Google's third core update of 2025 devastated Discover traffic for news publishers during peak holiday season, while OpenAI signals advertising ambitions and major ad tech consolidation reshapes the competitive landscape.
by Luis Rijo
Google Ad Manager launched focused banner ads on March 9, 2026, a beta format that blurs article text mid-scroll until readers tap a button to resume reading.
Tests and antitrust filings reveal Google AI Mode draws from FastSearch - a cached, lighter index separate from the live web powering traditional Search results
Google expanded Ads Advisor with three agentic safety features: real-time policy reviews, 24/7 security monitoring, and instant certifications via Gemini.
Danny Sullivan last week republished his 1996 Webmaster's Guide to Search Engines, a 30-year milestone document that shaped modern SEO practices and terminology.
Perion and EMARKETER survey 111 US marketers on creative optimization: only 3.6% actively optimize despite 89% viewing creative as critical to performance.
EU proposes requiring Alphabet to share Google Search query, click, ranking and view data with rival engines on FRAND terms in DMA specification proceedings.
Google kills Dynamic Search Ads in September, ChatGPT ad CPMs drop from $60 to $25, the IAB records $294.6B in 2025 digital ad revenue, and Amazon's billing crisis deepens.
Meta's new measurement report argues last-click attribution misallocates 31% of conversions, pushing advertisers to adopt hybrid incrementality frameworks.