Read This Week’s Digital Marketing News Updates

Digital Marketing News 11/7/2026 to 11/13/2026

This week: Google rolls out ranking changes, ChatGPT opens business visibility tools, AI Mode simplifies service bookings, and ChatGPT starts retiring bid caps.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google’s November 2026 Core Update is Rolling Out

Attention all SEOs! Google has started rolling out its November 2026 core update.

The update started on November 10th and applies globally and in all languages. It may take up to 2 weeks to complete, so keep an eye on your search results and rankings.

According to Google, it’s “a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites,” which is similar wording it used to describe the March core update.

Next Steps: Pause for a minute and don’t make any changes to your site based on early ranking swings. Record a baseline of rankings and traffic now, and then compare it to the data after the rollout ends.

2. ChatGPT Business Hub Is Now Live

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Business Hub in beta, allowing businesses to claim and manage their business profiles in ChatGPT.

Businesses can find their listing in the Business Hub and verify ownership through a phone call, text message, or DNS verification. Once verified, they can update business information, access analytics showing brand mentions and website clicks, explore discovery topics, and build AI-powered Business Agents.

Why We Care: This is a big step forward for AI search reporting. Businesses can now see how often ChatGPT mentions them and drives website traffic. Marketers should claim and verify their profiles early to access these insights, monitor brand visibility, and keep business information accurate.

3. Ads in Google’s AI Answers Cluster in Apparel and Electronics

A new holiday report from Adthena counts how many ads appear inside Google’s AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT. The finding? Most ads are heavily concentrated in just a few shopping categories.

The report counted over 175,000 ad placements in Google’s AI answers from June to September. It found that most ads were in apparel and consumer electronics, with far fewer in travel, beauty, and toys.

It also counted over 200,000 ChatGPT ad placements across the same five categories. In beauty, travel, and toys and games, most ChatGPT ads ran on research and discovery prompts.

You can download and review the study and all of its findings here.

Takeaway for Digital Marketers: AI-answer impressions are mixed into your standard Search reporting, so it’s hard to get clean attribution. Use negative keywords and brand exclusions for control, and for ChatGPT, build your creative assets around “best of” and comparison prompts for the best chance of appearing in one of the responses.

4. Google AI Mode Adds Booking and Quote Links for Home Services

Google has added direct booking and quote links to AI Mode for home service searches in the U.S. The links will run through partner platforms, not a separate ad buy.

Partners named by Google include:

• Angi
• Thumbtack
• Housecall Pro
• Jobber
• ServiceTitan (coming soon)

Eligibility differs by platform. For example, Jobber requires a paid subscription, a full address, and a connected Google Business Profile. Housecall Pro says a Google Business Profile isn't required, and Google hasn’t said how it chooses which businesses appear where. A business on none of the listed platforms has no route to direct bookings through AI Mode.

Whether or not there is a fee for this service is also slightly confusing. Jobber and Housecall Pro say they will charge no lead fees. However, Google’s own Local Services Ads will charge for booking requests.

Biggest Takeaway: If you work with home service clients, audit which platform each one uses and what that platform requires for AI Mode eligibility. Check that business addresses match across the field service software, the Google Business Profile, and anywhere else the business is listed on the web to give them the best chances of showing up in AI Mode results.

5. Gemini’s Business Profile Tools Are Coming to Workspace Accounts

Google announced this week that Gemini’s Business Profile tools are now rolling out to businesses that use Google Workspace accounts.

In Google’s Small Business Bulletin, the tech giant said Workspace owners can link a verified profile to Gemini using a work email. However, Google’s help page still says work accounts aren’t supported, and it no longer lists the earlier EEA, U.K., or language limits.

Businesses with chat set up now get a prominent Message button on Maps for both Android and iOS users. Google also added a “Generate hours” tool that turns a plain-language schedule into profile hours. The Gemini link is still limited to owners or managers of a single verified profile, which rules out multi-client agency workflows.

Next Step: Before the holiday rush, send a test message through the chat link to every profile you manage. A dead link or unread inbox now sits in one of the top buttons on a customer’s Maps view. You should also check out the most recent Small Business Bulletin to catch up on all of Google’s latest tips and tools before the holiday rush.

6. ChatGPT Ads Swaps Manual Bid Caps for Average Cost Targets

ChatGPT Ads announced this week that it's retiring its Max Bid and Max CPC controls. Instead, advertisers will set average cost goals that the platform works toward.

On November 9th, new conversion campaigns started using Target CPA and new click campaigns started using Target CPC. Both are averages, so individual clicks or conversions can cost more or less than the target.

Starting on November 18th, any value an API partner sends through the old bid fields becomes an average target instead of a maximum.

If you have existing campaigns, make sure you check the legacy cap. As of January 1, 2027, those caps will no longer apply to those campaigns, so make your tweaks and changes now.

OpenAI also warned that a target set below recent performance can limit delivery and leave budget unspent. So, regardless of your legacy caps, now is a great time to review your ChatGPT ads and targets and adjust them accordingly.

7. Google Ads Shortens Smart Bidding Learning Status to 7 Days

Google Ads has updated its Smart Bidding guidance with two key changes:

• Shorter learning period: The “Learning” status now lasts a maximum of seven days, down from the previous seven to 14 days.
• Fewer learning triggers: Budget, bidding target, creative, and targeting changes no longer automatically trigger a new learning status.

Learning status can still be triggered by:

• Creating or activating a new bid strategy.
• Changing the composition of a bid strategy.
• Changing its conversion goals.

Google also says Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns may now need up to seven days for their initial ad-serving ramp-up, up from five.

Why We Care: Advertisers may have more flexibility to adjust budgets, targets, and creatives without restarting the visible learning period. However, fewer learning warnings don't guarantee stable performance. Monitor conversions, spending, and delivery after significant changes, and give new campaigns enough time to ramp up.

8. Google Ads Adds New Tracking Parameter for AI Max Traffic

Google Ads has introduced a new {search_term_matchtype} ValueTrack parameter to help advertisers identify traffic generated by AI Max expansions.

It captures four match types:

• e: Exact match
• p: Phrase match
• b: Broad match
• a: AI Max broad expansions and keywordless matches

Advertisers can combine it with the existing {matchtype} parameter in tracking templates to distinguish AI Max traffic from standard keyword-matched clicks.

Why We Care: This gives advertisers more visibility into AI Max performance outside the Google Ads interface. They can segment traffic, compare conversions, and analyze engagement to better understand how AI Max contributes to campaign results. Just remember: identifying AI Max traffic doesn't automatically prove incremental value.

9. Google Ads Adds More Audience Reach Controls

Google Ads is introducing a “Limit audience reach” setting with three targeting options:

• No reach limits (recommended): Reach people beyond your selected audience segments.
• Age and gender only: Restrict reach to people matching your selected age and gender segments.
• All audience segments: Only reach people who match every selected audience segment.

Google warns that tighter restrictions could reduce ad delivery and exclude potential customers who might convert.

Why We Care: Advertisers get more control over who sees their ads, but tighter targeting isn't always better. Remarketing campaigns may benefit from restricting reach, while customer acquisition campaigns could perform better with broader targeting. Monitor audience size, delivery, and conversions before narrowing your reach.

10. Google Ads Test an Asset Activity Page with Weekly AI Insights

Have you noticed a new beta page in your Google Ads account? Some users have called out a new page called Asset Activity, which appears to deliver weekly insights about ad creative.

The page sits in the Assets section and groups cards into:

• Featured
• Asset Performance
• Asset Diversity
• Industry Trends

The screenshot above is from LinkedIn user Anthony Higman, who posted about the discovery. Since Google hasn’t published a help page or announcement explaining who gets the page or how the cards are generated, it’s easy to assume this discovery is in beta testing.

The cards also carry a notice that the AI may be inaccurate. Google already treats asset-level metrics as “directional indicators” only, so you should read any of this information with that caution in mind.

Next Steps: Look at the Assets section of your account to see if you have access to this new page and keep an eye out for a page from Google Ads Help that will explain the page in more detail.

11. Meta Pauses New Business Terms… For Now

Last week, Meta paused new business terms that would have let it crawl the website of every business using Facebook or Instagram.

The terms, announced in October, would have let Meta use automated software to read business websites for its products. The only way to refuse was to stop using Meta for business.

Publishers, a court in Oslo, and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority pushed back, and the CMA opened a formal investigation.

The pause isn’t a withdrawal, though. Meta hasn’t said what comes back or when, and the existing terms remain in effect.

This is a quick-moving situation that any social media manager should keep an eye on.

Biggest Takeaway: Don’t let Meta be the only channel your clients depend on. Start building owned and alternative acquisition channels, such as email, search, and other paid platforms, and watch for any return of the crawl terms.

12. Edits Launches for macOS

No more restricting Edits to your phone! Meta has released a desktop version of its Edits video editing app for Mac.

The new desktop edition is meant to make editing faster and more precise by giving users access to a larger screen.

The desktop editor includes:

• Full multi-track timeline
• Color wheels
• Curves and log conversions

It also supports multiple aspect ratios, 4K watermark-free exports, licensed audio libraries, and unlimited automatic captions in multiple languages.

Users can import their own LUTs and font files, and also enable MCP for agent-based workflows. Since Meta is now also exploring cross-platform editing, saved audio and text styles carry over from mobile.

This new free option for brand-level short-form video production could make it easier for the 50 million-plus Edits users. Use it to test whether it can replace any parts of your current workflow.

13. Instagram Tries to Entice Long-Form Creators

Is Instagram trying to win creators over YouTube? Their new announcement that they will be pushing long-form video through its Features format is making people think so.

Some users now see a long-form video prominently at the top of their Explore pages. It has also been reported that Instagram has offered one-off payments of up to $500,000 to a selection of big-name creators to post long-form video content on the app.

Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri said that Instagram hasn’t settled on a sustainable monetization model yet. He also said he doesn’t see platform payments or creator bonuses as revenue drivers, but that brand deals are one option for monetizing Instagram.

One VidlQ analysis found that Instagram creators tend to earn about 10% of what they make on YouTube, which could make Instagram’s quest for long-form content a little difficult.

Our Advice: Don’t shift long-form video budgets entirely over to Instagram yet. If you test Features, treat it as an extension of your YouTube content, and repurpose long videos into Reels to match Instagram’s short-form strategy.

14. 1 in 4 Shoppers Discover Brands on Reddit

Reddit recently released a 35-page 2027 Marketing Playbook, which says that 1 in 4 shoppers find brands, products, and services on its platform.

The guide also covers Reddit’s growing role as a product discovery platform and how people use the app for shopping research. Some of the most standout findings include:

• 1 in 4 shoppers use Reddit to discover brands, products, and services
• Half of shoppers verify AI recommendations on Reddit
• Reddit is #1 among social platforms for helping people make purchase decisions faster
• 3 in 4 Americans on Reddit are open to considering a new brand if they discover it in a Reddit community

Download the free marketing playbook for more data, as well as key dates and quarterly engagement patterns to add to your 2027 content calendar now.

15. TikTok Tests a Shopping Subscription Called TikTok Shop Plus

In its latest attempt to get more people buying inside the app, TikTok has started inviting select U.S. users to a paid shopping membership called TikTok Shop Plus.

The program, which costs $9.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, includes perks like:

• Free shipping
• Exclusive discounts
• Coupon bundles
• Instant refunds

Designed as a loyalty tool for repeat buyers, it’s been compared to Amazon Prime. For context, Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, drove nearly $500 billion in gross merchandise volume in 2025, while TikTok Shop reportedly reached $26.2 billion in the first half of 2025. These numbers show TikTok is serious about expanding its reach in ecommerce.

Takeaway: If you work with TikTok Shop sellers, start planning for a base of members who expect free shipping and deals. Review your promotions, pricing, and fulfillment now so your offers meet these new TikTok Shop Plus members’ expectations.

Weekly Homework:

• Keep an eye on your rankings for the next two weeks. They may be affected by Google’s November 2026 Core Update.
• Download Reddit’s 2027 Marketing Playbook and consider if any of the data or information included could help move your business forward in the new year.
• Review your ChatGPT Ads to make sure everything is set up correctly for the new updates.
• Explore whether to add Gemini’s Business Profile tools to your Workspace accounts.
• Read through Google’s latest Small Business Bulletin to make sure your brand is ready for any changes that could affect you this holiday season.
• If you sell on TikTok Shop, or work with creators who do, make sure you’re ready for the TikTok Shop Plus rollout.

Digital Marketing News 10/31/2026 to 11/6/2026

This week: Google brings search experiences together, ChatGPT ads gain automatic edits, Google backs shared training controls, and TikTok reveals search visibility gaps.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Is Going All In On AI

During Google’s most recent earnings call, it made one thing very clear: AI Mode, AI overviews, and traditional Search are becoming one unified product.

Google also shared that:

• It is focusing on user experience first, then scaling ad formats.
• Ads in AI Mode are expanding to move countries.
• The announcement of the Connected Apps Platform, which will allow people to use an app, such as Peloton, from inside Gemini or Search
• The Gemini app has reached one billion users
• Gemini 4 Carbon is in testing and should be released soon
• Marketers should “expect rapid improvement because of Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI)”.

Takeaway for digital marketers: Stop treating AI search and traditional search as separate channels in your reporting and planning. Look into the Connected Apps Platform if your business offers a tool, booking flow, or service that an AI agent could use directly. You should also plan for AI Mode ad formats.

2. Study Finds Advertisers See 6x Better Value with Google Ads Over ChatGPT Ads

A new study found that U.S. ChatGPT ad visits out-earned ChatGPT Ads by a significant amount. In fact, most advertisers in the study saw no actual sales from their ChatGPT Ads.

The working paper by Maximilian Kaiser and Christian Schulze found that:

• U.S. ChatGPT ad visits brought in $0.89 in revenue per visit
• Paid Google Search Ad visits brought in $2.45 per visit
• ChatGPT Ads converted at 0.37%
• Google Ads converted at 1.17%
• Ads had a 6-8% decline in organic ChatGPT referrals after ads launched

Next Steps: If you’re running ChatGPT Ads, it’s important to calculate your own parity price. Divide ChatGPT revenue per visit by paid search revenue per visit, then multiply it by your search CPC. Use it to cap your ChatGPT bids. Also filter ad-review crawler visits out of your analytics first so they don’t inflate paid session counts.

3. ChatGPT Ads: OpenAI Turned On Automatic Ad Changes

On October 30, OpenAI turned on “creative enhancements” by default on all new and existing ChatGPT Ads campaigns.

The feature lets the ads system automatically adapt ads to the conversation they appear in. This means that the system can:

• Rewrite or generate headlines and descriptions
• Translate copy
• Resize images
• Change the destination URL to a more relevant page on your site

These changes can happen without advertiser approval. Ads Manager doesn’t preview every version. OpenAI’s help page doesn’t explain how tracking parameters carry over when the destination URL changes, or whether you can exclude specific pages. It also doesn’t describe a report showing each enhanced version.

Advertisers can opt out at the account or campaign level, but all accounts are opted into this tool by default.

What You Can Do: Audit your ChatGPT Ads settings now. Either opt out until you’ve confirmed UTM tags survive URL changes, or keep your landing pages accurate and ready for paid traffic before leaving enhancements on.

4. Google Joins Bing, OpenAI, and Anthropic in Giving Publishers More Control Over AI

Google announced this week that it will adopt a proposed internet standard that lets website owners set AI training preferences in just one step.

This approach, already backed by Bing, OpenAI and Anthropic, comes from the AIPREF working group at the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). It would add a shared “policy token” to robots.txt.

Site owners could then set broad AI training preferences across participating providers, instead of listing each AI developer separately. If the site uses the token to opt out of training and doesn’t specify Google-Extended, Google plans to treat that as a Google-Extended disallow.

Existing controls will keep working alongside the new signal, and sites that specifically allow Google-Extended can appear in responses and receive clicks through grounding in Gemini Apps. Google says that it will support the control in 2027, and the proposal is still a work in progress.

You can read Google’s entire announcement here.

What to Do Now: Review your robots.txt and decide your AI training policy now, so that you’re ready when the control goes live in 2027. Weigh any opt-out against the visibility you could lose in AI answers.

5. TikTok Releases Previews of New Advertising Tools

TikTok shared new tools in its Product Preview of Q4 2026. Together, the tools give advertisers a clearer view of how much eligible search inventory they’re capturing.

The biggest changes include two impression share metrics for Search Ads Campaigns and curated keyword groups called Keyword Packs in their Keyword Suggestion Tool.

• Impression Share shows the percentage of eligible search impressions your ads captured.
• Top 1 Impression Share shows the same for first-position impressions.
• Keyword Packs are ready-made brand and category keyword groups. They are refreshed daily using search volume, CPC, and competition data.

You can view both impression shares at the campaign, advertiser, and keyword levels in TikTok Ads Manager. However, TikTok hasn’t said which markets or accounts can use the new Keyword Packs yet.

Read the Product Preview of Q4 2026 to see all of the latest tools and features TikTok released.

Biggest Takeaway: Check the keyword-level view for terms capturing only a small share of eligible impressions. Then confirm whether budget or bids are the cause before you scale your TikTok Ad spend. Review any brand terms in a Keyword Pack before adding them to your campaign.

6. TikTok Rolls Out New Brand Safety Resources

TikTok is getting serious about protecting your brand. The short-form video content platform recently launched a new brand safety center website.

The website, along with new tools, is meant to help brands spot and reduce risk while using the platform. It includes:

• Videos from TikTok’s internal experts
• Links to guides
• A new Brand Protection Playbook
• An AI Safety Essentials overview
• Brand perception insights tool
• Copyright and trademark infringement reporting
• Counterfeit protections for sellers

According to TikTok’s Francis Stones, "As more creators explore AI, we continue to expand labeling technologies and partnerships that help them do so responsibly. Two years ago, TikTok was the first video platform to implement C2PA Content Credentials, a leading AI transparency technology that helps people understand when content has been generated or significantly edited by AI. We've labeled over 3 billion videos as AIGC using a combination of Content Credentials, creator labeling tools and our invisible watermarking technology.”

The platform also shared that it removed more than 30 million videos across 10 APAC markets between April and June 2026. Automated tools accounted for 97.4% of those removals.

Access the new website and tools here.

7. LinkedIn Rolls Out New Insights

LinkedIn shared more detail this week on its updated creator analytics. The new dashboard gives creators a clearer picture of what is and isn’t working in their content.

A new Post Performance Table shows impressions, views, and watch time for each post in one view. So, now you don’t need to open each post’s analytics separately.

LinkedIn also updated its metrics. Creators can now see:

• Which specific members followed them from each post
• How many people saved or sent a post
• In-network versus out-of-network metrics to show whether views came from connections or non-connections

Since advertisers and creators can now see which content is reaching new audiences, they can use that information to adjust their brand posting strategy to match their goals. In the announcement, LinkedIn said that it will watch how creators use the metrics before deciding its next steps.

8. Reddit’s Going Logged-In Only; Click Volume Grew More Than 50%

Reddit released its Q3 ad revenue this week. Ad revenue is up 54% since last year, and overall revenue also grew by 53% to $895M. Even with this earnings growth, user growth was slow, and referral traffic also dropped.

Other important takeaways included:

• Click volume grew by 50%
• Conversion volume more than tripled
• Reddit saw more than 50% growth in mid-market advertisers in EMEA and North America
• US daily users fell from 53.2 million to 50.7 million
• Referrals dropped by more than 1 million per week

CEO Steven Huffman blamed Google’s AI Mode, which he said doesn’t drive traffic. In a response, Reddit is moving to a logged-in-only experience and launched two new options: Reddit Max (an automated campaign tool) and a 15-second video view option.

Even so, Reddit is predicted to remain a successful way to reach high-intent audiences since half of US shoppers say they verify AI recommendations on the platform. You might see a drop in organic traffic referrals, though, so keep an eye on your audience size before you adjust your campaign budgets.

9. Reddit Tests New Ad Positioning

In-app search results ads are coming to Reddit. The platform started testing ads in this positioning this week. The aim is to line up promotions with how people discover products and information on the platform.

Currently only available to a select group of eligible advertisers, the ads are targeted by query, carry a small ad marker, and rely mainly on contextual relevance.

Reddit says 72% of users come to the platform for information, and 64% have a specific goal in mind. This means that Reddit search pages are full of people with high purchase and search intent.

The timing of this release matters because Reddit’s search traffic fell by more than 1 million referrals per week on average in October. Reddit was getting significant citation volume from AI chatbots, but that traffic has seemingly started to dry up.

What to Do Next: If you already run Reddit campaigns, ask your rep about the search placement test. Build query-aligned messaging for high-intent, research-style searches, and don’t assume Reddit’s off-platform search traffic will stay stable.

10. All X Advertisers Now Have Access to Lead Gen Ads

After first launching in August, Lead Gen Ads are now available to all X advertisers worldwide.

The ads put a prominent call-to-action button along the bottom of a promoted post. The button’s color will follow the ad’s visuals, and advertisers can use the ads to:

• Book demos
• Grow email lists
• Collect quote requests
• Fill webinars
• Run sweepstakes

Everything can be managed and previewed within X’s Ads Manager. Advertisers can then either export leads by direct download or connect them to a CRM.

Next Steps: If you’re interested in running ads on X, run a small test campaign that sends leads straight to your CRM. Compare lead quality and cost per lead against your Meta and LinkedIn lead gen forms before you commit more ad spend to the platform.

11. New Bonus Program Comes to X

X launched a new bonus program for video creators. The program, Video Kickstart, is an invite-only pilot that pays creators a bonus for posting short vertical videos. It’s the latest move in X’s push to bring more video content onto its platform.

To participate, brands and creators must:

• Receive an invitation from X
• Enroll in the Creator Stud by the enrollment deadline
• Post 15 qualifying videos on 15 different days before the period ends
• Create an original vertical 9:16 video that is under 3 minutes long
• Not post videos with other platforms’ watermark, name, or logo

The program runs in periods of about one month. X will review the videos posted after the period ends. If they find the creator qualified, they will send the creator a bonus.

X says that creators and brands should consider participating to get:

• A bonus for each period they complete
• Fast-tracked into the Original Content Rewards Program
• Help growing faster
• Premium+ free for one year, including a blue checkmark, a bigger reply boost, and no ads in their For You and Following timelines (only available to those who don’t already have Premium+)

12. Advertising Industry Loses 6,900 Jobs YoY to AI

According to eMarketer, the advertising industry lost almost 7,000 jobs between August 2025 and August 2026. The article states that AI was one of the main reasons.

The study also found that:

• 66% of agency-side strategists see clear reasons to be optimistic
• Strategists’ influence with clients rose to 50%, up from 41% in 2025
• 65% of strategists say AI frees up time for more nuanced strategic work
• 55% believe it will refocus strategy on human perspectives
• 56% (up from 41%) worry AI will replace them

For most marketers, focusing on evidence of business impact and developing a new value proposition and compensation model may be appropriate for the new year.

Biggest Takeaway: If you’re a digital marketer, use AI for routine work, like briefs, data analysis, or first-draft decks. Then spend the time you save on human insight and recommendations. AI can do entry-level work, while your human-created strategy helps your brand stand out.

Weekly Homework

• Look into the Connected Apps Platform if your business offers a tool, booking flow, or service that an AI agent could use directly.
• Review Google’s earnings call and start planning for any upcoming changes around traditional search and AI Mode.
• Review your ChatGPT Ads ROI to see if they are working well for you or if you should use that ad spend elsewhere.
• Audit your ChatGPT Ads settings now and opt out of enhancements if you don’t think they will work for your brand.
• Review TikTok’s newest tools, features, and the new Brand Safety Center website.
• Explore LinkedIn’s latest insights to see how you can adjust your content to expand your reach.
• Review your robots.txt and decide your AI training policy now, so that you’re ready when the control goes live in 2027.
• Consider whether adding Reddit Ads or X Ads to your marketing budget would make sense for the holiday season or moving into Q1 2027.

Digital Marketing News 10/24/2026 to 10/30/2026

This week: Retailer audit exposes GA4 gaps, AI advice influences buying decisions, Pinterest expands programmatic ad access, and Google broadens platform spam guidance.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. GA4 Missed 66% of One Retailer’s Holiday Orders: What You Need to Do to Set Up Your GA4 Now

Have you checked your GA4 data recently? You might want to. One retailer said the platform missed 66% of their sales last holiday season because their store wasn’t set up properly.

Some of the GA4 pitfalls included:

• A gap between actual web orders and those recorded by GA4
• A cookie banner that switched itself off
• A blackout during Black Friday
• Counting the same order twice
• Recording visitors (like bots and spiders) who weren’t shoppers

These pitfalls can cause major trouble when you analyze your business’s sales and traffic data. With the wrong information, you’ll come to the wrong conclusions about how your online presence performed during one of the busiest times of the year.

To make sure your GA4 is set up for success before the holiday rush, follow these three steps:

• Export weekly web orders for Q4 2024 and Q4 2025, without marketplace, subscription, and manual orders.
• Pull GA4 purchases for the same weeks as distinct transaction IDs on purchase events. Avoid the transactions metric, which counts refunds as well as purchases.
• Divide GA4 purchases by store orders. A step change, a near-zero week, or a week above 100% is a tracking problem.

2. 57.5% of Consumers Have Been Dissuaded from a Purchase Due to AI

Three different studies were released this week and they all said the same thing: AI search is a branding channel.

Specifically, the studies found that:

• AI referral traffic is up to 3.86%
• AI Mode Queries use 7.22 words, while traditional search uses 4 word keywords
• 57.5% of consumers have not purchased something after being dissuaded by AI
• 78% of marketers are using generative AI in media campaigns (up from 62% last year)
• 66% are using agentic AI for ad buying or campaign execution

The Semrush study mentioned in the article also found that the more AI was involved, the higher the number of zero click searches, including:

• Google Search without AI Overview: 34%
• Google Search with AI Overview: 43%
• Google AI Mode: 93%

This is just a short snapshot of what the studies found, but the results point to the fact that AI isn't a performance channel, but it should be used a branding channel for your business.

You can read all of the takeaways and important facts found during these studies here.

3. Google Ads Tests Ad Changes for Seasonal Adjustments

If you use Google Ads and want more control over Smart Bidding during promotions, you’ll like this recent announcement.

This new beta test gives advertisers the ability to select from three scopes when creating a seasonal adjustment:

• Campaign type: Apply an adjustment across a selected campaign type.
• Specific campaign: Apply an adjustment to an individual campaign.
• Specific ad groups: Apply an adjustment to selected ad groups within App campaigns.

The third option is new and is currently identified as a beta feature.

Per Google’s help documentation, App campaigns (currently in beta) already supported this change at the campaign level. Moving to the ad group level lets advertisers apply an adjustment to the ad groups a promotion affects, rather than the whole campaign.

Takeaway: If you run app promotions, such as in-app sales, limited-time offers, or seasonal pushes, plan to use this once it’s available to your account. Base your conversion rate estimate on past promotion data, keep the date window tight, and review results afterward so your next estimate is more accurate.

4. Google Ads Updates Shopping, Search, and Performance Max

Google announced this week that High Value acquisition mode is coming to Shopping campaigns. Changes are also coming to Search and Performance Max.

Rolling out in October, the updates will let retailers expand into variable order values, giving them more flexibility in Google Ads. By allowing High Value mode, advertisers can now bid more for new customers who resemble their existing buyers.

Additionally, new customer retention modes are rolling out in PMax, Search, and Shopping campaigns, including:

• Re-engagement
• Loyalty
• Retention-only

The goal here is to give advertisers more ways to reach existing customer segments.

Google’s support documentation hasn’t caught up with this rollout yet, so availability may vary by account.

5. TikTok Shares How to Use Premium Placement Options

TikTok released a new playbook showing how brands can use premium placement options for holiday promotions.

The guide explains how people use TikTok during major cultural moments and how brands can capitalize on them to gain exposure.

For example,

• 42% of consumers track moments daily through short-form video
• TikTok is the #1 platform to discover upcoming brand and cultural moments
• Views were up 29% YoY in the first two months of 2026

TikTok said brands using high-visibility formats, especially during those events, can generate up to 4x more revenue per impression.

If you’re interested in increasing your TikTok ROI this holiday season, download their guide here.

Pro Tip: Premium TikTok placements only make sense when you have a concentrated moment, like a launch or major seasonal event. If you don’t, you might be better off putting that ad spend into standard formats.

6. New Buying Solution Comes to Pinterest

Is Pinterest on your holiday marketing list? If so, you might like its latest update.

Advertisers are now able to buy Pinterest placements without building Pinterest-specific campaigns, thanks to a new programmatic buying partnership.

The deal runs through Magnite, and makes Pinterest display and video inventory available through Yahoo DSP, Amazon Ads DVA+, and Google Display and Video 360.

Programmatic buyers can fold Pinterest placements into their broader ad sets and use their existing planning, buying, and measurement workflows.

These deals are currently available in North America, South America, and Asia Pacific. If you’re interested, you’ll need to contact a Pinterest sales representative to get started.

7. X Says Holiday Shopping Has Already Started

X recently released new guidance for marketers planning holiday campaigns, and according to the social media platform, now’s the time to get started if you want to promote your product.

The guidance shared that last year, holiday posts on X consisted of:

• 17 million posts
• 12 billion impressions
• 1.2 billion videos views
• 287 million engagements

They also shared that holiday shoppers on X are higher-intent and more responsive to ads than those not on X. It seems the same this year, too. Holiday shopping on X has already begun, and most X shoppers are in prime spending years.

If you want to make the most of your ads, X suggests:

• Sticking to ads of only 50-100 characters
• Writing in a way a person would speak to a customer
• Sharing limited-time offers
• Posting with clear calls-to-action

8. Shopping is Muse’s Primary Use Case, Says Meta

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently shared that shopping is the most common use case for its Muse AI agent. Muse is Meta’s main hope for turning its large AI infrastructure spending into revenue.

Zuckerberg said Muse has been downloaded more than 10 million times since launching in the U.S. and Canada last month. About 25% of people who set it up use it on any given day. More than 25% of users ask it to help find deals and mark purchases, and the average purchase is about $200.

Although Zuckerberg is optimistic, other statistics suggest the chatbot loses appeal after a few days. Sensor Tower data shows that retention drops sharply two weeks after download, although other AI chatbots show similar patterns. It also flags ongoing privacy and security concerns.

Biggest Takeaway: Ready or not, AI agent-led shopping is coming to Meta’s apps, so it’s best to start preparing now. Make sure your product data, descriptions, pricing, and policies are clean and consistent, because an AI agent will read them before a person does.

9. Brand Management Tools Are Added to Gemini

Google has added business tools to Gemini to help users create brand assets and manage reporting.

The update includes a refreshed business landing page, support for third-party apps, and expanded image generation. Businesses can connect their Google profiles to Gemini for more accurate insights. Gemini also works with apps such as:

• Adobe
• Canva
• Dropbox
• Shopify

Users can upload brand images, fonts, color palettes, and website links so Gemini can keep a consistent visual style when generating images with Nano Banana 2.1. Gemini can also turn spreadsheets, receipts, and purchase records into financial graphics and interactive models.

Takeaway for digital marketers: Put your brand guidelines into a clean, usable package (logos, fonts, colors, approved imagery, site links) so you can get consistent on-brand output from any AI tool. Before connecting financial or customer data, set clear rules for what’s allowed, and have a person review every generated asset before it goes live.

10. Google Is Coming for UGC Spam

Google recently expanded its spam guidelines to address a new category of UGC SEO spam.

The expansion includes 3 major changes that could put platforms at risk of responsibility for user-generated spam, including:

• Adding sharing platforms as a type of site that can be penalized for UGC spam.
• Providing steps that platforms can take to prevent UGC Spam
• Advising on how to become aware of harmful activities and manual action

According to Google, “Spammers often take advantage of open comment forms and other user generated content inputs and generate spammy content on an unsuspecting victim site. Hosting platforms and tools that let users publish shared pages, generated content, or web apps may be similarly open to abuse; spammers may create a large number of pages or sites that violate our spam policies and add little or no value to the web.”

You can read the entire updated documentation here.

11. 58% of American Adults Get Their News Through Social Media

A new report found that more than half of American adults get their news through social media.

The study revealed that:

• 13% say social media is the most important source of news
• 45% say it's an important source, but not the most important source
• 42% said it’s not an important source for them

On the other hand, 22% of those aged 18-29 said that social media is their most important news source.

What This Means for Marketers: If you’re in the news business or your target market is highly connected to the news, increasing your social media presence just might increase your reach.

Weekly Homework

• Perform a GA4 audit before the holiday rush to ensure you’re set up for success.
• Check what AI is saying about your brand. Make sure it isn’t encouraging people not to buy from you.
• Log in to your Google Ads account to check out the new features and beta launches.
• Download TikTok and X’s new holiday shopping guides to see whether their suggestions could improve your holiday marketing ROI.
• Explore Gemini’s new brand management tools.
• Review Google’s new UCG SEO guidelines.
• Consider increasing your social media presence if you’re a news-related brand or your preferred audience follows the news closely.

Digital Marketing News 10/17/2026 to 10/23/2026

This week: Google unifies holiday shopping carts, Smart Bidding learning rules clarified, Discover freshness filters explained, and Snap highlights local discovery opportunities.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google’s Universal Cart Is Live & Active

Google announced that the Universal Cart is now live and ready for the holiday shopping season.

Previewed earlier this year, the tool is now live. The Universal Cart will allow shoppers to:

1. Save products from multiple retailers
2. Keep tabs on pricing or inventory changes
3. Identify hidden savings or points
4. Make seamless purchases via Google Pay

Merchants using UCP-powered checkout can also enable cart transfer to their own site and get enhanced checkout-flow insights showing how well their products appear in AI-powered searches.

Next Steps: Audit your product feed in Merchant Center now, because these tools all depend on accurate product data. Once your product feed is correct, test the new checkout flow before the holiday rush.

2. 64% of Monthly Pinners Say Pinterest Helped Them Choose a Purchase

Pinterest wants you to get ready for the holidays now, and they’re sharing ideas to help you get started.

According to Pinterest’s recent checklist:

• The platform has over 640 million monthly active users
• Over 63 million festive season ideas have already been saved to 8.6 million boards
• 64% of monthly Pinners say Pinterest helped them confidently choose the right option when shopping during the holiday season
• 36% of Pinterest ad impact happens after the first 8 weeks of a campaign

So, if you want to tap this huge, purchase-ready audience, start now. Pinterest lays out a 23-day guide to help you get your campaigns up and running. The timeline includes tips on campaign structure, how to use creative pieces, and when to start testing.

3. YouTube Launches Shorts Bonus Program

If your brand uses YouTube Shorts, you may be able to take advantage of a new bonus program.

This new invite-only program aims to reward creators for posting consistently and performing well. It also offers expanded shopping affiliate bonuses and updated shopping analytics.

The program requires creators to post a certain number of Shorts each month. Creators will then earn a guaranteed payment, as well as the opportunity to earn extra payments based on “valid, engaged Shorts views.”

On the shopping side, brands can offer exclusive bonus commissions on top of the standard affiliate revenue share.

Creators in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea were invited to apply for the program. Those eligible received a notification either through their primary contact email and/or the YouTube Studio dashboard.

What This Means for Digital Marketers: Even if your brand isn’t one of the invited creators, you can still set up exclusive affiliate offers in YouTube’s Shopping Hub. Creators can then see bonus amounts and commission rates there, which gives them a reason to choose your product over others in the hub.

4. LinkedIn Introduces Digital Business Cards

LinkedIn rolled out a new way to connect: a new digital business card. This new feature is part of a wider update to help people build and maintain their professional networks.

Users can design and personalize their LinkedIn business card, add it to their digital wallet, and stay connected with the people they meet in person.

The feature will be rolling out globally over the coming months. At the same time, LinkedIn also announced a new Network feed that puts posts from your connections and people you follow in one place. It also adds private profile notes, so you can record the context behind the connection.

Takeaway: Add the digital business card to your event and sales team playbook. Set up cards for your team before your next conference or trade show so contacts you meet land on a LinkedIn profile ready to convert them.

5. Meta Makes the Case for Businesses to Use Muse

Meta wants more businesses to use its Muse AI agent. So much so that it is now outlining practical ways they think the agent can improve business performance. The suggestions range from improving content to managing finances.

Some of the potential ways to use Muse include:

• Assessing ad performance
• Building ad campaigns via conversational guidance with Muse
• Establishing automation flows using connected apps
• Tapping into connections such as Instagram analytics, Facebook Pages, Meta ad accounts, Shopify, QuickBooks, Canva, and Slack

For most uses, Muse is free. Premium plans offer more functionality and cost between $20 and $100 a month.

6. Key Takeaways from Advertising Week New York 2026

Marketers gathered in the Penn District to discuss the future of marketing, including how to connect with Gen Z, the role of AI in advertising, and the success of creator marketing.

According to Marketing Dive, some of the biggest takeaways included:

• How Smirnoff and Hinge are changing the way they approach advertising and marketing to Gen Z buyers, with the biggest point being “Make sure it’s from Gen Z to Gen Z.”
• How Liquid Death is using AI and edgy marketing to move faster than its competitors
• How brands like Chili’s, Disney, and Alaska Airlines are finding a ton of cost-effective success in the creator/influencer space
• How brands are approaching marketing by thinking of Gen Alpha as the household CMO
• How important cultural co-authorship in celeb collaborations is

You can read more in-depth commentary on the key takeaways here.

7. Instagram Is Taking a Stand Against “AI Slop”

Even though Meta is pushing AI hard, Instagram announced that they are very aware of the influx of “AI slop” on its platform.

In his weekly Q&A session, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri said, “We do not throttle the reach of AI content just for being AI content. Our idea with ranking is to connect you with content that you like and not with content that you’re not interested in, whether or not it’s AI. Now, there’s some great AI content and there’s a lot of slop out there, and so, ideally, ranking is doing its thing, but obviously we make some mistakes sometimes. We do want you to know that something was AI if it was generated with AI, and so we’re trying to figure out how to best do that.”

What this means, though, is not quite clear. Stay posted to see how Instagram tries to remedy this problem.

8. 73% of Snapchat Users Use Maps to Find Local Events

Snapchat released a new report highlighting that digital maps are no longer just tools for getting from Point A to Point B. They’re now becoming social spaces where people find out where to go next.

The study found that:

• 70% of users enjoy browsing maps with no destination in mind
• 68% send interesting occasions to others
• 71% are open to visiting places they have seen as a sponsored pin

It also found that Snap Map’s Promoted Places were:

• +9% easier to notice
• +5% more appealing
• +4% more interesting to click on
• 1.1x more likely to encourage people to visit the store

Why We Care: If you have physical locations, treat social maps as a discovery channel, not just a place to be found through search. Make sure your location listings are complete, then test Promoted Places with local, time-limited offers such as event promotions or flash deals.

9. New Details on Google Discover’s SDF Freshness Algorithm Emerge

Wondering about Google’s new system? You’re not the only one. Here are some new details that emerged this week about the Supersession-Decay Filtering (SDF) system.

The first, and perhaps most surprising, is that this system has been in use for two years. Other key takeaways include:

• It has key implications for content and interlinking strategies.
• It uses two filters to proactively remove stale content.
• Once the stale content is removed, downstream ranking systems, including user engagement signals and “trend-aware” systems, can rank web pages in Google Discover.
• The publishing date isn’t the only thing that can mark content as outdated. It can also become outdated when newer information supersedes it.
• Content can become stale due to relevance decay.

This system will also play a role in your evergreen content. You can read the entire report about the new system and how to manage your content with it in play here.

10. Google Ads Updates Smart Bidding Documentation

Google has released new smart bidding documentation that every Google Ads professional should read. Now titled “About Smart Bidding learning,” the rewrite adds a seven-day limit and more detailed operational advice.

The updated document separates the visible “Learning” status from the longer time it takes for bidding performance to stabilize. It says the Learning status never lasts more than 7 days. There are also three triggers for learning:

• A new or reactivated bid strategy
• Adding or removing campaigns, ad groups, or keywords
• A significant change to conversion goals

Changes to budgets, targets, creatives, or targeting settings (like location, audience, or language) never trigger Learning or erase historical data.

Some best practices to adjust to this new documentation include:

• Optimizing a single, consistent primary conversion goal.
• Keeping daily budgets high enough to leave room to optimize.
• Consolidating campaigns and ad groups to pool conversion data.
• Avoiding making multiple target changes within one conversion cycle.

You can read the entire documentation here.

Biggest Takeaway: Use the new documentation as a checklist for your account audits. Don’t freeze budgets out of fear of resetting Learning, because Google says budget changes won’t trigger it. However, be careful when changing conversion goals or restructuring campaigns, since those can start a new learning period. Consolidate campaigns where you can so each one has more conversion data.

11. 47% of Shoppers Have Not Used, and Are Not Interested, in Retail Chatbots

A new study reveals that most digital shoppers are not interested in using AI chatbots.

According to the study:

• 47% say they have not used one and are not interested in doing so
• 16% say they haven’t used one, but are somewhat interested
• 12% say they have used one before but don’t use one regularly
• 7.8% say they use them regularly
• 6.2% say they haven’t used one but are very interested in them
• 11% say they don’t know what retail chatbots are

Disinterest is growing. In a previous study that asked the same questions, only 38.2% said they had no interest in AI chatbots.

Weekly Homework

• If you sell physical products, make sure your inventory is correct and up-to-date in Google’s Merchant Center before the holiday rush starts.
• If you’re planning on using Pinterest for holiday marketing, set up your campaigns now.
• Look into how your brand can benefit from YouTube’s new Shorts Creator bonuses.
• Set your team up with LinkedIn digital business cards before they go to any networking or vendor events.
• Read through the biggest takeaways from New York Marketing Week to see how you can benefit from what others in your industry have learned.
• Start treating maps like Snap Maps, Apple Maps, and Google Maps as discovery channels.
• Read through Google’s new Smart Bidding documentation to make sure your Google Ads are set up correctly.

Digital Marketing News 10/10/2026 to 10/16/2026

This week: Tracking bug hides ChatGPT traffic, Google makes AI links prominent, social platforms dominate AI citations, and Google Ads gains channel controls.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. ChatGPT Traffic Drop May Be a Tracking Problem

ChatGPT-attributed traffic dropped sharply starting October 9, following the GPT-6 rollout on October 7–8.

Analysts believe missing UTM tags and referrer data caused some ChatGPT visits to appear as Direct traffic in Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Across several datasets, reported ChatGPT traffic fell by 22% to 57%. Adobe's analysis of roughly 500 pages found that:

• ChatGPT visits dropped by about 31,000 per day.
• Direct visits increased by about 26,000 per day.
• Total traffic remained relatively stable in some datasets, suggesting visits may have been misattributed rather than lost.

OpenAI reportedly confirmed the tracking issue on October 14, and a fix began rolling out on October 15. By 9 a.m. PT that day, one analysis found tagged ChatGPT clicks had recovered to roughly 95%–100% of the same hour the previous week. However, the fix may not have reached every account, and some visits may still lack referrer data.

Action Item: Before assuming AI traffic is dropping, compare ChatGPT and Direct traffic in GA4. Mark October 8–15 in your reports and check that tracking is working again. This will help you understand how AI search drives website visits and avoid making decisions based on inaccurate data.

2. Google Adds More Links and Visual Features to AI Search

Google announced updates to AI Mode and AI Overviews to help users explore sources and find information faster.

The changes include:

• More inline links: Links now appear more often within AI responses and higher up, making key sources easier to find.
• Direct links to trusted sources: Some responses now feature a dedicated section with links to official websites, along with context explaining their value.
• Expanded article carousels: Article carousels are rolling out to more locations, languages, and query types, helping users discover timely content.
• More clickable related articles: Some AI responses now include images and thumbnails to make related articles easier to spot.
• Clickable creator profiles: Users can click creators’ names on videos in AI Mode to visit their Google Search profiles.
• More Preferred Sources: Google reported sevenfold growth in Preferred Sources this year, giving users more ways to choose which publishers appear in Search.

Why We Care: Google is making links within AI search results more visible, creating new opportunities for publishers to attract clicks. However, more prominent links don't guarantee more traffic. Monitor referral traffic and your brand's visibility in AI Overviews and AI Mode to see whether these changes lead to more visits.

3. Google AI Mode & Gemini Get A New Model

Google introduced its newest flagship AI model, Gemini 4 Argon, into Google AI Model and the Gemini app.

The model is now available via the Gemini API, AI Studio, Google Antigravity for AI Ultra subscribers, and in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app for AI Ultra and Pro subscribers.

In the press release, Google said Argon will help with:

• Quantum algorithmic optimization
• Memory efficiency
• Large-scale codebase migrations and optimizations

Google’s Robby Stein specifically said that Argon is “better at understanding your intent and following your instructions in back-and-forth conversations.”

Why We Care: As Google’s models get better at multi-step reasoning, how your content gets interpreted and shared within AI Mode answers could shift. Keep an eye on how your brand is showing up in these places as models improve.

4. Social Platforms Are Cited in 68% of Google AI Overviews

If you’ve treated social media and AI search visibility as separate strategies, new data may change your mind. According to a new SE Ranking study, 68% of Google AI Overview answers include social platforms.

In reviewing over 100,000 keywords in 20 niches, the study found that:

• 76.73% had at least one social or community source in Google’s top 10 organic results
• 67.66% of Google AI Overviews featured a social platform
• 32.39% of Google AI Mode answers had a social platform
• 8.4% of ChatGPT answers featured information from a social platform

The platforms most likely to appear included Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, Quora, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Medium. YouTube appeared the most in AI Overviews, but Reddit claimed the crown in AI Mode and ChatGPT.

You can read the full study results here.

5. YouTube Introduces New AI Search Chatbot

YouTube’s conversational AI search is no longer a Premium perk. Ask YouTube has expanded to all US users on mobile, web, and smart TVs.

The feature turns the search bar into a chatbot-style interface, letting viewers ask natural-language questions instead of typing keyword phrases. YouTube then pulls together an answer with long-form videos, Shorts, and text summaries.

Ask YouTube is powered by Gemini, so answers can go beyond what’s in a single video. In the expansion announcement, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan also said the platform is working to bring Ask YouTube to Shorts watch pages and live streams. That update will be released later.

Why This Matters: Start thinking about your brand’s YouTube content the same way you think about AI Overviews in Google Search. Add clear, descriptive titles, well-structured chapters, and content that directly answers questions to increase your odds of surfacing in Ask YouTube answers.

6. Channel Prioritization and Budget Allocation Controls Come to Google Ads

Google Ads is giving advertisers a long-requested tool. This week, it announced that new Channel Prioritization and Budget Allocation controls are rolling out globally across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen.

Advertisers can now set channels like Google Search, Search Partners, and the Google Display Network to different priority levels. For example, if they use Target CPA or Target ROAS, campaigns will fully fund high-priority channels before spending any remaining budget on lower-priority ones.

For low-priority channels, advertisers can also cap the maximum percentage of the daily budget they can spend there.

However, it’s important to note that every channel defaults to “High Priority” when the controls start rolling out. So, if you are a marketer not planning to adjust your ad spend, you could see your spend mix shift.

In the press release, Google recommended setting Display Network to “low priority” with a 50% budget cap to preserve current behavior. A one-click migration option will also be available at launch. But again, you'll need to sign in to your account to use the button.

For now, mark your calendars for February 2027 when Google will start removing the existing spend allocation setup.

7. Google Ads API Moves to Twice-Monthly Releases

Google is doubling down on speed for its Ads API. The platform announced that, starting with v26, the Google Ads API will ship two releases per month, up from the monthly cadence adopted just this past January.

Google says this change is around entering “a new agentic era where speed and agility are paramount.” The change aims to give automated agents and workflows near-instant access to new features.

Despite the faster release pace, the fundamentals that still matter most for ad tech teams will stay the same. There will be four major breaking-change releases per year, one year of availability per major version, and unchanged sunset schedules. The tentative schedule looks something like this:

• v23: February 2027
• v24: May 2027
• v25: August 2027
• v26: November 2027

You can view all of the updated schedules, along with more information, here.

8. Meta Introduces New Brand Advertising Formats

Meta announced four advertising updates for Facebook and Instagram to help brands reach larger audiences, secure premium placements, and measure video ad performance.

Here's what's new:

• Ads Super Burst: Brands can reserve a 3- to 24-hour window to reach large audiences during key moments, such as product launches, sporting events, and seasonal campaigns. Meta reports a median 2.9-point increase in ad recall among early advertisers.
• First Impression Ads: Now being tested in the U.S., this premium placement lets one advertiser per day secure the first ad position users see when opening Facebook Feed.
• Reels Trending Ads: Brands can place ads alongside trending Reels across Facebook and Instagram, with 15 always-on content topics, including Home & Garden and Spanish-language categories.
• Aggregated View Time: This early-stage measurement tool tracks attention across multiple video exposures, rather than measuring each view separately. Meta's research found that five seconds of attention accumulated across multiple exposures was linked to 32% higher offline sales in its study.

Availability varies by feature. Ads Super Burst is rolling out in phases, First Impression Ads remains a limited U.S. test, and Aggregated View Time is still in alpha.

Action Item: Consider testing new placements when they become available, but measure results against your campaign goals. Meta's reported performance gains come from specific studies and early results, so they aren't guaranteed for every campaign.

9. Meta Releases Updated Ad Placement Control Guidance

Meta announced this week that more Meta Ads campaign types have lost the ability to exclude specific ad placements.

Engagement, leads, app promotion, and sales campaigns have already lost placement exclusions. This means advertisers can no longer manually block specific ad placements, such as Instagram Explore or Facebook in-stream video, at the ad-set level.

Advertisers still have control over creative, bids, and some account-level placement restrictions – for now. This updated guidance, though, clearly signals that Meta believes its AI is better at deciding where ads perform best.

Next Steps: Audit your account-level placement restrictions and value rules now, since ad-set-level exclusions are disappearing. If avoiding certain placements, like Messenger Stories or specific apps, matters for your brand safety, you’ll need to rely on the remaining account-level tools or third-party verification tools instead.

10. Google Could Be Serving Different Results to Automated Rank-Tracking and Scraping Tools

If your rank tracking tools have been giving you bad data, it might not be their fault. A new analysis found that Google may be serving automated rank-tracking and scraping tools different, degraded search results than real users see on their SERPs.

The analysis, performed by Nozzle, found that poisoned SERPs tend to have this in common:

• Introduced artificial SERP volatility
• Show more user-generated content (UGC)
• Show fewer AI Overviews
• Advertising and shopping results were stable

The data also revealed that:

• AI Overviews appear 34.9% of the time in poisoned SERPs versus 54.2% in the baseline.
• The “people also search for” feature appears 52.7% of the time in poisoned SERPs versus 87.2% in the baseline.
• Image packs appear nearly twice as often in poisoned SERPs: 44.2% of the time versus 23.0% in the baseline.
• Forum blocks show up more often in poisoned SERPs: 27.0% versus 20.5% in the baseline.

You can read more about the results here.

11. Migrating Your Site? Google Says It Could Take More Than 4 Months

If your last site migration felt like it dragged on forever, Google just confirmed that it wasn’t necessarily your SEO team’s fault.

Google’s Search team confirmed this week that it may take well beyond the commonly cited “it’ll settle in a few weeks” timelines. Sometimes, it takes even longer than four months.

Google said this is because it has to re-crawl, re-index, and re-evaluate signals like backlinks, redirects, and content relevance after a domain or URL structure change.

Larger or older sites with more historical signals tend to take longer because Google has more existing data to compare to the new site.

What This Means for Us: If you’re planning a site migration soon, let this be a reality check. Build in a 3-6 month recovery window into your project timeline and reporting cadence so a temporary traffic dip during re-indexing doesn’t get mistaken for a failed migration.

12. Bing Webmaster Tools Introduces New Topics Portfolio

Calling all Bing users! Microsoft just gave site owners a broad view of their AI search presence, instead of query-by-query.

The new Topics Portfolio is a beta feature inside the AI Performance report. It groups the queries where your site gets cited in AI answers into themed clusters.

You can find it in a new tab next to Citations & Pages. It’ll show topics where your site has a meaningful presence alongside three different metrics:

• How much demand there is for each theme
• How competitive each theme is
• How many sites are being cited within it

Below that, a Top Opportunity Queries section lists high-volume queries within your topic where competitors are cited, but you aren’t. This is essentially a free, ready-made content gap list.

13. Google Merchant Center’s New Tool Aims to Improve In-Store Inventory Information

Local inventory feeds now have a more precise way to pinpoint exactly where products sit on a shelf. Google Merchant Center announced a new store address attribute that will more accurately connect in-store inventory to a physical location.

This addition builds on Google’s existing local inventory feed structure, which currently relies on attributes like store_code to tie online product data to a specific Business Profile location. However, system retailers have long found this tool finicky, since even capitalization mismatches between the feed and Google Business Profiles can block a listing.

A dedicated store address attribute gives merchants a more direct, explicit way to confirm location data. As Google continues to invest in local inventory ads and free local listings, having the right tools for merchants and brands will become even more important.

Next Step: If you manage local inventory feeds, make sure to add the new store address attribute to your feed and double-check it against each of your locations’ Google Business Profile. Consistent addresses reduce listing rejections and improve your odds of showing up to nearby shoppers.

14. Facebook Users Now Have More Control

Meta announced this week that users can now directly shape the content their algorithm serves them, rather than relying on passive engagement signals.

This update reflects growing pressure on social platforms to address user frustration with increasingly unpredictable or off-target algorithms. Giving users more explicit control over their feed will help serve them content they’re actually interested in.

What This Means for Marketers: If your organic Facebook strategy relies on consistent reach, watch how these new controls affect your engagement. If users actively opt out of certain types of content, it could change how your posts perform.

Weekly Homework

• Perform audits on AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT to see if any of your social platforms are contributing to your AI visibility.
• Update your calendar for Google Ads API’s new release schedule.
• Audit your YouTube account and improve your titles and chapters. Add content that directly answers questions.
• Mark your calendars for February 2027 to make sure you change your Google Ads channel priorities before Google does it for you.
• If you manage local inventory feeds, add the new store address attribute to your feed. Make sure it matches the address listed on each of your locations’ Google Business Profile.
• Run your Bing AI Performance report to see how your content is showing up in AI tools.

Digital Marketing News 10/3/2026 to 10/9/2026

This week: Visual ChatGPT ads enter testing, Google tightens helpful content standards, PMax gains controlled creative testing, and TikTok connects campaigns to AI.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. OpenAI Expands to Visual ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI is continuing to build out ChatGPT ads into a more mature advertising platform. This week, the company announced richer creative formats, third-party integrations, and tighter brand safety controls.

The biggest feature is a new visual ad format that lets brands showcase products, services, and experiences. OpenAI will start testing this during image generation in ChatGPT later this month with a select group of US advertisers.

OpenAI also improved connections between ChatGPT Ads and existing measurement stacks, including Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp.

They are also piloting full-funnel and geo-based incrementality testing with Fospha, Measured, Haus, and INCRMENTAL to prove ads drive incremental conversions, not just claim credit.

ChatGPT now reaches 1.2 billion people weekly, and it’s piloting brand suitability evaluations with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.

Takeaway: If you’ve been hesitant to test ChatGPT Ads due to measurement gaps, this update removes a major excuse. You can now check whether your existing attribution or CDP partner (AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, LiveRamp, etc.) is supported so you can evaluate performance using the same tools you trust for other channels.

2. Google Updates Helpful Content Guidelines

Google just made meaningful updates to one of its most important (and most overlooked) pieces of documentation, its helpful content guidance.

The timing comes right alongside the Gemini 4 Argon launch, suggesting a significant core update may be coming.

The updated guidelines now explicitly define “Main Content” as whatever directly fulfills a page’s purpose and sharpen four key quality attributes:

• Effort: rewarding human creation over AI-generated content
• Originality: unique data or perspectives not readily available elsewhere
• Skill and experience: technical authority for YMYL or lived experience for community content
• Accuracy: explicitly warning against unreviewed AI hallucinations

Google also added stronger language against “deceptive authorship,” flagging fake personas, fabricated bios, or misleading bylines.

You can read all of the updated guidelines here.

3. Google’s September Spam Update Is Complete

Google’s September 2026 spam update ran from September 24 to October 8, taking 13 days and 16 hours.

The global update triggered ranking volatility, but Google hasn’t disclosed which spam tactics it specifically targeted or how many searches were affected.

Action Item: Compare Google Search Console rankings, impressions and clicks before and after the rollout. If declines persist, review Google’s spam policies before making changes. Recovery from spam-related ranking drops can take months.

4. Google Display Campaigns Are Moving to Demand Gen in 2027

Starting in early 2027, Google will migrate remaining eligible Display campaigns to Demand Gen.

While advertisers gain access to YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps, and Display, they may lose control over audience targeting as optimized targeting expands reach beyond selected audiences.

Action Item: Review conversion tracking, audience settings, and campaign budgets before migrating. Monitor where spend goes to avoid paying for low-quality traffic.

5. Google Introduces A/B Testing to Performance Max Asset Groups

Performance Max is finally getting a real testing framework instead of just blind faith in the algorithm. Google Ads announced this week that it's rolling out controlled A/B testing for PMax asset groups. This will let advertisers prove whether a creative change actually works before fully committing to it.

Advertisers can now test changes to headlines, descriptions, images, and videos within an asset group rather than swapping creative live and hoping for the best. This can be useful when testing:

• New creative concepts against existing assets
• UGC-style concepts against polished brand creative
• Testing the impact of adding video

It comes with a catch, though. Once an experiment starts, you can’t make additional changes to that asset group. This keeps tests clean but requires upfront planning.

What You Can Do: Set up a proper A/B test on your next asset change so you have real evidence instead of a before-and-after comparison muddied by seasonality or algorithm drift.

6. Google Ads Adds Video Impressions and Funnel Reporting

Google Ads is updating its Overview page to show video impressions in conversion paths and introduce a new Performance by stage card.

Advertisers can track awareness, consideration, and action metrics in one place. However, video impression tracking excludes conversions imported from GA4.

What You Can Do: Use the new reports to assess how video campaigns support the full customer journey, not just last-click conversions. Remember, an impression in a conversion path doesn’t prove it drove the sale.

7. Google Ads Tests Cross-Campaign Reach and Frequency Controls

Google Ads is testing Video Campaign Groups in beta, allowing advertisers to group eligible Video and Demand Gen campaigns to manage combined audience reach and frequency.

Advertisers can optimize for broader reach by removing duplicate audiences across campaigns or set a group-level frequency target to control how often people see their ads.

The feature could help brands running multiple upper-funnel campaigns avoid repeatedly reaching the same users, although it remains to be seen how effectively Google’s optimization reduces overlap and wasted impressions.

Action Item: Reduce wasted impressions by managing audience overlap across video campaigns. Monitor whether campaign grouping increases unique reach without overspending.

8. More AI-Powered Updates Come to TikTok

TikTok used the Advertising Week New York stage to make its biggest AI pitch to advertisers yet. The short-form video content platform introduced agentic AI tools spanning the entire customer journey, from discovery to measurable conversions.

The headline feature is TikTok’s expanded MCP (Model Context Protocol) connector, which now integrates with major AI platforms including Claude, Perplexity, Snowflake, and the IAB Tech Lab Registry.

This new tool lets brands build campaigns, upload creative, and analyze performance through AI tools they already use and know. TikTok backed the announcement with data from a new Economic Impact Report showing significant platform-driven economic activity, and cited early adopters like Wayfair Canada, which praised the AI workflow integration.

Why We Care: If your agency or brand already uses AI platforms like Claude or Perplexity for campaign work, check whether TikTok’s MCP connector is compatible with your stack. It could streamline campaign building and reporting without forcing you into TikTok’s native interface.

9. TikTok Generates $81B in Economic Value

TikTok released a new report that reveals its 2025 US economic impact hit $81 billion. They released the report in hopes that policymakers and advertisers alike will see it as an economic engine, not just another entertainment app.

The figures came from research firm PF Global based on surveys of over 11,000 consumers and 5,000 businesses. The report estimates that TikTok:

• Supported 410,000 jobs
• Generated $13 billion in federal tax revenue
• Introduced 42 million Americans to new small businesses
• Helped 26 million Americans earn money from TikTok content
• Helped 12 million creators monetize LIVEs alone

Businesses are agreeing with the strong returns:

• 93% said they saw sales increase after promoting on TikTok
• 84% said it helped them reach otherwise unreachable customers

Why We Care: If a client or leadership is skeptical about TikTok ad spend, use this report as ammunition in those budget conversations. Citing convincing third-party data showing 93% of businesses saw sales lift can help justify testing or expanding your paid media on the platform.

10. Updates Come to YouTube Shorts Algorithm

With Shorts generating over 200 billion daily views, YouTube announced algorithm changes to encourage more original, creative content for its most-watched format.

YouTube channels that primarily repost or reupload other creators’ videos without making significant changes will see their views reduced in the coming weeks. This crackdown targets lazy reposting, not commenting or remixing. Re-sharing Shorts or quoting posts to add to the conversation will still count as legitimate engagement.

This move mirrors a similar change Instagram made last May, suggesting platforms are coordinating around the same issues as short-form video floods every feed and platform.

Takeaway: Audit your Shorts content now. If any of your content leans on reposting trending clips with minimal editing, shift newer posts toward original framing, voiceovers, or commentary before the algorithm change tanks your reach.

11. Instagram Makes Change to Push Reels Even Harder

Instagram may have started as a static photo-sharing app, but things are changing. The platform is now testing a new setting that will open the app directly into the Reels tab instead of the main home feed.

This change follows Instagram’s long pattern of prioritizing Reels over feed and Stories content. It also mirrors Meta’s parallel test on Facebook in India, where some users now open straight into full-screen video.

This option is still an opt-in experiment, not a forced rollout. Users in the test group can still switch back to the traditional view. The move signals Instagram’s continued bet that short-form video, not curated feed browsing, is how users actually want to open the app.

Why We Care: If organic reach matters for your brand, double down on Reels production now. A Reels-first default view would make a short-form video even more central to discovery, while feed posts and Stories get further sidelined.

12. Make Threads Chatter into Instagram Stories Content

Instagram just made it easier to turn Threads chatter into Stories content. This week, they rolled out a new sticker that lets users drop a Threads post directly into a Stories frame.

The feature works with posts users have previously liked, saved, or written themselves and resurfaces that content as a Story without screenshotting or leaving the app. It builds on an earlier integration that lets users share Threads posts to Stories from within the Threads app itself.

It’s also a clear play to use Instagram’s massive user base to keep driving traffic and engagement back to Threads, which has surpassed 400 million monthly users. The sticker effectively turns every Instagram Story into a potential discovery funnel for Threads content.

Why It Matters: If your brand is active on Threads, start saving or liking your best-performing posts so you can easily share them as Instagram Stories with this sticker. It’s a free, low-effort way to cross-post successful commentary between the two platforms.

13. 43% of Beauty Searches Start at Google

Beauty shoppers aren’t just scrolling TikTok for product recommendations. New data highlights just how central search remains in the beauty industry.

This matters because some beauty brands have poured most of their budget into TikTok and Instagram in recent years, while underinvesting in search and SEO fundamentals. But this study shows that it’s actually pretty spread across multiple touchpoints, with respondents saying they went to the following places first when asking a beauty question:

• Google - 43%
• Instagram - 11.9%
• YouTube - 11.2%
• TikTok - 10.6%
• AI tools - 9.8%

The research suggests beauty consumers use Google for comparison shopping, ingredient research, and review-checking before committing to a purchase. This reinforces that visual platforms and search aren’t an either/or choice in this category. They actually work together across the funnel.

What You Should Do: If you’re a beauty or personal care brand, you should audit your search presence alongside your social strategy. Review your product pages, ingredient details, and reviews to make sure they tell the story you want them to. Losing visibility in Google at the comparison stage could be costing you conversions that social content alone won’t make up for.

14. WordPress 7.1.3 Fixes 7 Vulnerabilities and 1 Critical Flaw

If you or a client runs a WordPress site, this is your cue to update now. WordPress just released version 7.1.3, a security release that patches seven vulnerabilities and includes four bug fixes.

The seven security issues included:

• A stored XSS vulnerability
• A denial-of-service bug
• A second-order SQL injection
• A flaw letting Autor-role users sticky posts
• Unauthenticated comment disclosure
• XSS-vulnerable Imgur embeds
• Foregable parameters that cause action name collisions

WordPress hasn’t published severity ratings or confirmed active exploitation, but it’s still recommending an immediate update.

Separately, a critical bug could cause image uploads to fail with a fatal error on hosts missing PHP’s optional DOM extension.

15. TikTok Adds Certification Tiers for Agencies

TikTok announced a new change for its agency partners. The platform has moved from a single-tier badge system to a new two-tier structure.

Agencies now carry either an Agency Partner badge or the new, more exclusive Premier Agency Partner badge. Each tier comes with its own experience level and platform expertise. The standard badge signals that an agency has met TikTok’s baseline requirements for performance and certified team knowledge.

Premier status cannot be self-applied and is reserved for a select group of top-performing partners worldwide. TikTok’s regional team must nominate agencies for HQ approval.

This move builds on TikTok’s broader efforts to structure its partner ecosystem, following earlier additions like channel sales experts to the marketing partners program.

What You Need to Do: If you’re vetting a TikTok agency partner or want to position your own agency as one, the new Premier badge is now a meaningful trust signal. Ask about certification tiers before committing a budget, since it reflects an independent, TikTok-vetted track record, rather than just self-reported expertise.

Weekly Homework:

• Read through Google’s new Helpful Content documentation and audit your existing content accordingly.
• Check out the new AI-powered updates to TikTok’s Ad tools.
• Audit your YouTube account to make sure your Shorts are following the new guidelines.
• Consider adding more Reels content to your Instagram strategy.
• If you’re looking to improve your TikTok budget, read the newly released information on the app's impact on the US economy and figure out how you can make your brand one of the ones benefiting from this positive impact.
• If TikTok is big for your business, explore becoming a TikTok Premier Marketing Partner.
• Roll out a few A/B tests for your Google PMax campaigns.
• If you have a WordPress site, update it to 7.1.3 immediately to avoid unwanted and messy bugs.

Digital Marketing News 9/26/2026 to 10/2/2026

This week: Reddit closes open data access, Search Console tracks visual discovery, Demand Gen absorbs Display inventory, and PMax exposes YouTube strategy gaps.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Meta Wants Muse AI to Be Your Unofficial Brand Manager

Meta doesn’t want its new Muse AI agent to just be a shopping assistant. The platform wants it to become a creator’s unofficial manager. In a recent article, Instagram shares how creators can put this new tool to work.

Image Source: Social Media TodayOnce a creator connects their Instagram account, Muse can:

• Analyze account activity
• Flag potential brand collaboration opportunities
• Compare offers against industry averages
• Make suggestions on content strategy
• Summarize account performance
• Send account-management reminders

The catch, though, is that you have to grant an AI agent this level of access, which raises real questions about permissions and oversight.

2. Reddit Is Shutting Down RSS Feeds

Reddit is making some serious changes, citing AI as the reason. The forum platform announced this week that it’s winding down RSS feeds entirely and setting a shutdown date for its public API.

Reddit says RSS has become a “common surface for large-scale scraping and automated abuse,” and will end support on November 13th. It pointed moderators toward the Discord Relay Devvit app as a partial replacement.

Public API access will also be shut down, but we have a little bit longer of a timeline there. Reddit won’t end support for public API access until March 2027. This move will cut off social listening tools, researchers, and AI assistants that currently pull Reddit data for free.

The timing isn’t coincidental, though. Reddit’s “other revenue” (which is largely AI licensing deals) grew 24% year-to-year to $43 million last quarter, so clearly there’s a financial incentive for them to funnel access through paid deals instead of open feeds.

Old Reddit is also getting locked down, restricting access to logged-in moderators and recent users to curb “abusive scraping.”

Biggest Takeaway: If your monitoring, reporting, or AI-driven social listening tools rely on Reddit’s RSS feeds or public API, start migrating now. After November 13 (RSS) and March 2027 (API), you’ll need a commercial Reddit data licensing deal or an alternative source entirely to keep tracking brand mentions and public sentiment there.

3. Google Tests Bigger Local Service Ads

Local advertisers may notice something different in their search results. Some advertisers noticed this week that Google seems to be testing a noticeably larger Local Services Ads format.

The test, spotted by Adsquire founder Anthony Higman, gives local service ads bigger images and a more prominent highlight box underneath their main listing.

This comes as Google continues to move Local Services Ads deeper into the core Google Ads ecosystem. Google has confirmed this is only a test for now and doesn’t guarantee it will roll out to more advertisers anytime soon. It also confirmed that migrating your Local Services Ads under Performance Max with a pay-per-lead goal won’t change SERP posting.

4. Google Search Console Adds Multimodal Filter for Image Searches

Search Console now helps you track people who found you through an image. This week, it announced a new “multimodal” filter that separates image-driven search visits from text queries.

The filter lives under the Web search type in the Performance report and covers traffic from Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads, and Chrome’s “Search This Image” feature. The report will show which pages are being discovered through visual search. Individual search data isn’t available yet.

The rollout began globally on September 24, 2026, and applies to both the Search results and Generative AI (AI Overviews/AI Mode) reports.

Why We Care: If your site relies heavily on product photos, infographics, or other visual assets, check this new filter now. It’s your first real window into how much traffic is coming from “search by image” rather than “search by keyword.” That information could justify a higher investment in image SEO.

5. LinkedIn Releases More Options for B2B Marketers

LinkedIn is sharpening its creator tools, and brands might want to start paying attention. The platform announced this week that it is testing more advanced ways for marketers to find and vet the right voices for their B2B campaigns.

As B2B creator marketing matures, LinkedIn is under pressure to make it easier for brands to connect with creators in their industry. Brands want to find creators by filtering by niche, audience quality, or engagement authenticity rather than just follower count.

As LinkedIn said in the announcement, “Trust has become a critical driver of B2B buying decisions. Buyers don’t just want product pitches, they want validation from credible subject matter experts and practitioners with real experience. This shift has made creator marketing essential for B2B strategies.”

If you're a brand that wants to grow on LinkedIn, start building your creator shortlist now. As LinkedIn’s discovery tools improve, brands with a clear point of view on who they want to partner with will move faster than those still treating creator marketing as an afterthought.

6. Snapchat Wants B2B Marketers to Throw Out the Old Playbook

Snapchat wants a seat at the B2B media-planning table, and it's using marketers to make its case. The platform just launched its first-ever B2B creator campaign called “Spend Smarter.”

The US/UK campaign recruits marketing and advertising voices, including Pretty Little Marketer’s Sophie Miller and Girl Power Marketing’s Annie-Mai Hodge, to turn real advertiser case studies into creator-led content across Instagram, TikTok, and Substack before paid amplification.

It’s paired with Snap’s new “Commerce Power Pack” AI ad tools, which Snapchat claims produce 19.3% higher incremental ROAS than blended averages.

Why We Care: Don’t write Snapchat off as just a consumer app. If you haven’t tested it for performance or brand campaigns yet, this push (backed by real case studies) is worth a second look ahead of holiday budget planning.

7. Google Expands Demand Gen Ad Features

Google Display Ads are officially moving in with Demand Gen, and it’s bringing new features along. This continues Google’s push to consolidate visual, AI-driven ad formats under one roof.

The new tools include:

• Business Agent for YouTube Ads
• One-click experiences where consumers can visit your landing page with a single tap on image ads in YouTube Shorts and Gmail
• Affiliate Location Extensions in Google Maps

These tools let advertisers manage their Google Display Network presence directly within Demand Gen campaigns, reaching YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps alongside 2 million GDN sites and apps.

This is big news with Google reporting advertisers who add GDN to Demand Gen see a 9.5% average increase in ROI, with case studies like GoFood showing a 24% CPA drop. The migration is voluntary now, but is expected to be completed by 2027.

8. How Amazon Streamlines Ad Buys With AI

Amazon is tightening the gap between buying an ad and coordinating five different ad products. The ecommerce giant says that AI-driven automation is now central to unifying that process.

Amazon DSP, the company’s demand-side platform, increasingly uses first-party data, clean room technology, and AI automation to place targeted ads across formats and partner inventory. This includes a new Netflix programmatic deal live in 11 markets by the end of Q4 2025.

This continues a years-long consolidation effort, dating back to when Amazon merged its fragmented ad units into a single “Amazon Advertising” division. This division is now accelerated by agentic AI that plans and optimizes buys with less manual coordination.

Why We Care: If your team still buys Amazon ad formats in silos like Sponsored Products, DSP, or streaming, it’s time to audit whether AI-driven, cross-format buying could consolidate your workflow and unlock efficiencies you’re currently leaving on the table.

9. Performance Max: Not a YouTube Ad Strategy for Ecommerce

If you’re running Performance Max for ecommerce, you’re probably already buying YouTube ads, just not on purpose. This recent Search Engine Land article explains.

PMax defaults to pushing budget into YouTube placements using creative guilt for Shopping and Search, but not video. Because YouTube CPMs are cheap and inventory is essentially unlimited, the algorithm happily buys volume there while attribution makes the spend look more productive than it actually is.

This results in “subsidized impressions,” or a YouTube presence with no real creative strategy or brand intent behind it.

What You Can Do: Audit your PMax placement reports for YouTube ad spend. If it’s significant, create content specifically for video rather than letting Google auto-generate it.

10. Microsoft Excluded Content Terms Is Now Available to All Advertisers

Microsoft Advertising’s brand safety controls just got a meaningful upgrade. And the best part? It’s already available to all advertisers, not just a select few.

Excluded Content Terms lets advertisers block up to 1,000 unwanted page-title terms across Audience, Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns. You can configure it either at the account or campaign level.

The feature has been in limited release since August, but Microsoft has since made it available to all advertisers.

What You Can Do: Log into your Microsoft Ads account and toggle to Tools → Content suitability. It’s a free, easy way to tighten brand safety.

11. Google Ads API v25.2 Introduces Updates

Google’s latest API release gives advertisers more context and control, which is a nice combination for anyone managing accounts through custom tools or scripts.

Version 25.2 introduces percentile-based competitive benchmarking through a new BenchmarksService. This shows where an advertiser stands relative to others in the same category.

Additionally, Performance Max can now auto-generate PMax drafts from existing Smart campaigns plus new asset-group-level URL controls like tracking templates, custom parameters, or final URL suffixes.

Creator campaign workflows are also simpler now, supporting YouTube handle-based searches instead of requiring channel IDs.

More changes and updates are coming, as v26 is scheduled for an October release. If you love Version 25.2, however, don’t panic. Google says it will remain supported until August of 2027.

Weekly Homework

• Start testing the GDN-in-Demand Gen migration tool before it becomes mandatory. The earlier you adopt it, the more time you’ll have to learn how to control your ad campaigns.
• Explore using Meta’s Muse to help you with creator and influencer marketing.
• Audit how your team buys Amazon ads to see whether the new AI-driven tools could streamline the process.
• Take a look at your PMax placement reports for YouTube spend to see if you might benefit from creating YouTube-specific video content instead of letting Google auto-generate it for you.
• Log in to your Microsoft Ads account to explore the new Excluded Content Terms tool.
• Make sure your Google Local Service Ads have fresh business photos and highlights. If Google starts migrating all current ads into the larger ad format, your visual quality will stand out even more than it already does.

Digital Marketing News 9/19/2026 to 9/25/2026

This week: AI Overviews appear in 39% of desktop searches; GBP edits face 4-day deadlines; Google enables direct AI checkout; and Facebook limits free link posts.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google AI Overviews Now Appear in Nearly 40% of Desktop Searches

Google's AI Overviews appeared in 39.4% of U.S. desktop searches in June 2026, up from 25.8% a year earlier, according to new data from Comscore.

The report also found that AI-powered search experiences continue to grow across major platforms. Bing's Copilot Search appeared in 17.3% of desktop searches, while overall search activity remained strong, with U.S. desktop search volume increasing 8% compared to 2024.

When it comes to AI citations, YouTube and Reddit stood out as major winners. YouTube was the most frequently cited source across several industries, while Reddit remained one of the most commonly referenced websites in AI-generated answers. Comscore also found that some websites help power AI responses without receiving visible citations, highlighting a growing gap between influencing answers and getting credited for them.

Why We Care: Ranking isn't the only visibility metric anymore. As AI Overviews become more common, brands should focus on earning citations and influence within AI-generated answers, not just traditional search rankings.

2. Study: Google AI Mode Lowers User Satisfaction

A recent study found that Google AI Mode isn’t only cutting clicks. It’s also lowering user satisfaction.

Key findings include:

• AI Mode searchers conducted 0.92 fewer sessions per day
• Clicks to external sites fell 18.8%
• Clicks on news sites fell 12.5%
• Clicks to Reddit fell 21.2%
• Clicks to Wikipedia fell 9.9%
• 34% of AI Mode users gave the tool negative feedback
• 29% of AI Mode users gave it positive feedback

The biggest complaints about AI Mode included less control over search, difficulty navigating directly to websites, and limited links or source diversity.

It also pushed more users to Google rivals. Searchers choosing Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Yahoo increased 11.2% when users were told they had to use Google AI Mode.

It’ll be interesting to see how Google uses this data as it continues to weave AI into more and more of its products and consumer touchpoints.

3. Google Search Console Adds New Multimodal Search Reporting

Google is rolling out a new multimodal search filter in Search Console, giving website owners visibility into how users discover content through visual search experiences.

The new filter includes traffic from Google Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads in Google Search, and Chrome's "Search this image" feature. Site owners will be able to see performance data tied specifically to these multimodal search journeys within Search Console's performance reports.

Google says the update is designed to help publishers and marketers better understand how visual search contributes to content discovery and engagement.

Why We Care: Visual search continues to grow. This new reporting gives marketers a way to measure how images and visual content contribute to search visibility and identify new optimization opportunities.

4. Google Business Profile: 4 Days to Accept User Edits

Users can now edit your Google local listing if you don’t reject their submission within 4 days.

Google released updated documentation that showed users can make edits to a Google Business Profile, even if they aren’t connected to that business.

Business owners or marketers managing the GBP only have 4 days to review and either accept or reject the suggestion. If 4 days go by without a response, Google may automatically publish the user’s suggested edit.

Why We Care: Google Business Profile is one of the best free tools on the internet for boosting local SEO. One wrong submission from a random user could tank the improvements you’ve worked so hard to make. Pay attention to any notifications you receive and be sure to respond to any suggestions within the 4-day period to avoid incorrect information being added to your profile.

5. Google Analytics Adds Tool to Help Fight Spam Traffic

Ask any marketer who uses Google Analytics about spam traffic, and you’ll hear how it complicates data analysis. Google heard the complaints and introduced new filters to help site publishers combat spam traffic.

Google Analytics users can now create an allowlist of approved hostnames to filter out traffic from disallowed hostnames.

This new filter option makes it easier to keep spam and unwanted traffic out of your Google Analytics reports. It also reduces maintenance by automatically filtering out traffic from unapproved domains.

If you don’t want to pick which hostnames to allow, Google also lets you block traffic from missing hostnames, which typically indicates spam or abnormal traffic.

You can learn more about this new filter and how to use it here.

6. Google Enables Direct AI Checkout for Eligible Shopify Merchants

Google is expanding its AI shopping capabilities by allowing eligible Shopify merchants to sell products directly through AI Mode in Google Search and the Gemini app.

Powered by the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), the new experience lets shoppers discover and purchase products without leaving Google's AI interfaces. For eligible Shopify stores, direct checkout is enabled automatically when products are connected through Merchant Center, meaning some merchants may be enrolled without taking any action.

Merchants can opt out if they prefer customers to complete purchases on their own websites, but Google's move signals a growing shift toward AI-powered commerce that happens directly within search and assistant experiences.

Why We Care: AI shopping is moving beyond product discovery and into transactions. Ecommerce brands should review their Merchant Center and Shopify settings to understand where purchases can occur and how AI-driven checkout may affect tracking, attribution, and the customer experience.

7. Meta Muse: Partnered with Shopify But Blocked By Amazon

Have you noticed the new little Meta Muse that pops up on your Meta accounts?

This AI assistant was built to make navigating the platforms easier. It acts as a personal assistant, doing everything from taking notes to shopping on the user's behalf.

This is great news if you want to sell a physical product to a larger share of your audience. If that’s your goal, though, you’ll need to have your products listed on Shopify.

Meta announced this week that it will be partnering with Shopify. In light of the announcement, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke said Shopify is partnering with Meta Muse “to enable agentic checkout with Shop Pay on all Shopify stores, offering people an easy and delightful way to shop and check out with Muse.”

On the flip side, reports say Amazon has asked to be removed from Meta’s Muse agent list. The shipping giant said this is due to its rules against automated shopping tools.

Why We Care: If you’re in ecommerce, you need to have your product available for purchase where your shoppers are. In this case, if your shoppers are using Meta Muse, you’ll need to develop a Shopify store or connection so you don’t miss out on those sales. Amazon connections or stores won’t work for Meta Muse purchases.

8. Meta Campaign Spend Up 47%

A recent Metricool study found that Meta ad spending is up, but returns are declining.

After reviewing almost 600,000 campaigns and almost $5 million in ad spend, the study found that:

• The average Meta campaign budget is $718.
• The average TikTok campaign budget is $1,309.
• 91% of advertisers only run Meta ads.
• TikTok traffic costs an average of $0.03 per click.
• Meta traffic costs an average of $0.07 per click.
• TikTok’s average cost per lead fell 33% to $2.69.
• Meta’s average cost per lead increased 14% to $6.00.

As Juan Pablo Tejela, CEO of Metricool, says, “Meta remains the default advertising platform for most brands, but TikTok is becoming increasingly competitive at specific points in the funnel, particularly when advertisers are looking to generate reach, traffic or leads. The opportunity for marketers is to understand where each platform performs best and align every dollar with the outcome they actually want to drive.”

You can download the full report here.

9. Display Ad Costs Fall 45%

A new article in Search Engine Land revealed that display ad costs have fallen 45% since last year.

According to the article, display prospecting CPMs were 45% lower YOY between July 1 and September 8th. They were also 25.5% below Q2 levels.

Display retargeting CPMs fell 29.1% year over year, and 15.1% from Q2.

A lower CPM means that advertisers can buy more reach for the same budget, which is great news as we head into the holiday season.

Be careful, though. Easier reach doesn’t always translate into more conversions. Brands are also battling high inflation and declining consumer confidence.

The bottom line? Ads may be cheaper, but you’ll still have to work to convince consumers to buy your product and boost conversion rates.

10. ChatGPT Ads Appear in 47% of Video Game Chats

Sponsored ads are becoming increasingly popular on ChatGPT.

Comscore’s Q2 2026 AI Intelligence Report revealed that 47% of video game chats in ChatGPT now have some sort of ad.

Video game chats weren’t the only type to see more ad content. Ad presence also increased to 24% in discussions around toys and hobbies and 22% in chats about books, music, or videos. Ads in chats were also up 24% for travel prompts.

While the jury is still out on whether ChatGPT Ads deliver a decent return on investment, this data shows marketers and brands are willing to try new things if it means reaching the right audience.

The report also revealed interesting insights into how people are using AI, shifts in the adoption of AI assistants, prompts, and more. You can download the entire report here.

11. Links on Facebook Pages Will Now Cost You

If you’re using a Facebook Page to advertise your brand or business, take note that you will now need to pay for link posts.

With the launch of Meta One for Business paid subscriptions, Meta is now limiting how many links non-paying professional accounts can use. Previously, Facebook Pages could post as many links as they wanted. Now, they’re limited to 2 posts per month. To post more, they have to pay extra.

While this might hurt your call to action, it could be a good thing for visibility. Meta also reported that posts with no links make up 98.7% of all feed content views in the United States.

Why We Care: Facebook is still a major player in the social media game for brands and businesses. Knowing what you can and can’t post is a big factor in visibility on the platform.

12. Threads Users No Longer Need an Instagram Account

Do you want to get on Threads but are unsure of connecting it to your brand’s Instagram account? Now you don’t have to.

Meta announced this week that, “[s]tarting in September 2026, matching usernames between Threads and Instagram profiles will no longer be required to run Threads ads. Businesses operating without an Instagram profile will also be able to launch ads on Threads directly using their native Threads profile.”

With Threads up to 500 million users, it seems that Meta is taking steps to separate the two apps. This is great news for brands that don’t want to tie the accounts together, but it’s also a positive move because users approach the two apps very differently.

This change is still rolling out, so it may not be available to all advertisers yet.

13. Pinterest Launches New Tools to Improve Ad Campaign Effectiveness

Pinterest announced a new tool this week aimed at helping marketers improve their ad campaign effectiveness.

The new tool measures four key elements to produce a Pinterest+ campaign score. The elements include:

• Pinterest+ adoption, which ensures alignment between targeting, budgets and bidding
• The availability of creative variations to reach a wider set of users
• Broad targeting, which lets Pinterest+ choose the most relevant audience
• Steady budget outlay to ensure optimal learning outcomes

According to Pinterest, advertisers who used the information provided by this score saw a 10% improvement in CPC and CPA.

Weekly Homework

• Pay attention to any notifications or suggestions from Google Business Profile and respond within 4 days.
• Log in to your Google Analytics to add filters to block spam traffic from being reported.
• Download the Metricool study on TikTok and Meta Ads. Analyze the data to see whether you can use it to improve your own strategy.
• If you want to sell things through Meta Muse, be sure you’re properly set up with Shopify. Amazon won’t work through Meta Muse, so you’ll miss out on potential sales or shoppers who find products through the new AI tool if you’re only using Amazon to market your business.
• Check out Pinterest’s new Promotions+ tool. Use its suggestions to make improvements to your Pinterest+ Ads.
• Download the Comscore white paper on AI usage and AI ads to see how consumers in your industry are using AI tools. What you learn could affect the way your brand shows up online and within the AI space.

Digital Marketing News 9/12/2026 to 9/18/2026

This week: Google tests paid AI answers; Cloudflare blocks training, preserves Googlebot; ChatGPT Ads become conversations; and Business Profile post views return.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Lowers Search Profile Eligibility to 10,000 Followers

Google is expanding the ability to claim your brand’s Search profile.

In an announcement on September 16th, Google said it is improving Search profiles in 3 ways. Most importantly, they’re lowering the threshold to claim your profile to 10,000 followers. That means U.S. brands, publishers, and creators with at least 10,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, X, or TikTok are now eligible for a profile.

They are also adding multi-account support, which is great for media organizations that manage more than one brand, and they're optimizing each profile's layout by adding headlines and improving readability.

The goal is to give more brands and publishers a verified home base that consolidates all of their social accounts, latest articles, and links in one space.

Once you claim your Search page, it will show up in the visual snapshot (called your Knowledge Panel) when people Google your business.

You can claim your brand’s Search profile by visiting creators.google/profile.

2. Google Business Profiles: Now With Post View Counts

Have you noticed a change in your Google Business Profile?

Three and a half years after they removed post view counts, they’re back! Now you can track:

• Performance metrics for posts published over the last 18 months
• Track views across regular updates, special offers, and events
• See aggregated views with customers discovering your business on both Google Search and Google Maps

This new update will help businesses understand what is working, what isn’t, and what they should do more of.

You can see your post counts and the new reports within your Google Business Profile dashboard.

3. Cloudflare Allows Blocking AI Training Without Blocking Googlebot

In a new update, Cloudflare now lets users block AI training bots from crawling their site without blocking Googlebot.

Many website publishers have been wary of letting AI bots crawl their pages for training purposes. But previously, the only way to block them was to block all AI bots, including Google’s indexing bot.

Now, Cloudflare is offering a solution. Their new tool lets users choose whether to allow or block Search bots, Agent bots, and/or Training bots. This way, sites can still be crawled by bots looking for information to answer users’ questions or fill search engine results pages, but publishers can block bots that scrape content to train their AI models.

You can learn more about this tool and how to use it here.

4. Google Tests Direct Payments for AI Answers

Speaking of Google’s AI answers and AI crawlers, Google is rolling out a new pilot program that will pay publishers for their content.

In Search Console, the pilot will pay publishers when their content contributes to answers produced for Gemini, AI Overviews, or AI Mode. Publishers can opt in or out from their Search Console Dashboard at any time.

The goal is to reward high-quality content that contributes to making Google the go-to place for internet searches.

According to reports, the program will pay a certain amount each month, depending on the value of the information. How much publishers will be paid and how it will be calculated is still to be released.

While the pilot is still very fresh, reports indicate that a dozen publishers are already enrolled in the program. According to those early reports, Google had to approach those publishers, so we’ll have to sit tight and wait to see if and how the program opens up to include more companies.

5. See How Much Your Advertisers Are Spending on Google Ads

Google Ads introduced a new report that lets brands compare their ad spend with their competitors.

Located within Google Ads’ Overview dashboard, you’ll find the new Spend Benchmarks report. At the top of the report, you’ll see whether you’re spending more, less, or about the same as your competitors.

Having that benchmark visibility into others’ ad spend can be helpful when deciding what to do with your business. But remember that this is just a benchmark, not a guideline set in stone. Spending less doesn’t necessarily mean they’re underinvesting, just as spending more doesn’t automatically mean they’re winning. It’s helpful to know what the people around you are doing and use that data to guide your own decisions.

6. Google Expands Agentic Commerce Tools

Google is getting ready for the holiday season rush! Step One: Expand agentic commerce tools.

In order to help you make the most of the seasonal rush, Google is:

• Expanding AI performance measurement within the Merchant Center for businesses in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and the US
• Inviting eligible US retailers to embed the Business Agent directly into their YouTube Ads
• Adding capabilities to its Universal Commerce Protocol integration to provide a standardized way for AI agents and commerce platforms to support shopping transactions
• Adding a UCP-powered checkout feature that allows cart transfers and enhanced checkout-flow testing

If you need help gearing up for the upcoming holiday season rush, check out these new tools from Google Ads.

7. Meta Offers More Value to Meta One

New tools and subscription levels are coming to brands that use Meta One.

The new subscription model looks like this:

• Essential: For $14.99 a month, members can access Meta Business Agent through WhatsApp. They also receive a verified profile badge, a verified WhatsApp channel, and impersonation protection.
• Advanced: For $49.99 a month, members receive access to advanced publishing, links in organic posts and Reels, exportable analytics, team member access, and business broadcast credits on WhatsApp.
• Expert ($149/month) and Max ($499): These plans offer the highest levels of features like links in content, access to human support, and advanced Meta Business Agent capabilities.

Additional insight tools include:

• Instagram insights to compare your business to up to 10 other public accounts
• Extended insights history to see beyond 90 days of Instagram content
• Customized audience insights for Facebook accounts
• Improved content scheduling tools for Facebook and Instagram

If you’re interested in exploring these options, you can do so here.

8. 73% Say YouTube is the Best Place to Explore Personal Interests

If you’ve been looking to connect with a larger audience, YouTube might be the place for you.

A new report from YouTube found that:

• 63% say that being into the same things as other people makes them feel part of something bigger than themselves
• 67% say they’re watching more content than they were 5 years ago
• 46% say they believe something has gotten really popular when it's widely talked about online
• 41% say things are really popular when people are watching YouTube videos about it
• 65% say they feel something is more legitimate when they see it show up on YouTube
• 73% say YouTube is the best place to explore personal interests
• 72% say they stay interested in things longer because they’ve discovered them on YouTube

There’s a lot more in this new report, but the bottom line is this: if you want to be discovered (and stay interesting!), you might want to get yourself (or your brand!) a YouTube channel.

9. AI Tech Giants in Talks on Security

AI has been taking over the news cycle this week for a different reason than usual – security.

Starting last Saturday with Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei’s essay, which said “AI has been advancing drastically faster … [w]e must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” the security and future of AI have been a hot-button issue across all industries this week.

The heads of AI tech giants Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and SpaceXAI all seem to agree that something must be done. Earlier this week, OpenAI’s global policy chief, Chris Lehane, admitted that OpenAI has been in communication with Google and SpaceXAI about AI safety. In Amodei’s essay, he called for a narrow government waiver, but Lehane said the firms don’t need one.

While this conversation (and the proposed solution) is still ongoing, many digital marketers will want to pay attention. Even if you aren’t actively using AI in your content creation or deployment, the tools are pretty much embedded into our lifestyles at this point.

However, how they address safety and security issues will shape how digital marketing adapts to AI in the future. There isn’t much to report just yet, but keep your eyes peeled for any upcoming developments.

10. OpenAI Wants ChatGPT Adds to Be Conversations

OpenAI introduced new AI-powered campaign creation tools this week: Sponsored Agents.

These new tools will turn ChatGPT ads into conversations. With Sponsored Agents, users can click on an ad to start a conversation with a business-sponsored agent. Depending on the product, users can chat with the agent to explore more ways to use it, get suggestions on versions or products to use, explain what they’re looking for, ask follow-up questions, and get a direct link to purchase. It’ll make the conversion from ad to purchase easier than ever.

Sponsored Agents aren’t the only new introductions to ChatGPT Ads. OpenAI also revealed:

• AI-powered additions to its Ads Manager plugin that can help create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT
• The ability to opt into AI-powered text customization that will alter the ads to fit the context of the conversation better or automatically translate the ad into the user’s preferred language
• An integration with HubSpot and Shopify to make it easier to connect your CRM and ecommerce base with your ChatGPT ads

Weekly Homework

• Explore whether or not it would be smart to add a Google Search Profile to your brand’s online presence.
• Log in to your Google Business Profile to see your post performance.
• If you want to block AI training bots from scraping your website content, check out Cloudflare’s new blocking options.
• Download your Spend Benchmark Report from your Google Ads Console to see whether your ad spend aligns with your industry and competitors.
• Explore the new AI-powered Google Ads tools to see whether any can help boost your holiday season sales.
• Read YouTube’s newest report to see whether putting more time and effort into your brand’s YouTube account could help expand your reach.
• Explore the new ChatGPT Ad options, including Sponsored Agents.

Digital Marketing News 9/5/2026 to 9/11/2026

This week: Google Tests Traditional Search Ads In AI Mode, Amazon DSP adds ChatGPT Ads; four-word searches trigger AI Overviews; Google Ads boosts in-store sales; and Australia considers algorithm-free social feeds.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Tests Bringing Traditional Search Ads Into AI Mode

Google is testing whether exact match and phrase match Search campaigns can serve text ads within AI Mode, giving advertisers another way to appear in AI-powered search results.

Previously, AI Mode visibility was largely associated with more automated campaign types like AI Max and Performance Max. This new experiment could allow traditional Search campaigns to participate when Google identifies clear, direct user intent that closely matches an advertiser's keywords.

Google says the test is limited to situations where user intent is explicit and direct. More complex, conversational searches will continue to rely on AI Max and Performance Max, which are designed for broader AI-powered ad experiences.

Why We Care: Existing Search campaigns may be able to gain AI Mode visibility without sacrificing keyword control. Advertisers should watch performance closely, as exact and phrase match campaigns could start reaching users in AI-powered search experiences.

2. Amazon Brings ChatGPT Ads to Amazon DSP

Amazon is partnering with OpenAI to give advertisers access to ChatGPT Ads through Amazon DSP, allowing brands to extend campaigns into conversational ad experiences without managing them directly through OpenAI.

The pilot is currently limited to a select group of U.S. advertisers. Through Amazon DSP, advertisers can purchase ChatGPT inventory on a CPC or CPM basis, while product feed ads can automatically generate creative from product catalogs. Sponsored ads will appear below organic ChatGPT responses as text and image units.

While Amazon will manage campaign setup and reporting, OpenAI will continue to control ad delivery and placement within ChatGPT.

Why We Care: ChatGPT is becoming a more established advertising channel. This partnership makes it easier for Amazon advertisers to test conversational ads and could accelerate adoption as AI-powered search and discovery continue to grow.

3. 6 Months of ChatGPT Ads: Results Still Unclear

It’s been six months since ChatGPT Ads rolled out, and advertisers are still unsure of its benefit.

Some advertisers are reporting a cost-per-click (CPC) below $3, while others are as high as $10 or $13. Since OpenAI doesn’t have performance benchmarks yet, it’s hard to say what is causing those big differences.

Advertisers can access reporting within ChatGPT’s Ads Manager, including impressions, clicks, spend, and more. While they await for more benchmark data to come out, they will have to use their own data paired with their goals to determine if these ads are benefiting their business or not.

4. 4 Word Keywords Trigger AIO in 48.1% of Cases

Two new studies published in Search Engine Journal revealed important insights into what triggers AIO citations, as well as AIO impacts on zero-click web searches.

The studies revealed that:

• 68% of US Google searches are now zero-click
• In 2019, only 49% of those searches were zero-click
• More than 1 in 6 AI Mode searches now include voice, image, or video in the results
• Searches for follow-up questions in AI Mode have risen 40%
• Searches containing 4 words trigger an AI 48.1% of the time
• 75.2% of AIOs are heavily weighted toward evergreen content
• The keyword “why” triggers an AIO 92.3% of the time
• “What” triggers an AIO 85.7% of the time
• “Who” triggers an AIO 68.4% of the time

These studies contain a lot of other interesting information, but the biggest takeaway is this: you can no longer optimize for fragmented keywords or nouns. If you want your content to rank, structure it to directly answer complex human questions. The classic 6Ws of journalism are a great place to start.

5. Shopping Ad CTR and Impressions Could Be Affected by Google’s AI Overviews

A new pattern has emerged that reveals Google’s AI Overviews’ effect on Shopping ad click-through rates.

According to an analysis by Smarter Ecommerce, AI Overviews have been giving publishers impressions but taking away their clicks. This doesn’t appear to be happening for Shopping ads, though. In fact, they appear to be experiencing the opposite. Many of them are receiving fewer impressions but higher CTRs.

If this continues, it could mean that AI Overviews would continue to suppress some advertising opportunities while Google Ads continue to monetize effectively.

Whether this pattern continues or changes course remains to be seen, but the study should remind you to track not only when your Shopping CTR rises, but also why.

6. 34% of Shoppers Still Use the Search Bar

Search isn’t dead! At least, according to this recent study published in eMarketer.

The study looked at how US adult shoppers navigated ecommerce websites to see how they find items they’re interested in. It found that most shoppers still use the good old-fashioned search bar.

The least used search tool? AI chat assistants. Only 9% of shoppers went to the AI bots as their first stop when shopping online.

Why We Care: If you’re an ecommerce brand, don’t put too much attention into AI bots that you forget about SEO, well-written web copy, and item descriptions. You’ll get more sales from people pulling up items using the search bar (which relies on item descriptions and web copy) than you will from chatbots.

7. Google Ads New Tools for In-Store Sales

Google rolled out two new features this week designed to help multi-location businesses reach nearby customers with in-store sales.

The two tools include:

• Local Customer Optimization: A new toggle in PMax to help prioritize your budget to reach consumers across Google Maps, Waze, and local Search
• Store Sales in Data Manager: Advertisers can now link their CRM or Google Sheets in Data Manager to share in-store data and optimize their ad content toward their highest potential walk-in customers

Local Customer Optimization will be rolling out globally in the next few days, while Store Sales won’t be released until the end of the month.

8. Reddit Expands AI-powered Max Campaigns

Reddit announced this week that all advertisers now have access to its AI-powered Max campaigns.

According to Reddit, the platform delivers 2.1x higher incremental ROAS than the digital average. The results from the earliest Max tests are just as promising, with advertisers seeing 17% lower costs/CPA and over 27% more conversions.

In addition to making Max campaigns available to all advertisers, the platform also announced three major updates to the program:

• Reddit’s Advertising API now supports Max campaigns, making it easier to create and manage them through supported third-party tools
• Smartly is the first third-party partner to integrate with Max campaigns
• Reddit introduced asset groups, allowing advertisers to organize multiple sets of creative assets within a single Max campaign.

In the announcement, Jyoti Vaidee, VP of Ads Product, was quoted as saying: “Advertisers need confidence that their budgets are driving the outcomes that matter most to their business. Our goal is to give them the intelligence and automation to work more efficiently while keeping them in control, so they can move faster, make smarter decisions, and get more value from their investment.”

Reddit Ads advertisers can explore the new Max campaign options inside their Ads dashboard.

9. Streaming Ads: Minutes Per Hour Grows 18%

Streaming services are increasing their ad loads, which could be good news for advertisers looking to get their brand in front of Netflix, Prime Video, or Paramount+ watchers.

According to Business Insider, ad minutes per hour grew 18% between January and August 2026 on platforms including Paramount+, Hulu, and Disney+.

As more viewers switch to ad-supported plans, brands that want to cash in on these opportunities will need to produce high-quality ad content that truly stands out. More ad space means more opportunities, but it also means more competition, so quality matters.

10. 49% of Young Professionals Say Short-Form Videos Are the Best Way to Engage Gen Z Buyers

LinkedIn just published new insights from a survey of young professionals that could give you insight into how to better connect with them.

The study offered insights into a variety of topics, including how to connect with Gen Z buyers, the future of B2B marketing growth, and how Gen Z and Millennial buyers interact in the workplace. Some of the most interesting statistics included:

• 52% struggle to turn contacts into meaningful connections
• 83% of Millennials and Gen X professionals said they would help someone at the start of their career, even if they didn’t know them
• 89% of B2B marketers say future growth depends on influencing Gen Z and Millennial decision-makers
• 84% of marketers believe Gen Z buyers are more likely to consider a brand validated in their professional community
• 86% in the US believe Gen Z and Millennial buyers trust peer recommendations and expert voices more than branded marketing

Why We Care: This study is just one of many that demonstrate the importance of brands building credibility through community and connections. If you want to connect with the next generation of buyers, you need to become a part of their community first.

11. Australian Social Media Users May Soon Be Able to Opt-Out of Algorithms

Proposed Australian legislation would give social media users the option to opt out of algorithms.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this week that legislation has been introduced to give people over the age of 16 more control over their social media feeds. The country already has a social media ban for those under 16.

In his announcement, Albanese said, “It gives users choice and it will hold the big tech companies responsible for inaction. If they don't follow our laws, they will face significant penalties.” Those penalties could be as high as 109.2 million Australian dollars, or $78.6 million USD.

Why We Care: This legislation hasn’t been signed into law yet, but if Australia is in your target audience, you’ll want to pay attention to what’s happening with it. The law would give users more control over their feeds, which would give advertisers less. With less targeting ability, it could significantly drop your social media ROI. It’ll also be interesting to see if any other countries follow suit.

12. Pinterest Offers Advice to Brands Using Its Shopping Promotions

Pinterest released a new four-step guide to help brands improve their success on the platform.

Pinterest now has up to 640 million monthly active users, making it a go-to platform for brands that want to promote their products and services. To help improve the ROI those brands will see on the platform, Pinterest released a four-step guide to using its Shopping Essentials tool.

The guide suggests that brands:

• Build foundations and establish a presence before launching an ad campaign
• Launch and automate shopping ads once the brand’s Pin presence has been established
• Measure and optimize campaigns based on what the brand wants to achieve on the platform
• Take its free Pinterest Academy training courses to better understand Pinterest shopping trends and user behaviors

Why We Care: The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and Pinterest could be your ticket to success this year. Make sure your team is up to date on the new tools and trends.

Weekly Homework

• Read through the research about what types of keywords trigger AIOs and develop a plan to refresh your content to start ranking for those types of longer keywords.
• If you use Google Ads, look at your shopping ad CTR to see if you’re experiencing the reverse crocodile effect.
• If you’ve been using ChatGPT Ads, now is the time to look at your data and see whether they are truly benefiting your business.
• If you’re looking to boost in-store, local sales, check out the new Google Ads tools.
• Explore the Pinterest advice and free marketing classes to beef up your Pinterest presence before the holidays.
• If you’re using Reddit Ads, sign in to your dashboard to experiment with the new AI-powered Max campaigns.

Digital Marketing News 8/29/2026 to 9/4/2026

This week: Google’s August Spam Update shakes up rankings, Search Console finally gets AI performance reporting, Facebook Groups become a major Google citation source, and Google upgrades AI Mode with its latest Gemini model.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google’s August 2026 Spam Update Hit Rankings – Hard

Data is coming in on Google’s August 2026 Spam Update, and the numbers aren’t looking too pretty.

According to SE Ranking, volatility ran well above the baseline as the update shook up rankings across the board. This included an 82% increase in top 10 URLs dropping out of the top 100 compared to a period without a ranking update.

The data also revealed that no niche was hit harder than any other, with the rankings hit spread pretty evenly among:

• Fashion & Beauty: 85.55%
• E-commerce & Retail: 85.34%
• Business: 84.25%
• Healthcare: 78.12%
• Real Estate: 74.64%

What This Means: Keep tracking your rankings to see where you end up. If you’ve fallen a lot, it could be time to reconsider your content strategy. This update focused heavily on AI-generated, spam content, so fresh, human-written content could be how you regain your higher ranking.

2. Widespread Bug Hits Google Analytics September 1st Traffic

Did your Google Analytics show 0 traffic on September 1st? If so, you’re not alone.

You also don’t need to panic that you need to reimagine your entire SEO strategy. Turns out a widespread bug hit GA4, causing many users to report they didn't see any traffic on September 1st.

That doesn’t mean no one visited your site on that day. Google just didn’t report it due to the bug in their system.

3. Google Search Console AI Reports Are Here

Google made a much-anticipated announcement this week: AI performance reports are here.

Marketers can now see exactly which of their pages are being discovered through generative AI features. The reports, which can be accessed through the Google Search Console, will show information such as:

• Impressions: how often your URLs appeared in Search and Discover
• Pages: which of your URLs appeared in AI features
• Countries: which countries are accessing your page through AI search
• Devices: which devices people are using to access your website
• Dates: you can break this down by hour, day, week, or month

For those of us tracking our AIO strategy progress, these reports will definitely come in handy!

4. Google Rolls Out New Image-Creation & Editing Tool

Google introduced a new tool this week that aims to rival Canva.

Google Pics is similar to platforms like Adobe Express or Canva and can create or edit images solely through a text prompt. Users can use it to create presentations, documents, images, and graphics for many purposes.

Powered by Google’s Nano Banana, it is expected to roll out to Google Workspace, Google AI Pro, and Google AI Ultra users over the next few weeks.

5. Google Search Updates to Latest Gemini Model

Google also announced this week that it has updated AI Mode to its latest Gemini model, Gemini 3.8 Flash.

According to Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Product, Google’s AI Mode will now run on Gemini 3.8 Flash. He also shared that this version is Google’s “most intelligent workhorse model yet, delivering significant improvements from 3.7 Flash across software engineering, agentic tasks, and multi-step reasoning.”

The upgraded model is available in AI Mode for Google AI Pro & Ultra subscribers worldwide. You can change which Gemini model your AI Mode is pulling from by clicking the + icon and scrolling down to “Gemini 3 models.”

Why This Matters: This new tool is currently only available to paid subscribers, but it's only a matter of time before it's rolled out to everyone. The more powerful the AI models become, the better Google Search and AI Mode should be at surfacing websites that answer users’ questions. Keep working on your SEO and AIO to make sure your site doesn’t fall out of the running, or you’ll lose traffic and brand awareness.

6. Facebook Groups Are Google’s Second Most-Cited Forum Source

Do you want to give up Facebook? Not so fast! Public groups are a critical source for Google.

According to a recent Ahrefs study, content from public Facebook groups now appears in 38% of Google’s Discussions and forum results.

The study revealed that content is coming from:

• 83.9% - Reddit
• 38.3% - Facebook
• 32% - Quora
• 8.2% - JustAnswer
• 3.3% - Mayo Clinic

This is the first time that Facebook has passed Quora since January 2026. Maybe even more surprising is that just three sites account for 76.75% of all Discussions and forums link appearances.

This could change over time, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Why We Care: If your ideal customer is asking questions in Facebook Groups and people are responding with your business, Google notices. When so many people have written Facebook off, this could be a great opportunity for you to take control of the narrative and find new customers.

7. Wix Introduces New Tool to Help Local Businesses Use AI Agents

Website builder Wix rolled out a new tool designed to help small and mid-sized businesses use AI agents to manage workflows.

The new AI platform, Symphony, aims to help Wix users better understand how to use AI agents within their businesses. According to Ronny Elkayam, COO of Wix, the team “built Symphony to be the go-to AI agent orchestrator for SMBs. With Symphony, any business owner can have the team they need to scale.”

The tool integrates with popular software including Slack, Salesforce, and Monday to make streamlining business functions easier and more efficient. The tool is available to all Wix users at an additional monthly cost.

8. Bigger YouTube Thumbnails Lead to More Long-Form Views

If you want more long-form engagement, YouTube says to use bigger thumbnails.

In a recent YouTube video, Todd Beaupré, Senior Director of Growth and Discovery, and René Ritchie, YouTube Creator Liaison, discussed changes since the platform’s recent desktop homepage redesign.

One of the biggest things they’ve noticed is that bigger thumbnails typically led to more long-form views and engagement. As Beaupré described it, “Sometimes choice is overwhelming and they just don’t choose anything.”

The pair also mentioned that YouTube constantly runs experiments and tests to see how creators can increase engagement and generate more views, so if you see one user with a different layout than another, that could be why.

9. Instagram Revises Its AI Labels

After listening to user expectations and feedback, Instagram announced this week that it will be revising its AI transparency labels for all accounts.

The goal is to make it even clearer that viewers are looking at an AI-generated profile. The label will be reserved for profiles run by or featuring an AI-generated person. Creators or brands that use AI tools as part of their creative process (like those who use the Remove Background tool in Canva) no longer need to use the AI label.

If your profile falls into that category and you don’t enact the AI label, Instagram will start to limit your profile’s reach. If this happens, there are two ways to fix your profile and reclaim your reach:

• Add the AI-generated label to accurately reflect your identity
• Appeal Instagram’s decision

If you win the appeal or place the label on your account, your profile and its content will start to expand their reach and show up in recommendations again.

10. Snapchat Launches New Tools for Marketers

Snapchat rolled out a new tool this week to improve ad performance metrics and provide more insight into campaign progress.

The new tool, called Unified Attribution, allows advertisers to merge Snapchat platform metrics and MMP cross-channel performance metrics into one space.

Using this information, advertisers can:

• Optimize campaigns using real-time signals, including MMP conversions
• Confidently scale investments across channels driving true business outcomes
• Understand the full impact of campaigns all within Snap Ads Manager

Some early results from the beta test included a 26% lower cost-per-acquisition, an 89.8% increase in ROAS, and 43% more app installs for partners including AppsFlyer and Adjust.

If you’ve been using Snapchat Ads in your marketing strategy, log into your platform to start exploring how Unified Attribution could help you improve your campaigns.

11. YouTube Expands US Shopping Affiliate Program with Amazon Affiliate Links

YouTube has expanded its US shopping affiliate program this week, thanks to a partnership with Amazon.

To be eligible for the tag Amazon products, your account must be:

• Enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program
• Enrolled in the YouTube Shopping affiliate program in the United States
• Part of the Amazon Influencer Program (AIP) or Amazon Associates Program (AAP)
• Be active and in good standing with the Amazon programs

Additionally, you must link your YouTube channel and Amazon affiliate account to get started.

If you qualify, you can link products directly in your YouTube videos and earn commissions when viewers make a purchase.

Amazon will provide a curated catalog of products that are eligible for this integration. However, if your brand or product isn’t included in that list, you can request that Amazon add it to the catalog.

Why We Care: Whether your brand is the creator linking the products or you work with YouTube creators through influencer marketing programs, this could open the door for higher sales revenue, a higher YouTube marketing ROI, and stronger brand reach. This will be especially important as we move into the holiday sales season and every brand is competing for customer attention.

12. X Loses EU Users, While Instagram and TikTok Gain Them

Some social media platforms are winning over EU users, while one in particular is losing them.

According to X’s latest DSA disclosure report, the platform’s EU user count has been declining since November 2023. While it saw a slight increase in October 2025, it dropped about 15% by August 2026.

It’s not that EU users are abandoning social media platforms altogether. Instagram and TikTok are gaining users.

TikTok’s DSA disclosure report shows that it added 9 million EU users in just the first half of 2026 alone. This brings its total to 189 million users in the EU, close to the 200 million users in the US. TikTok’s biggest audience is still in Asia, where the app has 460 million users.

Meta is also seeing growth in the EU, with Instagram moving up to 297 million users, while Facebook held steady at 264 million users. Threads is also growing, up to 41 million EU users.

Why We Care: If your preferred audiences are in the EU, you might want to pay more attention to TikTok and Meta apps over X when planning out the next phases of your social media strategy.

Weekly Homework

• Google’s August 2026 Spam Update was pretty volatile. Check your rankings to see if you were affected and then make a plan to bounce back.
• Log into your Google Search Console and run your first AI Performance report to see if your brand is doing well amongst AI search tools.
• If you have access, try out Google Pics to see how it compares to other tools like Canva or Adobe Express.
• Consider how your brand can show up more in Facebook Group discussions to boost your AI visibility.
• If you’re a Wix user, consider using their new AI tool to streamline your workflows.
• Check out the new announcements from Instagram, then see whether your profile has been affected by the AI labeling issues.
• Explore Snapchat’s new Ads tool to see if it can help you optimize your ads and see a higher ROI.
• If you use YouTube, or want to market through YouTube Creators, check out the new Amazon integration to see whether you can sell products directly through Amazon links.

Digital Marketing News 8/22/2026 to 8/28/2026

This week: ChatGPT Ads add automated bidding; Gemini creates Google Ads videos; Google spam update shakes rankings; and missed LSA calls become billable.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. ChatGPT Ads Introduce Automated Bidding and Platform Targeting

OpenAI rolled out some new ChatGPT Ads tools this week that will give advertisers more control over where their campaigns appear and how their bids are managed.

The new updates include:

• Automated bidding: Advertisers can now select their desired campaign goal, and ChatGPT Ads will automatically optimize their bidding to match it
• Platform targeting: An Eligible platforms setting now allows advertisers to select one or more supported platforms: iOS app, Android App, or Web
• View-through conversions: Advertisers can see one-day view-through conversion reports at the campaign, ad group, or individual ad levels through their ChatGPT Ads Manager
• WorkMagic integration: Brands can now connect ChatGPT Ads with WorkMagic to see how their campaign performance compares to other advertising channels

As ChatGPT Ads continues to grow and become more sophisticated, the platform could become an even more powerful player in the CPC and paid ad arena.

2. AI Brand Preference Study: ChatGPT is Favorite Among All Generations

A new YouGov study found that AI brand preference is now split by generation, with Claude showing the biggest difference between Gen Z and Baby Boomers+.

The study found that:

• Claude is the preferred AI tool for 10.6% of Gen Z, but only 1.4% of Baby Boomers+
• ChatGPT leads every age group
• Copilot, Siri, and Alexa all skew older
• Between 38-40% of all generations use AI for web search
• Gen Z uses it for production tasks at a higher rate than any other generation

The findings reinforce a broader point: momentum metrics like Preference and Consideration measure whether a brand is on someone’s radar, but not necessarily whether people trust what AI tells them. The study found that only 28% of Americans trust AI assistants for answers at all.

3. Google Ads Launches More Ways to Test Campaigns

Google Ads is rolling out updates that let advertisers test campaign changes before applying them to the entire campaign.

The updates include allowing advertisers to:

• Test budget and ROI target changes in a single A/B experiment. While this has been available for AI Max, it’s now available for individual campaign changes.
• keep brand and location settings enabled when running AI Max experiments.
• See how changes could affect existing campaign performance in the Performance Planner before implementing the changes

These experimentation tools were developed, in part, to help advertisers see how automated campaign decisions are affecting their ad performance.

All three tools are expected to be rolled out completely by the end of September.

4. Google Ads API Developer Assistant 4.0.0 Is Here – And It’s a Major Upgrade

Google Ads released its newest version of the Google Ads API Developer Assistant this week.

The upgrade rebuilt the developer assistant into a globally available plugin that brings specialized Google Ads capabilities directly into AI coding workflows, including new support for Antigravity and Claude Code.

Developers can now:

• Generate integration code across Python, Java, PHP, .NET, and Ruby
• Validate Google Ads Query Language (GAQL) syntax before execution
• Pull live performance data using natural language
• Ground responses in actual API schemas and client library source code
• Access conversational troubleshooting for issues like offline conversion failures and PMax filtering
• Take advantage of performance gains like lower token consumption and reduced resource usage

Why We Care: As more developers lean on AI coding assistants, tools that validate against real API rules (instead of letting models guess) reduce wasted time debugging hallucinated fields or invalid queries. If you manage or build on the Google Ads API, this update is worth testing to speed up development and reduce troubleshooting cycles.

5. Google Brings Gemini-Powered Video Creation Directly Into Google Ads

Google is integrating Gemini Omni into Asset Studio, giving advertisers a new way to create campaign-ready videos directly inside Google Ads.

The new AI-powered workflow allows marketers to upload brand guidelines, website URLs, creative briefs, and existing assets, then generate video concepts, storyboards, and motion scenes. Advertisers can refine videos using natural language prompts, adjust elements like pacing and voiceovers, and export finished assets directly into Demand Gen, Performance Max, YouTube, and other Google campaigns.

Gemini Omni can also create multiple video formats, including horizontal and vertical versions, helping advertisers quickly produce creative tailored to different placements.

Why We Care: Creating video ads at scale has traditionally required significant time and resources. By bringing AI-powered video generation directly into Google Ads, Google is making it easier for advertisers to produce and test more creative variations, but human review remains essential to ensure brand quality and accuracy.

6. Another Change to Automated Bidding Comes to Microsoft Ads

Microsoft Ads announced this week that it will be removing Max CPC from new campaigns.

Starting on October 1st, Max CPC will no longer be available for new campaigns, including:

• Target CPA
• Target ROAS
• Maximize Conversions
• Maximize Conversion Value
• Maximize Clicks

Existing campaigns created before October 1st can still use this functionality. Additionally, Max CPC won’t be removed from new campaigns using portfolio bid strategies. Target Impression Share and Enhanced CPC are also not affected.

This move is another shift toward advertisers using automated bidding controls and performance targets. To help you better manage ad performance, Microsoft suggests looking at controls tied to campaign outcomes, including budgets, Target CPA and Target ROAS goals, conversion value rules, and seasonality adjustments.

Why We Care: If you really want to use Max CPC for your end-of-year marketing campaigns, be sure to create them before the October 1st deadline.

7. Google’s August Spam Update is Over, Focused on SEO AI Content

Google’s August Spam rollout is complete. Reports suggest the focus was removing AI-generated SEO content.

Some reports point to sites using fully automated LLM posting via tools like Claude Code losing rankings across the board, while sites with established domain trust or human-reviewed AI content appeared to weather the spam update much better.

This distinction matters. Google’s own definition of mass-generated content targets pages created primarily to manipulate rankings rather than to serve users. This applies to both AI-generated content and human-written pages.

The update also follows Google’s recently published research on “S-CTS” (Scalable Cluster Termination System, which was built to identify and shut down networks of AI-generated spam.

Results are mixed. Some site owners report drops tied to template-driven AI content, while others say their AI-generated but human-reviewed content actually improved post-update.

Why We Care: Using AI to assist with content creation doesn’t seem to be the problem. But simply copying and pasting massive amounts of AI-generated content is. If you want to scale your content production with the help of AI, make sure you prioritize human review and originality over volume and keyword-stuffing to stay safe and continue giving your audience (and Google crawlers) something to enjoy.

8. Google’s August Spam Update Triggered Major Ranking Shakeups

New data from SE Ranking suggests Google's August 2026 Spam Update caused significantly more ranking disruption than normal search volatility.

The study found that URLs ranking in Google's top 10 were 82% more likely to drop beyond position 100 during the update compared to a similar period without a confirmed algorithm change. Overall, 16.7% of top-ranking URLs disappeared from the top 100 during the rollout, compared to 9.2% during a typical period.

The volatility wasn't limited to a handful of industries. All 20 niches analyzed experienced significant movement, with fashion, beauty, real estate, healthcare, and other major sectors seeing substantial ranking shifts.

Why We Care: This wasn't a routine update. The August Spam Update appears to have had a meaningful impact across industries, reinforcing the importance of maintaining high-quality, user-focused content and avoiding tactics that could be perceived as spam or manipulation.

9. Google Expands Direct Booking for Local Services Ads

Google is making it easier for customers to book appointments directly from Local Services Ads (LSAs) by expanding support from roughly 20 booking partners to more than 500.

Businesses with an eligible booking link already connected to their Google Business Profile will automatically have direct booking enabled in their LSAs. This allows customers to move from seeing an ad on Google Search or Maps to scheduling an appointment without additional steps.

Google says bookings generated through LSAs will be treated as paid leads and will appear within LSA reporting, giving advertisers visibility into booking performance.

Why We Care: Fewer steps between discovery and booking can lead to more conversions. Businesses using Local Services Ads should review their booking setup and monitor lead quality as direct booking becomes more widely available.

10. Google Expands Local Services Ads With More Specific Business Categories

Google has expanded the list of businesses eligible for Local Services Ads (LSAs), adding more specific categories across industries such as restaurants, automotive services, and beauty.

For example, businesses can now be classified more precisely as a pizza restaurant, sushi restaurant, tire shop, brake shop, or transmission shop rather than being grouped into broader categories. Google says the added specificity is designed to help businesses better define their services and connect with more relevant local customers.

The update comes as Google prepares to gradually migrate LSA campaign management into Google Ads through 2027. Despite the change, LSAs will continue operating on a pay-per-lead model and remain focused on local, high-intent searches.

Why We Care: More specific categories can help local businesses reach more relevant customers. Review your LSA category before migration to make sure it accurately reflects the services you offer.

11. Google Will Start Charging for Some Missed Local Services Ads Calls

Google is changing how it charges for Local Services Ads (LSAs), with some missed calls becoming billable leads starting October 1.

Under the new policy, advertisers can be charged for missed calls during business hours if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, even if nobody answers. Certain follow-up calls can also become chargeable if they meet Google's criteria for a valid lead.

Google is also adding an exception for businesses that require callers to press a key to reach the right department, along with new protections against automated and spam calls.

Why We Care: Missed calls could now cost you. Businesses running LSAs should make sure calls are answered promptly and their routing systems are set up correctly before October 1.

12. Google Business Profiles With Specific Primary Categories Have a 36% Higher Chance of Ranking in the Top 10

Whitespark recently released a study of 1.8 million Google Business Profiles, and it revealed some intriguing insights on how to structure your profile.

The study found that businesses with specific primary categories, like “Personal injury attorney” instead of “Attorney”, have a 36% higher chance of ranking in the top 10 than those that use generic categories.

Additionally, pairing a specific primary category with well-matched additional categories led to rank improvements of 6 to 17 positions. Those that used vague categories like “Service established” showed no benefit at all.

Completing your profile matters, too. Businesses with completed profiles (website, description, hours, photos, and claimed status) saw an average rank improvement of 19 positions. They were also 3 times more likely to land in the top 10.

Why It Matters: Don’t settle for a broad category just to capture more searches. Get specific, fill out every field on your profile, and keep it updated. Small, deliberate choices on your Google Business Profile can have a big impact on your local SEO.

13. .Org 34% More Likely to Generate Ecommerce Revenue Than .Com

A new study released by Wix revealed that your domain really matters, especially if you’re in the ecommerce space.

After looking at data covering 2025 to 2026, the study found that:

• Websites that end in .org are 34% more likely to generate ecommerce revenue than .com
• .org websites receive 3% more website traffic than any other domain
• .com is the most dominant choice, used by 82% of Wix US sites
• .store domains earn 10% more revenue than .com sites and twice as much as .shop or .net
• .ai registrations rose 20%
• .io registrations surged 32x

This study shows that, even though .com still leads in trust and adoption across most major markets, consumers and businesses are becoming more comfortable with alternative extensions. In some cases, those alternatives even outperform traditional domains in revenue and traffic.

14. TikTok Expands Public Placement Options for Advertisers

TikTok is moving its reach beyond your phone with these new advertising options.

The app announced new partnerships for external ad placements with:

• Alight Media
• DooH it
• Powerpill
• Zoom Media
• Next-Gen Media
• C-Screens

These partnerships will help brands reach more consumers, particularly in places like the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy, through TikTok Ads. The partnerships will also amplify organic creator content to bring more authenticity to their ad placements.

15. TikTok Launches Substack for Creator Insights

If you want more information on how to use TikTok influencers and creators in your brand’s marketing, check out The Creator Cut.

In the announcement, TikTok said that “[TikTok Live is] happening in real time. There’s no playback, no second take, and no way to know exactly what’s going to happen next, which is part of the magic. But it also means you need to know when to tune in, and who to tune into. That’s why we’re launching The Creator’s Cut: A Substack by TikTok, written by the creators who make every LIVE count.”

The goal of the newsletter-style Substack is to help creators and brands learn how to maximize their TikTok presence and connect with their audiences better on Live.

If you’ve been thinking about adding Lives to your brand’s TikTok account, this Substack might be a good addition to your weekly reading list.

16. Want to Improve Your Instagram? Improve Your Captions

Visual content has always been Instagram’s main focus, but as it turns out, you can’t ignore your captions!

Instagram recently shared tips to improve your chances of discovery on the app. The biggest point? Improve your captions!

In the post, Instagram shared that, “[c]aptions add relevant context, spark conversation, and tell search engines what your content is about: making them a key part of your content strategy.”

To improve them, the platform suggests you:

• Have a strong opening line
• Tell a personal story or share useful information that your readers will want to share
• Include a CTA to turn passive viewers into active community members
• Write with keywords to give them reference data for discovery
• Add multi-captions for carousel posts
• Break up your text so it's scannable

Why We Care: In a noisy digital world, marketers can use all the tips and tricks to improve their chances of getting discovered. Edit some of your captions using these tips to see if your discoverability improves.

Weekly Homework

• Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and updated to improve your website ranking.
• Monitor your organic traffic to see if your site has been affected by Google’s August Spam update.
• Consider changing your domain to .org, .ai, or another new ending to see if that increases your ecommerce sales or organic traffic.
• Check out the new Google Ads tools before it changes over completely on October 1st.
• Read through TikTok’s new creator Substack to see if the content helps you improve your brand’s TikTok content.
• Go through your business’s Instagram and rewrite underperforming captions to boost interest and visibility.
• Explore the new ChatGPT ad options and determine if any of them make sense for your Q4 2026 campaigns.

Digital Marketing News 8/15/2026 to 8/21/2026

This week: Google’s August Spam Update rolls out globally, a new study reveals how brands are winning AI citations, Reddit’s ChatGPT citations plunge 86%, and ChatGPT Ads expand to 31 new countries.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google’s August 2026 Spam Update is Here

Google started rolling out the August 2026 Spam update this week.

Google started rolling out the update on Tuesday, August 18th, and it’s expected to take a few days. It hasn’t announced any new spam policy types, but it applies globally and to all languages.

This is the third spam update of the year. The previous updates happened in March and June. The March update only took a few hours, but the June update took 2 days.

What You Need to Do: Keep an eye on your traffic in the coming days to see whether you’ll be affected by the update. Also, keep an eye on the Google Search Status Dashboard to see when the rollout is complete and whether any new policies or documentation are released.

2. Google Makes Preferred Sources Easier for Publishers and Readers

Google has made its Preferred Source feature more seamless, allowing readers to add a publisher as a preferred source without losing their place on the page.

When users click a publisher's Preferred Source button, they can add the site to their Google preferences and are then sent straight back to the article they were reading. Google says more than 600,000 unique sources have now been selected by users, up from 200,000 in May.

Preferred Sources allow users to prioritize publications in Google's Top Stories results, giving selected publishers more opportunities to appear in front of engaged readers. Google also says users who select a preferred source are twice as likely to click on stories from that publisher.

Be sure to click here to make Ignite Visibility your preferred source.

Why We Care: Loyal readers can become a valuable organic traffic source. Publishers should consider adding Google's Preferred Source button to their sites to make it easier for engaged audiences to see more of their content in Search.

3. New Study Reveals More Insight into AI Search Visibility: Which Brands and Industries Are Disappearing?

A new study from Fractl revealed more about the gap between traditional search authority and AI visibility. Surprisingly, it wasn’t always big name brands topping the visibility charts.

Some interesting patterns to take note of included:

• Booking.com, Airbnb, and Expedia accounted for 20% of the travel industry’s mentions.
• Teladoc and Amwell made up about 25% of the healthtech industry
• No single brand dominated the Wellness space, but Peloton, Headspace, Calm, Whoop, and Oura all had significant mentions.
• The insurance industry mostly saw mentions of Lemonade, State Farm, Root Insurance, and Progressive.
• Lifestyle saw the biggest rank changes with smaller direct-to-consumer brands like Patagonia, Allbirds, Eileen Fisher, and Everlane receiving more mentions than giants like Sephora, Samsung, and Whirlpool.

The Bottom Line: You don’t have to be a giant name-brand to get attention with AI bots. A lot of smaller brands with quality content are also finding their way into AI citations.

4. Business Websites Are Winning Citations in Gemini Local Search

A new study of 14,472 AI citations found that business websites accounted for nearly 60% of Gemini's local search citations, outperforming directories, review platforms, and forums combined.

The study also found that Gemini's results can vary significantly from one search to the next. Repeated searches produced overlapping cited sources only about 40% of the time, while Gemini recommended the same top business just 7% of the time. ChatGPT showed a different pattern, relying more heavily on Reddit and business directories.

The findings highlight how differently AI platforms determine which businesses and sources to surface, even when users perform the same local search.

Why We Care: Don't assume visibility in one AI platform means visibility everywhere. Businesses should strengthen their own websites while monitoring citations across multiple AI search platforms to get a more accurate picture of their visibility.

5. Study Shares Insights into How AIO Uses Social Sites Like Facebook, TikTok, & Instagram

A new study shared insights into how your social media marketing platforms could be affecting your AIO citations.

An analysis of more than 300 million U.S. monthly searches revealed that:

• Facebook: Timely, local, and community questions, such as “used canoes for sale”
• Instagram: Culture and shopping, such as “Best places to travel”
• TikTok: Trends and how-to, such as“What does out lap mean in F1”
• Reddit: Firsthand experience and troubleshooting, such as “Best rc cars for kids”
• YouTube: Step-by-step, instructional content.

The study also showed that Google AIO will often pull up Instagram when the searcher is looking to make a purchase, but sends users to Facebook for troubleshooting, returns, and how-to advice after making a purchase.

Bottom Line: Social media marketing platforms are no longer just engagement platforms. They’re becoming important AI discovery channels. To make the most of your social media spend, tailor each platform to how AI uses it. For example, post instructional content on YouTube, timely question responses on Facebook, and sales and product launches on Instagram.

6. Reddit Citations in ChatGPT Search Plummet 86% in Four Days

Reddit's share of citations in ChatGPT Search dropped 86% in just four days, according to new data from Promptwatch, falling from an average of 3.83% to 0.52% between August 14 and 17.

The decline followed an earlier drop that began August 8, which Promptwatch linked to a change in how ChatGPT Search handles queries. However, the researchers stressed that the data shows when the shift happened, not why, and said they can't rule out data collection issues.

The change appears to be specific to ChatGPT. Reddit's visibility in Google's AI products has declined more gradually, suggesting that AI platforms can make very different decisions about which sources to cite.

Why We Care: AI visibility can change quickly. Don't rely on one platform or assume today's top citation sources will stay there. Monitor your AI visibility and referral traffic regularly.

7. Native AI Assistants Drive 54.1% of US AI-Driven Ecommerce Sales

A new study from eMarketer found that, when making purchases, US consumers prefer retailer-native AI assistants over large-scale AI bots like ChatGPT.

The study showed that while shoppers will use AI bots to do their research, only 10% will complete the purchase within that AI platform. Almost 70% of shoppers will take that research and then head directly to the retailer’s website or app to complete their purchase.

Other interesting statistics revealed included:

• 1 in 4 shoppers trust retailers to handle their entire shopping experience
• 16% trust tech companies like Google
• 7% trust AI platforms like ChatGPT

So, while some retailers are exploring storefronts inside ChatGPT or Gemini, these numbers suggest consumers might not be ready to make the jump yet. You might be better off developing your own on-site AI assistant first, before partnering with AI platforms.

8. Claude Shares More Information About Watermarking

Ever since Anthropic announced that it will start watermarking content created with Claude, people have been wondering just exactly how the watermarking will work. Now, we have the answers we’ve been waiting for.

The new watermark is a version of SynthID-Text. Anthropic stated that: “Claude’s text watermark is a version of the SynthID-Text approach published by Google DeepMind in a Nature paper in 2024. It belongs to a family of approaches that go back to a proposal by Scott Aaronson in 2022, all of which share the same design principle that we described above, the watermark only changes the source of the randomness used to pick among words.”

There will be no hidden characters, extra tokens, or visible additions. The watermark will also not cause Claude to make strange word choices or insert any other “AI tells.”

With enough editing, people can get around the watermark so tools won’t detect it.

9. Google Expands AI Max With New Tools for Testing and Planning

Google is expanding AI Max for Search campaigns with new tools that give advertisers more ways to test budgets, ROI targets, and campaign controls before making changes.

Starting in September, advertisers will be able to run A/B tests across multiple Search campaigns, comparing different budgets and ROI targets to better understand their potential impact on overall performance. Google is also allowing AI Max experiments to retain brand and location controls, making testing easier for businesses with stricter targeting requirements.

Google is expanding Performance Planner as well, allowing advertisers to forecast how changes to budgets and bidding could affect performance and apply recommended changes directly to campaigns.

Why We Care: More flexible testing could make it easier for advertisers to experiment with AI Max without sacrificing important campaign controls. Before making major budget or bidding changes, marketers should take advantage of these tools to test the potential impact first.

10. Google Ads Switches Up Language Targeting

Listen up Google Ads users! There’s a big change coming that involves language targeting.

Google announced this week that, starting September 2026:

• Campaign language settings are no longer required.
• Google will prioritize ads that match the user’s search term language to give you better control over which creative is served.

This means you can no longer use campaign-level language in Google Search. Language matching will now function the same as Search campaigns. However, campaign-level language settings will still apply to other channels.

What You Should Do: Once Google starts relying on its own language signals instead of your specific settings, it’ll be really important to pay attention to your traffic patterns. You might notice unexpected shifts in search terms, geographic traffic, or the languages associated with incoming users.

11. Microsoft Ads Removes Max CPC Controls From New Automated Campaigns

Microsoft Advertising is removing the option to set Max CPC limits on new campaigns using several standalone automated bidding strategies starting October 1.

Existing campaigns with Max CPC limits will keep their settings for now, while portfolio bid strategies and certain other bidding options will continue to support the control. The change reflects Microsoft's broader push toward automated, conversion-focused bidding.

For advertisers who have relied on Max CPC to prevent unexpectedly expensive clicks, this means less manual control over individual click costs when setting up certain campaigns.

Why We Care: As platforms take more control over bidding, strong conversion data and realistic targets become even more important. Advertisers should review their bidding strategies before the change takes effect.

12. Meta AI Can Now Analyze Ads, Recommend Optimizations and Build Reports

Meta is expanding Meta AI for advertisers, allowing businesses to connect their Meta ad campaigns and Google Workspace data to get AI-powered performance analysis, optimization recommendations, and automated reports.

Advertisers can use Meta AI to identify high-performing audiences and creative, flag ads that may be losing effectiveness, and spot opportunities to improve budget allocation. The assistant can also turn its analysis into documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, while recurring tasks can automate ongoing performance reporting.

The feature is rolling out across Meta AI on web, mobile, and desktop, giving advertisers another way to analyze campaign data without manually digging through reports.

Why We Care: AI is moving beyond reporting and into campaign optimization. Marketers can use these tools to reduce manual analysis, but should still validate AI recommendations against profitability, incrementality, and broader business goals before making changes.

13. ChatGPT Ads Expand to 31 New Countries

If ChatGPT Ads have been on your to-explore list, this new update might be the push you need to jump right in.

OpenAI announced this week that ChatGPT Ads will be expanding into 31 new countries next week, including:

• Germany
• France
• Spain
• Italy
• Sweden
• Norway
• Denmark
• The Netherlands
• Austria

For now, campaigns will be available only through OpenAI’s Ads Solution team, agency partners, and technology partners. Self-service through Ads Manager is expected to be rolled out later this year.

If your brand wants to reach audiences in Europe, this could be a great opportunity.

14. X Updates Video Editing Capabilities

New video editing tools are coming to X’s native app.

Users can now add video overlays like text and emojis on video clips directly within the iOS app. While this seems like a small update compared to other social media apps, it’s a pretty big update to X’s suite of tools.

This is another move toward X becoming a video-first social app.

15. X Shares Insight Into Transparency and Shadowbanning

X announced more moves to increase transparency, including open-sourcing the code for a post’s visibility in the For You timeline.

In the announcement, X explained: “Today, we are taking another major step in our ongoing efforts to increase transparency. We’re open-sourcing the code that affects a post’s visibility in the For You timeline, and releasing a new tool that shows people labels applied to their account or posts that might limit visibility. The goal is straightforward: we want people to be able to answer for themselves whether a platform is limiting their reach, whether the system is fair, and why they see particular content.”

Users will also be able to download information on any labels or tags assigned to their posts. This will give more insight into whether their content has been restricted or shadowbanned in any way.

Some experts are taking this announcement with a grain of salt, as X owner Elon Musk had previously claimed that the platform had already done this three years ago.

16. Reddit Starts Testing New Experiences: Audio & Video

Reddit has been busy testing Reddit Ads, and now a new experience is coming to the platform: audio and video content.

Reddit is now planning on bringing its most viral stories to life through “video Reddit.” These new posts will be similar to TikTok videos and Meta’s Reels.

This video content often features popular Reddit stories narrated through a text-to-speech feature. Some display words on the screen, while others include video footage.

The testing is in the beta phase, and it’s not yet clear how Reddit users, who typically prefer written content, will react, but it’s another way to use video content to reach your target audience.

17. Google Search: ChatGPT Is The 6th-Most Clicked Destination

A new study from iPullRank revealed that ChatGPT is one of the most-clicked destinations from Google Search, but it’s also paying for clicks. At 4.8%, OpenAI’s paid-click share is more than double any other website.

The study, which looked at traffic from October 2024 through December 2025, revealed the top 10 destinations received this many clicks per week:

• YouTube: 7.8 million
• Google: 7.6 million
• Reddit: 3.4 million
• Facebook: 2.2 million
• Wikipedia: 1.9 million
• ChatGPT: 1.7 million
• Instagram: 1.5 million
• WhatsApp: 1.2 million
• Fandom: 0.8 million
• x.com: 0.8 million

The study also revealed that OpenAI is paying for those clicks. So, while the argument for most digital marketers is AI versus Google, we need to be aware that AI isn’t necessarily navigating around Google; it's paying Google to direct that traffic their way.

This affects not only where traffic goes, but also the mix of zero-click versus organic traffic. The study also revealed that not all mobile traffic is zero-click. While users in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia are more likely to participate in zero-click searches, the number is much smaller in Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, where users still prefer to click on the search results.

The study also found that not all mobile users click on ads. Most mobile ad clicks came from English-speaking countries, while countries like France, Mexico, and Italy saw more organic mobile traffic than ad-prone traffic.

What This Means: Zero-click searches are rising, but that doesn’t mean that search traffic is disappearing entirely. As search behavior changes, brands also need to change how they produce and promote content. Instead of making rankings the number one priority, the focus should shift to providing value to readers.

Weekly Homework:

• As Google’s August 2026 Spam Update rolls out, make it a point to pay extra attention to your organic web traffic over the next few days.
• If you’re an ecommerce brand, consider exploring the idea of developing your own AI assistant, rather than jumping into ChatGPT or another AI platform just yet.
• Smaller brands shouldn’t rule out the possibility of appearing in AI citations. Build your content to improve your chances.
• Align your social media marketing platforms with how AI platforms pull content. Make sure what you’re posting on these platforms will answer the questions AI bots are asking of it.
• If you use Google Ads Language Targeting, make sure your campaigns are ready for the upcoming changes.
• If you want to break into a European market, consider becoming one of the first to take advantage of ChatGPT’s expansion into one (or more!) of the 31 new European markets.

Digital Marketing News 8/8/2026 to 8/14/2026

This week: OpenAI Expands Advertising Tools, 94% of B2B Buyers Use AI, and Google’s Ask Advisor Expands.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. ChatGPT Expands Ad Offerings

ChatGPT Ads rolls out new options for advertising on the AI platform.

The updates are centered around conversion optimization and include:

• Conversion-optimized cost-per-click campaigns for product feed campaigns
• The ability to clone an existing CPC campaign into a new oCPC campaign
• Updated dynamic URL parameters
• Triple Whale integration
• Hightouch conversion API support
• Pixel validation diagnostics
• Automatic advanced matching (AAM) update
• Multi-product carousel format for product feed campaigns

Additionally, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Ads will soon roll out in Brazil and Mexico, which is great news for businesses with a more global audience.

2. 94% of B2B Buyers Use AI for Research

A new study published by LinkedIn revealed that a vast majority of B2B buyers are turning to generative AI to research products and services before making a purchase.

This means that B2B buyers are using AI to:

• Analyze and compare vendor proposals
• Identify risks and opportunities
• Research vendors
• Predict market trends
• Explore in-house alternatives to external vendors

In order to keep your business top-of-mind during this research, LinkedIn suggests that businesses start to lean into “The Credibility Stack.” This framework starts with:

• Brands setting the point of view
• Employees humanizing it
• Customer advocates and peers validating it
• Creators scaling it

By working together with a larger team of creators, businesses can start to stand out more on LinkedIn. The more they stand out on LinkedIn, the more likely they are to be listed in AI citations.

To read more about how to optimize your Credibility Stack, check out the most recent report from LinkedIn.

3. Using Claude to Create Content? Anthropic is Going to Watermark Your Text

Anthropic made waves this week by announcing that detection tools and documentation, like watermarking, are coming to Claude AI models worldwide.

In response to the EU AI Act, Claude will now be marking all content, including output from Claude Platform (API), Claude, Claude Code, Claude Cowork, and Claude Tag.

The watermarks will apply whenever Claude content is accessed through AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Foundry. General users won’t see the watermarks, but they will travel with the text wherever it’s copied and pasted.

Other content, such as SVG, PNG, or JPG files, will now have attached signed provenance metadata. This signed metadata label will follow the file, letting anyone know that it was processed by Claude. You will also be able to tell if the file was tampered with.

Anthropic will provide tools for users and third parties to detect embedded text watermarks and signed provenance data. More information and documentation on how to use those tools will be released in the coming weeks.

4. Google: Ask Advisor Expands

Google is expanding its AI assistant with new agentic capabilities that span Google Ads and Google Analytics.

Ask Advisor, Google’s in-product AI agent, can be accessed across Google’s marketing platforms, including within your Google Ads and Google Analytics dashboards. The new updates are designed to help marketers uncover insights faster, automate analysis, and make decisions without ever leaving the platform.

Ask Advisor will help you:

• Spot opportunities with new homepage insights
• Show seasonal peaks in sales
• Highlight changes in traffic
• Allow you to analyze data more deeply
• Understand data with new visual reporting
• Ask questions about your results
• Add benchmarks to your success
• And more

You can access this new tool within your Google Ads and Google Analytics dashboards.

5. 50% of US Shoppers Say Reddit Influences Purchases

A new study released shows that shoppers are turning to Reddit to verify recommendations before they make a purchase.

The study also revealed that:

• 1 in 3 UK shoppers use Reddit to make purchase decisions
• 50% of Reddit users say the platform introduces them to something new
• Reddit is the #1 social platform when it comes to purchasing influence in both the US and the UK.
• 60% of US shoppers trust recommendations they find on Reddit, compared to 53% who trust AI
• In the UK, 49% trust Reddit, whereas 44% trust AI recommendations
• 1 in 4 Reddit readers say they will immediately buy a product after seeing it on Reddit

Reddit has been making waves in the digital marketing space for quite some time now, and numbers like these are hard to ignore.

6. Google Ends Target Overperformance Starting August 17th

Google is updating its Smart Bidding process and ending Target Overperformance next week. Here’s what you need to know.

Beginning August 17th, Google will be getting rid of Target Overperformance. Instead, budget-limited campaigns using Target CPA or Target ROAS will optimize to stay closer to their stated bidding target. This is similar to how Hotel and Display campaigns are already optimized.

According to Google, “If your campaign’s Target CPA is $10, but your recent actual CPA performance is $5, your campaign will deliver more closely to a $10 actual CPA starting August 17, 2026. Update your target to $5 to maintain your recent performance or to a target CPA of your choosing based on your business goals.”

The update applies only to budget-limited campaigns using target-based bidding strategies across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen, Travel, Search Ads 360, and Demand Gen campaigns in Display & Video 360.

What You Should Do: To prepare for this change, audit any campaigns that use a current Target CPA or Target ROAS strategy before August 17th. Use what you find during this audit to address any changes and be ready for the end of Target Overperformance.

7. Google Expands Performance Max to Target Nearby, High-Intent Customers

Google has released new details about Local customer optimization for Performance Max campaigns with store goals, giving advertisers a way to prioritize nearby users who are ready to visit, call, or get directions to a business.

The feature helps businesses reach customers across Google Maps, Waze, and local Search experiences when they're actively planning a trip, navigating, or searching for nearby services. Once enabled, Google will optimize campaign delivery toward users showing strong local intent.

There is one important limitation: Local customer optimization is not compatible with Merchant Center product feeds. Advertisers using Merchant Center will need to create a separate store-goals campaign to take advantage of the feature.

Why We Care: This gives brick-and-mortar businesses a more direct way to reach customers who are ready to take action. If local visits drive revenue for your business, this feature could help improve campaign efficiency and increase in-store traffic.

8. Google to Migrate Travel Campaigns to Search Campaigns for Travel in 2026

Google will begin automatically transitioning existing Travel campaigns to Search campaigns for Travel starting in Q3 2026, moving advertisers to its newer, AI-powered campaign format.

The migration will create new campaigns designed to closely match existing settings, helping advertisers maintain continuity while gaining access to updated features. Brands that prefer more control can choose to migrate manually before their scheduled transition date.

Search campaigns for Travel were introduced to bring travel-specific formats, AI-powered bidding, reporting, and campaign management into a single campaign experience, replacing the need to manage multiple travel campaign types separately.

Why We Care: If you advertise in the travel industry, now is a good time to review your campaign settings and performance. Preparing ahead of the migration can help ensure a smoother transition and minimize unexpected changes.

9. Google Tests Showing Advertisers Before Search Ads

Google is experimenting with a new mobile Search ad format that displays participating advertisers' favicons and domain names before showing the actual ads.

In the test, users first see a list of brands included in the sponsored results section, giving them visibility into which companies are advertising before they read individual ad copy. The ads themselves appear below this advertiser list.

Google has not officially commented on the experiment, and it's unclear whether the feature will roll out more broadly.

Why We Care: Brand recognition could become even more important in paid search. Advertisers with strong brand awareness may benefit from increased visibility, while lesser-known brands may need to work harder to earn attention and trust.

10. Google Investigates Issues with Merchant Center

If you experienced an issue with Google’s Merchant Center this week, you’re not alone. Google said that they are aware of the issue and working toward resolving it.

The glitch seemed to affect the Content API for Shopping and the Merchant Center. The disruption impacted product management and campaign operations for the many businesses using Google Shopping, Performance Max, and Google’s free product listings.

Google announced on August 11th that the problem has been resolved and marketers should be able to use the Merchant Center without issue moving forward.

Regardless, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your Merchant Center in case something happens again.

11. YouTube Upgrades Payout Rules

If YouTube is part of your marketing strategy, you might want to pay attention to these new Partner Program rules.

The most important changes include:

• To qualify for ad revenue, you’ll now need 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 qualified watch hours or 20 million qualified Shorts views
• You’ll need 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to enter the Shorts Creator Pool
• You’ll need 1,000 watch hours, 1 million Shorts views, or the minimum uploads to keep your channel active

If you’re already in the YouTube Partner Program, you’ll need to accept the revised terms by January 31, 2027. Although they were released now, the new rules won’t go into effect until February 1, 2027.

12. X’s Revenue Sharing Becomes the Original Content Rewards Program

Is your business enrolled in X’s Revenue Sharing program? The platform announced that the program will end on September 7, 2026.

The final payout for the Revenue Sharing program will come on or around September 11th. On September 8th, existing Revenue Sharing members can apply for X’s new creator program: the Original Content Rewards program.

In order to be eligible for this new program, accounts must:

• Be 18 years or older
• Live in a country where the Original Content Rewards Program is available
• Have an account in good standing with no history of repeatedly violating our Monetization Standards or Terms of Service
• Have a Personal or Business account
• Subscribe to X Premium, Premium+, or Premium Business
• Have at least 500 verified followers
• Have at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users in the last 90 days (impressions on replies are excluded)
• Regularly post original content

The goal of this change is to make X less of an echo chamber and more of a social media platform where people can share their original thoughts and content.

You can learn more about the upcoming changes, the rules of the new program, and how to apply by visiting this post.

13. Meta Wants More Users to Pay

Meta has revealed more benefits and incentives for Meta One subscribers this week.

New updates to the program include:

• A bigger, bolder follow button on Reels for Facebook Professional Profiles
• Expanded access to AI-powered Messenger response tools
• The ability to display other off-platform sites and profiles
• The option to add up to 3 location listings
• The ability to send auto-invites to people who interact with your page

Whether these benefits will bring in more paying subscribers is unknown, but it will be interesting to see if we see an exponential increase in blue checkmarks throughout Meta sites.

14. Google Refreshes YouTube and Discover Ad Policy Documentation

Google has updated its YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements, making the policy documentation easier for advertisers to read and understand.

According to Google, the changes are purely editorial and focus on improving the clarity, structure, and wording of the existing guidance. The update does not introduce any new requirements or change how the policy is enforced.

The goal is to help advertisers more easily interpret the rules and ensure their ads comply with current standards.

Why We Care: No action is required, but clearer documentation can make it easier to understand policy requirements and avoid unnecessary compliance issues.

Weekly Homework:

• Scroll through Reddit to see how your competitors are using (or aren’t using!) the platform to drive conversions.
• Read through LinkedIn’s suggestions on how to optimize your content and use their “Credibility Stack” to bring more awareness and visibility to your business.
• Log into your Google Ads or Google Analytics account to explore the new Ask Advisor tool.
• Check out the new YouTube payout requirements to ensure the updates won’t interfere with your income.
• If you’re an active X Revenue Sharing member, make sure to apply for the new Original Content Rewards program before the platform sunsets the old one.
• Explore the new ChatGPT Ad options to see if any would make sense for your business.
• Audit any Google budget-limited campaigns using Target CPA or Target ROAS to make sure you’re ready for the upcoming August 17th changes.

Digital Marketing News 8/1/2026 to 8/7/2026

This week: Google Assistant Becomes Gemini, Google Tests Clickable Ad Links, Reddit Surpasses 130M Daily Users, and Pinterest breaks down Q4 Tips.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Assistant Is Officially Being Replaced by Gemini

Google has announced that Google Assistant will begin disappearing from Android devices starting September 4, 2026, as the company completes its transition to Gemini as its primary AI assistant.

The change will affect Android phones and tablets, as well as connected devices like Wear OS watches, compatible headphones, earbuds, and Android Auto experiences projected from mobile devices. Once the transition reaches a device, users will no longer be able to switch back to Google Assistant.

While Google first announced plans to replace Assistant with Gemini more than a year ago, this marks the first official timeline for the rollout.

Why We Care: Gemini is becoming the default way users interact with Google across devices. As AI assistants play a larger role in how people discover information, brands should pay close attention to how they appear and are referenced in AI-generated responses.

2. Opting Out of Google’s AI Search Features? Here’s What That Means

Google is rolling out a new setting that will enable businesses to remove their content from AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Discover’s AI features. But what does that mean for the businesses?

Businesses that aren’t in love with AI, or simply want to keep their content from being used in these AI features, can now regain control of their sites.

Before you change anything with your settings, you should check:

• How much visibility your site is getting from those AI gestures
• Which of Google’s controls govern what information
• How the tradeoffs could affect your business

If you’re getting a lot of traffic from being included in those AI Overviews or in AI Mode, you might want to think twice before opting out.

3. Google Tests Clickable Links Within Search Ad Descriptions

Google is testing a new Search ads format that turns selected words and phrases within ad descriptions into clickable hyperlinks.

The links direct users to the same landing page as the ad headline, but they make specific parts of the ad copy stand out visually. While Google hasn't shared details about how the feature works, early observations suggest the platform may dynamically choose which phrases to highlight based on a user's search intent.

The test follows previous experiments with additional clickable elements in Search ads and could signal Google's continued focus on improving ad engagement.

Why We Care: Even small ad format changes can impact click-through rates. Advertisers should pay close attention to how Google displays ad copy and continue writing descriptions with clear, compelling messaging throughout, not just in the headline.

4. Thinking About the Holidays Yet? You Should Be!

It might still be summertime, but brands and businesses across the globe are already gearing up for the holiday season. Social media and search site Pinterest also just released some tips to help marketers prepare for the big year-end shopping push.

As Pinterest explained, “The number one reason people come to Pinterest is to shop. That makes our audience unique: a growing group of high-intent shoppers that you can’t find anywhere else, actively planning everything from gifting lists and festive menus to party details and seasonal traditions.”

To capture that high-intent audience, Pinterest suggests that brands should:

• Ensure their product catalog and feed are uploaded and ready to go
• Use AI-powered Performance+ campaign options to simplify campaign creation and scale what’s working
• Test marketing and campaign options now so your best content is ready to go before the Q4 rush
• Launch your end-of-year campaigns early
• Extend those campaigns through the post-holiday season to capture searchers with holiday gift money

5. Pinterest Adds 9 Million Monthly Users

Speaking of Pinterest, the site is growing – and they’re saying AI is to thank.

In a recently released report, Pinterest claimed growth such as:

• +11% in Global Monthly Users
• +7% in Global Average Revenue Per User
• +18% in Global Revenue Overall

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready says that this growth is thanks to AI: “AI is at the heart of our momentum and is a clear accelerant for our business. It is trained on our unique human curation of style and taste, making Pinterest more personalized and actionable for users, while improving performance for advertisers and creating more opportunities to monetize over the long term.”

Why We Care: Reaching new audiences, especially during Q4, is always a struggle. Could these new AI capabilities from Pinterest make it easier this year?

6. Reddit’s Growth is Booming: +130 Million Daily Active Users

Pinterest and Snapchat aren’t the only potential advertising sites that are growing. Reddit also posted an 18% increase in daily active users to a whopping 130.3 million unique users.

It’s also interesting to note that the weekly active unique users are also up 24% to a total of 514.6 million users.

Most social media sites see more weekly or monthly users, but according to Social Media Today, that’s because “Reddit’s weekly and monthly user count ratio is more like four to one. That suggests that Reddit users are more transient, and less likely to log in every day. This reflects the way Reddit is increasingly being used to provide answers and insights, as opposed to facilitating social or community connection like other apps.”

Why This Matters: If you’re looking to reach high-intent searchers, Reddit could be a goldmine for your advertisements. While you won’t benefit from that daily scroll, you will be able to position your Reddit Ads to land right in front of the people who are actually looking for the answers you’re providing. Depending on your business and its goals, it might be worth considering for Q3 and Q4.

7. Snapchat Adds 10 Million More Daily Global Users in Q2

If you’re using Snapchat in your marketing strategy, you now have 10 million more daily global active users in your orbit.

Snapchat’s place in the social media marketing world has been growing, and it could continue to do so thanks to the introduction of its new AR-enabled glasses.

The social app showed steady progress through Q2 in both the number of monthly active users and its revenue. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel also said, “that the number of people posting to Snapchat’s TikTok-like Spotlight option grew more than 115% year-over-year, while Spotlight daily active viewers grew more than 20%.”

The growth is modest, and could stall out, but for now, it could be worth considering adding Snap to your social media playbook.

8. LinkedIn Introduces New Tool in Fight Against “AI Slop”

A few weeks ago, it was shared that a lot of the content on LinkedIn is AI-generated. This week, the social media platform introduced a new tool to combat the “slop.”

If a user thinks that a post on LinkedIn is AI-generated, they can report it to the site by clicking on the “Seems like AI Slop” button. This new tool is part of a much broader shift across long-form content platforms to fight against inauthentic, computer-generated content.

LinkedIn said that the goal of this button is to block the “hundreds of thousands” of low-quality, AI-generated posts and comments on its platform.

LinkedIn isn’t the only one who’s had enough of AI-generated content. Newsletter and blog platform Substack also recently added an AI-identifying tool.

Why We Care: If LinkedIn is a big part of your business’s social media marketing strategy, cue up the human writers and editors so your page doesn’t start getting dinged for posting “AI Slop.”

9. Google Expands Data Manager API to Improve First-Party Data Management

Google Analytics continues to improve. This week, Google updated the Data Manager API with new audience management tools, more flexible data ingestion, and expanded support for user-provided address data.

Updates include:

• RemoveAllAudienceMembers: allowing developers to clear an entire audience list in a single click
• Optional Timestamp Parameter: allowing advertisers to remove only members added before a specified date
• Field-level Ingestion Warnings: API now processes valid records while returning detailed warnings to identify problematic fields and explain why they failed
• Expanded Address Information: Developers can now include street addresses, city, and state or province, alongside existing fields to satisfy identifier requirements
• Recently Released AI Agent Skills: To help developers build Data Manager API integrations more efficiently within AI-assisted coding environments

These updates will make it easier to manage first-party data without interrupting workflows.

10. Apply for Secure API Access to Your Google Ads Account

Google Ads API is piloting a new feature that will enhance security and improve visibility. If you’re interested in being part of the pilot, now’s the time to apply.

The program is designed to:

• Improve security by lowering the risk of account takeovers by malicious applications and restricting access so that only verified tools can perform sensitive operations, even if your credentials are compromised.
• Boost visibility by providing advertisers with a clear view of exactly which applications have access to their advertising data and are performing sensitive actions on their accounts.

This new feature is currently in beta testing, and Google is asking developers who want to be a part of the pilot to apply here.

11. Updated Google Documentation: What This Means for Your SEO Strategy

Google recently updated its crawl budget optimization guide and it contains some insights that could affect your SEO strategy.

Some takeaways include:

• Replacing general descriptions with more specific ones
• Replacing superfluous information about why their crawlers act the way they do with more understandable guidance
• Rewriting sentences in a more logical progression

You can read the entire updated documentation here.

12. Shopify: AI Is Driving More Traffic But Not Replacing Google

Shopify shared this week that it's seeing AI search driving more traffic and sales for its customers, but it’s still not replacing Google.

In the company’s Q2 earnings call, President Harley Finkelstein said that AI search has become a “complement to search, rather than a substitute for it.”

Finkelstein also shared that “search remains one of our largest sources of buyer traffic to our merchants, and it’s still growing. Traditional search sessions are up 1.3x over the past two years, holding roughly a third of all storefront sessions.”

AI could be really helpful for brands who are selling niche products that aren’t extremely popular with the general public. Finkelstein also shared that 75% of AI-attributed purchases happened outside of the top 100 categories.

Shopify isn’t letting AI take a backseat, though. The ecommerce engine will continue to develop AI tools and agents, including connectors to Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other sites. Merchants can also use vibe-coding platforms like Lovable to build their Shopify site however they’d like.

Weekly Homework:

• Start thinking about the Q4 holiday spending push by exploring Pinterest’s suggestions on how to stand out.
• Read up on the pros and cons of opting your business out of appearing in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
• Check out the updates to Google’s Optimization Documentation and Data Manager Tool.
• Consider applying for Google’s Secure API Access pilot.
• Brainstorm ways to make growing platforms, like Snapchat, Pinterest, and Reddit, part of your paid ads and social media strategies.
• Bring on more human writers and editors so you don’t fall victim to LinkedIn and Substack’s hunt for AI-generated content.

Digital Marketing News 7/25/2026 to 7/31/2026

This week: An analysis of millions of Google AI Mode citations shows how content quality can maximize visibility, Claude’s indexing of users’ chats reveals the importance of proper page blocking, and many brands are making the transition to subscriptions over purchases amid changing buying behaviors.

Keep reading for a breakdown of the top news stories in marketing:

1. High-Quality Passages Are the Most Quotable Across AI Mode Results, According to a Recent Study

Content marketing platform brand Pillarbase conducted a year-long study to determine what kind of content Google quotes in AI Mode citations. The study found that 47.7% of nearly 15.7 million citations counted as scroll-to-text highlights over plain links, with one highlighted passage showing up for 221 unique queries.

Also, while Google only cited the majority of passages a single time, the platform used about 2,300 passages a total of 61 or more times. The more highlighted passages a page had, the higher it performed in search results, with pages containing 21 or more of them gaining a median #1 ranking.

These results themselves highlight just how important a strong passage is within your content; every little section counts toward increasing your chances of getting meaningful citations in AI search.

Action Item: Write high-quality content at the passage level, using full paragraphs for self-contained content, often question-led content that provides helpful answers immediately.

2. AI-Flagged Content Performs Worse and Worse in Google Search

Although it’s possible to ethically create and use AI-generated content, statistics show that AI-flagged content will hurt rather than help with organic rankings overall.

According to recent research using Ahrefs’ AI detector, AI-flagged content is still appearing in the top 10 search results on Google in many cases.

However, this content is likely to appear far lower and in far fewer instances than high-quality and more clearly human-written content, with the former taking just 5.3% of the top spots, while the latter took 82.2%. The research also showed that many AI-flagged pages aren’t even indexed.

The fact is that over half of the pages in Google’s top three results have no more than 20% AI-generated content, further showing the value of human involvement in the content writing process.

Ahrefs also found that pages with under 20% AI-flagged content accounted for 49.28% of 100,000 tested pages meeting one or more of Ahrefs’ three index signals, while those with over 80% fell much lower at 40.35%.

Action Item: If you want to effectively dominate search, the human touch and overall quality are still critical for high-performance content; appeal to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines and focus on creating genuine, helpful content that isn’t likely to get flagged as AI-generated.

3. Claude Indexes Users’ Shared Chats, Showing the Need for Proper Page Blocking

In other AI news, users’ shared chats on Claude wound up indexed, appearing in public Google search results. This resulted in the mass disclosure of people’s sensitive information, including medical and internal company documents, with many people unaware that they had opted to share their chats.

On looking into the issue, outlets found that one cause of the problem was the lack of a noindex tag on the share pages. Matt G. Southern at Search Engine Journal specifically found that the pages used noindex headers “behind a robots.txt block” to prevent indexing, noting that robots.txt files alone can’t prevent search engine crawlers from finding and indexing pages.

The Claude incident is one of a growing number of controversies leading people to question the safety of their data in the hands of AI.

Action Item: Properly configure robots.txt to guide search engines on how to index a page, but use a noindex tag to effectively prevent indexing.

4. Google Search Console Expands Tracking Capabilities With Globally Available Platform Properties

Earlier this month, Google Search Console released its platform properties feature, which enabled users to track the performance of video and social media content platforms within Google Search. Now, not only is this feature available to all users across the globe, but Google has also released new documentation to help marketers analyze and assess all video and social data.

This new feature makes it easy for global users to see how various platforms perform in organic search, including YouTube, X, Instagram, and TikTok. More specifically, you can see how they perform on Google Search, Google News, and Discovery, with new documentation available to help you gain deeper insights into the data.

This update is the latest in Google’s attempt to give marketers more control over campaign data, which can help them determine more effectively what’s working and what needs improvement at every level.

Action Item: Implement this feature on Google Search Console to give you a clearer picture of organic performance for social and video campaigns.

5. ChatGPT Ads Releases Even More Features to Enhance Campaigns

We’ve been talking about ChatGPT Ads a lot recently, as this new feature can help advertisers supplement citations with highly targeted and highly visible ads within each chat. Now, ChatGPT Ads is giving campaigns an even bigger boost with conversion bidding, bulk campaign tools, and geo exclusions.

Advertisers on ChatGPT can now benefit from the following key features:

• Conversion-optimized pay-per-click (oCPC) campaigns that target audiences who are more likely to click through ads and convert
• Average daily budgets that eliminate fixed daily budgets, helping advertisers determine how much they want to spend per day over the course of a week
• Automatic daily budget pacing, which can enable more even ad spend distribution
• Geo exclusions that block ads from showing in specific locations

These features can help advertisers get the most from their strategies as ChatGPT continually develops its ad platform. However, at this time, we recommend you spend only around 10% of a $10,000+ budget on these ads, as they’re new and experimental, and you’ll be able to gain more meaningful data with this kind of budget to gauge their effectiveness.

Action Item: Maximize your AI visibility with the help of ChatGPT Ads if you have the budget to do so, and take advantage of these features to help complement other PPC campaigns, including Google and Meta Ads.

6. Google Enables Even More Precise Targeting of PMax Campaigns With Household Income Exclusions

If you run Performance Max campaigns, you will now be able to effectively segment audiences based on household income.

While it doesn’t appear to have a wide release quite yet, Search Engine Land saw the use of household income exclusion in a European campaign. These exclusions would allow you to segment audiences based on whether they’re in the following income brackets:

• Top 10%
• 11-20%
• 21-30%
• 31-40%
• 42-50%
• Lower 50%
• Unknown

This targeting capability is especially crucial for brands with a focus on income levels, such as those in the luxury goods, premium home services, B2B, and financial sectors. If someone falls outside of your target demographic, you can effectively keep them from seeing your ads to get the most from your spend.

Action Item: If you’re in an industry that targets audiences within a specific income bracket, use this PMax exclusion option to ensure people within specific brackets can see your ads.

7. Google Launches AI Content Labels for Ethical Disclosure

Going back to Google AI, the platform is now giving advertisers an AI content label in its asset studio. The feature allows advertisers to indicate when they’re using AI-generated content or assets with any AI modifications.

Users can select image or video content in ads and add a clear “AI” label to them, allowing them to organize assets based on their use of AI. Just be sure you’re able to discern your authentic and AI-produced content before adding and labeling.

This feature comes at a time when it’s becoming increasingly important for advertisers and marketers to be transparent about the use of AI-produced content. Adding this label will contribute to the ethical use of AI in marketing, which can build trust among audiences who come across your content.

Action Item: Add the AI content label to various AI-generated or -modified assets as it rolls out, including those on Google Ads, Display and Video 360, Campaign Manager 360, Merchant Center, and Google Ads Editor.

8. Google Tests New “Read More” Button, Potentially Affecting Click-Throughs

Following an earlier experiment on mobile devices, Google is rolling out a desktop version of its “Read more” hyperlink feature. This button allows users to expand ad content in sponsored results, keeping them on SERPs when exploring it.

The “Read more” feature could lead to lower click-through rates in many instances, as people linger in search results, but it could equally lead to higher ones, as users can learn more about users’ specific offerings, benefits, or other attributes in expanded links. It’s still unclear whether this feature will be a mainstay.

It’s one more of many SERP features we’ve seen and are soon to come, as Google’s always working to tweak its engine, particularly in the wake of AI integrations. AI continues to change search behavior and user engagement, so we can expect more changes to this specific aspect of the Google experience as well.

Action Item: Create compelling search ad copy and include multiple relevant links that people can explore, which can increase the chances of clicks on ads to supplement your organic efforts. Also, keeping an eye out for seemingly little changes like this could help you pivot your strategies accordingly.

9. Gap Leads the Way in Boosting Employee-Generated Content

Clothing company Gap Inc. is taking advantage of employee-generated content by giving staff access to its creator program. Employees in Gap’s stores, offices, and distribution centers can apply for this program and use the brand’s social sharing tools and content opportunities to both educate and advocate.

Brands have increasingly recognized the power of user-generated content (UGC) in boosting social media campaigns. People tend to trust content from other people over brands, and employee-generated content is no exception, as employees can put human faces to a company, advocate for a brand in a genuine way, and create valuable content for use across marketing campaigns.

As Emarketer notes, consumers often discover products or services via employee-generated content, and programs offering more income in exchange for content can lead to increased overall employee satisfaction and lower turnover rates. Ultimately, happier employees will lead to increased productivity and, in turn, profitability.

Action Item: Take a cue from Gap and encourage your employees to produce content of their own for social media and other strategies, which can gain your audience’s trust while empowering your employees and fostering a healthy company culture.

10. Emarketer Recommends Catering to Consumers’ Needs for Ownership Over Subscriptions

More brands are offering subscription services, but many consumers favor ownership over these as they experience burnout.

While the global subscription economy is expected to hit about $1.2 trillion in 2030, the ever-increasing shift toward both subscription services and digital products is losing favor with consumers.

Controversies like Sony’s dropping of over 500 digital movie titles from its library are leading people to turn more toward products they can truly own. Additionally, big software brands like Adobe and Microsoft have made subscriptions their core services, and music streaming services have eliminated one-time album purchases, putting monthly access to their entire libraries in their place.

Gen Z is particularly burned out when encountering subscription and digital media, software, and other products, with Fortune finding that they’re trading various digital products and fees in exchange for analog counterparts and real-world experiences. 37% of young audiences have canceled streaming services, indicating a very real instance of subscription fatigue.

Action Item: Segment products carefully if you offer subscriptions and one-time purchases, prioritizing purchases for high-value items while offering subscriptions for lower-cost items that people will frequently want to replenish, e.g., add-ons or physical boxes. This could help build more brand authority in the long run.

Weekly Homework

• Write high-quality content with standalone passages that AI search is likely to highlight and quote.
• Use noindex tags instead of relying on robots.txt to prevent search engines from indexing pages you want to block.
• Implement Google Search Console’s latest social and video tracking features to measure organic performance of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X campaigns.
• Add AI labels to Google Ads assets when using any AI-generated or -altered creative for transparency.
• Encourage employees to produce their own brand advocacy or educational content on social media.
• Consider allocating a small portion of your ad budget toward ChatGPT Ads, with new features available to help you experiment with these campaigns.
• If you offer subscription services, try to avoid relying on them too heavily, reserving subscriptions for low-cost and frequently replenished products while making high-value items one-time purchases.
• Optimize PMax campaign targeting with the new household income exclusion capability.
• Write authentic, human-written, and valuable content to maximize your visibility in search results, as AI-flagged content often underperforms.
• Craft enticing ad copy that encourages people to not only click “Read more” in Google’s sponsored results, but ultimately click through to your website.

Digital Marketing News 7/18/2026 to 7/24/2026

This week: Google announced major changes coming to Local Services Ads, AI-generated content continues to reshape social media, and businesses are being warned that AI tools may be giving customers incorrect information about their companies.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google’s Local Services Ads to Move Into Google Ads Interface

Google announced this week that it will be merging Local Service Ads into the Google Ads Interface. The migration will start this August and take place through 2027.

Local Service Ads will now have:

• A dedicated space inside the Google Ads platform where marketers can manage their budgets, adjust targeting settings, and respond to inquiries directly from the Google Ads dashboard
• Align Local Service Ads’ bidding and budget adjustment models with existing Google Ads models
• Greater control over local campaigns by connecting your Google Business Profile and your Google Ads profile for automatic syncing
• Less dependence on Better Business Bureau (BBB) callout

Some things will not change, including:

• Pay-per-lead model
• The focus on high-intent customer connections
• Ad placements within Performance Max campaigns
• Keywordless targeting

This rollout will start in August 2026 with select home and storefront service providers in the US. By late 2026, it will expand to more accounts, before finally wrapping up in 2027 with non-US accounts.

All account owners will receive an email notification 14 days in advance before the migration takes place, so keep an eye out for your email.

You can learn more about the process and the timeline here.

2. 41% of LinkedIn Posts Are AI-Generated: What This Says About the Future of Social Media & AI Content

A new study from Pangram revealed that 41% of all LinkedIn posts are AI-generated. This has sparked a question: will social media platforms survive the flood of AI-generated posts?

AI-generated content is everywhere, including on social media. The study found that LinkedIn leads the pack, with 30% of its short-form content and 41% of its long-form content is AI-generated. Other platforms being flooded with AI-generated content included:

• Medium: 28% and 31%
• X/Twitter: 9% and 29%
• Reddit: 3% and 13%
• Substack: 12% and 10%

It isn’t just the content, either. The study also found that almost 24% of LinkedIn comments are also AI-generated, whereas only 1.7% of Reddit comments are.

AI isn’t going anywhere, but it is interesting to see just how much content is not coming from an actual human. The biggest takeaway here for marketers is that, if you want to really stand out, have a human write, or at least heavily review, your content. Then you’re less likely to say whatever everyone is getting from the same AI models.

The whole point of social media is to connect people and encourage social connection. Will that continue to happen if everyone is just inserting the same AI-generated content on every platform?

3. Reddit Tells Marketers to Be More Authentic

Reddit has been becoming an even bigger player in the digital marketing game. According to the platform, the key is to be authentic.

At Cannes Lions, Reddit shared these tips to find success on their social platform:

• Act like a citizen, not a billboard
• Start with audience context, then build
• Use the comments as strategy, not just sentiment
• Design for participation, not extraction
• Measure business impact without flattening the community

The connection and community behind Reddit is what makes the site so popular. The last thing you want to do is treat it like every other marketing platform. Instead, you have to become an actual Reddit user, contribute to the community, and then promote yourself. Spending time building relationships and contributing to the community is what will make your brand stand out from other brands that treat the site like a transactional opportunity.

4. Pinterest Shares 5 Best Practices for Success on Their Discovery Platform

Pinterest recently shared five best practices that brands should follow to stay relevant on the platform.

The blog mentioned 5 tips, including:

1. Updating product catalog signals and feeds by checking titles, product info, and coverage
2. Setting up solid tracking and measurement signals
3. Giving campaigns enough SKUs to learn
4. Building momentum by establishing always-in campaigns
5. Fixing what happens after the click

The most important practice is to make sure your product catalog is updated often. Per Pinterest, “Your product catalogue (or feed) is how Pinterest understands what you sell. It shapes who you reach, what they see and how often you enter the auction, so missing, vague or wrong fields can hold back even a strong campaign… titles featuring brand keywords have been associated with 28% higher ROAS, and pattern keywords with 22% higher ROAS.”

Dive deeper into these recommendations and learn exactly how to fix up your profile by reading through the complete guide: 5 Best Practices For Better Shopping Performance on Pinterest.

5. 64% of UK Retailers’ Addresses Are Incorrect in AI Models

A new study published in Search Engine Journal revealed that 64% of UK retailers’ information was incorrect in popular AI models.

The study also found that 93% of businesses had at least one important fact wrong. According to Searchable co-founder Chris Donnelly, that’s because “[f]or a smaller bricks-and-mortar retailer, if their online visibility mostly centers around its website and a Google Business listing, that’s a relatively thin trail of information for AI systems to learn from and to represent in their answers.”

What You Can Do: First things first: check what information AI models are returning for your business. If it’s incorrect, you have to audit its sources. Review every single place you’ve listed your business information. Once it’s all cohesive, start looking at sources you don’t own, like old directories, review pages, or pages for similarly named businesses. Do your best to get that information corrected.

Remember: AI models are only as good as the information they are fed. Make sure your business’s information is accurate, cohesive, and up to date on all platforms to reduce the chances of AI searchers returning incorrect information.

6. Bot-Checking Pages Could Impact Your Ranking

You know those pages some sites put up that ask visitors to confirm that they aren’t a bot? Those pages could be negatively affecting your ranking.

In a new episode of Search Off the Record, Google’s John Mueller discussed this issue. He shared that sometimes, Google indexes these pages as genuine page content, which then sets off duplicate content detectors.

If this happens, it’ll mark one site’s page as canonical and the rest of the sites as duplicate content. It becomes difficult for website developers to track because it requires examining the page Google selected and then working backward to determine the cause.

If you suspect this could be causing issues with your site, Google suggests contacting whoever manages your site’s security service, CDN, or web hosting. Once the issue is resolved, you can then ask Google to re-crawl your site via Search Console's Validate Fix.

7. Google Ads’ New Beta Introduces “Missed Growth Opportunity” KPI

Google Ads has introduced a new beta recommendation aimed at helping marketers estimate the impact of increasing budgets or raising bids.

This new feature highlights:

• Estimated clicks left on the table.
• Missed conversions.
• Unrealized conversion value.
• Whether those missed opportunities were primarily caused by budget limitations or low bids.

The goal is to help advertisers refine their strategies and find more opportunities for success with Google Ads. You can see the new update now under the Recommendations tab.

8. Google Launches Video Campaign Groups for YouTube Ads

Google Ads has introduced video campaign groups for YouTube reach and frequency campaigns, giving advertisers a new way to manage multiple campaigns under a shared reach or frequency goal.

The feature allows marketers to group video campaigns together while maintaining individual budgets, creative assets, and campaign settings. Advertisers will also gain access to unified reporting, making it easier to track metrics like unique reach, average weekly impressions, and overall campaign performance across the entire group.

According to Google, better frequency management can have a meaningful impact on performance. A recent study found that an optimal frequency of 2.7 impressions per week led to a 19% increase in ROI.

Why We Care: This makes it easier to maximize reach while avoiding ad fatigue. For brands running multiple YouTube campaigns, it could improve efficiency and simplify reporting.

9. Hacking Risk: WordPress Says Update to 7.0.2 Immediately

Hackers are targeting WordPress websites, with some estimates saying tens of millions of websites could be affected.

In response to this hacking threat, WordPress has released WordPress 7.0.2. This security update addresses two critical issues:

• A facilitated SQL injection issue reported as a team by TF1T, dtro, and haongo
• A REST API batch-route confusion and SQL injection issue leading to Remote Code Execution reported by Adam Kues at Assetnote / Searchlight Cyber

Since this threat is so serious and could affect so many websites, WordPress is urging users to update their sites immediately.

10. Google Releases New AI Models Aimed to Make Coding & Cybersecurity Issues Easier to Solve

Google released three new AI models this week.

The new additions to the Google Gemini family include:

• Gemini 3.6 Flash
• Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
• Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber

The 3.6 Flash model is said to be the “workhorse model,” and “promises improved capabilities in coding, knowledge work, and multimodal performance while reducing token usage by up to 17%.”

The 3.5 Flash-Lite is the most cost-effective tool, and the 3.5 Flash Cyber is fine-tuned for finding and fixing cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The last model will only be available to select users, including governments and trusted partners.

These three updates introduce cheaper, faster AI models optimized for coding and cybersecurity. However, it didn’t include the long-anticipated update to Gemini Pro, which has been updated since February.

11. Google Adds Top Stories Directly Into AI Overviews

Google has officially rolled out Top Stories and news updates within AI Overviews for mobile users in the United States, bringing more timely content directly into AI-powered search results.

The feature is designed to surface fresh coverage on developing topics, making news articles more visible within AI-generated answers. For some searches, users will now see a prominent news carousel featuring recent stories and, in some cases, content from their preferred news sources.

The update stems from Google's broader effort to incorporate fresher perspectives and more prominent links into AI-powered search experiences, helping users discover up-to-date information without leaving the search journey.

Why We Care: This is a positive step for publishers and brands. As AI search evolves, Google is creating more opportunities for timely, high-quality content to earn visibility and clicks directly from AI Overviews.

Weekly Homework

• Update your WordPress site to 7.0.2 to take advantage of necessary security updates.
• Download your Google Local Service Ads data, as past information will not be migrated to the new system.
• Align your Pinterest profile with the platform’s 5 best practice suggestions.
• Watch the Reddit Cannes sessions for inspiration on building a community around your brand without sounding like a transactional billboard.
• Type your business into AI to see what each model returns. If the information is incorrect, audit the AI tool’s sources and make sure everything is up-to-date to eliminate the possibility of AI searchers receiving incorrect information about your business.

Digital Marketing News 7/11/2026 to 7/17/2026

This week: Google turns search into an action engine, EU forces Google to share search data, Google cites its own properties more often, and AI Mode ads separate paid from organic visibility.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Is Adding Connected-App Integrations To AI Mode

Google is rolling out connected app integrations within AI Mode, allowing U.S. users to move from getting answers to taking action without leaving the search experience.

Users can securely connect supported apps such as Instacart, Canva, and YouTube Music directly to AI Mode. For example, someone planning a barbecue can generate a shopping list and send ingredients straight to an Instacart cart. Users can also browse Canva templates for creative projects or create and save playlists to YouTube Music from within AI Mode.

Google says this is just the beginning, with additional app integrations planned in the future as it expands AI Mode's capabilities beyond answering questions and into completing tasks.

Why We Care: Search is evolving from a discovery engine into an action engine. As Google creates more ways for users to complete purchases, create content, and accomplish tasks directly from AI-powered search experiences, brands may see fewer traditional website visits while new opportunities emerge inside connected ecosystems. Marketers should pay close attention to how their products, services, and content appear in AI Mode as Google's role in the customer journey continues to expand.

2. AI Mode Ads Are Growing Fast, But They Won’t Boost Your Rankings

A new study from SE Ranking found that Google’s AI Mode displayed text ads on nearly 30% of commercial searches, highlighting how quickly advertising is becoming part of the AI-powered search experience.

The research showed that higher-cost keywords were far more likely to trigger ads. For keywords with a CPC above $10, more than half of AI Mode results included advertising. The study also found that most ad placements featured multiple advertisers, signaling increased competition for visibility within AI-generated responses.

Perhaps the most interesting finding: advertisers rarely appeared as cited sources in the same AI Mode response. In most cases, buying an ad did not increase the likelihood of being referenced by Google's AI-generated answer, nor did it correlate strongly with organic rankings for the same keyword.

Why We Care: As AI search evolves, paid visibility and organic visibility are becoming increasingly separate opportunities. Running ads in AI Mode may help you capture attention for high-intent searches, but it won't automatically improve your organic presence or increase your chances of being cited by Google's AI. Marketers should continue investing in both paid media and content authority strategies, treating them as complementary channels rather than expecting one to influence the other.

3. Google Is Becoming Its Own Top Citation Source in AI Search

Google’s AI Mode is increasingly citing Google’s own properties, with citations to google.com growing 8.4 times in just a few months, according to new data from Profound.

Much of that growth is coming from Google Business Profiles and Product Knowledge Panels, which are now appearing directly within AI-generated answers. For local searches, users may see a business’s hours, reviews, photos, and location before ever reaching the company’s website. For product-related searches, Google is increasingly surfacing product information and specifications through its own knowledge panels rather than sending users directly to ecommerce or brand sites.

The trend is especially noticeable in industries driven by local intent, including hospitality, restaurants, healthcare, real estate, and home services.

Why We Care: Your Google Business Profile is no longer just a local SEO asset, it may be your most important digital storefront. As AI Mode continues to surface Google-hosted business and product information directly in search results, marketers and business owners should treat profile optimization as a top priority. Accurate business information, high-quality photos, strong reviews, and complete listings could influence customer decisions before they ever visit your website.

4. EU Orders Google to Share Search Data With Rival Search and AI Platforms

The European Commission has ordered Google to share anonymized search data with eligible third-party search providers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), with implementation set to begin in January 2027.

The ruling requires Google to provide qualifying competitors with the same search data it uses to improve its own search services, while maintaining strict privacy protections. Notably, the Commission confirmed that AI-powered search tools and chatbots with search functionality will also be eligible to access the shared data, not just traditional search engines.

The Commission also announced future changes to Android that will give competing AI assistants greater access to device features currently available to Google's own AI services. Those updates are expected to begin rolling out in 2027.

Why We Care: This decision could accelerate competition in both search and AI. By giving rival search engines and AI-powered search tools access to valuable search data, the EU is attempting to level the playing field and reduce Google's advantage. While changing user behavior remains a major challenge for competitors, marketers should expect continued growth in alternative search platforms and AI assistants, making it increasingly important to diversify visibility strategies beyond Google alone.

5. Google Explains How to Improve AI Visibility

In a recent edition of the Ads Decoded newsletter, Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin explained what businesses need to do to improve their ads' visibility in AI chat.

When asked how to improve AI visibility, Marvin noted that nothing has changed and to “[k]eep in mind that the relevance bar is higher in AI Search, and ads are matched to Google’s understanding of the user intent based on both the user query and the content in the response.”

She also highlighted control settings in AI Max that could help, including:

• Brand controls
• Location-of-interest settings
• URL inclusions and exclusions

Marvin also discussed the newest KPI, Qualified Future Conversions (QFC). She shared that this is a predictive metric that estimates conversions occurring up to 180 days after an ad interaction. Since some products have a longer sales cycle, this metric can help advertisers better understand how their ads affect later conversions.

6. Google Image Search Gets an Upgrade

Google announced this week that its Image Search is getting a makeover. AI Overviews will also be getting an image upgrade.

The Google Images homepage will now look more like a personalized, real-time gallery than a simple search page. There will also be options to create your own galleries in Google Images, similar to Pinterest. Consumers can save their favorite images to different galleries for later reference.

Google users will also be able to generate images within AI Overviews, like in the image above. Using Google’s Nano Banana AI Model, users can transform a text prompt into a high-quality image, bringing their imaginations to life. They can also compare two generated images and more.

Why We Care: AI Overviews were already taking clicks away from text links. This new visual upgrade could start to do the same for image-led clicks. While there is no firm date for when this upgrade will roll out to every Google user, it’s important to keep an eye out, especially if you tend to generate a lot of traffic from your brand’s custom images.

7. Instagram to Start Charging for AI Tools

It’s no secret that Meta has been pouring billions of dollars into developing AI tools. Now, Instagram is going to charge users to use it.

In his weekly Q&A, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri said, “Basically, these AI models are very expensive to run, and so we try to just offer them for free, but we have a cap on how many times you can use them per day. Eventually, you’re going to be able to subscribe to be able to get access to more, we’re working on that right now.”

This comes on the heels of last month’s Instagram Plus announcement. In that announcement, it was revealed that users could pay for Instagram Plus to access features such as Story Spotlights, Super Hearts, Multiple Story Audiences, Story Extend, Story Preview, Story Rewatch Insights, Search Viewer List, Custom App Icons, and more.

While no timeline was given, it’ll be interesting to see when this rolls out and how much effect it has on users’ use of AI tools on the platform.

8. Meta Adds New KPIs for Business Chatbots

Interested in learning more about how well your business chatbot is performing on Meta? This new rollout should help.

Meta will now keep track of certain chatbot metrics within users’ Meta Business Suites. These KPIs include:

• AI Conversions
• Contact with intent to buy
• Containment rate

The goal is to help businesses and brands better track engagement and performance data directly tied to their chatbot usage.

9. Consumers Prefer Third-Party Gen AI Tools Over Chatbots

Speaking of chatbots, a new study from Marketing Dive revealed that most consumers prefer third-party gen AI tools over chatbots for their customer service needs.

The study found that ⅔ of consumers are already using gen AI tools, so they trust them more. If consumers are already using a brand’s chatbot, they are likely to continue to use it. But if they haven’t used it yet, chatbots don’t tend to drive much engagement.

It also noted that many brands’ generative AI customer service investments aren’t aligned with customer behavior, which explains the disappointing results.

The bottom line? If you want your chatbot to be successful, it has to actually be helpful. Make sure it is interactive and resonates with your audiences’ needs before investing any more money in development.

10. Apple Bans Home Services from Map Ads

Apple recently published a new rulebook for its upcoming Map Ads launch, and it's quite different from Google’s.

Its most notable announcement is that the broad category of “home services” has been banned. This includes businesses including plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofing services, and general contractors.

The new rulebook shares that Apple wants to focus more on brick-and-mortar businesses that people can actually visit. They will also limit each search to one singular ad. The goal is for Apple’s ads to feel more organic than traditional PPC ads.

You can read more about Apple’s Advertising Services policy here.

11. LinkedIn Share Tips on How to Find Success on Its Platform

LinkedIn wants you to be successful on its app, so this week it shared some new advice on how to maximize your content’s performance.

One thing that the platform made very clear is that “[c]onsistency is one of the biggest drivers of reach on LinkedIn. Posting regularly signals to the algorithm that you’re an active, valuable contributor.”

Basically, you can’t post and pray here. You have to be an active participant in what you post to see the highest ROI from your strategy.

The biggest takeaway: Keep your posts consistent and within 200-300 words. Short-form content performs well here. Take longer-form content and turn it into LinkedIn articles to help diversify your platform.

12. X Changes Its Algorithm

X, formerly Twitter, has famously been fighting a losing battle for a few years now. It’s lost followers and advertisers, but the company isn’t giving up on reclaiming its former crown as a social media heavyweight. This week, the company announced a shift in its algorithm to make the platform more friendly.

According to TechCrunch, this tweak should “make X feel a little bit more like a community rather than a torrent of disparate voices shouting into the digital abyss.”

Creating clusters around interests could prove to be beneficial for marketers and brands looking to grow on the platform. If one person interacts with your post, it could automatically push it out into the feeds of people with similar interests or views.

13. New Merchant Listing Structured Data Improves SEO

Google recently made a major change to its Merchant Listing Structured Data, and it’s improving brands’ SEO success.

There were three new properties added, including:

• Category: to create custom categories
• Category Code: to tie items directly to another category
• Sale Duration: specifying exactly how long a discount will run

These new properties give Google more information to go on when indexing how merchants describe themselves. The more information Google has, the more likely your brand is to be indexed correctly. It’s also more likely that Google will display the correct product information in users’ search results.

You can learn more about all the properties, including the major new changes, here.

14. New AI Transparency Comes to Google Ads

Google Ads introduced a new disclosure requirement this week.

Advertisers will now be required to note if their ad was created or edited with AI tools. This could include anything in the text or graphics of the ad.

This change will be required for ads across Search, YouTube, and Discover.

According to Google, they “want to make managing AI disclosures as simple as possible for advertisers. So when they use Google’s generative AI advertising tools to create ads, we’ll automatically add a disclosure to each ad’s My Ad Center panel. And when they create ads elsewhere, we’re introducing a control so they can easily indicate if they used generative AI. Based on local requirements, a label may also appear directly on the ad, either automatically or when an advertiser uses this control.”

You can find more information about this new requirement within your Google Ads Center.

Weekly Homework

• If you’re active on Google’s Merchant Center, check out the new structured data options to improve your products’ SEO.
• If you’re using AI in your Google Ads, log in to your dashboard and ensure all your ads are clearly noted.
• Using a chatbot on Meta? Explore the new KPIs in your Meta Business Suite to monitor its performance.
• Play around with Google Image Search and AI Overviews’ new image upgrades to see how it could affect your brand’s images.
• Review LinkedIn’s suggestions for improving content on its platform and tweak your LinkedIn strategy accordingly.
• Now is a great time to get into Apple Maps Ads if you have a brick-and-mortar business. Review the newly released guidebook to make sure you optimize your ads for success.

Digital Marketing News 7/3/2026 to 7/10/2026

This week: Search Console Tracks Social Posts, ChatGPT Drives AI Traffic,  Google Labels AI-Created Ads, and Voice Search Comes to ChatGPT.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Google Search Console Publishes Reports for Social Posts

You asked and Google answered! This week, Google announced a new addition to Search Console – Social media tracking.

This new addition allows creators and publishers to see how their social media posts are performing directly from their Search and Discover dashboards.

Currently, this is available for four platforms:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• X
• YouTube

More platforms are expected to be added over the coming weeks. You can access these reports within your Google Search Console.

2. X Adds Native Video Editor to Its Platform

X introduced a new tool within its iOS app this week: Video Editor and Recorder.

The goal is for users to ditch third-party tools and create video content directly within the X platform. Instead of posting stolen material from other apps, X wants native content to help drive more users and advertisers to the app.

Only time will tell if this helps create the thriving creator ecosystem that X has been chasing.

3. 34% of Gen Z Are Social Media Lurkers

Meta started testing up-front post view count on Facebook this week.

With studies showing that 34% of Gen Z describe themselves as “lurkers,” understanding who is actually seeing your Facebook posts will give you valuable insights into your social media ROI. With post view counts already viewable on Instagram and Threads, Meta hopes this will have a positive impact on Facebook marketing as well.

4. 6 in 10 Americans Support Social Media Ban for Minors

A new study from Pew Research revealed that most adult Americans support restrictions on social media for those under 16.

The support was spread evenly across demographics, with the following saying that they support a ban:

• Ages 18-29: 52%
• Ages 30-49: 63%
• Ages 50-64: 57%
• Ages 65+: 49%
• Parents of minor children: 65%
• Individuals with no minor children: 52%
• Leaning Republican: 59%
• Leaning Democrat: 54%

While bans are already taking shape in the U.K., Turkey, and Canada, they're slow to spread in the United States, where only California and Florida have begun implementing restrictions.

Either way, it’s smart for marketers to keep an eye on any upcoming bans and develop ideas to adjust campaigns aimed at kids or teenagers.

5. Google Adds AI Labels to Ads: A New Era of Advertising Transparency

Google is introducing a new "How This Ad Was Made" feature that will show users whether an ad was created or modified using AI. The disclosure will be available through My Ad Center and will roll out globally across Search, YouTube, and Discover.

Users can access the information by clicking the three-dot menu or info icon on an ad. If an advertiser uses Google's generative AI tools to create ad assets, Google will automatically include the disclosure. Advertisers using third-party AI tools may be able to control whether AI usage is disclosed, depending on local regulations and platform requirements.

The update is part of Google's broader push for transparency as AI-generated creative becomes increasingly common. While the new disclosures provide more visibility into how ads are produced, Google emphasized that its existing advertising policies still apply regardless of whether AI was involved in creating the content.

Why We Care: As consumers become more aware of AI-generated content, transparency may become a competitive advantage rather than just a compliance requirement.

6. Want to Improve AI Visibility? Improve Your Messaging

A new study from Semrush reveals that strong messaging is one of the best ways to improve your brand’s visibility to AI bots.

The study revealed that LLM tools typically pull from multiple sources, including Wikipedia, Reddit, social media, local review sites, and video content. The overarching takeaway, though, is that no matter where AI is pulling data from, it's important that your messaging is clear and consistent across all platforms.

Other takeaways included:

• AI can’t replicate proprietary assets
• Specialists are cited more than generalists, especially in fields like finance, automotive, and health
• Brands with inconsistent messaging and third-party source networks struggle to gain citations
• Tangible products or services rise to the top of the citations

7. ChatGPT Generates 92% of AI Referral Traffic

A new study from Previsible revealed that 92.4% of AI traffic comes from ChatGPT.

In addition to the majority of the traffic coming from ChatGPT, it looked at which industries are benefiting the most from AI traffic. The winner? SMB. Other top industries included Insurance, Finance, Legal, Education, and Ecommerce.

It also examined the types of pages it typically returns. While it varied, the most popular pages included:

• Internal search pages
• News pages
• Product pages
• Course pages
• Blog pages

8. OpenAI GPT-Live Introduces Voice Search

With OpenAI rolling out GPT-Live this week, Internet searchers can now search by voice.

GPT-Live rolled out this week, introducing a new generation of voice models to ChatGPT. Using this tool, searchers can use voice search for heavier reasoning and deeper web searches.

OpenAI says that this new experience also includes:

• More natural conversations
• Smarter answers
• Better listening on behalf of ChatGPT
• Visual answers
• Expanded safety testing
• And more

You can learn more about this new tool and how to use it here.

9. 38% of US Shoppers Don’t Like AI Bots and Won’t Use Them

A new study revealed that 38% of US digital shoppers aren’t interested in using AI chatbots for help.

If you’ve been considering adding a chatbot to your ecommerce brand, don’t let this chart scare you off. In the same breath, retailer Macy’s reported that shoppers who use its AskMacy’s chatbot spend 4.75 times more than those who don’t.

While 38% are not interested in using them, those who are more than make up for it.

10. US Consumers Are Increasingly Spending More

A new report from eMarketer reveals that US consumers are starting to spend more than before.

When looking at spending data from this year compared to last year, spending is up in most industries, including:

• Mattresses
• Home & Garden
• Sports, Outdoors, & Fitness
• Computers & electronics
• Arts & Entertainment
• And more

Health and beauty were the only industries to see a decline, falling 7.8% YoY.

One of the biggest takeaways is that shoppers aren’t necessarily spending less. They’re just consolidating their trips and spending more on experiences over essentials.

Why We Care: This is the perfect time to add upsells or additional items to your offerings.

11. Google Investigating Issues with Google Business Profile Reviews

Google reported this week that some businesses are experiencing issues with their Google Business Profile reviews going missing.

The digital giant says its engineers are working on the problem. “When our systems detect suspicious reviews, we take a range of actions, including removing reviews and temporarily pausing reviews on the profile to prevent further abuse. We are investigating the issue and will restore any reviews that were incorrectly removed.”

If you noticed any of your reviews went missing or that your ability to collect reviews disappeared, don’t worry. It’s just a glitch, and Google is working on resolving it.

Weekly Homework

• Log into your Google Search Console and check out the new social media tracking tools.
• With so many American adults supporting a social media ban for minors, it might be time to re-evaluate the way your marketing will reach kids and teens.
• Strong messaging is essential for AI visibility. Take some time this week to make sure your messaging is clear and cohesive across all platforms.
• Check your Google Business Profile to see if you lost any reviews recently.
• Check out the new video editor inside X to see if it could inspire you to post more video content on the platform.

Digital Marketing News 6/27/2026 to 7/2/2026

This week: ChatGPT Rewrites Citation Sources, AI Summaries Enter Search Ads, Meta Automates Content Moderation, and TikTok's $1.3B Drama Boom.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Only 25.6% of AI Citations Remain the Same Between ChatGPT Modes

A new study by Semrush and Kevin Indig revealed that ChatGPT switches which websites it cites depending on the searcher's mode.

In reviewing a number of prompts and buyer journeys, the study found that, when users switched from Instant-style search to Thinking-style searches:

• Citation rates rose from 50% to 68%
• Reddit’s citation share dropped from 15% to 7%
• User-generated content and review sites went from 14.3% to 6%
• Government and academic sources rose from 1.9% to 8.8%.
• Official documentation and support pages grew from 12.4% to 17.5%.

Only 25.6% of the cited domains overlapped between Instant-style search and Thinking-style searches.

To learn more about which industries were the most affected, check out the whole Semrush study.

2. Ads for Electronics Convert Higher Than Any Other Industry

A recent eMarketer study found that electronics ads converted at a higher rate than any other industry in Q4 2025.

The report shared that popular industries had the following conversion rates:

• Electronics: 7.58%
• Clothing, shoes, and jewelry: 6.89%
• Grocery and gourmet food: 6.37%
• Health and personal care: 5.78%
• Tools and home improvement: 4.58%
• Appliances: 3.46%
• Sports and outdoors: 3.22%
• Pet supplies: 3.17%
• Toys and games: 2.87%
• Beauty and personal care: 2.78%
• Automotive: 2.32%
• Home and kitchen: 1.94%

The report also revealed that Meta converted shoppers at a higher rate than TikTok, coming in with conversion rates of 6.8% and 1.06%, respectively.

Why We Care: Knowing how your conversion rate compares to other industry leaders can help you better understand your ad success.

3. Search Ads: Google Tests AI-Generated Summaries

Google is toying with the idea of adding AI-generated summaries to your Search Ads.

Some advertisers reported seeing AI-generated summaries displayed directly behind their Google Ads in Search results.

While this is still in the testing phase, it’s already causing some outrage within the digital marketing community. It’s also a sign that generative AI could soon play a large role in how paid search ads are run and displayed.

4. Google Shares: Meta Descriptions Aren’t Required, But Still Valuable

Are meta descriptions optional? Maybe, but Google’s John Mueller says they’re still valuable.

A recent post on Reddit has been circulating in which an SEO expert said that meta descriptions are pointless. Google’s Mueller responded to clear the air, saying, “Yes, but also, there’s no penalty to writing your own, and sometimes it helps you to figure out a clear focus for a page. Overall, I think it’s still worthwhile to do so for individual pages that you care about, but it’s definitely not a requirement.”

This response aligns with Google’s own guidelines for meta descriptions, which state that “A meta description tag generally informs and interests users with a short, relevant summary of what a particular page is about. They are like a pitch that convince the user that the page is exactly what they're looking for. There's no limit on how long a meta description can be, but the snippet is truncated in Google Search results as needed.”

Why We Care: This just shows that not everyone on the internet is an expert, even if they say they are. Always turn to true experts for reliable information and advice.

5. New Updates Come to Demand Gen Ads

We shared last week that Google has extended the timeline to change your ads to Demand Gen. Now, Google has made some important updates to help make the ads even better.

New capabilities came to Demand Gen in the June Drop, including:

• Upgraded video enhancements with more video resizing options
• Automated recommendations from Gemini AI to optimize your content for YouTube
• Web to App acquisition measurements to help acquire new app users via app installs and give you a more comprehensive view of your Demand Gen performance

You can explore all of these new capabilities within your Google Ads dashboard.

6. Pinterest Expands International Insights

If you’re using Pinterest to expand into new international markets, you’re going to love this recent insights update.

With Pinterest’s new AI-powered tools, global retailers and advertisers can increase their reach. Thanks to new multi-country shopping campaigns, advertisers can now:

• Run a single shopping campaign or ad group to reach several markets at once
• Group markets with similar pricing and conversion behavior
• Use Pinterest Performance+ to handle bidding, budgets, and delivery

For advertisers launching multi-country campaigns, these tools can help provide more learning opportunities and reduce operational drag.

The expanded tools also include a single global insights dashboard where marketers can see what is running, which markets are engaging, and more.

Currently, the new market tools are available only to a select group of marketers, but Pinterest says they will be accessible to all ad partners soon.

7. TikTok Microdramas Generate $1.3 Billion in 2025

Last year, TikTok launched a series of microdramas. That series ended up generating $1.3 billion. Now, TikTok is expanding these series and opening them up to brands and advertisers.

Currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico, these new minidramas can generate revenue for brands through built-in monetization opportunities.

TikTok Mini Dramas can help brands in three ways:

• Expand reach, drive engagement, and maximize returns through episodic content
• Unlock incremental revenue through in-app engagement and purchases
• Drive ad performance beyond ROAS by converting intent into value and driving immediate results

If you’re interested in branching out into TikTok miniseries, click here or discuss the opportunity with your TikTok Ads representative.

8. Meta Launches Integrated Booking for Lead Ads

Meta announced this week that you can now use embedded appointment booking for lead ads.

Embedded Appointment Booking makes it possible for:

• Your ad leads to book appointments directly through an Instant Form
• Auto-prefill contact information to reduce lead drop-off
• Advertisers to set it up simply with no coding required

The goal is to convert more Meta Ads leads by making it easier than ever for them to book a service with your business.

Embedded Appointment Booking is supported through integrations with Calendly and HighLevel, with a HubSpot rollout coming in August. Additional scheduling partners will be added over time.

9. Meta to Replace 90% of Content Review Staff with AI

Meta announced this week that it will replace up to 90% of its content review staff with AI by the end of this year.

Even though the company has reportedly invested hundreds of billions of dollars in AI development, this announcement comes on the heels of a recent Instagram hack in which hackers accessed accounts by impersonating an AI support assistant.

Regardless, Meta plans to move forward with this labor cut.

Why We Care: Getting a hold of a human at Meta often proves challenging, even for well-versed marketers. Eliminating up to 90% of content review staff could lead to an even more frustrating road to resolution when ad accounts are wrongly flagged or removed.

10. YouTube Turns to AI to Monitor Comment Filtering

Meta isn’t the only social media site that is turning to AI to monitor content. YouTube announced this week that it, too, will use AI-powered tools to help channel managers with video comments.

In the announcement, YouTube explained, “You’ll now see a ‘Search’ filter on your Comments page, while the old exact-match search field has been relabeled as ‘Keywords.’”

Access these new tools within the YouTube Studio to see how they can help you moderate your brand’s comments.

Weekly Homework:

• Review the Semrush study to see how you can improve your brand’s chances of landing in an AI citation.
• Compare your ad conversion rates with industry averages using the chart from eMarketer.
• Consider updating your meta descriptions to increase your chance of being found by Google and Google Snippets.
• Explore the updates to Google Demand Gen, Pinterest Global Marketing, and YouTube AI comment monitoring tools.
• Check out Meta’s Embedded Appointment Booking to see if it makes sense for you to add it to your Meta Ads.
• Explore whether TikTok Microdramas could benefit your brand.

Digital Marketing News 6/20/2026 to 6/26/2026

This week: ChatGPT recommendations drive traffic, Reddit becomes AI shopping validator, Instagram expands to smart TVs, and Google launches AI ad manager assistant.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Websites Recommended by ChatGPT 2.5x More Likely to Receive Traffic

A new Similarweb report released this week found that websites recommended by ChatGPT are 2.5x more likely to receive a visit within 7 days.

The study also found that AI tools are used for:

• Discovering initial ideas: 35%
• Researching and comparing options: 30%
• Finding where to buy/best price: 24.3%

This is compared to traditional search engines that are used for:

• Discovery initial ideas: 13.6%
• Researching and comparing options: 20%
• Finding where to buy/best price: 22.1%

The research study also noted that “AI visibility is not a soft brand metric. It is a traffic driver with a measurable impact on site visits, it just operates on a delayed timeline that standard referral tracking cannot capture. Brands that dismiss AI as a channel because referral numbers look low are measuring the wrong thing. The visit happens. The attribution model just isn't built to see it.”

Discover more interesting information and data about AI visibility by reading the SimilarWeb report here.

2. Instagram Expands to Smart TVs

Instagram announced Instagram for TV last December. They announced this week that the new access point is growing – thanks to a partnership with Samsung TVs.

Users can now:

• Organize channels around their interests
• Cast Reels from their phones to their TVs
• Watch Stories on their TVs
• Create and watch horizontal videos designed for the TV screen

This new format will also allow for longer-form creator content, episodic series, and live creator experiences on TV.

Instagram for TV is now available on Samsung Smart TVs (2020 models and newer), as well as Amazon Fire TV and Google TV.

3. 50% of US Shoppers Verify AI Recommendations on Reddit

Reddit seems to be growing by the minute. This week, the forum site announced more integrated ad options.

The new creative features include:

• Free-form ad generator to create Reddit-unique ads inspired by users’ long-form posts
• Tailored creative assets for Max Campaigns
• Redditor Highlights (GA) to embed real Reddit conversations into ads
• Shopping Listing Ads to match products from participating brands to real conversations

In the announcement, Reddit also released some interesting data, including:

• 50% of US shoppers verify AI recommendations on Reddit
• 50% of Reddit users have discovered new products on the platform
• Reddit is the #1 social platform for helping people make purchase decisions

Learn all about the new Reddit ad options and how users are using the platform to make purchase decisions here.

4. June 2026 Spam Update is Here

On Wednesday, Google released its June 2026 spam update.

The update applies to all countries and languages and should take a few days to complete.

It could affect your site’s rankings. But, since this is a spam-only update, if you aren’t using any manipulative techniques, you should be okay.

5. LinkedIn Adds Collaborative Posts

LinkedIn announced this week that it will make collaborating in the app easier.

The new Collaborative Posts feature will allow users to share posts with other users listed as collaborators. Much like the collaborators tool on Instagram, it will then push the content to each collaborator's feed – expanding reach and impressions for all creators.

This new tool is just one in the long line of recent improvements designed to help creators monetize the app and create even more content. The collaborative posts feature also means that brands can engage more within member networks, which generally have more visibility than company pages.

6. AI Bot Comes to Google Ad Manager

A new AI-powered assistant has been introduced to Google Ad Manager.

The Ask Ad Manager tool was built with Gemini and is designed to help advertisers dive deeper into their ad insights. The tool allows marketers to troubleshoot in real time, monitor performance with a prompt, and make Ad Manager easier to navigate.

The tool is now available within your Google Ads dashboard.

7. Google Adds “Strongest Match” Labels to Select Ads

Google is also testing a new ad label this week.

The announcement, made on LinkedIn, said that “[t]he goal is simple: to help people instantly identify the most relevant information for their query, and help advertisers connect more effectively with high-intent audiences.”

Google did not explain which signals are used to determine each label, whether multiple advertisers can get each label, or whether the label is tied to any specific ad position.

The labels are still being tested and are available to only a small percentage of users in the United States.

8. WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Affects Up to 200k Sites

Heads up to Ultimate Member WordPress plugin users. You might be affected by a recent vulnerability.

Ranked 8.8/10, it “makes it possible for authenticated attackers with Contributor-level access and above to leak live password reset URLs for all users in the member directory response, including administrators,”, according to Wordfence.

The Ultimate Member plugin is a membership and user profile plugin that allows websites to create online communities, membership portals, and user directories. It is used by up to 200,000 WordPress users.

If you use the Ultimate Member plugin, be sure to update to version 2.12.0 or a newer patched version to protect your site.

9. Google’s Limited Ad Serving Update Raises Questions

Google announced recently that it would be expanding its Limited Ad Serving policy to additional scenarios on Google Search.

The implementation of this upgrade started gradually last month and will continue through 2028. According to Google, “when users have persistently and disproportionately reported that an advertiser’s content, products, or behavior do not meet their expectations, we may consider that advertiser unqualified and limit its impressions on certain searches.”

This is why Google wants its advertisers’ identities to be clear and unambiguous. To improve ad reach and engagement, Google recommends clearly displaying branding in all ads and landing pages, especially for Google Places.

However, Google did not clarify what qualifies as “persistently” or “disproportionately,” leaving some advertisers unsure how to proceed.

10. 45% of Adults Listen to Digital Audio in the Late Afternoon

According to a new study from eMarketer, the majority of adult audio listeners tune in between 12pm and 5pm.

According to the study, listening is common:

• Early morning (5 am to 9 am): 36%
• Late morning (9 am to 12 pm): 32%
• Afternoon (12 pm to 5 pm): 45%
• Evening (5 pm to 9 pm): 42%

While the midday-to-afternoon period is most popular for all audio formats, including podcast listening, music streaming, and audiobook listening, traditional AM/FM radio still has the biggest audience in the morning, typically during the 6 am - 10 am drive time.

Why We Care: For marketers looking to connect with audio-based audiences, knowing when they’re most engaged will enable better strategies and timing.

Weekly Homework

1. There’s no denying that AI visibility is important, and from the looks of the data, it's only going to continue to grow. Brainstorm ways to improve your brand’s AI visibility and reach to capture some of that traffic.
2. If Instagram is a big platform for you, consider what the expansion to Instagram for TV means for your business.
3. If you haven’t explored the option of adding Reddit Ads to your marketing mix, now might be the time.
4. Keep an eye on your Google rankings to see if your website is affected by the Google June 2026 Spam Update.
5. If you’re an Ultimate Member WordPress plugin user, be sure to update to the latest version to avoid falling victim to a new vulnerability.
6. Check out LinkedIn, Google Ads, and Reddit Ads new ad formats and marketing tools to see how you can better utilize them in your business.

Digital Marketing News 6/13/2026 to 6/19/2026

This week: Reddit dominates post-Core Update, AI usage is up, but trust is down, and social media becomes a news hub.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Reddit Rankings Up 54% After May Core Update

The data is coming in, and it looks like Reddit is one of the biggest winners of Google’s May Core Update.

In a study performed by SE Ranking, Reddit now accounts for 1 in 10 of the top 3 positions for most searches. Other notable stats included:

• 67.8% of domains did not recover from dropping due to the March Core Update
• 76.03% of the Top 3 URLs changed positions
• 88.39% of the Top 10 URLs changed
• 97.99% of the Top 100 URLs changed positions
• Real Estate and Healthcare were the most stable niches after the update
• Reddit grew its lead in every category, including pets, education, e-commerce, business, fashion and beauty, and travel
• YouTube’s Top 3 share slipped to 2.14% from 2.5% in March

To learn more about how the May Core Update affected your favorite niches and domains, read through the full analysis of the May 2026 Core Update on SE Ranking.

2. AI: Usage is Rising, Trust is Falling

More and more people are using AI, but according to a new study by Fractl and Search Engine Land, consumer trust in the tools is falling.

Just one year ago, 82% of consumers said they enjoyed AI-powered search. In just 12 months, that number has dropped to 54%.

This is slightly confusing, though, because the use of AI tools has increased to 70% among all consumers.

That’s because trust in AI is falling. In fact, 54% of Gen Z consumers said it would negatively affect their trust in a brand if the brand used AI in its marketing. They aren’t alone either. Other generations agree. Look at the number of people who said their trust would decrease if a brand used AI:

• Millennials: 40%
• Gen X: 33%
• Baby Boomers: 32%

Of those surveyed, 84% want AI content clearly labeled. This is true for all content, including written text, video, images, and audio.

Read more about the interesting findings on Search Engine Land, and then use these insights to inform your own AI usage.

3. Bing Webmaster Tools Update AI Reporting

Speaking of AI, Bing Webmaster Tools has made some changes to its AI-related reporting center.

The tech brand released a preview of its new AI performance report. It now includes:

• Intents
• Topics
• Citation Share
• Compare

These new analytics can be used to improve your brand’s Bing Ads performance and learn more about your preferred audience.

Why It Matters: Anything that streamlines data for PPC ads makes a marketer’s job easier!

4. Introducing Microsoft Advertising’s New Merchant Center

Microsoft launched a new tool this week, the Merchant Center, designed to help advertisers better understand their product performance.

The tool is designed to help advertisers better understand their Shopping campaign performance and uncover feed issues they may not have been aware of before.

In the announcement, Microsoft Advertising Ads Liaison Navah Hopkins said: “We heard industry feedback that it was difficult to keep tabs on and manage feeds in Microsoft. With Product explorer, you can easily search for and understand which products are rejected, performing and which ones need optimization. This means less time manually hunting through reports, and more time making meaningful changes to your feed to ensure you’re reaching your desired outcomes.”

This initial launch is only available to US-based advertisers with fewer than 100,000 SKUs. After collecting feedback from this group, Microsoft will move forward with expanding it to other markets and groups.

5. Google Ads Makes 3 Major Bidding Changes

Changes are coming to Google Ads! This week, Google announced three major changes to how marketers bid and budget.

Here’s what’s changing:

• Smart Bidding Exploration will be available globally
• Promotion mode is entering beta for Search and Performance Max campaigns
• Google is making backend changes to bidding target optimization for budget-limited campaigns

While each of these changes focuses on something different, they all aim to improve Google Ads for marketers and advertisers. While the changes won’t roll out on August 17th, you should check out Google’s announcement video to see how your marketing team can start preparing now.

6. Dynamic Search Ads Migration Deadline Extended to 2027

We recently shared that Google informed advertisers that all existing Dynamic Search Ad campaigns needed to be migrated into AI Max. The deadline to make that migration has now changed.

Previously, Google had said that all migrations needed to happen before September 2026.

Google now says advertisers will have until February 2027 to move their campaigns before Google does it for them. You don’t have to wait if you don’t want to, though. The manual transition tools are available now.

Additionally, Google is making reporting improvements for the Final URL Expansion (FUE), including:

• Account-level Final URL Expansion reporting
• Additional performance metrics for FUE assets
• Bulk asset removal capabilities directly from reporting tables

Google has not yet shared a launch date for the FUE updates.

7. LinkedIn Says Top Drivers of Buyability: Relational, Social, and Cultural

Looking to grow your B2B marketing reach on LinkedIn? A new report from Bain & Company has been released with a lot of great data.

In the report, LinkedIn shared that:

• 40% of deals stall because the buyers cannot agree
• Marketers have FOMU – Fear of Messing Up – and it’s holding them back
• 3 of the top 5 decision drivers revolve around group dynamics, not product features
• Buyers are 3 times more likely to buy if something is heavily recommended by someone they know

The bottom line? You have to build those social and cultural relationships if you want to outearn your competitor!

8. Threads Reaches 500,000,000 Users

Threads, Meta’s response to Twitter/X, has reached a huge milestone. The app now has up to 500 million monthly active users.

When Threads launched in 2023, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that his goal was to create a friendlier version of Twitter, and that aspect would “ultimately be the key to its success.” He seems to have been right.

Why We Care: Reaching this huge milestone has come on the heels of some exciting new tools and additions to the app. With so many users and so much flexibility with how brands can interact with their audiences, now is the time to consider adding Threads to your social media marketing tech stack.

9. 54% of Adults Get Their News from Social Media

If you get your news from social media, you’re not alone! Reuters Institute announced this week that social media is now the most common way for adults to get their news.

The survey revealed where most adults get their news, including:

• Social Media: 54% (up 3%)
• TV: 52% (down 2%)
• News Websites and Apps: 51% (down 2%)
• Radio: 21% (down 1%)
• Print: 16% (down 2%)
• None of These Sources: 6%

While people all over the world are getting their news from social media, it is a particularly popular source in Thailand, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States, where creator use is high.

The most popular platforms include:

• Facebook: 67%
• TikTok: 37%
• YouTube: 69%
• Instagram: 53%

Usage of all of these apps has increased since 2025. The only news app that saw a decrease in usage was X/Twitter, which fell to 17%.

Another important takeaway is that this doesn’t just apply to Gen Z or Gen Alpha. Numbers for social media have climbed for both those under and over 35 years of age.

Why We Care: If you want to market to a group of people who are informed about what’s going on in the world, it’s pretty clear they’re on social media, especially Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Take advantage of this by placing your ads in the middle of their scrolling.

10. User-Controlled Algorithms Will Change Social Media

With users now having more say in their feed, changes are coming to social media algorithms across platforms.

Although the platforms used to control each user’s algorithm, new changes are coming to Threads, Instagram, and TikTok that will transfer that power into users' hands.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for marketers remains to be seen.
While a customized algorithm could help you niche down and find the people who are actually interested in your product or service, it could also limit potential new customers from seeing your content.

For now, we’ll have to watch and see how it plays out.

Weekly Homework

• If you haven’t used Reddit to promote your business yet and you want to boost your SERP ranking, you might want to dive into the world of Reddit and Reddit Ads.
• Check out your Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard to see how the changes have affected your traffic.
• If you want to reach news-informed audiences, social media is your best bet! Find new ways to reach your preferred audience as they’re scrolling through their social media apps looking for breaking news and events.
• Mark your calendar for February 2027. That’s when all of your DSA must be moved over to AI Max campaigns.
• Keep an eye on your Threads, Instagram, and TikTok stats to see if user-controlled algorithms affect your reach.

Digital Marketing News 6/06/2026 to 6/12/2026

This week: Zero-Click Searches Reach 68%, Google Liable for AI Overviews, LinkedIn Launches Creator Marketplace, and Google Business Profile Joins GA4.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Zero-Click Searches Hit 68% – a 7.56 Increase in Two Years

Zero-click searches are on the rise!

According to a new study by SparkToro, zero-click searches accounted for 45.01% of all searches in 2016. At the beginning of 2026, they now account for 68.01% of all searches.

The study also revealed that, after a Google Search:

• 32% will click a link in the organic search results (66.61%), in AI Mode or another Google-owned property (2738%), or a paid ad (6.01%)
• 39% will end their search session without clicking on a link
• 29% will do another search without clicking on any links

That means that for every 1,000 US Google searches, only 232 clicks actually leave Google’s ecosystem.

What does that mean for you? Unfortunately, you have to work even harder to attract organic traffic, get captured by AI search engines, and do something out of the box to encourage people to click on your link.

2. 37% of Consumers Ignore Ads Entirely

A new study from Clutch revealed that some consumers will go out of their way to avoid seeing any ads.

The study found that:

• 93% of consumers avoid ads in some way
• 55% of consumers skip them
• 37% ignore them entirely
• 62% of viewers said they would pay several dollars a month for an ad-free experience
  • Of those, 28% said they would tolerate 1-2 ads for free
  • 38.5% said they would tolerate 3-4
  • The numbers dropped significantly after that
• 12% of viewers say they have “zero tolerance” for ads

Why We Care: Obviously, we’re marketers, so we want people to see and engage with our ads. With so many people focused on skipping them, we need to do an even better job at finding our target audience and creating really great content that they just can’t skip.

3. AI Visibility Does Not Always Equal Believability

According to a new study, AI visibility does not always lead to believability.

The Search Engine Journal noted that Burson's report stated that consumers are looking for more than just appearance in AI answers. They want to believe the answers that appear. For that to happen, brands need to focus on convincing the reader, too.

The report also acknowledged that business audiences rated AI answers 10% more credible than others. They also shared that business audiences care about innovation, while typical consumers are more focused on a company’s workplace culture and products when determining if a brand is believable.

Takeaway: Appearing in AI responses is only half the battle. Your brand should still work hard on proving its credibility.

4. German Court: Google Can Be Held Liable for False AI Overviews

Speaking of AI Overviews, the Regional Court of Munich found this week that AI-generated summaries are considered Google’s own content and aren’t protected like traditional search results were.

The ruling stated that since Google “rewrites, combines, and evaluates information in its own words and according to its own structure,” it’s no longer protected by German case law. This is because there is no clear third party supplying the information, so the responsibility falls on Google.

As a result of the lawsuit:

• Google must pay 80% of the legal cost, with each publisher paying 10%
• Google is at risk of repeat violations because it did not provide a cease-and-desist declaration with a penalty clause, and the same algorithms could continue to produce inaccurate results

While this is a temporary ruling in a German court, it could give publishers and brands a path forward in future lawsuits in which they claim AI Overviews aren’t their content and shouldn’t be held responsible for any misinformation. It will be interesting to see how this continues to play out, and if it should reach across the pond to the United States.

5. Google Business Profile Data Can Now Be Linked to Google Analytics

Google announced this week that Google Business Profile users can now link their GBP to their Google Analytics to track KPIs.

Once you link your GBP to your GA4, you can track metrics including:

• Interactions
• Website clicks
• Calls
• Directions
• Messages
• Bookings

GBP is a cornerstone of local SEO, and being able to track your metrics in the Google Analytics dashboard is a game-changer for streamlining reporting.

6. Google’s May Core Update Loved Pages That Matched Search Intent

We shared last week that Google’s May Core Update had wrapped up, and now its impacts are starting to become clear.

The biggest winners? Sites that actually match user search intent. If the content on the site matched a query’s intent, market, and result type, its ranking went up. If it missed a step, its ranking went down.

Domain authority didn’t seem to play too much of a role in this, with popular and credible sites like the NY Times and NIH experiencing drops.

While this research was done before the dust truly settled, it says something about creating with user intent in mind.

7. LinkedIn Launches B2B Creator Marketplace

LinkedIn wants to be your go-to place for all things B2B content creation. Is it the newest addition? A B2B Creator Marketplace.

Located within LinkedIn’s campaign manager, the marketplace will allow select brands and creators a place to connect with each other. Brands can search for relevant creators for their ads by topic, as well as things like follower count, post volume, social engagement, and recent content samples.

The marketplace also allows eligible creators to access monetization tools, which will make payments between brands and creators easier.

While the creator marketplace is currently only available to a select number of brands and creators, if it’s successful, LinkedIn will roll it out to more accounts. This could change the way B2B brands interact with their customers on the platform.

You can read more about LinkedIn’s new Creator Marketplace here.

8. Meta Launches New Creator Assistant Chatbot

There’s a new chatbot on the Meta scene. Introducing Creator Assistant, the new bot that Meta says will “help creators understand what to post, when to post, and more.”

In the launch announcement, Meta explained: “Creating great content is only part of your job as a creator. Between analyzing performance, figuring out what to post next, and trying to make sense of your numbers, it can feel like you need a whole team behind you. That’s why we built creator assistant: a conversational AI tool in your dashboard that acts as a personalized creative partner, built right into your Facebook workflow.”

To get the most out of this new bot, Meta suggests:

• Being specific with your queries
• Asking follow-up questions so that the bot will dig deeper into your content and data
• Mix up what you ask about. The more of your profile it explores, the better.
• Use it as a tool, not a replacement for your human ideas and audience feedback

The new chatbot is available now to eligible accounts in the US, Canada, and India. Meta says it will be rolling it out to more users and regions in the coming weeks.

9. Instagram Grid Rearranging is Finally Here

You’ve asked … and asked … and asked… and Instagram has finally delivered. Profile grid rearranging is finally here.

The upgrade has been released to most users, giving them an easy way to change how content is presented in their grid.

Here’s how Instagram says you can access this new tool: “Simply go to your profile, tap and hold any post on your grid, select ‘Reorder grid’ in the pop-up menu, long press, and drag your content to the desired position. Your changes are saved immediately and are visible to all profile visitors.”
It may seem like a small update, but for many brands and creators, it's a change they’ve been waiting for.

10. Non-Seasonal TikTok Campaigns Generated a 46% Higher Sales Lift

TikTok has released a new study about how successful TikTok promotions have been and you might want to see this.

The study looked at consumer analytics from across the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands, and found that:

• TikTok seasonal campaigns generated a 2.7% increase in in-store sales, compared to the 2.3% baseline
• TikTok non-seasonal campaigns saw a 3.5% increase in in-store sales, compared to the 2.4% baseline
• Campaigns that incorporated premium TikTok formats increased to a 3.4% sales lift and a 1.6 (or +14%) ROI
  Why We Care: If your audience is on TikTok, you might want to start planning those holiday campaigns now.

Weekly Homework

• You’ve worked on your AI visibility. Now is the time to put in more effort to improve your site's credibility. Figure out a strategy to boost your believability to drive more traffic to your site.
• Log in to your Google Analytics account and connect your Google Business Profile. It will track valuable metrics for you all in one place!
• Review your traffic since Google’s May Core update was finalized. Did you fall in the rankings, or was your content boosted?
• Log in to Meta and try out its new Creator Assistant AI chatbot. Consider using its insights to improve your Meta content.

Digital Marketing News 5/30/2026 to 6/05/2026

This week: 80M Consumers Shop With AI, Google Adds Lead Management Dashboard, and Meta AI Hack Exposes Accounts.

Here's what happened this week in digital marketing:

1. Nearly 80 Million US Consumers Will Turn to AI for Shopping Assistance in 2026

New research from eMarketer reveals that AI platforms and assistants are changing the digital retail experience.

The study revealed that almost 80 million U.S. consumers will turn to AI platforms and assistants to help them find, research, and purchase products and services. This number is expected to continue rising in the coming years.

Why We Care: The use of AI, specifically in ecommerce and digital marketing, will continue to rise. It’s in your brand’s best interest to figure out how to reach those consumers through these tools.

2. Gen X is Using AI Chatbots More Than Millennials and Gen Z

Other surprising research from eMarketer revealed that chatbot usage is on the rise for Gen Z users, even more so than with younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z.

The numbers revealed that Gen Alpha is using the tools the most, but Gen X isn’t far behind. The study also found that Gen Z, Millennials, and Baby Boomers are also increasing their AI chatbot usage, but at a slower pace than Gen X.

The study defined “chatbot usage” as the use of tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini. And, while it’s probably not surprising to see that Gen Alpha is using the tools the most, it is somewhat interesting that people aged 45-60 are embracing them more quickly than those aged 15-44.

If AI visibility has been a big source of discussion for your marketing, use this study to help you develop creative graphics and copy that will appeal to each generation.

3. Google’s May Core Update is Complete: How Did Your Site Fare?

Google’s May Core Update took almost 12 days, but it’s finally complete!

Many experts say this update has been hard to read and much more volatile than the March update. Google itself released core update documentation saying to wait a full week before analyzing your Search Console data.

When you do take a look at your data, be sure to focus on the patterns emerging from pages, queries, countries, devices, and search types. Single-day rankings may be somewhat unreliable when determining how this update affected your site.

4. Google Expands Preferred Sources into AI Overviews & AI Mode

Users could already select which sources they wanted to appear in their Top Stories, but now, Preferred Sources has been extended into AI Overviews and AI Mode.

When a user selects a website as a Preferred Source, Google will mark the results with a “Preferred” label. This way, people can get news and information from sources they already know and trust.

There’s a reason you would want your site named a Preferred Source. Google claims that people are twice as likely to click on those links than any other.

The update also introduced the “Highly Cited” badge. This label will appear on links that have been cited by other sources, even if they aren’t from one of your Preferred Sources.

5. Google Ads Launches Built-In Lead Management Dashboard

Google Ads is bringing lead management directly to your Google Ads dashboard.

This new lead management dashboard includes information such as:

• Total leads
• New leads
• Qualified leads
• Lost leads
• Lead status and progression through the funnel

Having all of this information in one centralized place will help marketers by:

• Reducing the risk of losing track of potential customers
• Sharing lead-quality and conversion signals with Google Ads
• Helping bidding algorithms prioritize high-value leads
• Identifying high-quality leads more quickly
• Moving prospects through the funnel more efficiently

You can see this new dashboard right inside your existing Google Ads console.

6. Google to Test AI Mode Healthcare Ads

This week, Google confirmed it will begin testing healthcare-related ads in the platform’s AI Mode.

People have been speculating that healthcare ads will soon start to appear in AI-generated search experiences. Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Product Liaison, confirmed it.

She also said that there will be several campaign-type options, including:

• Performance Max (PMax)
• AI Max with search term matching
• Shopping campaigns
• Broad match campaigns

These ads will appear in both AI Mode responses and AI Overviews.

Why We Care: This is insight into the future of advertising in AI responses. If it’s successful, we could see more ad eligibility for healthcare-related brands and other regulated industries.

7. Widespread Hacking Campaign Hits Meta Users

If you receive an email from Instagram about a potential hacking, it might not be spam. Meta announced that a large number of accounts were victims of a widespread hacking campaign.

Over the past weekend, hackers told Meta’s AI chatbot they owned specific accounts and requested that the AI tool reset the passwords and send the reset links to different email addresses than the ones on file. The chatbot complied, and no human Meta employees or contractors were notified at any point.

While Meta says the glitch is fixed, users are still having issues accessing their accounts after falling victim to this chatbot glitch.

Why We Care: While AI is great, things like this show just how important it is to integrate AI with human oversight.

8. Instagram’s New Tool Makes Recording Reels Easier

If you’ve ever struggled to create a Reel for your brand because you kept forgetting your lines, you’re going to love Instagram’s new tool.

Adam Mosseri, Instagram Chief, announced the new teleprompter feature through his own Instagram channel, saying: “We brought the teleprompter feature from Edits into the main Instagram camera. You can now add a script that scrolls while you record. Helpful if you want to stay on message without doing a ton of takes.”

This tool will help make creating Reels easier and more natural, while still allowing you to follow your script.

9. Meta Rolls Out Expansion of Teen Content Restrictions

Meta rolled out new features for its Teen Accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger this week.

These controls allow parents and guardians to set up their teens’ accounts to block certain content. Originally launched in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, Meta has now expanded the tools worldwide.

As explained by Meta: “Facebook’s new 13+ default setting is designed to hide content that’s inappropriate for teens in places like Feed and Reels, and to limit teens’ ability to interact with Profiles, Pages, Groups and Events that primarily post inappropriate content. On Messenger, the 13+ default setting limits teens’ ability to view links to inappropriate Facebook content, or to chat with accounts that primarily share inappropriate content on Facebook.”

While this is great news for parents concerned about social media use, it could change how your brand is viewed on these apps. Keep an eye on your KPIs to see whether they affect your ads and content at all.

10. Reddit Expands Shopify Integration Access

Reddit announced an expanded partnership with Shopify this week.

Previously announced in March, the Shopify integration is now available to all merchants across the globe, not just those in specific countries.

The tool allows Shopify merchants to launch Reddit ads directly from their Shopify storefront. The codeless Reddit Pixel integration enables easier data tracking and automated catalog syncing, removing technical barriers for merchants and their teams.

Reddit now has 493 million weekly active users. That’s a lot of people who could potentially be exposed to and buy from your brand if you advertise on the platform.

Weekly Homework:

• Use the recent studies from eMarketer to influence your upcoming AI visibility strategies.
• Wait about a week, and then check your Google Search Console to see how your website was affected by the May Core Update.
• Check out the new Lead Management dashboard in your Google Ads account to see how you can use the information in there to improve your ad targeting and ROI.
• If you’re into making Instagram Reels, use the new teleprompter tool to help keep a smoother cadence while speaking and recording.
• Keep an eye on your Meta ads and content to see if you are affected by the new parental control tools.
• If you’re a Shopify merchant, explore how the new Reddit integration could help you reach a larger audience.