Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026In our Google AI Mode study for Citation Labs, participants clicked nothing in 64% of 149 tasks. In our ChatGPT study for Profound, 205 of 221 tasks (92.8%) ended without a click to an external site. They compared brands and picked one. Your analytics show none of it. 100
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkEric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 23/07/2026A New York Times article this week cited one of the AI Mode studies I led the research for on behalf of Kevin Indig and Growth Memo. 1/ 001
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026We analyzed 221 screen-recorded ChatGPT tasks from 56 U.S.-based regular users for Profound, combining behavioral coding, think-aloud transcripts, and questionnaires. We examined who defined the evaluation criteria: the user, ChatGPT, or both. 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 23/07/2026A New York Times article this week cited one of the AI Mode studies I led the research for on behalf of Kevin Indig and Growth Memo. 1/ 001
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Looks like Europeans are again onto something my own country is too foolish to see. Come on, USA. It's hiding in broad daylighthttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/business/google-eu-fine-search-competition.htmlnytimes.comGoogle Hit With $1 Billion Fine By EU Over Search Engine PracticesAt a tense moment for trans-Atlantic trade, the European Union accused Google of anti-competitive business practices. 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Looks fantastico. Rustling up some friends to read with beach campfire: reading aloud as part of scary-story night. 001
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Barely settled in, already crashing someone else's ceremony. We're in #Ubud, Bali, for 5 more weeks. Ping me if you're around. #digitalnomading 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Screen and browser window size changes what users actually see below AI Overviews, and it has nothing to do with how much they scroll. 1/3 100
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkEric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Oh, what problems will the scary foreigners cause next <sigh> 001
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 24/06/2026In the Clickstream Solutions AI Overviews data study, I sampled cursor position every second, up to 60 times per session, capturing X-Y coordinates, viewport size, and a timestamp. Stitched together, that builds a spatial-temporal trail. 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 17/06/2026At the same time, their cursor traversed 83.4% of the visible search page, compared to 66.2% without an AI Overview (+26%). I call that the cursor paradox. 2/3 120
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 17/06/2026In my Google “scroll and hover” study, users with an AI Overview kept their cursor nearly still 44.1% of the time, versus 28.6% without one (+54%). Data from @surferseo.bsky.social 1/3 🧵 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 16/06/2026In my Google “scroll and hover” study, users with an AI Overview kept their cursor nearly still 44.1% of the time, versus 28.6% without one (+54%). At the same time, their cursor traversed 83.4% of the visible search page, compared to 66.2% without an AIO (+26%). I call that the cursor paradox. 100
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Oh, what problems will the scary foreigners cause next <sigh> 001
Reposted by Eric Van Buskirkyoyao.bsky.social @yoyao.com · 30/05/2026The 293rd Digital Surfer newsletter was just sent 🌊 Why a million keywords is just a vanity number. The standout posts and shares this week come from: @aleyda.bsky.social @crestodina.bsky.social @themarketinganu.bsky.social @btabke.bsky.social @whitespark.ca @ericvanb.bsky.social 112
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 27/05/20261/ No one reads the zero-click and AI search environment more deeply than @kevin-indig.bsky.social He just dug into my new clickstream data study on cursor and scroll behavior in Google Search, published on SEJ Monday. His take is as deep as you'll find. <Thread> 210
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 26/05/2026It’s live. 🔍 846,000 Google Search sessions. Scroll depth. Cursor movement. Session retention. Backscrolling. All measured across search intent types, with and without AI Overviews. 🧵 100
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 24/05/2026These winners Trump hired are some kind of Team-Einstein, eh? “You can’t do a nuclear thing in 72 hours on the back of a napkin,” Mr. Rubio said in a brief interview Sunday. 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 22/05/2026I analyzed, interpreted, and produced findings on cursor movement and scroll behavior across 846,000 Google Search sessions. Clickstream data provided by Surfer SEO. 📷 This is the layer that other clickstream data does not show. 200
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 21/05/202664% of AI Mode tasks, users made a product decision without clicking a single link or leaving the interface. Read. Evaluate. Decide. No tabs opened. AI Mode doesn't remove the comparison phase. It absorbs it into the answer. See the study I did with Citation Labs. Link 👇 110
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 14/04/2026Since click data can't tell us what people do inside a walled garden, how do you know what they DO? That's what I've focused on for a year now. Build user panels. Get their approval for desktop recording. It's not about what they SAY they do. It's real tasks, real activity. 110
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 05/04/2026Happy Easter! Thanks to all the Antichrists who voted him back in. 010
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkMore Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 18/03/2026Meta is shutting down its VR metaverse on June 15th. 6716745995
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 17/03/20261980s family. When I was too cool for school, my sister’s hair was too big for anything less than a station wagon, and my cousins were too preppy to drive south of Connecticut. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 28/02/2026As someone who's lived in Vietnam for much of the last ten years, I know well what a surveillance state looks like. I know authoritarianism. I know the particular flavor of performance that happens when powerful people decide it's better to flatter a strongman than stand on principle. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Gifting because if you didn't find the Halloween or Friday The 13th sequels frightening, this ought to do it for you. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/b...nytimes.comNetflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover 010
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkSearch Engine Journal @sejournal.bsky.social · 26/01/2026Google's new user intent extraction research shows the direction they're taking for the next generation of on-device AI. via @martinibuster.bsky.social #seonews #Googlesearchenginejournal.comGoogle’s New User Intent Extraction MethodGoogle's new user intent extraction research shows the direction they're taking for the next generation of on-device AI. via @martinibuster.bsky.social #seonews #Google 011
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkSearch Engine Roundtable @seroundtable.bsky.social · 26/01/2026Google AI Mode tests product images with price labels www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-mo...seroundtable.comGoogle AI Mode Product Images With Price LabelsGoogle is testing adding price labels on top of the product images within AI Mode results. I tried to replicate this but I was not able to, so it seems like a test. 011
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkEric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Think you know how people behave in AI Mode? Think again. Our team hand-annotated hundreds of user behaviors inside Google AI Mode. Not just clicks. We examined questions, hesitations, emotions, and decisions. Join the webinar! 111
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkEric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 13/05/2025My team just completed unicorn-level research: the first independent usability study of Google’s AI Overviews (AIO). 🔎 70 users, 400 live AIO encounters Thanks to the leadership from @kevin-indig.bsky.social ! Read it on Growth Memo. Link 👇 #SEO #AIO #UX 282
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 13/01/2026From my user behavior studies, over 80 participants, done for @kevin-indig.bsky.social and Propellic. 100
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 10/01/2026Webmasters: Trust Goggle as far as you can throw 'em. Then verify with your own data. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 10/01/2026What could go wrong after sending the Goon Squad to the best cities in US? 000
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkEric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 20/11/2025SEMrush was acquired by Adobe for $1.9B. Here’s me with the SEMrush USA team back in 2013. As far as I remember, nobody was getting stock options, and no one talked much about what the company structure even was at the time (maybe it was a single-member LLC or a DBA 😆). #FeelingSlackJawed 011
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 05/01/2026Please take a look at this comparison from the usability research I oversaw for Propellic Travel. Broad Map View--> Dwell Time: 1.88 seconds. Specific GMB Card--> Dwell Time: 19.36 seconds. 😲 🧵 1/3 110
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Congratu-fukking-lations to the oil companies from the US that Trump announced will be taking over the drilling for a country with more oil deposits than Saudi Arabia. This will be Trump's greatest grift ever. 000
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Almost 2026. This year, I led multiple public-facing AI search usability studies for clients (125+ participants combined). I’m launching a new research track for AI and search brands looking to elevate their authority next year. It centers on consumer survey studies. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 20/11/2025SEMrush was acquired by Adobe for $1.9B. Here’s me with the SEMrush USA team back in 2013. As far as I remember, nobody was getting stock options, and no one talked much about what the company structure even was at the time (maybe it was a single-member LLC or a DBA 😆). #FeelingSlackJawed 011
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 19/09/2025Vilain strikes again after irreparably screwing up the US government. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Think you know how people behave in AI Mode? Think again. Our team hand-annotated hundreds of user behaviors inside Google AI Mode. Not just clicks. We examined questions, hesitations, emotions, and decisions. Join the webinar! 111
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 24/06/2025I posted this 10 years ago and then bought zero crypto. Initially, it seemed too much trouble. Then, five years later, crypto bros made me realize it's icky and BS. 😆 $10,000 ten years ago= $2,390,000 today. Percentage Gain= 23,900% C'est la vie. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 07/06/2025After doing the 70-person usability study with @kevin-indig.bsky.social I can say with 100% certainty we're fooling ourselves by relying so much on click data. Search behavior with AIO and other SERP features is complex, but it follows CLEAR PATTERNS. Click data is 1/2 the story. 010
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 07/06/2025Gifting this because: Entrepreneur Justin Sun, who spent over $40 million on Trump cryptocurrency and previously invested $75 million in another Trump crypto venture, benefited when the SEC paused its fraud case against him shortly after Trump took office. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/o...nytimes.comOpinion | A Comprehensive Accounting of Trump’s Culture of Corruption 010
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkLily Ray 😏 @lilyray.nyc · 28/05/2025My latest rant: How Google's AI Mode is Designed to Keep Users in AI Mode #SEO #AI #Google #AIMode #GoogleIO www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-go...linkedin.comHow Google AI Mode Keeps Users in AI ModeAI Mode is a new feature in Google Search that utilizes AI to provide in-depth, comprehensive responses to detailed questions. Last week at Google I/O, Google announced that AI Mode would become publi... 29020
Reposted by Eric Van BuskirkGeorge Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 24/05/2025If it was a “personal” and not a “presidential” meeting, why the presidential seal? 871147843751
Eric Van Buskirk @ericvanb.bsky.social · 25/05/2025Gifted because I live in Vietnam, and it's disgusting to see the Trumps grifting their way through so many corrupt transactions with foreigners and foreign countries. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/25/w...nytimes.comWhy Vietnam Ignored Its Own Laws to Fast-Track a Trump Family Golf Complex 010