AdWeek reported that Google told clients it plans to add ads to its Gemini AI chatbot in 2026, but Google’s top ads executive is publicly denying it. Driving the news. Google reps reportedly told major advertisers on recent calls that Gemini would get its own ad placements in 2026, according to Adweek. This is separate […]

Google is quietly testing a new way to make Shopping ads feel more local. Select ads using local inventory feeds now display the merchant’s city or town directly above the product title — think “London” or “Tonbridge” — giving shoppers a clearer sense of where the store is based. Why we care. The new location […]

LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude now sit across search, content generation, and recommendations.   Now, 80% of tech buyers rely on generative AI at least as much as traditional search to research vendors, according to a Responsive survey of B2B buyers.  This effective transfer of trust in AI discovery has become an enablement tool for […]

If it feels like the entire internet woke up one day and decided to start every sentence with “AI,” you’re not wrong. Marketers are being hit with a daily wave of LinkedIn thought leaders, half-baked prompt hacks, and promises that ChatGPT is either going to 10x your productivity or take your job entirely. And in […]

OpenAI is trying to reassure paying users after ChatGPT surfaced what looked like ads from brands like Target and Peloton – and said those prompts weren’t ads at all. What happened. Paying ChatGPT users shared screenshots of promotional-style prompts, including a message urging them to “Shop for home and groceries. Connect Target.” In response, OpenAI […]

Google Search Console will be gaining social channel data in the Insights report tab. This is a new “experiment” that “unified view of their Google Search performance across their websites and social channels,” Google wrote. The Insights report will show performance data for some of your social channels, including YouTube, Tiktok and Instagram. What Google […]

Long sales cycles, low conversion volume, and multi-stage purchase journeys make measurement and attribution harder, creating real obstacles to campaign optimization. For B2Bs and brands selling high-ticket items, this is the reality.  A campaign launched today may take weeks or even months to show revenue, retention, or lifetime value – delaying your ability to use those […]

Our 2025 Year in Search film shows us a year where we reimagined the future and were inspired by the past.This year’s film highlights a wide range of moments the world s…

SMX Advanced – the premier conference for senior-level search marketers – returns to Boston June 3 to 5, 2026 at the Westin Boston Seaport. We want to bring the most advanced strategies in SEO, PPC, and AI to our community – and we need your help to make it happen. Search is changing faster than […]

On episode 333 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Nils Rooijmans, a renowned Google Ads script expert and top 10 PPC influencer, where she shares the experience of a costly error that serves as a valuable lesson for anyone managing paid search campaigns. The Setup: A quick account onboarding gone wrong The trouble […]