Owned, earned, and AI-cited: rethinking the marketing funnel for generative search in 2026

Zero-click search, collapsing citation patterns, and ads inside AI answers have broken the classic funnel. Here's how owned, earned, and paid media need to change, backed by 2026 citation data.

Key takeaways {#key-takeaways} - Roughly 68% of Google searches now end without a click, and AI answers cite only about 5 sources per ChatGPT response. The click economy that funded top-of-funnel content is shrinking fast. -