March 2026 Edition

The March 2026 edition of 3030 highlights a period of "near-constant flux" in search, where AI-generated "slop" is under fire while human-centric expertise is weathering the storm. Industry performance remains a mixed bag: the consulting sector is thriving, with Boston Consulting Group seeing a 59% lift in visibility, while nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Club faced a 16% decline.

User behavior is forcing major AI pivots, as OpenAI scrapped its "Instant Checkout" plans because shoppers still prefer visiting actual websites to experience a brand. Similarly, Reddit's overall citation share in AI responses plummeted 50% in four months, yet it gained authority as a "solo" source for subjective, human-first advice.

Technical updates emphasize integrity over shortcuts, with experts from Google and Bing warning that using redundant markdown files only wastes crawl budgets. Meanwhile, Google continues to integrate Gemini into its ecosystem through "Ask Maps," allowing users to discover local businesses via complex, conversational queries

This month, Pat covers:

• March Industry Review - What I’m Seeing & Hearing
• OpenAI Pivots Its Shopping Plans Because...Wait For It...No One Really Bought Anything
• Reddit's Citation Share Dropped 50% In 4 Months
• Better Late Than Never: Google Search Console Now Allows You To Filter By Brand & Non-Branded
• More Evidence That You Shouldn't Use Markdown Files Directly From Google & Bing
• The Googs Rolls Out "Ask Maps"