SEO Tools and Resources

Another year in search has come and gone, and Google called it year three of a 10-year platform shift. In 2025, that shift became impossible to ignore. AI moved from experiments and previews into the core of how search actually works. Below are the biggest SEO news stories of 2025 on Search Engine Land. Note: This article doesn’t include any stories related to Google algorithm updates. Barry Schwartz wrote a separate recap on that, which will also publish today. 10. Perplexity ranking factors and systems Independent researcher Metehan Yesilyurt analyzed browser-level interactions to reveal how Perplexity scores, reranks, and sometimes drops content. He unc…

In this new era of generative AI technology, searchers have begun to swap keywords with prompts. Shorter and long-tail queries are being replaced by more conversational prompts, which tend to be longer and more in-depth. These days, searchers are expecting more complete answers than a paginated list of results. Until we get an AI-specific equivalent of Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools, we can’t really see for certain what or how our audience is behaving on AI search platforms as they look for our content, brands or products. However, we can still look for proxies to emulate how this journey works. Here are multiple ways to use other data points as pro…

The web’s purpose is shifting. Once a link graph – a network of pages for users and crawlers to navigate – it’s rapidly becoming a queryable knowledge graph. For technical SEOs, that means the goal has evolved from optimizing for clicks to optimizing for visibility and even direct machine interaction. Enter NLWeb – Microsoft’s open-source bridge to the agentic web At the forefront of this evolution is NLWeb (Natural Language Web), an open-source project developed by Microsoft. NLWeb simplifies the creation of natural language interfaces for any website, allowing publishers to transform existing sites into AI-powered applications where users and intelligen…

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season fast approaching, you’re probably knee-deep in holiday account planning. Today, we’re zeroing in on a Google Ads feature that you can use all year ‘round, but may be particularly useful to you and your customers during the holidays: Promotion assets. What are promotion assets in Google Ads? Promotion assets (formerly known as promotion extensions) are an optional addition to your Search or Performance Max campaigns. They allow you to highlight special deals, sales, and discounts your business is currently running, alongside your standard ad headlines and descriptions. Promotion assets can show on Goo…

SerpAPI said it will “vigorously defend” itself after being sued by Reddit for allegedly scraping and reselling data from the platform via Google Search results. The response. SerpAPI called Reddit’s language “inflammatory” and said it was “extremely disappointed” to learn of the lawsuit without prior communication. “Our work is guided by a simple principle: public search data should be accessible,” the company said. SerpAPI argued its position is backed by the First Amendment and called Reddit’s actions a threat to “the free and open Web we all enjoy.” What they’re saying. According to SerpApi: “For eight years, SerpApi has operated transparently and…

Many still treat E-E-A-T as a box to tick in an SEO audit. But it’s more than that – it’s how search engines and AI systems decide which content to trust. The paradox? Global brands that dominate in one country often underperform in others. Without clear local trust and authority signals, even the strongest global reputation may not carry across borders. Why E-E-A-T breaks down across borders When Google or an LLM compares multiple content options, it must choose which is the most complete, accurate, and trustworthy. That decision once leaned heavily on backlinks. Now, advanced algorithms consider a richer mix – authorship, structured d…

Over the past year, Google Ads has increasingly embraced automation, shifting the account manager’s role in both practice and strategy. The granular control and transparency we once took for granted are rapidly disappearing. As 2026 approaches, it’s time to face reality – five PPC tactics are falling out of favor in the new era of automation. 1. Relying on phrase match keywords Once the go-to option for advertisers who weren’t ready for a broad match strategy but wanted to expand search volume, phrase match has recently fallen out of favor. Google continues to redefine how match types work. Because Smart Bidding and broad match rely on multiple i…

Google has expanded Product Studio inside Merchant Center, rolling out three new creative features that go beyond its original image generation tool. What’s new. In addition to image generation, Product Studio now lets merchants animate static product images into short videos using suggested text prompts, a move aimed squarely at short-form ads and social-style creative. Google has also added one-click background removal to help isolate products and create cleaner, more consistent Shopping visuals. The third update increases image resolution, allowing advertisers to upscale older or lower-quality assets to meet modern visual standards. Why we care. P…

Why this matters now Marketing budgets in 2025 have stayed the same, yet expectations keep rising. CMOs report budgets stuck at roughly 7.7% of company revenue, which means teams are expected to do more with the same dollars. In that context, the most practical use of AI is not a moonshot, but a set of clear fixes to everyday bottlenecks that slow teams down and drive costs up. This article breaks down four problems that marketers face right now and how AI is already solving them. The difference today is that Artlist AI, including image, video and voice generators, turns AI from a novelty into a reliable production system. When you use AI to streamline your workflo…

Google’s pitch for AI-powered bidding is seductive. Feed the algorithm your conversion data, set a target, and let it optimize your campaigns while you focus on strategy. Machine learning will handle the rest. What Google doesn’t emphasize is that its algorithms optimize for Google’s goals, not necessarily yours. In 2026, as Smart Bidding becomes more opaque and Performance Max absorbs more campaign types, knowing when to guide the algorithm – and when to override it – has become a defining skill that separates average PPC managers from exceptional ones. AI bidding can deliver spectacular results, but it can also quietly destroy profitable campaigns …

Table of contents What are you actually paying for when building a website? Website building options Watch out for these hidden costs How Yoast saves you money (over time) Budgeting tips for small business owners Ecommerce vs. general website: does it change the cost? Final thoughts TL;DR Thinking about building a website? Whether you are a small business owner, a freelancer, or launching a side project, one of the first questions you will want answered is: how much does it cost to build a website? This is not just about curiosity, understanding your website costs early on can help you budget effectively and avoid any unpleasant surprises. The truth is that t…

Google is rolling out two new AI-powered assistants — Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor — built on its latest Gemini models to help advertisers manage campaigns and uncover insights faster. The tools, which begin rolling out to all English-language Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts in early December, are designed to turn complex campaign management and data analysis into simple, conversational experiences. Ads Advisor: optimization and automation in one place. Ads Advisor serves as an in-platform AI partner that helps advertisers manage, troubleshoot, and scale their campaigns. It learns from user interactions to deliver increasingly personalized …

Google is working to fix the Google Discover feed by removing the fake AI spam that has been creeping in over the past several weeks. “We’re actively working on a fix,” Google told the Press Gazette after the magazine documented many cases of the Google Discover feed being polluted with this AI spam. Google’s statement. Here is the full statement Google provided: “We keep the vast majority of spam out of Discover through robust spam-fighting systems and clear policies against new and emerging forms of low quality, manipulative content. We’re actively working on a fix that will better address the specific type of spam that’s being referenced here, maintaining our …

Google is rolling out automatic linking between YouTube channels and Google Ads accounts when its systems detect a strong data relationship between the two — giving advertisers access to richer audience signals without manual setup. Driving the news. Google will begin automatically linking accounts when its signals show a “high-confidence connection.” Admins and channel owners receive an email 30 days before the link is created, giving them the option to opt out or link early. How it works If no one opts out during the 30-day window, Google completes the link automatically. Dual admins — with access to both accounts — can link immediately. Even after li…

Performance Max (PMax) campaigns have become the cornerstone of AI-driven advertising. Both Google and Microsoft offer advertisers a way to consolidate creative assets, audience signals, and automation into a single campaign type. (Disclosure: I work as Microsoft’s product liaison.) While the concept is similar across platforms, the execution and feature sets differ significantly. This article aims to provide an objective comparison of Google PMax and Microsoft PMax as of late 2025. We’ll explore what’s universally true, what’s unique to each platform, and strategic considerations for advertisers looking to maximize performance. What’s universally tr…

Google is quietly rolling out a new Performance Max feature that lets advertisers upload video files directly inside the “Edit assets” panel — no YouTube channel or Shared Library required. Driving the news. The feature, spotted in the Google Ads UI, adds a simple “Upload” tab during asset creation in PMax campaigns. A highlighted upload box now appears in the YouTube ad setup workflow, guiding users to drop in a video file and move on — significantly reducing friction for new video advertisers. How it works. Uploaded videos are stored in a Google-managed house channel, not the advertiser’s YouTube account. That means the assets can be used in ads, bu…

Google reduced the minimum audience size requirement to just 100 active users across all networks and audience types, making remarketing and customer list targeting far more accessible—especially for smaller advertisers. What’s new. Audience segments with as few as 100 users can now be used across Search, Display, and YouTube, including both remarketing lists and customer lists. The same 100-user threshold now applies for segments to appear in Audience Insights, down from 1,000. Catch up. The shift toward smaller audience thresholds began in May, when Google lowered the minimum user requirement for Customer Lists in Search campaigns from 1,000 to 100. Why …

A surge of sophisticated phishing attacks is letting scammers take over full Google Ads Manager accounts (MCCs), giving them instant access to hundreds of client accounts and the power to burn through tens of thousands of dollars in hours without being noticed. Driving the news. Agencies across LinkedIn, Reddit, and Google’s own forums are reporting a rise in MCC takeovers, even among teams using two-factor authentication. The attackers’ preferred weapon is a near-perfect phishing email that mimics Google’s account-access invitations. Victims say hijackers add fake admin users, link their own MCCs, and begin launching fraudulent, high-budget campaigns. In some…

Table of contents What are backlinks? What are AI citations? Why AI citations matter for visibility? How are AI citations and backlinks different? How to earn both? Create deep, original, and useful content Write for real questions, not just keywords Leverage structured data Build relationships for natural backlinks Focus on clarity and quotability Monitor, analyze, and adapt Exploring Yoast’s AI features Backlinks or citations: What truly matters for visibility? For years, backlinks have been the gold standard for building authority, driving link juice, and climbing up the SERPs. But with the rise of Generative AI, the search landscape is shifting. Instead of…

The third and likely final core update of 2025, the December 2025 core update, is now rolling out and complete. It started on December 11, 2025 and was completed about 18 days and 2 hours later on December 29, 2025. Google called this update “a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.” This December 2025 core update came after waiting five months since the previous core update, the June 2025 core update. That June update came a few months after Google’s first core update on the 2025 year, the March 2025 core update. In the coming days we will gather data on the impact of this update and share …

More than a decade ago, I coined the term brand SERP – the result you get when someone searches for your name or company. I called it the “digital business card” because I saw firsthand how a messy one could cost a business trust and revenue. That idea shaped how many people think about online reputation and visibility, but the landscape has shifted again. \In the age of assistive and conversational AI – from ChatGPT to Perplexity to Google AI – a new and far more powerful asset has emerged: the AI resume. Unlike a brand SERP, which reflects what Google shows, the AI resume reveals what the machines themselves understand about your brand. It’s a liv…

Traditional search engines rely on countless ranking signals to deliver the most relevant answers to users. In the age of AI, signals appear to be simpler – at least for now. Court documents from Google’s antitrust case reveal that AI Overviews rely on lighter signals and fewer documents in the index. However, content clarity and topical connections are more important than ever. To be visible in the era of AI search requires content that is: Well-structured, so that relationships between topics are clear. Expertly written, so that the meaning and depth are obvious. Machine-readable, so entities and relationships are easy to interpret. In…

TikTok is introducing a new ad solution, Travel Ads powered by Smart+, designed to help brands connect with travelers during the discovery and booking phases. Why now. Travel is one of TikTok’s fastest-growing verticals. According to internal TikTok data: 66% of users say the app is their most helpful source of travel inspiration. Users are 2.6x more likely to book after searching on TikTok. How it works. Travel Ads leverage TikTok’s travel intent model and catalog integration to automatically serve personalized creatives at scale. Smart+ AI powers campaign setup, creative generation, and delivery optimization, aiming to convert discovery into bookings…

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…

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…