Welcome to this week’s Pulse, highlighting key updates on product discovery, ChatGPT visibility factors, and the SEO impact of background assets on Core Web Vitals. OpenAI introduced shopping research in ChatGPT, SE Ranking released the largest study on ChatGPT citation factors, and Google’s John Mueller clarified that background video loading won’t harm SEO if content loads first. Here’s what you need to know. **ChatGPT Launches Shopping Research for All Users** On November 24, OpenAI launched shopping research in ChatGPT for all logged-in users—Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. Unlike typical ChatGPT responses, users specify their needs, answer questions about budget and preferences, and receive a detailed buyer’s guide after brief research. - Powered by GPT-5 mini. - Nearly unlimited usage over the holidays. - Merchants must opt in via OpenAI’s allowlisting for inclusion. **SEO Implications:** Shopping research shifts product discovery upstream in the funnel, conducting much of the comparison inside ChatGPT before users visit merchant sites. Traditionally, users visited comparison sites or retailer pages; now ChatGPT does this within the chat interface, personalizing recommendations based on constraints. Crystal Carter from Wix emphasized ensuring brand affinities and communities are clearly represented on your website and cited elsewhere, as ChatGPT incorporates such signals in recommendations. For retailers and affiliates, visibility depends partly on OpenAI’s inclusion process, requiring proactive merchant opt-in rather than relying solely on organic crawling. _Read the full story: ChatGPT Adds Shopping Research for Product Discovery_ **Study Reveals Top 20 Factors Driving ChatGPT Citations** SE Ranking analyzed 129, 000 domains and 216, 524 pages across 20 niches to identify factors influencing ChatGPT citations. Referring domains emerged as the strongest predictor: sites with 2, 500 referring domains averaged about 1. 7 citations while those exceeding 350, 000 domains averaged 8. 4 citations. Other findings: - Domain traffic matters significantly only above 190, 000 monthly visitors. - Content length over 2, 900 words averaged 5. 1 citations versus 3. 2 for short articles under 800 words. - Pages with 19+ data points averaged 5. 4 citations. **Why It Matters:** Traditional SEO fundamentals remain relevant but with crucial thresholds—moving from low to moderate traffic has little effect, yet surpassing high traffic marks significantly boosts AI citation rates.

Similarly, domain authority gains matter mainly past certain volumes (e. g. , 32, 000 referring domains). Manidurga BLL highlighted on LinkedIn that building domain authority now extends beyond Google, focusing on gaining AI trust for citations. The study found heavy presences on platforms like Quora and Reddit also correlate with more citations, while . gov and . edu domains don’t automatically outperform commercial sites—the content’s quality and domain authority weigh more than extension. _Read more: New Data Reveals The Top 20 Factors Influencing ChatGPT Citations_ **Mueller: Background Video Loading Unlikely to Affect SEO** Google’s John Mueller addressed concerns about large background videos (e. g. , 100MB) affecting SEO. He noted that if the main page content—hero image, text, navigation—loads first, background video loading won’t notably impact SEO rankings. - Using preload=”none” on video elements prevents browsers from downloading video data unnecessarily. - Core Web Vitals still need to meet performance thresholds. **What This Means:** This guidance alleviates fears about using large hero videos or background animations, provided load sequencing prioritizes content visibility. The SEO impact is minimal, focusing decisions instead on user experience and bandwidth considerations. While some debate exists, the consensus favors smart technical implementation over avoiding background videos entirely. Preload settings help control bandwidth by delaying video data download until needed. _Read the full update: Mueller: Background Video Loading Unlikely To Affect SEO_ **Theme of the Week: Discovery Moves Upstream** All stories reveal discovery shifting earlier in user journeys: ChatGPT’s shopping feature handles product comparison pre-visit, SE Ranking’s study outlines how to build citation authority at scale, and Mueller’s video loading advice removes technical barriers limiting rich media usage. Overall, this week highlights how key decisions now often occur before users even enter Google queries. **Top Stories:** - ChatGPT Adds Shopping Research For Product Discovery - New Data Reveals The Top 20 Factors Influencing ChatGPT Citations - Mueller: Background Video Loading Unlikely To Affect SEO **Additional Resources:** - ChatGPT Vs. Gemini Vs. Claude: What Are The Differences? - How People Use ChatGPT & What It Means For The C-Suite - Google’s Old Search Era Is Over – Here’s What 2026 SEO Will Really Look Like Featured Image: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock