SEO Tools and Resources

News executives expect search referrals to drop by more than 40% over the next three years, as search engines continue evolving into AI-driven answer engines, according to a new Reuters Institute report. That shift is squeezing publisher traffic and accelerating a move away from classic SEO toward AEO and GEO. Why we care. Google’s AI Overviews and chatbot-style search are changing how people get information, often without clicking through. SEO visibility, attribution, and ROI models built on old playbooks are breaking fast. What’s happening. Publishers expect search traffic to nearly halve. Survey respondents forecast search engine traffic down 43% within three y…

Live sports advertising is getting more programmatic — and more measurable. Driving the news. Google is rolling out new biddable live sports capabilities in Display & Video 360, including programmatic access to NBCUniversal’s Olympic Winter Games inventory, ahead of a packed 2026 global sports calendar. Why we care. Live sports remain one of the few media environments that consistently deliver massive, attentive audiences. By bringing premium sports inventory into biddable CTV, Google is giving advertisers more control, better measurement, and easier activation — without sacrificing reach. What’s new. Advertisers can now combine Google audience signals wit…

Google is broadening what counts as an eligible promotion in Shopping, giving merchants more flexibility heading into next year. Driving the news. Google is update its Shopping promotion policies to support additional promotion types, including subscription discounts, common promo abbreviations, and — in Brazil — payment-method-based offers. Why we care. Promotions are a key lever for visibility and conversion in Shopping results. These changes unlock more promotion formats that reflect how consumers actually buy today, especially subscriptions and cashback offers. Greater flexibility in promotion types and language reduces disapprovals and makes Shopping ads more…

Apple is teaming up with Google to power its next generation of AI features, including a long-awaited Siri upgrade. What’s happening: Apple will use Google’s Gemini AI models and cloud infrastructure to support future Apple Foundation Models. The multi-year partnership is expected to roll out later this year. Why we care. With Gemini powering Siri, Apple’s assistant should become a true AI answer engine. That will likely change how millions of iOS users find information, ask questions, and interact with search. Driving the news. Apple said it chose Google after a “careful evaluation,” calling Gemini the “most capable foundation” for its AI ambitions. We l…

PPC advice in 2025 leaned hard on AI and shiny new tools. Much of it sounded credible. Much of it cost advertisers money. Teams followed platform narratives instead of business constraints. Budgets grew. Efficiency did not. As 2026 begins, carrying those beliefs forward guarantees more of the same. This article breaks down three PPC myths that looked smart in theory, spread quickly in 2025, and often drove poor decisions in practice. The goal is simple: reset priorities before repeating expensive mistakes. Myth 1: Forget about manual targeting, AI does it better We have seen this claim everywhere: AI outperforms humans at targeting, and…

For the last few years, copywriting has been quietly written off. Not with outrage. Not with ceremony. Just sidelined. Replaced. Automated. Words – the core material of SEO, landing pages, ads, and persuasion – were demoted during the traffic rush and later the AI gold rush. Blog posts were generated. Product descriptions were bulked out. Landing pages were templated. Content teams shrank. Freelancers disappeared. And a convenient narrative emerged to justify it all: “AI can write now, so writing doesn’t matter anymore.” Then Google made it worse. The helpful content update, followed by AI Overviews and conversational search, didn’t just …

Marketing mix modeling (MMM) has shifted from an enterprise luxury to an essential measurement tool. Tech giants like Google, Meta, and Uber have released powerful open-source MMM frameworks that anyone can use for free. The challenge is understanding which tool actually solves your problem and which require a PhD in statistics to implement. Open-source MMM tools are often grouped together but solve different problems The landscape can be confusing because these tools serve fundamentally different purposes despite being mentioned together. Google’s Meridian and Meta’s Robyn are complete, production-ready MMM frameworks that take your marketing data a…

LinkedIn targeting in Microsoft Advertising exists to help brands message-map their best creative with the ideal audience. When approached thoughtfully, it allows you to apply professional understanding to intent‑driven inventory without breaking the bank. The key is knowing how the targeting methods work together across the various campaign types. What follows is a practical guide to using LinkedIn data inside Microsoft Advertising, including: LinkedIn in Search campaigns (includes Multimedia ads). Using LinkedIn insights to inform broader audience strategy. Performance Max targeting signals. Directional insights into audience reach and composi…

Regulated industries have long faced heightened scrutiny in organic search. This is where “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) first took hold. AI Overviews and LLMs like ChatGPT have intensified that scrutiny, expanding both the audience and the consequences. Accuracy and credibility have always mattered for SEO success in regulated sectors, but in today’s AI-driven search environment, the bar is significantly higher. Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are not optional for regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, government, and education, which sit squarely within Google’s YMYL territory. In this new search lan…

Budgeting in paid search isn’t just about setting a daily number. It requires understanding how platforms pace spend, the exceptions to those rules, and what changes when budgets are adjusted mid-month. Most PPC advertisers change budgets during the month and want to know how it will affect performance. Enterprise advertisers add complexity, with fiscal cycles and promotional flights that rarely align with calendar months. The problem is that many advertisers assume platforms will simply spread spend evenly. When that doesn’t happen, campaigns overspend one week and underspend the next. Both outcomes are costly. Overspending erodes profita…

Consumers are increasingly using AI tools — not Google — as their first source of information. This is driven by frustration with traditional search and rising expectations that AI will play a much larger role this year, according to a new report from Eight Oh Two, an SEO and PPC marketing agency. Why we care. AI isn’t replacing search, but it’s reshaping where search begins, how people discover brands, and which options they consider. A hybrid journey is emerging: AI delivers the first answer, and traditional search confirms it. Brands now need consistency across both or risk losing credibility when users cross-check. As more consumers turn to AI, visibility, trust, …

For years, OpenAI set the pace of the generative AI revolution with ChatGPT. Their partnership with Microsoft seemed unbeatable, coupling innovation and enterprise distribution. However, the lead they once held is now in the balance. Faced with evidence that Google’s Gemini has not only caught up but surpassed capabilities in critical areas, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a dramatic decision by declaring an internal “code red.” Doing so paused all non-essential initiatives to focus exclusively on ChatGPT’s quality. The most significant casualty of this shift was OpenAI’s plan to introduce advertising into ChatGPT. It’s important to note that OpenAI’s ad…

The rules of search have changed. Marketing funnels aren’t meant to stall. You pour hours into creating content, refining workflows, optimizing landing pages, and protecting brand consistency. How can all that effort, content, and creativity go to waste? But your funnel feels it. The uncomfortable truth is that even the strongest funnel can’t save you if a large portion of your audience never sees your work. SEO is flatlining. AI-generated summaries are pushing your branded content aside. The metrics start to tell a story you don’t want to hear, one that makes it look like you don’t even have a marketing team. Even if you keep pace with endless de…

This first release of 2026 brings Site Kit by Google insights into your Yoast SEO Dashboard. After introducing the integration in phases throughout 2025, we are pleased to share that the rollout is now complete and available to all Yoast customers using WordPress. What you can see in your Yoast SEO Dashboard You can now view key performance data from Google Search Console and Google Analytics via Site Kit in your Yoast SEO Dashboard, without changing tools or tabs. These insights include search impressions, clicks, average click through rate, average position, and organic sessions, which are combined with your Yoast SEO and readability scores so you can better un…

Starting in March 2026, Google Merchant Center will enforce a new system for multi-channel products — items sold both online and in physical stores — requiring advertisers to use separate product IDs when those products differ by channel. What’s changing. Under the new approach, online product attributes will become the default. If a product’s in-store details differ, advertisers will need to create a second version with a distinct product ID and manage it independently in their feeds. What advertisers should do. Google has started emailing affected accounts, flagging products that need updates ahead of the March deadline. Retailers should review their product…

Google is updating its advertising policies to allow ads for Prediction Markets in the U.S. starting January 21st — but only for federally regulated entities. Who qualifies. Eligibility is limited to entities authorized by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as Designated Contract Markets (DCMs) whose primary business is listing exchange-listed event contracts, or brokerages registered with the National Futures Association (NFA) that offer access to products listed by qualifying DCMs. Advertisers must also apply for Google certification to run ads in the U.S. Why we care. Prediction markets have long been restricted on Google Ads. This change opens a n…

The new year is here, which means it’s time to deliver your end-of-year (EOY) PPC report. But an EOY report isn’t just a longer version of your monthly performance check-in. It’s typically read by a different audience – often leadership teams who don’t see your regular reporting – and it needs to tell a different story. Done well, your year-end report sets the tone for 2026, earns buy-in for your strategy, and positions you as a strategic partner rather than just a campaign manager. Done poorly, it creates confusion and undermines confidence in your work. Here’s how to build an EOY PPC report that speaks to leadership and sets your work up for succes…

Remember when link building was all the rage in SEO? While it never disappeared, its role evolved as Google introduced clearer guidelines and placed greater emphasis on quality, relevance, and intent. Today, as AI search reshapes the organic landscape, link building has shifted into a closely related – and increasingly prioritized – initiative: brand mentions. You might think of brand mentions as “citations,” but in the context of AI search, citations describe how brands are referenced by LLMs. Brand mentions are the input that leads to those citations. To avoid confusion, this article uses brand mentions to describe the tactic itself. Beyond their r…

Writing strong page titles is one of the simplest and most impactful SEO optimizations you can make. The title tag is often the first thing users see in search results, and it helps search engines understand the content of your page. In this article, you’ll learn what SEO page titles are, why they matter, and how to write titles that improve visibility and attract clicks. Key takeaways Crafting a strong page title is vital for SEO; it attracts clicks and helps search engines understand your content An SEO page title appears in search results and browser tabs, serving as the first impression for users To optimize your page title, include relevant keywords an…

PPC didn’t stand still in 2025. It adjusted. These articles resonated because they answered the real questions advertisers are asking: how to stay competitive, cut wasted spend, work with automation instead of against it, and prepare for what’s next. Below are links to the 10 most-read Search Engine Land PPC columns of 2025, written by our exceptional subject matter experts. 10. Can small businesses compete on Google Ads anymore? With the right strategy, even the smallest business can stand out, win customers, and make a lasting impact. Here’s how. (By Sophie Logan. Published Sept. 16.) 9. Google Ads optimization: What to stop, start, and continue in 2025 …

Google is testing showing a blue “Send” button in the search box as you begin to type your query. The AI Mode button, which now shows at the right side of that search box disappears as you type your query and is replaced by this Send button. What it looks like. Shameem Adhikarath spotted this and posted a video of it on X: As you can see, as you begin typing your query, the AI Mode, Lens and Microphone buttons all disappear and is replaced by this blue Send button. That plus sign still remains, so that was not removed. Why we care. Firstly, this is just a test but if this launches, this may send fewer people to Google’s AI Mode and more searchers to Go…

SEO now sits at an uncomfortable intersection at many organizations. Leadership wants visibility in AI-driven search experiences. Product teams want clarity on which narratives, features, and use cases are being surfaced. Sales still depends on pipeline. Meanwhile, traditional rankings, traffic, and conversions continue to matter. What has changed is the surface area of search. Pages are now summarized, excerpted, and cited in environments where clicks are optional and attribution is selective. When a generative AI summary appears on the SERP, users click traditional result links only about 8% of the time. As a result, SEO teams need a clearer playboo…

The PPC landscape in 2025 shifted faster than ever, with updates arriving at a pace unmatched in the industry’s 20-year history. At SMX Next, a panel of industry experts broke down what’s working, what’s failing, and what advertisers should prepare for in 2026 and beyond. The state of PPC The panelists agreed that 2025 marked a major shift, especially in how quickly Google responded to advertiser feedback. Ameet Khabra, founder of Hop Skip Media, called the year “interesting” and said he was genuinely surprised by Google’s willingness to listen to advertisers, especially on channel reporting for Performance Max. “It was really cool to see the people wh…

Google introduced Creator Search, which allows advertisers to discover YouTube creators using keywords or channel handles, then narrow results by subscriber count, average views, location, and contact availability. The update significantly reduces the manual work involved in creator research and outreach. Alongside search, Google added a new Management section that centralizes creator communications. Advertisers can now see creator names, inquiry status, subjects, latest updates, and respond-by dates in one place, with direct email access built in. Why we care. As creator-led campaigns become more central to media strategies, advertisers need better tools to f…

Google launched a beta integration for Google Tag Gateway that lets advertisers deploy it through Google Cloud Platform (GCP) using a new one-click workflow inside Google Tag Manager and Google tag settings. What’s new. The GCP integration uses Google Cloud’s Global external Application Load Balancer to route tag traffic through an advertiser’s own first-party domain before sending it to Google. The goal is to streamline deployment while improving data signal quality and resilience against ad blockers and technologies like Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Why we care. As browsers and platforms continue to limit third-party tracking, advertisers are loo…