Blackout Research · Utah · Digital Acquisition
Blackout Research Studies
Original research on how Utah organizations attract, guide, and get discovered by prospective customers across websites, paid search, and AI answer engines.
Blackout publishes observational research with visible methodology, defined limitations, versioned findings, and clear separation between what the data shows and what it cannot prove.
Lehi, Utah · Independent Blackout research · Built for practitioners, business leaders, journalists, and researchers
Current Studies
Current studies and publication states
Study #1
Utah Digital Acquisition Practices Study 2026
Preliminary first-pass findings
A 120-organization observational study examining commercial-page specificity, CTA clarity, next-step transparency, and market-coverage clarity across six Utah industries.
- 120 organizations
- 6 industries
- 4 separately coded implementation features
The delayed reliability review was completed on October 7, 2026. The gate produced a STOP result, so these figures remain preliminary and have not been promoted to final findings.
View Study #1Study #2
Utah Google Search Ad Destination Experience Study 2026
Research in Progress · Methodology Release
An observational study designed to examine how qualifying Utah Google Search advertisers connect ad intent to public destination experiences and meaningful next actions.
- 120 target organizations
- 6 industries
- Direct / Verified Proxy evidence hierarchy
- Formal findings not yet released
Study #3
Utah Google-to-AI Search Visibility Study 2026
Research in Progress · Methodology Release
A planned observational study of whether Google-visible Utah businesses also appear in recommendations from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity for the same non-branded buyer intent.
- 120 target Google-visible businesses
- 6 service categories
- 6 Utah search markets
- 3 repeated runs per prompt and AI surface
Study #4
Utah Shopify Storefront & Growth Readiness Study 2026
Research in Progress · Feasibility Not Passed
The original 120-store design did not pass acquisition feasibility. A version 0.2 design proposing 36 storefronts remains proposed and has not been approved. No formal findings have been published.
- Original target: 120 Utah stores
- Proposed v0.2: 36 storefronts
- 6 planned categories
- Formal observations: zero
What Blackout Research Measures
Research the public customer journey, not the mythology around it.
Blackout research focuses on observable digital-acquisition behavior: what prospects can actually see, where they are sent, which actions are made clear, which businesses appear in search and AI recommendations, and which public sources are cited.
The studies are intentionally narrow. They do not use public implementation as a proxy for revenue, conversion rate, lead quality, profitability, competence, or business health.
01 · Acquisition visibility
How businesses appear across traditional search, paid-search environments, and AI answer systems.
02 · Destination and conversion paths
How public websites move a prospect from attention toward a clear next action.
03 · Measurement discipline
How findings, denominators, limitations, reliability checks, and publication states are kept separate from marketing claims.
Research Standards
Transparent enough to challenge.
- Frozen or versioned methodology before final findings
- Exact denominators beside percentages
- Unavailable evidence reported as unavailable, not coded as failure
- No synthetic customer inquiries
- No best/worst company scorecards
- Reliability checks where manual judgment affects results
- Aggregate reporting unless business-level publication is necessary and explicitly justified
- Clear preliminary / research-in-progress / final status
- Citation guidance on published research
- Public correction/version history for material updates
Researcher and Publisher
Benjamin Nieporte · Blackout Marketing & Consulting
Benjamin Nieporte is Founder & Principal Strategist at Blackout Marketing & Consulting and the principal researcher for Blackout's Utah research program.
Blackout is a founder-led growth marketing consultancy based in Lehi, Utah. The research program examines public acquisition, search, conversion, and measurement practices without treating observational findings as proof of business performance.
Citation and Research Use
Citing Blackout research
Individual findings, charts, and tables may be quoted or referenced with clear attribution to the specific Blackout study and a link to its canonical page.
Do not combine preliminary and final versions, remove limitations, or present Blackout's observational findings as causal performance evidence.
For journalists, analysts, and researchers, each study page provides its current publication status and preferred citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Blackout Research
What is Blackout Research?
Blackout Research is the original-research program of Blackout Marketing & Consulting in Lehi, Utah. It publishes observational studies on digital acquisition, paid search, conversion paths, SEO, AI search visibility, and related customer-journey practices.
What is the difference between SEO and AI search visibility?
Traditional SEO measures visibility in search-engine results. AI search visibility concerns whether a business, source, or page is mentioned, recommended, or cited in generated answers. The two can overlap, but they are not the same measurement.
Are Blackout studies sponsored?
Unless a specific study says otherwise, Blackout designs and publishes its own research. Inclusion in a sample does not imply a client, partner, sponsorship, or endorsement relationship.
Can journalists cite the studies?
Yes. Use the publication status and preferred citation shown on the individual study page, preserve the stated limitations, and link to the canonical study URL.
Does Blackout rank the companies in its studies?
The current Blackout research program does not publish best/worst company rankings. Its studies report aggregate observable patterns and clearly defined distributions.