Crayon vs SEMrush

Introducing Crayon's Insights API: What compete app will you build?

Build the compete app only your company needs, on the same data layer that runs Crayon. You have probably had an idea for something you wished you could build with your competitive data, something that only really makes sense inside your organization.

Poisoned Google SERPs disrupt rank tracking tools

A new analysis by SEO tool Nozzle reveals that Google has been 'poisoning' search engine results pages (SERPs) since September 2026, serving rank trackers altered versions of SERPs that differ from what normal users see. Nozzle found that since September 13, over 8% of the 27 million SERPs analyzed were 'poisoned', meaning more than half of the usual top-10 results were swapped out with content from platforms like Facebook and Reddit. This impacts SEO tracking tools such as Semrush, which have acknowledged the issue and implemented additional checks. The problem peaked on September 29 at 28.6% and has since declined to around 7% as of mid-October. Nozzle CEO Derek Perkins warns that the poisoned SERPs look normal, making detection difficult. SEOs are advised to cross-reference data with Google Search Console.

• Nozzle analyzed over 27 million Google SERPs across 52 countries since September 13, 2026.
• 8.4% of SERPs were classified as 'Poisoned SERPs' on average, up from 0.17% before September 13.
• Peak poisoning occurred on September 29, 2026, with 28.6% of SERPs affected.

OpenAI EMEA B2B Marketing Chief on AI Transforming Marketing

Leila Woodington, OpenAI's head of B2B marketing for EMEA, spoke at Semrush Spotlight 2026 about how the company leverages AI to streamline marketing operations and rethink the marketing department. Despite OpenAI's immense brand recognition, Woodington emphasizes that marketing is still essential to help businesses understand how to apply OpenAI's technology, especially AI agents like 'Dots'. The company continues to hire human marketers who are curious and adaptable, and still partners with agencies, though AI compresses campaign timelines dramatically. Woodington advocates for transforming workflows rather than just adding AI tools, and stresses the importance of human judgment and physical presence in B2B marketing.

• Leila Woodington is OpenAI's head of B2B marketing for EMEA.
• Woodington spoke at Semrush Spotlight 2026 in London.
• OpenAI uses AI to automate workflows, saving six hours per week.

AI Search Creates Brand-Citation Gap, Semrush Research Shows

New research from Semrush, an Adobe company, reveals that AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews are creating a significant gap between brand mentions and citations. The AI Visibility Index 2026, measuring 22 categories across the UK and US, found only 36.7% to 45.3% overlap between top 100 brands mentioned and top 100 domains cited. This fragmentation means brands can dominate AI answers without their websites being cited, and vice versa. Marketers are advised to treat AI visibility as multi-dimensional, recognizing that different platforms yield different results and that PR, earned media, and content influence AI representation. The study recommends cross-functional ownership of AI visibility, localizing strategies, and measuring both mentions and citations separately.

• Semrush's AI Visibility Index 2026 analyzed 22 categories across four AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode) in the UK and US.
• The overlap between top 100 brands mentioned and top 100 domains cited ranged from 36.7% to 45.3% in the UK.
• Ford ranked in all four US top-100 mention lists but its domain ranked 748th to 1,320th in citations.