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Month: December 2025

Must-Read PPC Insights: 2025’s Top 10 Expert Articles

This past year, PPC has been anything but static – it has evolved. As I explored the insights from 2025, I found these articles resonated deeply. They addressed crucial questions like maintaining a competitive edge, eliminating wasteful spending, collaborating with automation, and gearing up for the future.

Join me as I take you through the links to the top 10 most-read PPC columns on Search Engine Land from 2025, crafted by our incredible experts.

10. Can small businesses compete on Google Ads anymore?

Though it might seem challenging, even the smallest businesses can carve out their niche and captivate customers. Discover the strategies that make this possible. (By Sophie Logan. Published Sept. 16.)

9. Google Ads optimization: What to stop, start, and continue in 2025

Update your optimization techniques for 2025 with innovative approaches to keywords, Performance Max, and audience targeting. (By Pauline Jakober. Published Feb. 6.)

8. CPC inflation: How fast are Google Ads costs rising?

With increasing CPCs, understanding the pace of this inflation and comparing it to the consumer price index is essential for shaping your ad strategies. (By Mark Meyerson. Published April 16.)

7. The end of SEO-PPC silos: Building a unified search strategy for the AI era

AI is bridging the gap between organic and paid search. Learn how integrating SEO and PPC can enhance your visibility and brand presence. (By Jen Cornwell. Published Oct. 6.)

6. How to vibe code for PPC: Building a seasonality analysis tool

PPC scripts have limitations, but with vibe coding, you can remove obstacles and transform complex seasonal data into practical planning tools. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Aug. 21.)

5. How to write high-performing Google Ads copy with generative AI

Streamline your ad creation process without losing your core message. Leveraging generative AI can help craft engaging, personalized copy that truly connects. (By Jason Tabeling. Published Aug. 1.)

4. 7 Google Ads search term filters to cut wasted spend

Discover filtering techniques that refine targeting, reduce unnecessary clicks, and reveal new keyword opportunities. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 22.)

3. Google Ads scripts: Everything you need to know

Enhance your campaign management with Google Ads scripts. Uncover insights, actionable tips, and use cases for leveraging automation to improve performance. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Jan. 9.)

2. PPC in the age of zero-click search: How to stay profitable

As clicks become scarcer, maintaining visibility requires precise targeting and value-based bidding. Achieving this ensures your prominence in both paid and organic searches. (By Sarah Stemen. Published Oct. 7.)

1. 5 Google Ads tactics to drop in 2026

With Google’s environment becoming more automated, some PPC tactics are now obsolete. Discover what to eliminate and what to focus on for the coming year. (By Sarah Vlietstra. Published Nov. 4.)

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 30, 2025
Unveiling 2025’s Top PPC Updates: Exciting Shifts in Advertising

2025 was a whirlwind year for those of us in the pay-per-click (PPC) marketing world, with changes coming fast and growing increasingly complex.

I noticed how significant many of Google’s updates were throughout the year, from the introduction of deeper automation with AI Max to ads being integrated directly into AI Overviews and more transparency and control being offered with Performance Max campaigns.

There were also key updates to Google Tag Manager and conversion tracking that really changed how I trust and collect data, not to mention the effects of policy shifts, automatic content extraction, and major advertisers like Amazon and Temu pulling back from Google Shopping, shaking up auction dynamics.

Now that 2025 is coming to a close, let me walk you through the headlines that caught my attention, ranked by pageviews.

10. Google changed how Tag Manager works with Google Ads

On March 10th, Google updated Google Tag Manager, ensuring that the Google tag would load before any events, thereby improving tracking accuracy and data collection from April 10th onwards. For me, this meant GTM automatically loaded the Google tag for containers with Google Ads and Floodlight tags, allowing simplified access to Enhanced Conversions and cross-domain tracking directly within tag settings.

9. Google Performance Max campaign API placement exclusions

On January 28th, Google revealed we can actually control Performance Max campaigns using API-based placement exclusions, overturning prior documentation and support guidance that stated otherwise. I found research from ad tech firm Optmyzr confirming that these API exclusions effectively blocked spending on excluded placements, providing stronger programmatic control over PMax campaigns.

8. Search Terms visibility in Google Performance Max campaigns

On March 21st, Google gave us the ability to see which search terms were triggering ads in Performance Max campaigns and introduced the option to add negative keywords directly from the Search Terms report, enhancing transparency and giving us more control.

7. Google Ads AI Max for Search campaigns beta

On May 6th, Google introduced AI Max, a one-click enhancement for Search campaigns, offering us the power of advanced AI to expand reach and dynamically generate ads, while adapting creative elements in real time.

6. Google AI Overviews ads

Starting May 22nd, Google began placing ads directly within AI Overviews, marking a significant shift in monetizing its generative search experience. This new feature was confirmed during Google Marketing Live 2025.

5. Google Ads allowed multiple ads for the same business on one results page

On March 31st, Google allowed the display of multiple ads for the same business on a single results page, provided they appeared in different locations, thereby opening up opportunities for larger brands to increase their visibility.

4. Google launched automatic marketing content extraction

On April 3rd, Google introduced a feature that automatically pulls existing marketing content from merchants to boost visibility across Search, Shopping, and Maps. Merchants were auto-enrolled, but could opt-out anytime?

3. Temu pulled its U.S. Google Shopping ads

On April 14th, Temu’s abrupt withdrawal of its U.S. Google Shopping ads revealed the heavy reliance on paid acquisition. This move, coinciding with increased tariffs and strict enforcement of import regulations, significantly impacted its market presence.

2. Amazon pulled out of Google Shopping ads

On July 25th, Amazon’s unexpected cessation of Google Shopping ads shook the market, given its historical role in driving auction competition and ad revenue. A month later, it resumed internationally but remained absent in the U.S.

1. Google Ads simplified conversion tracking with new tag manager feature

Google Ads, on February 5th, simplified conversion tracking within Google Tag Manager by introducing a wizard-style setup for creating conversion events without manual coding, revolutionizing my approach to tracking and optimization.

PPC in 2025 was undoubtedly dominated by major headline-worthy updates, largely centered around Google’s changes. Moving forward, I expect 2026 to bring even deeper AI integration. The real game-changer will be how expertly we can apply AI strategically.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 30, 2025
Boost Your Visibility with ChatGPT’s Commerce Feed Optimization

I’ve discovered some fantastic insights on how to effectively submit and optimize product feeds for ChatGPT’s agentic commerce system. This is crucial for keeping your products visible, enhancing ranking, and minimizing conversion loss.

Let me guide you through the process, so you can stay ahead of the competition and ensure your feeds are optimized to meet the latest standards. It’s essential for any business aiming to leverage the full potential of ChatGPT in boosting their ecommerce success.

Inspired by this post on HiGoodie Blog.

December 29, 2025
Boost Your Website’s AI Visibility: Overcome Crawling Hurdles

Have you ever wondered why your site isn’t getting the attention it deserves from AI crawlers? I know how frustrating it can be to feel overlooked in the digital world. Often, Cloudflare might be the culprit blocking access.
Let me guide you through diagnosing these issues, providing solutions, and optimizing your site for better LLM (Large Language Model) visibility. Together, we’ll ensure your site is primed for the AI-age and ready to capture its rightful place in search rankings.

Inspired by this post on HiGoodie Blog.

December 29, 2025
Discover the Impact of Google’s Latest 2025 Core Update

It feels like a whirlwind every time Google releases a core update, and the December 2025 core update was no different. I’m thrilled to share that this is the third core update of 2025, taking a little over 18 days to roll out completely. It kicked off on December 11 and concluded on December 29. According to Google, this update aims to enhance the visibility of relevant and satisfying content across all types of sites.
Reflecting on the timeline, this update came five months after the June 2025 core update, which itself followed the March 2025 update. It’s interesting how Google spaces these updates throughout the year, creating waves of anticipation and speculation in the SEO community.
In the coming days, I’m eager to delve into data to understand how this update has influenced rankings and share that insight with you via Search Engine Land.
What Google is saying.
Google has updated its Search Status Dashboard to signal, ‘Released the December 2025 core update. The rollout may take up to 3 weeks to complete.’ On LinkedIn, they reiterated, ‘This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.’
What we saw.
In my observations, the update’s initial effects were evident a few days post-release, notably on December 13. Another significant spike in volatility appeared on December 20. As is common with core updates, some websites experienced massive ranking drops, others surged, and many saw no change.
If you’re interested in a deeper dive, I recommend checking out this insightful video from Glenn Gabe.
What to do if you are hit.
Google hasn’t provided new recovery guidelines specific to this update. Historically, they advise that no specific actions are required for recovery, and a ranking drop doesn’t necessarily indicate issues with your pages. They also offer a list of questions for site assessment post-update impact.
Google has reiterated that creators should consistently aim to produce satisfying, people-focused content. Check out their helpful content guide for more insights.
You can learn more about these updates through Google’s core update documentation.
Previous core updates.
Reflecting on recent updates: the June 2025 core update started on June 30 and wrapped on July 17; the March 2025 update began March 13 and ended March 27. Looking back further, the December 2024 update ran from December 12-18, while November 2024 spanned November 11 to December 5.
Why we care.
With the December 2025 core update now in the books, it’s an opportune time to assess its influence on your sites and client sites. Analyzing the changes can guide you to refine your content strategy, potentially bolstering future rankings. Remember, Google’s core updates roll out every few to several months, emphasizing the continuous need for optimization.
Good luck with navigating this update, and here’s to a successful start to the new year!

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 29, 2025
Discover the Most Impactful SEO Insights of 2025: A Must-Read Guide

Wow, what a whirlwind 2025 was in the ever-evolving world of SEO! I found myself constantly amazed at the pace of change, especially with the rise of GEO and AI-driven discoveries.

The incredible advances—from multi-platform searches to innovative AI applications—made this year truly groundbreaking. As I dove into these shifts, Search Engine Land remained my trusted guide, helping me navigate what’s happening, what’s on the horizon, and, most importantly, what really matters.

I’m thrilled to share with you the 10 most-read SEO columns of 2025. These pieces, penned by some of the best minds in the field, captivated and informed readers like never before.

10. Will GEO replace SEO – or become part of it?

Roslyn Ayers explores the vibrant world where SEO meets GEO, showing us how AI powers this multi-dimensional experience. (Published Aug. 8)

9. Meet llms.txt, a proposed standard for AI website content crawling

Rob Garner dives deep into the mechanics of llms.txt, shedding light on its impact—it’s an indispensable read to stay ahead. (Published March 28)

8. SEO vs. GEO: What’s different? What’s the same?

Join Dan Taylor as he unpacks the synergy between SEO and GEO strategies, unlocking new opportunities for visibility. (Published July 28)

7. How AI Mode and AI Overviews work based on patents and why we need new strategic focus on SEO

Michael King offers a fascinating analysis of patents that is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of SEO. (Published June 2)

6. How to get cited by AI: SEO insights from 8,000 AI citations

James Allen provides key insights into how AI models like ChatGPT trust strategic content to shine in search results. (Published May 12)

5. AI search is booming, but SEO is still not dead

Lily Ray highlights the intersection of AI and foundational SEO practices, emphasizing the enduring power of core strategies. (Published July 18)

4. 11 free Chrome extensions you need for SEO

Stephanie Wallace shares her toolkit for efficiency, introducing extensions that complement traditional SEO tools. (Published Jan. 16)

3. AI traffic is up 527%. SEO is being rewritten.

David Bell interprets the Previsible AI Traffic Report, urging us to adapt as AI revolutionizes site traffic dynamics. (Published Aug. 5)

2. AI optimization: How to optimize your content for AI search and agents

Jed White delves into optimizing sites for AI, stressing the need for clean HTML and quick response times. (Published Jan. 29)

1. The end of the web? Goodbye HTML, hello AIDI!

Mario Fischer ponders the monumental shift toward AI interfaces, contemplating the implications for SEO and digital commerce. (Published Nov. 14)

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 29, 2025
Unveiling Google’s 2025 Core and Spam Updates in Review
Reflecting on Google’s 2025 algorithm adventures, I’m reminded that fewer confirmations don’t equate to less excitement in search rankings.

Google rolled out four confirmed algorithm updates this year, including three core updates and one spam update. Interestingly, this is a decrease from prior years—seven updates in 2024 and nine in 2023.

Fewer updates confirmed, more surprises for search. Google might be confirming fewer updates, but that doesn’t mean there are fewer changes under the hood. As they’ve stated, not all core updates are announced, and I’ve experienced plenty of volatility tracking all the unconfirmed tweaks.

I’ve followed numerous unconfirmed updates on the Search Engine Roundtable, making 2025 a year of unpredictability despite fewer confirmations.

Google confirmed algorithm update summary

Here’s a timeline that visualizes all these exciting developments in 2025, showcasing the rollercoaster of changes throughout the year.

Three Google core updates in 2025. Spread over the months, we saw these core updates rolling out in March, June, and December.

March 2025 core update. The journey began on March 13, taking 14 days to unfold by March 27. Google assured us it was a routine core update, enhancing search results.

It was reminiscent of prior updates, as reflected in historical data.

June 2025 core update. Commencing on June 30 and concluding by July 17, this update repeated the thematic improvements seen previously, capturing further interest.

Intriguingly, some sites reported partial recoveries post-update, signifying its intense impact.

December 2025 core update. Starting on December 11, its rollout remains incomplete, but it’s consistently producing expected outcomes across the board.

The updates stirred considerable volatility, particularly noted during weekends like December 13th and December 20th.

One Google spam update in 2025

August 2025 spam update. Launched on August 26 and concluded by September 22, this update rapidly impacted site rankings and thankfully, some saw recoveries.

The spam update remembered for its quick impact: changes manifested within 24 hours and fluctuated again around September 9.

Other Google algorithm changes, updates, tweaks or topics

In addition to core and spam updates, myriad updates across the year conditioned search engines and users alike.
- Google introduced AI Mode, broadening its reach globally.
- The year included Gemini model updates; notable are Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 3 Pro.
- June saw updates targeting explicit content. Google emphasized enhanced ranking methodologies.
Google Search bugs. Known bugs marked the year, with key highlights:
- Server issues emerged briefly in June.
- August involved a crawling bug, which took days to resolve.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 29, 2025
Unveiling 2025’s Top SEO Changes: Google’s AI Revolution
Reflecting on another year in the world of search, I’ve seen how Google labeled 2025 as year three of a 10-year transformative shift. This change, centering on AI, became undeniably evident. No longer just an experiment, AI has now firmly integrated into the core processes of search.

Here, I’ll share the most significant SEO news stories of 2025 from Search Engine Land.

Note: This overview excludes Google algorithm updates, which Barry Schwartz has covered in a separate recap published today.

10. Perplexity Ranking Factors and Systems

Diving into the intricacies, independent researcher Metehan Yesilyurt examined browser-level interactions, revealing how Perplexity scores, ranks, and sometimes drops content. His findings uncovered a three-layer machine learning system reordering entity searches, manual authority whitelists, and many engagement signals.

He also observed that authoritative domains, early strong performance, and tech-focused topics received boosts. The ranking further mirrored time decay, interconnected content clusters, and trending YouTube content that amplified visibility.
- How Perplexity ranks content: Research uncovers core ranking factors and systems
9. Google Search Console Query Groups

In a move all about clarity, Google introduced Query groups to the Search Console Insights report. By employing AI, it groups similar search queries into distinct audience topics. These don’t influence rankings but make performance trends more apparent, especially for high-volume sites.
- Google Search Console adds Query groups
8. HubSpot’s SEO Decline

I was surprised to see HubSpot’s organic traffic plummet from 13.5 million to 8.6 million within a month, mainly impacting its blog. This followed several Google updates, with SEOs pointing to thin, broad content not aligned with HubSpot’s core expertise.
- HubSpot’s SEO collapse: What went wrong and why?
7. SEO vs. GEO

The ongoing identity debate in SEO continues as Google rejects new terminologies like GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization). They maintain that strong SEO practices are also effective for GEO, underpinning AI Overview rankings’ fundamentals.

Yet, as AI answers replace clicks, traditional search still plays a vital role in discovery, despite search behavior evolving with users seeking AI for quick answers but relying on Google for extensive research.
6. Google AI Mode

The expansion of Google AI Mode from a trial to an almost default, comprehensive search experience was rapid. It incorporated more in-depth research, agentic activities, personalization, and the advanced Gemini 2.5—a drastic evolution toward complex search behaviors.

This AI Mode initially struggled with transparency, breaking referral tracking and merging its performance data with standard Search Console reports, sparking concerns over visibility and attribution in a more AI-centric search landscape.
5. Cloudflare vs. Google

When Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince spoke about AI disrupting the web’s search-driven business model, it resonated with many. He highlighted the disproportionate relationship—Google and AI companies scrape extensive content while returning minimal traffic, jeopardizing original publishing unless the economic model adapts.
- Cloudflare CEO: AI is killing the business model of the web
4. Google Search Market Share Drops

Seeing Google’s search share dip below 90% globally for the first time since 2015 was significant, driven by shifts in Asia and the U.S. This opened opportunities for Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo to capture some of Google’s shrinking share.
- Google’s search market share drops below 90% for first time since 2015
3. AI-Generated Content

Google’s stricter stance on AI-generated content was clear when it instructed quality raters to assign the Lowest ratings to predominantly auto-generated pages. The expanded spam definitions targeted scaled, low-effort AI implementations.

Concurrent tests of AI-generated and AI-summarized search snippets indicated a future where AI not only critically examines content but also influences its presentation in searches.
- Google quality raters now assess whether content is AI-generated
- Google testing AI-generated descriptions for search snippets
2. Impact of Google AI Overviews on Clicks

I noticed analysis from various sources showing a troubling trend: Google Search offered more impressions and AI Overview visibility but resulted in fewer clicks. This was especially evident with non-branded, informational queries where AI Overview overshadowed classic results.

Brands mentioned in AI Overviews saw improved CTR, whereas those outside these features lost prominence, emphasizing that AI visibility is pivotal in driving successful outcomes.
1. R.I.P., num=100

Google’s removal of the &num=100 search parameter has widely impacted the SEO industry, disrupting rank-tracking tools and coinciding with a noticeable decrease in Google Search Console impressions and query counts.

Initial evaluations suggested that the majority of sites experienced reduced visibility, especially beyond Page 1, hinting at historic overreported metrics and a more realistic view of organic performance going forward.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 29, 2025
Boost Your Brand with Claude: A Guide to AI Visibility

As someone who’s keen on enhancing brand visibility, I’ve discovered invaluable strategies for optimizing content on Claude and tracking brand mentions through AI search. Let me walk you through how you can leverage these insights to transform visibility into tangible business opportunities.

I also want to introduce you to Goodie, a tool that can effectively convert your brand’s online visibility into a valuable pipeline. We’re in an age where AI power can be harnessed to elevate brand positioning significantly, and I’m here to share the steps you need to take.

Inspired by this post on HiGoodie Blog.

December 24, 2025
Unlocking the Benefits of Answer Engine Optimization

Have you ever wondered if Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is worth the hype? With AI-driven search becoming the norm, AEO plays a crucial role in keeping brands visible in this evolving landscape.
I’ve discovered that AEO is instrumental in ensuring your brand’s content is visible where it matters most. By learning how to be cited by AI and optimizing content for large language models (LLMs), we can prevent losing discoverability in these advanced search systems.

Inspired by this post on HiGoodie Blog.

December 24, 2025

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