Search Engine Marketing

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered Google not just to give site owners a way to opt out of AI Overviews but also to explain how the search engine ranks its search results. Also, the CMA has ordered Google to allow users to port their search data to certain third-party services. Transparency on search […]

ChatGPT’s product recommendations changed 80.2% when search was enabled, according to a study of 20,000 responses by Jeff Oxford, founder and CEO of Visibility Labs. Oxford tested 1,000 product-recommendation prompts 10 times each with ChatGPT search enabled and 10 times with search disabled. Only 19.8% of products recommended without search also appeared in recommendations generated

AI referrals to U.S. travel sites nearly tripled in May. AI visitors spent more time on site and bounced less than visitors from traditional sources, according to Adobe. By the numbers. Traffic from AI sources to U.S. travel sites grew 194% year over year in May 2026, Adobe said. It was up 2,215% since October

AI search is changing at a pace none of us has experienced before in marketing. The presentations I saw at Zero Click NY highlighted both how much AI search has changed over the past six months and the characteristics that may become lasting features of the landscape. Of all the points covered, these seven stood

Google is removing a layer of advertiser control over Customer Match audience classification, automatically assigning customer types to conversion-based lists starting in August 2026. Advertisers will no longer be able to leave eligible lists unclassified. What’s changing. Beginning in August 2026, Google Ads will automatically assign conversion-based customer lists to one of several customer types,

A year ago, 82% of consumers said AI-powered search was more helpful than traditional search. By 2026, that number had dropped to 54%, a 28-point decline in sentiment over 12 months. Consumers aren’t giving up on AI search, though. Seventy percent say they’re using AI tools for search more than they did last year. How

“Ultimate guides” were the undisputed heavyweight champions of SEO. They were built specifically to align with how Google’s algorithm measured content value. The “skyscraper technique” helped cement a doctrine: length = depth.  But the web moved on. Search intent shifted toward fast answers, AI saturation destroyed length as a credibility signal, and Google’s systems began

The common advice is to build authority off your own site through digital PR, mentions, and high-authority links. Grow your third-party mentions, grow your AI visibility, right? Right instinct. But the source-set that an AI relies upon differs for every topic, so your off-property authority building efforts must also be topic-driven.  This week: Why AI