{"_meta":{"purpose":"Replacement independent public ChatGPT probe for draft article","date":"2026-09-22","condition":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","protocol":"Nine exact questions, one per fresh conversation, three runs each; 27 answers completed","status":"complete","firstCapturedAt":"2026-09-22T18:59:12.772Z","lastCapturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:06:46.834Z","captureNote":"The answer field preserves visible response text including citation labels; sourcePayloads preserves the page's exact citation payloads and URLs.","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"searchDecoded"}}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":1,"question":"What is searchDecoded?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T18:59:12.772Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2cfc2-3a98-83ea-bf34-863cfc14e1d7","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"If you mean searchDecoded at searchdecoded.co.uk, it’s an independent publication and research site focused on modern search, technical SEO, and AI-powered search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIt was created and is written/developed by Joel Brakewell, whose work focuses on technical SEO, organic search, and AI-driven information discovery. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIts content currently includes:\n\nTechnical SEO — crawling, rendering, indexing, migrations, structured data, etc.\n\nAI Search — how AI search systems retrieve and cite information.\n\nInvestigations/research — evidence-based studies of how search systems behave.\n\nLabs — interactive tools such as a website migration risk calculator and Google Search update timeline. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nResources — practical checklists and briefing templates for SEO and AI-search work. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe site's stated philosophy is essentially evidence over assumption: distinguish what can actually be observed from theories about why a search engine or AI system behaved a certain way. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSo, in short, searchDecoded is a UK-based SEO/AI-search analysis publication rather than a search engine itself.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":2,"question":"Who created searchDecoded and what is their professional background?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T18:59:50.555Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d013-33bc-83ea-84dc-ee1625648404","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded was created and is operated by Joel Brakewell. The site's own About page says he writes and develops the publication, with a focus on technical SEO, organic search, and the changing role of AI in information discovery. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nJoel Brakewell's professional background\n\nFrom the publicly available information, his background is primarily in SEO and digital search, rather than traditional journalism or academic information-retrieval research.\n\nThe clearest credentials listed by searchDecoded are:\n\nTechnical SEO — his stated core area of work.\n\nOrganic search — understanding and improving how websites perform in conventional search engines.\n\nAI search / information discovery — his work increasingly examines how AI-powered search and generated answers change the way information is found and cited.\n\nAnalytics — he lists Google Analytics Certification among his credentials.\n\nSEO tooling and technical training — he lists certifications from Ahrefs and Semrush Academy, including Technical SEO & AI Search Essentials and AI Search Operating System. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThere is also evidence that he is hands-on rather than simply producing commentary. For example, Brakewell has built searchDecoded's Google Search Update Timeline, as well as interactive tools and research projects around technical SEO, AI crawlers, GA4 and AI-search citations. \nL\nLinkedIn\n+1\n\nSo, in short: searchDecoded is essentially Joel Brakewell's independent SEO/AI-search research and publishing project, combining his professional technical-SEO background with investigations into how Google and AI search systems work.\n\nOne caveat: I found good evidence for his current professional focus and listed certifications, but the public searchDecoded material I found does not provide a detailed conventional CV—such as a complete employment history, university education, or dates for previous roles. \nS\nsearchDecoded","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Website terms and conditions of use · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/terms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Google August 2026 Spam Update Rolls Out Globally | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_google-search-updates-timeline-and-history-activity-7495868355116040192-ipXE?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"title\":\"Google August 2026 Spam Update Rolls Out Globally | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_google-search-updates-timeline-and-history-activity-7495868355116040192-ipXE?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":3,"question":"Which subjects does searchDecoded cover?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:00:31.320Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d03b-abec-83ea-aad4-765c5f983b69","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded mainly covers modern search and how websites are discovered, with three core subject areas:\n\nTechnical SEO — crawling, rendering, indexing, canonicalisation, schema markup, migrations, and diagnosing organic-search problems. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nAI Search — Google AI Overviews, AI-generated answers, AI citations, AI crawlers, and how websites appear in AI-powered search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSearch investigations — evidence-led analysis of changes in organic traffic, rankings, site migrations, search updates, and other unexplained search behaviour. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIt also has related research, practical resources, and interactive Labs, covering things such as GA4 consent mode, Google Search updates, migration risk, and AI-search readiness. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIn short, its focus is SEO + AI search + the technical systems behind information discovery, rather than general digital marketing. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nExplore searchDecoded","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Insights · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"Explore searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":4,"question":"What did searchDecoded's 2026 UK consumer AI crawler study examine?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:01:18.765Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d077-6250-83ea-b8c9-ebe5936b8b6f","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study examined how prominent UK consumer-facing websites were configuring their robots.txt policies for AI-related crawlers and content-use controls.\n\nSpecifically, it:\n\nAnalysed 100 prominent UK consumer websites across six sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nLooked at eight AI-specific controls, covering model-development/training, AI search/retrieval, and user-triggered retrieval. These included GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User, Google-Extended, and Applebot-Extended. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nDistinguished explicit AI-specific rules from situations where AI crawlers simply inherited a site's general robots rules.\n\nRecorded whether named controls were allowed, partially restricted, or blocked sitewide, rather than assuming that naming a crawler meant it was blocked. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nCollected each site's root robots.txt on 18 August 2026, using predefined controls and classification rules based on RFC 9309. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSeparately examined ordinary search/user-request crawlers such as Googlebot, Applebot, bingbot, ChatGPT-User and Perplexity-User for context. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe headline finding was that only 13 of the 100 sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific control, while 72 sites allowed AI-related controls to inherit their general robots rules. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nAn important limitation is that this was a study of published crawler policy, not actual crawler behaviour. It did not test whether bots obeyed robots.txt, whether sites appeared in AI answers, or why businesses had chosen their rules. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":5,"question":"How many websites and sectors did searchDecoded's 2026 study on UK consumer AI crawlers include?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:01:38.252Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d082-5258-83ea-9004-05fe847c35a2","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study covered:\n\n100 websites\n\n6 UK consumer sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe study was published on 18 August 2026 and examined eight AI-specific crawler/content-use controls in each site’s robots.txt. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nView the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"View the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":6,"question":"According to searchDecoded's 2026 AI crawler study, what percentage of sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:01:43.132Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d093-5aec-83ea-9d7a-0594ebe068c7","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study, 13% of the sites studied explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control.\n\nThat was 13 out of 100 prominent UK consumer websites across six sectors. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nFor context, 72% applied their existing general robots.txt rules to AI-related controls rather than publishing an AI-specific rule. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":7,"question":"According to searchDecoded, what can an AI citation prove and what can't it prove?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:02:08.287Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0a6-7ff4-83ea-9671-07e3b6f2cb09","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s July 2026 article, an AI citation is evidence of appearance, not proof of causation, influence, or value. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWhat an AI citation can prove\n\nA source appeared in a recorded AI-generated answer. This is the safest conclusion.\n\nA source appeared repeatedly under a defined test. Repeated testing can reveal patterns in which domains or pages tend to be cited.\n\nThere may be a visibility gap worth investigating. For example, if competitors are repeatedly cited and your site isn't, that can identify something to examine—but not explain why.\n\nA dated observation occurred under particular conditions. The prompt, platform, date, location, account state, and search behaviour matter when interpreting the result. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWhat it can't prove on its own\n\nWhy the AI selected the source. You can't infer that it was chosen because of authority, freshness, structure, relevance, etc.\n\nThat the source actually supports the AI's claim. A page being cited doesn't necessarily mean it substantiates the sentence next to the citation.\n\nThat the source influenced the answer. Being displayed as a citation and actually shaping the generated text are different things.\n\nThat the citation is a stable ranking. AI answers and their sources can change with wording, time, location, product, settings, and model updates.\n\nThat the citation generated business value. A citation doesn't prove a visit, lead, sale, or increase in trust.\n\nThat a particular feature of the cited page caused the citation. Seeing, say, a table or structured data on a cited competitor page doesn't establish that this feature earned the citation. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nThe article's central principle is essentially:\n\nA visible citation is an observation, not a complete explanation of how retrieval worked. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSo, in practical SEO terms: “Google/ChatGPT/Perplexity cited us” is a factual observation. “It cited us because of our content structure, therefore we're influential and this drove revenue” is a chain of additional claims that requires separate evidence.\n\nRead the full searchDecoded article","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Measuring AI Citations for Your Website Effectively | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_ai-citations-what-they-can-and-cant-prove-activity-7485985821414731777-M6Rm?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded article\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":8,"question":"What does searchDecoded's website migration risk calculator assess?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:02:30.612Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0b2-09d4-83ea-9fdc-903dbd2d159e","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s Website Migration Risk Calculator is designed to estimate the relative SEO risk and complexity of a planned website migration. It also shows which broad factors are contributing most to the calculated risk. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIn practical terms, it assesses migration characteristics that can affect how difficult or risky the SEO transition may be, such as:\n\nThe scope and complexity of the migration.\n\nChanges to URLs and site structure.\n\nThe need to preserve redirects and URL destinations.\n\nFactors affecting crawling, indexing and search visibility.\n\nOther characteristics that make a migration more or less involved.\n\nThe calculator is intended as a planning/diagnostic aid rather than a prediction of traffic loss. searchDecoded describes its Labs tools as helping users understand risk, complexity and opportunity, without replacing detailed investigation or implementation. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThat fits with searchDecoded’s broader migration methodology: it recommends evaluating a migration through the sequence redirects → crawling → indexing → search visibility, because a later SEO symptom often originates in an earlier technical problem. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIf you want, I can also break down the individual inputs in the calculator and explain what each one means.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Site migration signals worth monitoring · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/site-migration-monitoring/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":1,"questionIndex":9,"question":"Does searchDecoded recommend blocking every AI crawler?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:02:39.434Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0c7-8f9c-83ea-b25e-5aecbaa24b52","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"No. searchDecoded explicitly says not to block every AI crawler by default. Its August 2026 guidance recommends deciding separately what you want to allow or restrict for:\n\nModel training — e.g. GPTBot or ClaudeBot.\n\nAI search/discovery — e.g. OAI-SearchBot or Claude-SearchBot.\n\nUser-requested fetching — when someone asks an AI assistant to retrieve a particular page.\n\nUnknown/problematic bots — where server load or unverified traffic creates a specific issue. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIts underlying UK study also found examples of sites that allowed AI search crawlers while blocking the corresponding training crawlers, illustrating the mixed approach it recommends. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSo the basic searchDecoded position is: don't treat \"AI crawler\" as one category. Decide based on the crawler's purpose and your content/business requirements. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nsearchDecoded: Should your website block AI crawlers?","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000.0,\"title\":\"searchDecoded: Should your website block AI crawlers?\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":1,"question":"What is searchDecoded?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:03:05.759Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0df-fa54-83ea-b2e7-548440d3f0bd","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"If you mean searchDecoded (the site at searchdecoded.co.uk), it’s an independent publication focused on technical SEO, AI search, and how modern search systems work. It was created and is operated by Joel Brakewell. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIt’s more than a conventional SEO blog. It has three main areas:\n\nInsights — analysis of crawling, indexing, Google Search, AI search and related topics. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nResearch — original studies with methods, limitations and downloadable data.\n\nLabs — interactive experiments and tools, including a Google Search Update Timeline, website migration risk calculator, and AI-search-related simulators. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nResources — practical checklists and evidence briefs for SEO and AI-search work. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe site's stated philosophy is “evidence over assumption”: it aims to distinguish things that can actually be observed in search systems from interpretations about why they happened. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nVisit searchDecoded\n\nIf you encountered “searchDecoded” somewhere specific—for example in an SEO report, a browser extension, or an AI-search context—tell me where, because there is also a similarly named SearchDecode Firefox extension. \nS\nsocket.dev","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Website terms and conditions of use · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/terms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Insights · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"Visit searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"socket.dev\",\"publishedAt\":1778803200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"SearchDecode - Firefox Add-ons Package Security Analysis - S...\",\"url\":\"https://socket.dev/firefox/package/searchdecode%40bewf/overview/1.3.2?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"socket.dev\",\"title\":\"SearchDecode - Firefox Add-ons Package Security Analysis - S...\",\"url\":\"https://socket.dev/firefox/package/searchdecode%40bewf/overview/1.3.2?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":2,"question":"Who created searchDecoded and what is their professional background?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:03:16.530Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0eb-3ae4-83ea-a182-9db6e58dbe86","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded was created and is operated by Joel Brakewell. The site describes itself as an independent publication focused on technical SEO, organic search, AI search, and how information discovery is changing. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nJoel Brakewell's professional background\n\nAccording to searchDecoded's own biography, Brakewell's work centres on:\n\nTechnical SEO — understanding crawling, rendering, indexing, structured data and search-engine systems.\n\nOrganic search — analysing how websites perform in traditional search and investigating changes in visibility.\n\nAI search / information discovery — studying AI-powered search, AI citations and the interaction between search engines, websites and AI systems. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nResearch and practical tooling — he develops interactive tools such as a Google Search update timeline, migration-risk calculator and GA4 consent-mode simulator. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe site also lists training/certifications in Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and Semrush, including Semrush certifications covering technical SEO, AI search and AI-search operations. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThere is independent corroboration that Brakewell is the person developing the project: for example, his LinkedIn posts describe him building the searchDecoded Google Search update timeline himself. \nL\nLinkedIn\n\nSo, in short, searchDecoded appears to be a founder-led specialist SEO/AI-search publication rather than a publication backed by a large media company or research institution. Its stated approach is evidence-led investigation, with an emphasis on making technical search topics understandable rather than simply reporting SEO news. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nsearchDecoded's About page\n\nIf you're interested, I can also dig into Joel Brakewell's career history before searchDecoded — employers, previous roles, education, and how long he's worked in SEO.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Website terms and conditions of use · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/terms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Google August 2026 Spam Update Rolls Out Globally | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_google-search-updates-timeline-and-history-activity-7495868355116040192-ipXE?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"searchDecoded's About page\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"title\":\"Google August 2026 Spam Update Rolls Out Globally | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_google-search-updates-timeline-and-history-activity-7495868355116040192-ipXE?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":3,"question":"Which subjects does searchDecoded cover?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:03:25.232Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d0f5-a15c-83ea-afa6-9163c2e5945f","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"If you mean searchDecoded (the UK publication at searchdecoded.co.uk), it focuses on search and digital discovery, rather than school/academic subjects.\n\nIts main subject areas are:\n\nTechnical SEO — crawling, rendering, indexing, canonicalisation, structured data, migrations, and organic search visibility. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nAI Search — Google AI Overviews, AI-generated answers, AI citations, AI crawlers, and how websites appear in AI-powered search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSearch investigations — evidence-led analysis of changes in search traffic, rankings, migrations, and other search behaviour. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSearch research — including original studies such as its 2026 UK consumer AI-crawler/content-use research. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nPractical search resources and tools — migration checklists, AI Overview readiness, AI crawler access, schema evidence, and interactive SEO/search tools. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIn short, searchDecoded covers technical SEO, AI search, and the wider systems that determine how information is discovered online. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nExplore searchDecoded","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Insights · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1786838400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"Explore searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":4,"question":"What did searchDecoded's 2026 UK consumer AI crawler study examine?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:03:47.426Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d10b-8c30-83ea-89c0-0e08c5672e52","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study examined how prominent UK consumer websites were handling AI-related crawling and content-use controls through their published robots.txt policies. It was published 18 August 2026. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSpecifically, the study:\n\nSampled 100 prominent UK consumer-facing websites across six sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive.\n\nExamined eight AI-specific controls, covering model-development/training, AI search/retrieval, and user-triggered retrieval. These included GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and Applebot-Extended.\n\nCollected each site's root robots.txt once on 18 August 2026, then classified the rules using the Robots Exclusion Protocol (RFC 9309) and predefined provider-specific rules.\n\nDistinguished between explicit AI-specific rules, AI controls that simply inherited general crawler rules, missing/unresolved policies, and partial versus sitewide restrictions.\n\nAlso examined six additional controls—including ordinary search crawlers and user-requested fetching—to provide context, but kept those separate from the main eight-control analysis. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe headline finding was that 13 of the 100 sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific control, while 72 applied their general robots rules to AI-related controls instead. The study was measuring published technical policy, not whether bots actually obeyed the rules, whether sites appeared in AI answers, or whether a site's policy was \"AI-friendly\" or \"AI-hostile.\" \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":5,"question":"How many websites and sectors did searchDecoded's 2026 study on UK consumer AI crawlers include?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:03:54.185Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d114-4184-83ea-9966-fcf19543e775","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study covered:\n\n100 websites\n\n6 UK consumer sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive. \nS\nsearchdecoded.co.uk\n\nThe sample was deliberately stratified across those six sectors, rather than intended to represent the entire UK consumer economy.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":6,"question":"According to searchDecoded's 2026 AI crawler study, what percentage of sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:04:01.025Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d11b-20b0-83ea-86bc-ae0fcc3b129f","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study, 13% of sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control — 13 out of 100 sites studied. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe study covered 100 prominent UK consumer websites across six sectors and examined eight predefined AI-specific controls. Another 72% applied their general robots rules to those AI controls without naming them explicitly. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":7,"question":"According to searchDecoded, what can an AI citation prove and what can't it prove?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:04:24.392Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d130-6cb8-83ea-8391-444eb1d5f571","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s article “AI citations: what they can and can’t prove,” an AI citation is best treated as an observable event, not as proof of everything that happened behind it. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWhat an AI citation can prove\n\nA source appeared in a recorded AI-generated answer. This is the safest and most direct conclusion.\n\nA source appeared repeatedly under defined test conditions. Repeated testing can reveal patterns in citation frequency.\n\nThere may be a visibility gap worth investigating. For example, if competitors are repeatedly cited and your site isn't, that gives you a question to investigate—but not an explanation for the difference.\n\nThe citation happened at a particular point in time, with particular test conditions. This matters because AI-generated answers can change.\n\nWhat it can't prove on its own\n\nWhy the source was selected. You can't infer that a particular feature—structure, freshness, wording, schema, etc.—caused the citation.\n\nThat the source actually supports the claim. A citation can be present while the linked page doesn't fully substantiate the statement beside it.\n\nHow much the source influenced the answer. Being displayed as a citation isn't the same as having materially shaped the generated response.\n\nThat the source will continue to be cited. AI results vary with wording, time, location, model/product, settings, and updates.\n\nThat the citation created business value. A citation doesn't prove a visit, conversion, sale, or increase in trust.\n\nThat it represents an AI “ranking.” searchDecoded specifically cautions against treating citation counts as an AI search ranking.\n\nThe article's central principle is essentially:\n\nA visible citation is an observation, not a full account of how retrieval worked. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSo, in practical terms: “AI cited us” is evidence of visibility; it isn't evidence of causation, influence, factual support, stability, or commercial impact.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":8,"question":"What does searchDecoded's website migration risk calculator assess?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:04:33.108Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d139-2bcc-83ea-8cc5-47ffe89f4a9d","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s Website Migration Risk Calculator is designed to estimate the relative SEO risk and complexity of a planned website migration. It’s intended as a pre-launch assessment rather than a guarantee of what will happen. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIt looks broadly at factors such as:\n\nWhat is changing in the migration and how complex the move is.\n\nURL changes and redirects — particularly whether important old URLs have clear destinations.\n\nCrawling and indexing implications — whether search engines can discover, crawl and index the new pages correctly.\n\nSearch visibility risk — the potential for migration-related changes to affect organic search performance.\n\nThe overall migration complexity, highlighting which broad factors are contributing most to the calculated risk. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nThe useful distinction is that it doesn't simply predict traffic loss. searchDecoded describes it as a way to identify where the migration needs attention, complementing its migration checklist, which focuses on redirects, crawling, indexing and visibility in that order. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nIf you want, I can also break down exactly what questions/inputs the calculator uses and how its score is calculated.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Site migration signals worth monitoring · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/site-migration-monitoring/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":2,"questionIndex":9,"question":"Does searchDecoded recommend blocking every AI crawler?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:04:41.627Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d141-ce2c-83ea-a5d8-328256e74a22","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"No. searchDecoded explicitly does not recommend blocking every AI crawler by default. Its guidance is to decide based on what you want each type of AI access to do—model training, AI search, or user-requested page fetching—and then apply controls accordingly. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIts recommended approach is essentially:\n\nModel-training crawlers: decide separately whether you want your content used for training.\n\nAI-search crawlers: consider allowing them if you want your pages to remain eligible as sources in AI search.\n\nUser-requested fetching: treat this separately again, since it happens when a person asks an AI assistant to retrieve a page.\n\nUnknown/problematic bots: consider stronger restrictions where there is evidence of unwanted traffic or another concrete problem.\n\nIn fact, searchDecoded gives a mixed-policy example where a site allows OpenAI and Anthropic search crawlers while blocking their corresponding training crawlers. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSo the core message is: don't make “AI crawler” the decision criterion; decide by purpose and content. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nsearchDecoded: “Should your website block AI crawlers?”","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI crawler access briefing template · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/ai-crawler-access-brief/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000.0,\"title\":\"searchDecoded: “Should your website block AI crawlers?”\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":1,"question":"What is searchDecoded?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:05:02.953Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d15b-1c10-83ea-a0d4-d4b4f3dee3c0","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"If you mean “SearchDecoded” as a website, service, or product, could you tell me where you encountered the term (e.g., a website, app, email, or search result)? There are several things it could refer to.","sourcePayloads":[]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":2,"question":"Who created searchDecoded and what is their professional background?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:05:13.624Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d15f-df5c-83ea-88f4-76916c09fd16","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded was created and is operated by Joel Brakewell, a UK-based technical SEO professional. The site's own “About” page says he writes and develops the publication, with his work focused on technical SEO, organic search, and the changing role of AI in information discovery. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nJoel Brakewell's professional background\n\nTechnical SEO consultant: His LinkedIn profile describes him as a Technical SEO Consultant focused on helping organisations improve their search visibility. His listed services include SEO, SEM, content strategy, digital marketing and marketing consulting. \nL\nLinkedIn\n\nReading Room: His current LinkedIn profile lists Reading Room as his employer. \nL\nLinkedIn\n\nEarlier agency experience: Fat Media's own team page lists Brakewell as an SEO Executive, providing evidence of earlier agency-side SEO work. \nF\nFat Media\n\nEducation: He studied at Manchester Metropolitan University, graduating with a 2:1 in 2016. \nL\nLinkedIn\n\nProfessional training: His public credentials include Google Analytics Individual Qualification, Semrush SEO Essentials, and Semrush SEO Fundamentals. searchDecoded additionally lists training in technical SEO and AI search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nCurrent specialism: His recent work extends beyond conventional SEO into AI search, AI citations, crawling, indexing, structured data and information retrieval. That's also the focus of searchDecoded's research and interactive tools. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSo, in short, searchDecoded isn't presented as a publication backed by a large media or research organisation; it is essentially Joel Brakewell's independent SEO/AI-search publication and research project. The site describes it as a working demonstration of his approach to technical SEO and modern search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIf you're asking because you want to assess how credible/authoritative searchDecoded is, I can also dig into Joel's employment history, published work, client experience and qualifications and give you a source-by-source assessment of his professional credentials.","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Website terms and conditions of use · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/terms/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Joel Brakewell - Reading Room | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joel-brakewell?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Joel Brakewell - Reading Room | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joel-brakewell?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"Fat Media\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About Us | Delivering Marketing Solutions Across the UK\",\"url\":\"https://www.fatmedia.co.uk/about-us/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Joel Brakewell - Reading Room | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joel-brakewell?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Joel Brakewell - Reading Room | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joel-brakewell?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"SEO and AI: Facts vs Truth in Search | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_i-was-watching-a-tv-programme-recently-where-activity-7483486907172220928-2JMG?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"title\":\"Joel Brakewell - Reading Room | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joel-brakewell?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"Fat Media\",\"title\":\"About Us | Delivering Marketing Solutions Across the UK\",\"url\":\"https://www.fatmedia.co.uk/about-us/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":3,"question":"Which subjects does searchDecoded cover?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:05:20.370Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d16a-700c-83ea-bd66-5ba3d6503140","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"If you mean searchDecoded, the UK publication at searchdecoded.co.uk, it focuses on modern search and how websites are discovered. Its main subject areas are:\n\nTechnical SEO — crawling, rendering, indexing, canonicalisation, structured data, migrations, and organic visibility. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nAI Search — Google AI Overviews, AI-generated answers, AI citations, AI crawlers, and how content is used in AI-powered search. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nSearch investigations — evidence-led investigations into changes in traffic, rankings, search behaviour, and technical problems. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSearch research and experiments — original research, interactive tools, simulations and timelines examining how search systems behave. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nPractical SEO resources — checklists and briefing tools covering migrations, AI Overview readiness, AI crawler access and schema markup. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIn short, its core subject is SEO and search technology, particularly the intersection between traditional Google Search and emerging AI search. \nS\nsearchDecoded","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Modern search made understandable · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Insights · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1786838400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Browse every public page on the website · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/sitemap/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Practical SEO resources and checklists · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/resources/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"About · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/about/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Technical SEO · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/technical-seo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":4,"question":"What did searchDecoded's 2026 UK consumer AI crawler study examine?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:05:44.389Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d181-8860-83ea-8ea0-30b988f92acd","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study examined how prominent UK consumer websites publicly controlled access by AI-related crawlers and content-use directives.\n\nSpecifically, it:\n\nAnalysed 100 prominent UK consumer-facing websites across six sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nExamined each site's robots.txt file as a point-in-time snapshot collected on 18 August 2026.\n\nPredefined eight AI-specific controls, covering AI search/retrieval, model training/development, content-use controls, and user-triggered retrieval. These included GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, and Applebot-Extended. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nDistinguished between explicit AI-specific rules and cases where AI crawlers simply inherited the site's ordinary robots rules.\n\nClassified whether named controls were explicitly allowed, partially restricted, or blocked sitewide, rather than treating every mention as a block or allow decision. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nAlso looked at six additional controls—ordinary search crawlers and other retrieval/data-collection bots—to provide context.\n\nThe headline finding was that only 13 of the 100 sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific control, while 72 sites let AI-related access inherit their general robots rules. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nImportantly, the study didn't measure whether AI crawlers actually obeyed those instructions, whether sites appeared in AI answers, or why organisations chose their policies. It was essentially an examination of the published technical access policies, not a measure of actual AI visibility or impact. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":5,"question":"How many websites and sectors did searchDecoded's 2026 study on UK consumer AI crawlers include?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:05:52.992Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d18b-9824-83ea-961d-558d3d6c4147","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study included:\n\n100 websites\n\n6 UK consumer sectors: grocery retail, package travel, personal banking, domestic energy, passenger rail, and automotive. \nS\nsearchdecoded.co.uk\n\nThe study analysed each site’s robots.txt against 8 AI crawler/content-use controls, including GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, OAI-SearchBot, Google-Extended, and Applebot-Extended. \nS\nsearchdecoded.co.uk\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":6,"question":"According to searchDecoded's 2026 AI crawler study, what percentage of sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:06:01.784Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d192-8d94-83ea-8a76-40adea3da2fc","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s 2026 UK consumer AI crawler and content-use study, 13% of sites explicitly named at least one AI-specific crawler or content-use control — 13 out of 100 websites studied. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nThe study covered prominent UK consumer websites across six sectors and was published 18 August 2026. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded study","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded study\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":7,"question":"According to searchDecoded, what can an AI citation prove and what can't it prove?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:06:30.447Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d1a8-9f00-83ea-8031-1f2ddbb2bf16","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"According to searchDecoded’s July 2026 analysis, an AI citation is evidence that a source appeared in a generated answer—but it is not proof of everything that happened behind that appearance. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWhat an AI citation can prove\n\nA recorded citation can establish that:\n\nThe source appeared in the AI-generated response. This is the most defensible claim.\n\nA source appeared repeatedly, if you run the same test multiple times and record the results.\n\nPatterns of visibility exist—for example, a particular domain or page appearing more often for certain types of prompts or on certain platforms.\n\nThere may be a gap worth investigating. If competitors are cited and your site isn't, that gives you a question to investigate, though not the reason for the difference.\n\nsearchDecoded's core principle is: “A visible citation is an observation, not a full account of how retrieval worked.” \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWhat it can't prove on its own\n\nA citation does not establish:\n\nWhy the AI selected that source — relevance, freshness, accessibility, evidence quality, or other factors could have contributed.\n\nThat the cited page actually supports the claim. A page can be relevant to the topic without substantiating the specific statement beside the citation.\n\nHow much the source influenced the answer. Being displayed as a citation and actually shaping the generated text are separate things.\n\nThat the citation will remain stable. AI answers can change with wording, date, location, product, account settings and model updates.\n\nThat the citation produced business value such as a visit, lead, sale, or increased trust.\n\nThat the citation represents an AI “ranking.” searchDecoded explicitly cautions against interpreting citation frequency as a conventional ranking position.\n\nSo, in shorthand:\n\nCitation = “this source appeared here.”\nCitation ≠ “this source caused the answer, proves the answer, will keep appearing, or generated business value.” \nS\nsearchDecoded\n+1\n\nsearchDecoded therefore recommends separating triggering → retrieval/eligibility → selection/display → support/influence → outcome, rather than collapsing everything into a single “AI visibility” score. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nRead the full searchDecoded analysis","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"},{\"attribution\":\"LinkedIn\",\"isSupporting\":true,\"sourceIndex\":1,\"title\":\"Measuring AI Citations for Your Website Effectively | Joel Brakewell posted on the topic | LinkedIn\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joel-brakewell_ai-citations-what-they-can-and-cant-prove-activity-7485985821414731777-M6Rm?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400.0,\"title\":\"Read the full searchDecoded analysis\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"AI citations: what they can and can’t prove · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/ai-citation-measurement/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":8,"question":"What does searchDecoded's website migration risk calculator assess?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:06:39.641Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d1b7-a028-83ea-bece-94df27924025","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"searchDecoded’s Website Migration Risk Calculator is designed to estimate the relative SEO risk and complexity of a planned website migration. It then highlights the broad factors contributing most to that risk. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIn practical terms, it is assessing migration characteristics that can affect organic search, such as:\n\nRedirect complexity — how many URLs need to move and how complicated the redirect mapping is.\n\nSite size and URL volume — larger migrations generally involve more opportunities for errors.\n\nChanges to site structure — changes in URLs, information architecture, or page organisation can increase migration complexity.\n\nSEO-critical elements — factors such as crawling, indexing, canonicals and other search-engine signals.\n\nMigration scope — the extent of the change, such as moving domains, platforms, structures, or combinations of these.\n\nOverall complexity/risk — it combines the inputs into a relative assessment rather than predicting a specific traffic loss.\n\nsearchDecoded describes the calculator as an assessment tool rather than a guarantee of migration performance: its Labs are intended to help users understand “risk, complexity and opportunity,” while the result should be supplemented by investigation and implementation work. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIt also fits with searchDecoded’s broader migration methodology, which recommends monitoring a migration in this sequence: redirects → crawling → indexing → search visibility. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nWebsite Migration Risk Calculator","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1784678400,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Site migration signals worth monitoring · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/site-migration-monitoring/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"title\":\"Website Migration Risk Calculator\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Interactive search tools and research · searchDecoded Labs\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/labs/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
{"run":3,"questionIndex":9,"question":"Does searchDecoded recommend blocking every AI crawler?","capturedAt":"2026-09-22T19:06:46.834Z","url":"https://chatgpt.com/uc/6ab2d1c0-e240-83ea-9d0d-8638826f7258","surface":"Logged-out public ChatGPT web interface, default mode","answer":"No. searchDecoded explicitly argues against blocking every AI crawler by default.\n\nIts August 2026 guidance says to distinguish between at least three different purposes:\n\nModel training — e.g. GPTBot or ClaudeBot.\n\nAI search/discovery — e.g. OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, or PerplexityBot.\n\nUser-requested fetching — when an AI assistant retrieves a page because a person asked it to.\n\nsearchDecoded says these should be considered separately because blocking one can have different effects from blocking another. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIts recommended starting point for many public-facing sites is effectively a mixed policy: keep useful pages available to AI search and user-led retrieval, while making a separate decision about model training. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nIts 2026 study also found that among the 100 UK consumer sites it examined, some sites allowed search crawlers while blocking the corresponding training crawlers. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nSo if you're interpreting searchDecoded's position as \"block all AI bots\", that's not what it recommends. Its central point is choose the policy based on the crawler's purpose and the content involved, rather than treating \"AI crawler\" as one category. \nS\nsearchDecoded\n\nsearchDecoded's full AI-crawler guidance","sourcePayloads":["[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787011200,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"UK AI crawler policies: 100 consumer websites (2026)\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/research/uk-consumer-ai-crawler-study-2026/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000,\"sourceIndex\":0,\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchdecoded.co.uk\",\"publishedAt\":1787616000.0,\"title\":\"searchDecoded's full AI-crawler guidance\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]","[{\"attribution\":\"searchDecoded\",\"title\":\"Should you block AI crawlers? What to decide · searchDecoded\",\"url\":\"https://searchdecoded.co.uk/insights/block-ai-crawlers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\"}]"]}
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