 2026)
Key takeaways
- Search query growth hit a five-year high, but AI Mode ads earn less than regular search ads
- AI Mode queries run about three times longer, so your pages need to answer the details
- Ads in AI Mode are expanding to 10 more countries, and multiturn ads are live in the US
- Google plans search agents that book and buy, so keep hours, services and booking links current
AI Mode Sends 57% of Product Links to Google Shopping
A new study covered by Search Engine Land's Danny Goodwin found that Google AI Mode sends 57% of its product links to Google Shopping. Fashion and beauty products had the most results that linked only to Google's own pages. It's a short report, so I'd treat it as a signal and not a final number. Separately, Google is testing clearer "Sponsored" and "All products" headings in AI Mode shopping results, and it confirmed that Shopping ads can sit next to organic visual results in carousels for commercial searches.
If you sell products online, your Shopping feed is doing the job your product page used to do. I run into this with my own canvas prints. Shopping listings come from the feed in Google Merchant Center, and the page only matters after someone clicks. So titles, images, prices and stock status have to be right in the feed first. With paid and organic product listings sitting closer together in AI Mode, a weak feed hurts you in both places. Take twenty minutes this week and read your top five products the way Google reads them.
Read the original on Search Engine Land (Oct 29, 2026)
Key takeaways
- The study found 57% of AI Mode product links went to Google Shopping
- Fashion and beauty had the most results that linked only to Google's own pages
- Google is testing clearer Sponsored and All products headings in AI Mode
- Fix your Merchant Center titles, images, prices and stock before you touch product pages
A Small Test Puts AI Click-Through at About 0.9%
Cyrus Shepard posted a small case study on LinkedIn. He used the Search Console controls to block one site from showing in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, then compared impressions, clicks and click-through rate with the site in and out. His result was a click-through rate of about 0.9% from the AI features. The surprise came next. With the site out of the AI answers, clicks on the regular organic results dropped too. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable points out that AI Overviews probably still showed on those pages. His site just wasn't in them.
One site is not proof, and Shepard called it a small case study himself. But it tests the question people keep asking me: should I opt out? If hiding from AI answers also costs you regular clicks, hiding isn't a free move. My view for a small business is to leave it on. A 0.9% click rate looks tiny, yet being named in the answer is still how some people learn you exist. Then look at the AI report in Search Console, which I covered in digital marketing news. It shows impressions and not clicks, so go easy on the conclusions.
Read the original on Search Engine Roundtable (Oct 30, 2026)
Key takeaways
- Cyrus Shepard's one-site test measured about a 0.9% click-through rate from AI Overviews and AI Mode
- Opting out of the AI features also lowered clicks on regular organic results
- It's a single site, so treat it as a signal and not a rule
- Skip the opt-out unless you have a clear reason, and watch Search Console for changes
Holiday Media Costs Push Brands Toward Ads That Prove Sales
EMARKETER shared findings from a report by tvScientific by Pinterest. It shows 38% of US marketers name rising media costs as their top stress going into the holidays. Performance TV is the popular answer: 81% plan to run it, and 71% say the budget for those moments grew, up from 57% in 2025. Black Friday and Cyber Monday take the biggest share of spending at 35% of budgets. EMARKETER's read is that expensive media now has to show it contributed to revenue, because softer awareness goals are harder to defend.
You're probably not buying TV. The costs can still reach you. When big brands spend more and start earlier, other auctions tend to get pricier too. So the move is to spend less on anything you can't connect to a sale. Pick one offer, one end date and one tracking link for each channel, and look at them every Monday. Last week's trends post had new holiday creative data from AppLovin, and it pairs well with this. If you run paid social, my paid social advertising guide is the place to start.
Read the original on EMARKETER
Key takeaways
- 38% of marketers call rising media costs their top holiday stress, per the tvScientific report
- 81% plan performance TV ads, and 71% say budgets rose, up from 57% last year
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday take 35% of holiday budgets
- Tie each ad to one offer, one date and one tracking link so you can see what sells
TikTok Launches Must Eat, an In-App Restaurant Guide
TikTok launched Must Eat, a restaurant guide inside the app. It lists community-recommended places to eat in several US regions, based on user recommendations and engagement. You can browse by city, filter by cuisine, price, score and location, and open restaurant pages that show the neighborhood, price range and related videos. Select restaurants can be booked through OpenTable, and users can save places to their TikTok collections. TikTok says 27 million Americans visited an independent restaurant, cafe or shop for the first time last year after finding it on TikTok, and it estimates that drove $4.7 billion in local spending. That figure is TikTok's own.
TikTok hasn't said how a restaurant gets nominated, whether owners can ask to be included, or which regions are covered. So I wouldn't rebuild your plan around it yet. But if you own a restaurant, cafe or shop, search your business name on TikTok this week and see what people have posted. That's where Must Eat gets its picks. Then check your own listings, since plenty of people will look you up on Google before they show up. My local SEO checklist covers the basics, and the October social media platform roundup shows how fast this kind of discovery is moving.
Read the original on Social Media Today (Oct 28, 2026)
Key takeaways
- Must Eat lists community-recommended restaurants in several US regions, based on user recommendations and engagement
- Users can filter by cuisine, price, score and location, and book select places through OpenTable
- TikTok hasn't said how restaurants get listed or which regions are included
- Search your business name on TikTok and keep your Google listing current
Frequently asked questions
What are the top marketing trends for the week of November 2, 2026?
Google saying AI Mode earns less per search than regular results, a study showing AI Mode sends 57% of product links to Google Shopping, a small test that put AI click-through near 0.9%, rising holiday media costs, and TikTok's new Must Eat restaurant guide.
Why does it matter that AI Mode earns Google less per search?
People are searching more, but each AI Mode search earns Google less. That gives Google a reason to add more ads to AI answers. Expect more paid placements near your content, and write pages that answer longer, more specific questions so you still earn the mention.
Should I opt my website out of Google AI Overviews and AI Mode?
For most small businesses, no. One small test found that blocking a site from the AI features also lowered clicks on regular organic results. It's a single site, so it isn't proof, but it shows the move isn't free. Check your Search Console data before you change anything.
How does a restaurant get listed in TikTok Must Eat?
TikTok says the list is based on user recommendations and engagement. It hasn't explained how a place is nominated or whether owners can request a spot. Until it does, focus on what you control: search your name on TikTok, see what people post, and keep your Google listing accurate.
How should a small business handle rising holiday ad costs?
Spend where you can see a sale. Pick one offer and one end date for each channel, add a tracking link, and check results every Monday. Cut anything you can't tie to revenue. Earlier starts mean longer campaigns, so set a hard stop before the budget runs out.
The bottom line for the week of November 2
Put the week together and the pattern is pretty clear. Google is making AI Mode a bigger part of search, and it's still working out how to get paid for it. That means more ads, more Google-owned product pages and fewer easy clicks. Meanwhile TikTok is building a local guide of its own, and holiday ad costs are squeezing everyone.
None of this calls for a panic response. Check your Google Business Profile. Read your Merchant Center feed like a stranger would. Leave your AI settings alone unless you have a real reason. Tie each holiday ad to a sale, and search your name on TikTok. That's maybe an hour, and it covers most of what moved this week.
Want these every Saturday? Join the newsletter for busy business owners. If you'd like a second set of eyes on your search, shopping feed or social setup before the holidays, contact me, and take a look at my GEO services too.
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