SEO Tools and Resources

Google is adding three new “agentic” safety features to Ads Advisor, its AI assistant inside Google Ads, aimed at reducing manual work while tightening security and compliance. As campaigns grow more complex, advertisers are spending more time fixing policy issues, managing access, and handling certifications. Google’s pitch: let AI handle the heavy lifting so marketers can focus on performance. What’s new. The update introduces proactive troubleshooting, always-on security monitoring, and instant certifications — all powered by AI and Gemini capabilities. Zoom in: Ads Advisor can now flag and help resolve policy violations automatically, even before adve…

Creating video content takes time and budget, so understanding how it performs is critical. YouTube’s native analytics in YouTube Studio are robust, but they’re locked behind account access. That can make reporting difficult — especially when you need to share data or don’t have direct login access. Moving that data into Google Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) makes it easier to analyze and distribute. With Data Studio, you can: Pull YouTube data into reports you already use. Schedule automated updates for stakeholders. Customize dashboards around the metrics that matter. Track performance without relying on backend access. Here’s how to …

Search has changed, and brands need to catch up fast, according to IBM’s Alexis Zamkow (global lead of Marketing Transformation solutions) and Sandhya Ranganathan Iyer (associate partner – AI), speaking yesterday at Adobe Summit. AI tools don’t just help people search. They answer questions, compare products, and recommend brands. In many cases, users never even visit a website. That means if your brand isn’t part of the AI-generated answer, you may not be part of the decision. To keep up, brands need more than new tactics. They need a system — a GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) playbook. Here’s a recap of their presentation, Adapt or Disappear: How Brands…

Microsoft is rolling out a suite of updates across Microsoft Advertising to help brands stay visible — not just to people, but to AI agents increasingly making decisions on their behalf. What’s new. The update spans measurement, commerce, and media, with new tools designed to help advertisers show up in AI-driven experiences and transactions. On the ads side. Microsoft is introducing AI Max for Search campaigns, which expands query matching and personalizes ad delivery across AI surfaces like Copilot and Bing. It’s also launching “Offer Highlights,” new ad formats that surface key selling points — like free shipping — directly within AI conversations. Zoom in:…

Picture this: Your company relies on Data Studio for SEO reporting. It’s right before your next big meeting when you’re planning to present results… but Data Studio has an outage (again) and suddenly you have nothing to show. That’s embarrassing. And it happens more than it should. It wasn’t even a year ago that I touted the benefits of Looker Studio (now Data Studio) for SEO reporting. Now the platform feels archaic compared to the agentic coding tools available today. Here’s how rigid SEO dashboards like those produced in Data Studio are holding you back and why code-driven SEO reporting is the only way to remain efficient and competitive. The pr…

Demand Gen campaigns have high visibility across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. However, they pose a key challenge: the “attribution illusion.” You’ll often question whether reported conversions in the platform are truly incremental or if these users would’ve converted through search either way. That’s why in November, Google launched asset uplift experiments, giving you the ability to measure the impact of Demand Gen creative through an A/B split test. This means you can replace assumptions with a clearer view of what’s actually driving incremental results. Relying too heavily on creative instinct or default reporting can lead you down an inefficient path and dive…

Yelp is rolling out its most significant AI update yet, centered on a new conversational “Yelp Assistant” designed to move users from searching to actually booking, ordering, and scheduling — all in one flow. What’s new. Yelp Assistant sits at the center of the update, acting as a chatbot that can answer complex queries, recommend businesses, and complete actions like reservations or appointments without leaving the app. Zoom in. The assistant pulls from Yelp’s massive base of user reviews and photos to generate tailored recommendations, explain why a business fits, and let users refine results conversationally. It can then take the next step — booking a t…

For 20 years, Google Ads management has followed the same basic model: you log in, review performance, make changes, and hope they work before the next check-in. Agencies, freelancers, and in-house teams all work this way, even as the tools have changed. Spreadsheets gave way to scripts, and scripts gave way to automated bidding, but the core loop never changed — someone still had to sit in the account. groas aims to change that model by introducing a system designed to automate campaign execution end-to-end. Our company announced today it has developed a fully end-to-end autonomous system that’s designed to match or exceed PPC performance benchmarks observed…

SEO in 2026 is expanding, not changing. Traditional search still matters, but now SEO also includes AI-driven discovery, social platforms, and chatbots. The principles are the same, like clarity, structure, authority, and relevance, but the platforms are multiplying. We surveyed 59 SEOs to see how they’re handling these changes. Table of contents Download the PDF report now 1. SEO isn’t dying, but evolving 2. Keep the name Search Engine Optimization 3. Good SEO is LLM optimization 4. Rankings still matter, but not like they used to 5. Organic traffic is still king, but for how long? 6. Content saturation is a big threat 7. Most SEOs are ignoring a fast-growing s…

Google updated its YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements as of April 2026 to clarify how election-related ads are handled, without changing how the rules are enforced. Why it matters. Advertisers using YouTube and Discover placements already operate under tight guidelines, and election ads have historically been a gray area. This update is meant to remove confusion rather than introduce new restrictions. What’s new (and what’s not). The update explicitly states that election ads are exempt from YouTube and Discover Feed ad requirements, but this is purely a clarification. There are no changes to enforcement, meaning advertisers who were compliant before should…

Google is experimenting with video ads inside the local pack, signaling a shift toward more immersive, visual formats in location-based search. Driving the news. The test was spotted by Anthony Higman, who shared that Google is integrating “immersive map view videos” into PPC ads tied to local results. These video ads appear within the local pack — the map-based listings that show businesses near a user’s search. What’s new. Instead of static listings or text-based ads, some advertisers may now have the option to surface video content directly in local search results. The feature appears tied to settings within Google Ads’ Location Manager. I…

Every digital PR (DPR) team’s been there: New data drops and the team huddles while someone stares at a blank Google doc spiraling over angles and journalist targets. Eventually, a pitch limps out the door just in time to hit “Send” before end of day. The pitch then lands in a top-tier publication, everyone celebrates, and the next month the whole team does the exact same thing over again, like it never happened. But here’s the thing nobody talks about: That winning pitch is a valuable asset, and most teams will just leave it sitting in their sent folder collecting virtual dust. Whether it was a data study, a product launch, or an expert quote, that pitch is …

Back in December, Google began showing read more links on some of the search result snippets within Google Search. Today, Google published new documentation around best practices on how to show Read more links in the Google search results. The best practices. The new documentation was posted over here in the snippets section and it lists three best practices: Make sure content is immediately visible on the page to a human (and not hidden behind an expandable section or tabbed interface, for example). Avoid using JavaScript to control the user’s scroll position on page load (for example, don’t force the user’s scroll position to the top of the page). If you …

Watch this video on YouTube Rand Fishkin didn’t get into SEO because he saw the future. He got into it because he had no choice. In the early 2000s, Fishkin helped run a small web business with his mom in Seattle. They hired another company to do SEO until they couldn’t afford to pay them anymore. That moment pushed him into search marketing. More than 20 years later, Fishkin has become one of the best-known voices in SEO — and one of Google’s biggest critics. In this interview, he looks back at how search has changed, what went wrong, and what may happen next. Early SEO was wild SEO today can feel messy. But in the early days, it was even more…

If you know anything about Google Ads Asset Studio, you’ve heard the hype: “Google just killed every excuse for not running video ads.” “Total game changer! You don’t need a production budget anymore.” “Upload a few product images and get campaign-ready video in minutes.” From Google Ads > Tools > Asset Studio, you can build, manage, and scale images and videos across ad formats. The recent addition of Veo (Google’s AI video generation model) and Nano Banana Pro means you can now turn a handful of product images into full-motion video ads, for free, in no time. Apparently, video creative is no longer a constraint. But does Asset Studio actuall…

You’ve audited your client’s website and compiled performance data. You’ve identified what’s working, what can be improved, and your recommendations for future strategies. But how do you turn that data into a presentation that’s easy to explain and builds trust? Start with stories. Storytelling isn’t just for entertainment. It’s how people make sense of information. That’s what makes it so effective for data presentation. One of the simplest ways to structure that story is the three-act structure. It’s a familiar framework used everywhere, from Aristotle’s Poetics to Star Wars. What is the three-act structure? The three-act structure is a simple framework…

AI has quickly become the most overconfident line item in the modern marketing roadmap. Budgets are shifting. Teams are being restructured. Vendors are being evaluated almost exclusively through the lens of how “AI-powered” they appear. There is a growing assumption that once the right models are in place, performance will follow. Better targeting. Smarter segmentation. Higher conversion. More efficient spend. It sounds almost inevitable. But there is a quieter reality beneath the momentum. One that rarely makes it into boardroom conversations or conference keynotes. Most organizations are not struggling to use AI. They are struggling to feed it. And w…

OpenAI is emerging as a new advertising channel, but early advertiser sentiment is mixed as brands grapple with limited data, unclear performance, and a rapidly evolving product. Driving the news. Two months after launching ads in ChatGPT, advertisers are experimenting — but still lack clear measurement tools and performance benchmarks. Early campaigns are largely impression-based, with little insight into outcomes. CPMs have reportedly been high, with initial minimum spends in the six figures. Some advertisers say the product feels early and slow to mature. The vibe check. According to Ad Age reporting, advertiser sentiment sits somewhere between cauti…

Google is tightening security across its ads ecosystem, requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) for API users — a move that could impact how developers and advertisers access and manage accounts. Driving the news. Google will begin rolling out mandatory MFA for the Google Ads API starting April 21, with full enforcement expected over the following weeks. The update applies to users generating new OAuth 2.0 refresh tokens through standard authentication workflows. What’s changing. Users will now need to verify their identity with a second factor — such as a phone or authenticator app — in addition to their password when authenticating. Existing OAuth r…

OpenAI is continuing its push into ad-supported monetization — a strategy it began earlier this year — by expanding ads to more countries while keeping premium tiers ad-free. Driving the news. OpenAI is starting to roll out ads for users on Free and Go plans in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The rollout applies only to lower-tier plans. Paid tiers — including Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education — will remain ad-free. Why we care. This opens up a new and rapidly growing channel to reach users inside AI-driven experiences. As OpenAI expands ads into more markets, it signals early opportunities to test and understand how advertising works in convers…

Google may be streamlining one of the most error-prone parts of campaign setup — conversion tracking — by reducing the need for manual tag implementation. Driving the news. Google Ads is testing a new “Set up in Google Tag Manager” option within its conversion setup flow, according to screenshots shared by Google Ads Specialist, Natasha Kaurra. The feature appears alongside existing installation methods and allows advertisers to push conversion tracking setups directly into Google Tag Manager. What’s new. Instead of copying conversion IDs and labels between platforms, advertisers can click the new button to open a pre-filled tag setup inside GTM. That …

Google search traffic is dropping. If you’ve spent years building organic strategies, watching it happen in real time is uncomfortable. But it’s also clarifying. I started seeing the shift across SaaS clients. Pages that had driven steady traffic for years — educational, top-of-funnel (TOFU) content — were losing ground. Not because the content got worse, but because users no longer needed to click. AI Overviews were doing the job for them. That forced a decision: keep defending the old model or adjust the strategy. I chose to adjust. What became clear pretty quickly is that while informational content is losing clicks, bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content is hold…

Traffic from AI sources increased 393% year-over-year in Q1 and 269% in March. But the real surprise? AI traffic is converting better than last year. AI-driven visits converted 42% better than non-AI traffic in March. A year ago, AI traffic was 38% less likely to result in a purchase. By the numbers. Traffic from AI sources increased engagement by 12%, time on site by 48%, and pages per visit by 13%. Adobe also surveyed consumers and found that: 39% have used AI for shopping. Of those, 85% said it improved the experience. 66% believe AI tools provide accurate results. What they’re saying. According to Vivek Pandya, director of Adobe Digital Insights:…

Search remained the largest force in digital advertising in 2025. However, its growth slowed as total U.S. ad revenue climbed to a record $294.6 billion. Search still dominates. Search generated $114.2 billion, accounting for 38.8% of total digital ad revenue, according to the latest IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report. But growth slowed to 11%, down from 15.9% in 2024, as advertisers shifted more budget into faster-growing formats and as AI began reshaping how users discover information. Overall market growth accelerated as the year went on. It climbed from 12.2% in Q1 to 15.4% in Q4. The fourth quarter alone brought in $85 billion, even without majo…