SEO Tools and Resources

Google Ads is rolling out mandatory brand guidelines. It requires you to officially document your business names and logos by March – or face automated changes to your ad campaigns. The big picture. The move represents Google’s latest effort to standardize brand presentation across its advertising platforms while giving businesses more control over their digital identity. Key details: Advertisers must update their brand guidelines before March. If no action is taken, Google will automatically select “top-performing” business names and logos based on campaign data. The change affects how brands appear across all Google’s ad platforms. Why we care. Cl…

Google is rolling out a new video creation tool for its Demand Gen campaigns that automatically turns advertisers’ existing image and text assets into videos across all aspect ratios. Driving the news. According to a notice sent to advertisers, the feature will apply to all image-only ad groups created before August 27th, with auto-generated videos beginning to serve after October 31st — unless advertisers opt out. How it works: The tool pulls from current image and text assets to produce branded video variations. These videos are designed to extend reach across more channels and formats, optimizing for both vertical and horizontal placements. Adver…

Google Ads will launch a new Message asset requirements help center and begin enforcing stricter policies for message assets. Why we care. Advertisers relying on message assets risk having them blocked if they don’t meet the updated requirements. Ensuring compliance will be critical to maintaining campaign reach and performance. The details. Enforcement begins Oct. 30 and will ramp up over four weeks. Message assets that fail to comply or can’t be verified will no longer serve. Disapproved assets can be fixed by following Google’s policy guidance. Bottom line. Advertisers should review and update their message assets ahead of the deadline to avoid disr…

Google is tightening its account retention policy — canceled Google Ads accounts will now be permanently deleted six months after cancellation, marking the end of indefinite account storage. Driving the news. Under the new policy, Google will begin a cleanup of inactive accounts, sending a 30-day email warning before deletion. Previously, advertisers could reactivate canceled accounts at any time, preserving data and structure indefinitely. Why we care. This change could impact advertisers who rely on historical performance data, conversion tracking, or campaign templates stored in inactive accounts. Once deleted, all account history and assets — including campaig…

Google Ads is making a major change to its Search Partner Network by automatically opting all accounts out of serving ads on parked domains, websites that are registered but not actively developed, starting March 19. Details: Google will automatically opt out all advertiser accounts from showing ads on parked domains. The change will roll out gradually over several months. Advertisers can still manually opt in through their account’s Content suitability settings. Why we care. The change will affect all advertisers using Google’s Search Partner Network, potentially reducing ad reach but improving quality of ad placements. Between the lines. While Goo…

Google will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. As a reminder, the definition of top ads changed about a year ago, as Google began mixing ads in various organic positions throughout the search results. With this change, Google also reminded us that it updated its unfair ads policy (i.e. double serving) to say this is not double serving. Google added the words, “in a single ad location,” as an exception to the policy last March after Google was caught double serving ads under its old definition. What Google said. Google wrote: Today, we’re sharing more about a recent change we…

Some advertisers are reporting that a Google Ads system tool designed for low-activity bulk changes is automatically enabling paused keywords — a behavior many account managers say they haven’t seen before. What advertisers are seeing. Activity logs show entries tied to Google’s “Low activity system bulk changes” tool that include actions enabling previously paused keywords. The log entries appear as automated bulk updates, with a visible “Undo” option. Historically, the tool has been associated mainly with pausing inactive elements, not reactivating them. What we don’t know. Google hasn’t publicly documented the behavior or clarified whether this is an int…

Google today celebrated the 25th anniversary of its ad platform, first launched as AdWords in 2000. Now known as Google Ads, the platform remains the backbone of the company’s revenue engine. Over two and a half decades, Google Ads has evolved from a manually managed system to a sophisticated AI-driven advertising platform spanning Search, YouTube, Play, and the wider web. What Google is saying. Google is celebrating, with Vidhya Srinivasan, VP/GM of Ads & Commerce, sharing how AI is empowering us to rethink what’s possible’ and create a future of smarter, more helpful advertising. “Generative AI is transforming digital marketing, and I am so proud to see…

Google Ads will change how automatically created customer conversion goals are set as account-default starting Nov. 17, aiming to reduce wasted spend from campaigns optimizing toward irrelevant goals. How it works now. New conversion actions created via the API automatically generate customer conversion goals. Those goals are set as account-default by default, making them biddable across campaigns. The result: campaigns may target unnecessary goals, diluting performance. What’s changing. Under the new rules, a newly created goal will only default to account-level bidding if every other goal in that category is already account-default. Example: If an acc…

Google will update its Misrepresentation policy specific to the Dishonest Pricing Practices. Specifically, this will require advertisers to disclose the payment model or full expense that a user will incur before and after purchase, and clarify any false or misleading impressions of the cost of a product or service. What is changing. Google will update the policy specific to these changes: Advertisers must clearly and conspicuously disclose the payment model or full expense that a user will bear before and after purchase. Pricing practices that create a false or misleading impression of the cost of a product or service, leading to inflated or unexpected charge…

Google revised its policy for dating and companionship advertisers, pushing back enforcement and clarifying certification rules for aggregators. Extension. The deadline for certification has been extended from March 4 to April 9. After this date, uncertified advertisers will no longer be permitted to run ads. Aggregator update. Aggregatoars promoting dating or companionship services will be eligible to serve restricted ads with proper certification, starting April 9. These ads will appear on Search with age and country restrictions. Certification for aggregators opens Feb. 25, while other advertisers can continue applying for certification. Why we care…

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 Ads can now surface a recommendation to link your unlinked Google Analytics account to your Google Ads account. The neat part is that the linking of your Google Ads and analytics account can be done with a single click. How it works. Google will show this as a recommendation in the Recommendations section of the Campaigns page in the Google Ads console for eligible users. All you need to do is review the recommendation and click “Apply.” What it looks like. Here is a screenshot of the recommendation: Why we care. Google said advertisers “who link their Google Ads or Google Marketing Platform accounts to a Google Analytics property are correlated …

Google Ads’ new AI image tool, Nano Banana Pro (NB), brings conversational image generation and editing directly into campaigns, letting advertisers create seasonal, mood-adjusted, and material-specific visuals without a photoshoot. It’s part of Google’s broader push alongside Opal, its AI writing tool, to accelerate content creation across PMax, Display, and other automated campaigns. Driving the news. Ameet Khabra, founder of Hop Skip Media, ran extensive tests across three industries—mattresses, HVAC, and real estate—to evaluate NB’s performance in live campaign scenarios. She found that while the tool shows impressive results in some areas, it has notable limitati…

Google is starting to roll out its new Text Guidelines feature in Google Ads, a tool first announced at the Think Retail event five weeks ago that gives advertisers more control over AI-generated ad copy. Driving the news. The feature, now appearing in some accounts, lets marketers set campaign-level text parameters — guiding Google’s AI to stay within brand tone, language preferences, and compliance requirements when generating text assets. Why we care. As Google Ads leans deeper into AI-powered creative, advertisers have been asking for stronger brand safety and message consistency controls. Text Guidelines offer a way to fine-tune AI output without sacrific…

Every year, Google suspends tens of millions of Google Ads accounts for advertising policy violations. One specific policy area that confuses many legitimate advertisers is Google’s “three-strikes” system. Essentially, if Google decides your account has repeatedly violated any of 15 specific Google advertising policies, you’re at risk for temporary (and potentially permanent) suspension of your Google Ads account. To help you prevent a single policy issue from snowballing into a full account suspension, here’s how Google’s three-strike system works and what you should do at every stage to keep your ads running. Case study: Appealing a Google Ads strike Over…

Google cites retailers only 4% of the time, while ChatGPT does it 36% of the time. That 9x gap means shoppers on each platform get steered in very different ways, according to new BrightEdge data. Why we care. Millions of shoppers now turn to AI for deals and gift ideas, but product discovery works differently on the two leading AI search platforms. Google leans on what people say, while ChatGPT focuses more on where you can buy it. What each AI prioritizes. Google AI Overviews cite YouTube reviews, Reddit threads, and editorial sites, while ChatGPT cite retail giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. Google AI Overviews prioritize: YouTube revi…

Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin answered a slew of questions about the upcoming AI Max for Search Campaigns feature. Here are the key insights and revelations about this significant update to Google’s advertising platform from the interview, which was conducted by PPC specialist Julie Bacchini, founder of Neptune Moon. Rollout timeline and availability AI Max for Search Campaigns will begin rolling out globally at the end of May, with the complete rollout expected by early Q3. This optional suite of AI-powered features aims to enhance existing search campaigns rather than introduce an entirely new campaign type. Keyword strategy and keywordless target…

Google is doubling down on AI-driven ads just as search behavior shifts toward conversational queries, giving advertisers more automation while trying to preserve control. What’s new. AI Max expands beyond Search: Now rolling out to Shopping campaigns and travel-specific formats, broadening reach across more advertiser types. AI Brief (powered by Gemini): A new interface that lets advertisers steer AI using natural language inputs. Text disclaimers + URL automation: Compliance-friendly updates to pair with automated landing page selection. Why we care. Google is making AI Max a core layer across Search, Shopping and Travel, meaning automa…

Google’s AI Mode isn’t more likely to cite content that appears “above the fold,” according to a study from SALT.agency, a technical SEO and content agency. After analyzing more than 2,000 URLs cited in AI Mode responses, researchers found no correlation between how high text appears on a page and whether Google’s AI selects it for citation. Pixel depth doesn’t matter. AI Mode cited text from across entire pages, including content buried thousands of pixels down. Citation depth showed no meaningful relationship to visibility. Average depth varied by vertical, from about 2,400 pixels in travel to 4,600 pixels in SaaS, with many citations far below the tr…

Google AI Mode is getting more visual by providing a more graphical response to some of your queries, including your shopping search queries. Google can do this by using its new visual version of the query fan-out technique it has used with AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google AI Mode, for certain queries, particularly those related to shopping, will respond with images and graphics. These are aimed at sparking inspiration, Robby Stein, VP of Product Management at Google Search, told Search Engine Land. AI Mode will be able to not just understand your query in a text-based manner, but also understand your query visually and respond with both textual and visual resp…

Google announced updates to Chrome that let searchers use AI Mode in a more “engaging” and “deeper” way. Chrome lets you do all of this without switching tabs and potentially losing your place. What is new. Chrome added these new features: (1) Search side-by-side: When you’re using AI Mode in Chrome desktop, clicking a link will open the webpage side-by-side with AI Mode. This makes it easier to visit relevant websites, compare details, and ask follow-up questions while maintaining the context of your search. Here is what it looks like: (2) Search across your tabs: On Chrome desktop or mobile, you can tap the new “plus” menu on the New Tab page (or t…

Google has added multimodal capabilities to its new AI Mode feature, letting you ask your questions with the assistance of uploading an image. Plus, Google announced it is rolling out AI Mode to millions of more Labs users in the U.S. AI mode with images. Google AI Mode now lets you upload an image via upload or your camera to ask AI Mode questions with images. Google calls this multimodal capabilities, which is launched years ago in other areas of Search. “With AI Mode’s new multimodal understanding, you can snap a photo or upload an image, ask a question about it and get a rich, comprehensive response with links to dive deeper,” Robby Stein, VP of Product, Googl…

Google is now rolling out access to AI Mode to its second batch of users. Google first allowed Google One AI Premium subscribers access to AI mode, when it first launched on March 5th. If you opted into AI Mode and are based in the United States, you may now have access. How to access AI Mode. Once you again access then you should be able to access AI Mode – here is how: Go to www.google.com, enter a question in the Search bar, and tap the “AI Mode” tab below the Search bar. Go directly to the AI Mode tab on Google Search at: google.com/aimode. In the Google app, tap the AI Mode icon below the Search bar on the home screen. The initial bug. When Goog…

The narrative in SEO right now is simple: Google’s AI Mode doesn’t send traffic. If it becomes the default Google Search experience, your website will starve for clicks. There’s one problem, though: the studies claiming “AI doesn’t send traffic” focus almost entirely on informational queries. Yes, if someone wants to know what a basal cell carcinoma looks like, AI will kill that click. But what happens when someone wants to find a dermatologist to check that mole? No one has shared a study like that yet. So we decided to fix that. We ran the first UX study focused specifically on transactional intent in AI mode. We watched 52 participants across the U.…