PCL Research Page - St Maarten
The Publisher Context Layer is built on a real shift in how people find information — not a theory. Below are recent, independently published findings that track this shift as it happens.
Google zero-click searches hit 68% in early 2026
SparkToro / Search Engine Land — June 9, 2026
More than two out of three Google searches in the US now end without a click to any website — up from 60% just two years ago. When Google's AI Overview appears, click-through rates to the underlying sources drop by nearly 60%. Google's own AI Mode has surpassed one billion monthly users.
Read the original report →Google AI Overviews cite self-serving listicles, but recommend competitors 69% of the time
Lily Ray / Search Engine Land — June 2026
An analysis of 100 "best [category]" queries found that when a business writes its own promotional comparison article, Google's AI frequently cites that article as a source — then recommends a competitor named within it instead. A citation is not a recommendation. Independent, third-party editorial content consistently outperforms brand-authored content in earning the actual recommendation.
Read the original report →Top-ranking pages offer surprisingly little original content
On-Page.ai / SEO Südwest — June 2026
Roughly one in four pages ranking in Google's top three offers almost no original value — simply repeating what competitors already say. The strongest differentiator was original data: pages built on exclusive figures, statistics, or first-hand observations scored a full grade higher than pages without them. Text length alone made almost no difference.
Read the original study →This page is maintained as background reading for businesses considering Platinum verification through the Publisher Context Layer. Updated as new research is published.