Skip to content

Features
Pricing
Changelog
Status

Category: News

Turning Mistakes into Opportunities: My Journey with Heidi Sturrock

Heidi Sturrock, a seasoned paid search consultant, shared her insights with me in a recent episode of PPC Live The Podcast. With over two decades of industry experience, Heidi discussed a memorable campaign blunder that surprisingly turned into a strategic win, as well as her experiences with AI Max across numerous accounts.

Heidi’s career story includes a significant misstep she made while running a competitor campaign using broad match without negative keywords. Launched on a Friday, this led to a weekend surge of calls from irate customers of a competitor, a situation both alarming and chaotic for the client’s call center.

Unexpectedly, her client saw potential in this turmoil. Instead of dwelling on the mistake, they chose to transform these calls into sales opportunities by offering a discounted first month to switchers. By dividing the campaign for better focus, they turned a problem into a pathway for growth.

From this experience, I learned two valuable lessons: never initiate major campaigns on a Friday and ensure all stakeholders are involved in client meetings. Having both the business owner and the sales leader aware of the situation allowed for quick, effective problem-solving.

When facing a mistake, I’ve realized the importance of halting the issue swiftly, taking responsibility, and presenting a clear plan for resolution. Clients value honesty, and this approach can reinforce trust even in difficult times.

Common failures in account management often involve misaligned attribution windows and undue focus on secondary KPIs. It’s crucial to align metrics with the primary goals, ensuring that higher CPCs are understood within the broader context of achieving ROAS targets.

Regarding AI tools, Heidi’s exploration of AI Max across various accounts delivered mixed results. Success often hinged on the availability of comprehensive historical data and well-defined goals. Her advice is to experiment gradually and prepare upcoming guidelines on her blog.

For those in the industry, embracing technological changes, especially in AI, is essential. Mastering these tools can propel us ahead as marketers.

Stay connected with Heidi on LinkedIn or visit HeidiSturrock.com for her expert guides, including tips on crafting effective ad copy. Also, catch her live at SMX Advanced in Boston this June, where she’ll participate in an engaging expert panel discussion.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 28, 2026
Transform Your Marketing: Google’s Veo Brings AI Video Generation to Google Ads

I’ve discovered an exciting new development in Google Ads — a tool called Veo, which lets me easily convert up to three static images into engaging 10-second video ads for YouTube. All of this is possible without the need for extensive video production.

Now, I can craft short videos directly in Google Ads thanks to Veo, Google’s advanced generative video model. There’s no need to worry about video production hassles anymore.

How it works. I simply upload up to three static images into the Asset Studio, and Veo magic happens. It generates videos up to 10 seconds long, incorporating natural motion tailored for YouTube’s audience. With customizable templates, these can quickly become ready-to-serve ads.

What else it can do. By integrating with Nano Banana, I can further enhance my creatives, swapping backgrounds, adjusting texts, and fine-tuning content for specific audience interests.

The bigger picture. This innovation is part of Google’s ongoing effort to democratize video advertising. Earlier, I witnessed the rollout of video templates and automatic video creation in Demand Gen campaigns, and now, this takes things a step further, making creative video accessible to advertisers without extensive production resources.

Why we care. Video ads generally outperform static graphics on YouTube, but typically, they demand significant time, budget, and expertise. Veo simplifies this, enabling me to transform existing product images into professional video ads rapidly. For campaigns heavy on images, this is a game-changer.

Early testing caught my attention when Ameet Khabra, founder of Hop Skip Media, shared insights on LinkedIn. She noted that “consumer product brands with clean imagery and inherent motion logic will benefit most.”

The bottom line. With AI creative tools becoming mainstream in Google’s ads platform, the divide between advertisers with and without production budgets is narrowing. If you’ve struggled to get a video production budget approved and have assets with inherent motion logic, now is an excellent time to experiment with AI-generated video in Google Ads.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 27, 2026
YouTube Experiments with AI Summaries: A Game Changer?

I recently came across an intriguing development on YouTube where Google is testing AI-generated summaries in video feeds. Essentially, this involves replacing traditional video titles with AI-created synopses, leading to quite a stir in the community.

As a YouTube user, I noticed these AI summaries popping up in the Android app. Some users on Reddit have pointed out that video cards are now missing titles, and instead have collapsible summary boxes—definitely a twist from what we’re used to.

The details. Video thumbnails still appear as usual, but the absence of titles has caught my attention.

AI summaries are housed in expandable text boxes right below each video, which means we need to tap to understand the content fully. So far, this test seems confined to Android users on YouTube.

What it looks like. A Reddit user named GrimmOConnor shared a screenshot that demonstrates these changes.

Why we care. The shift toward AI summaries makes me wonder about the control creators have over their content’s presentation. Titles play a crucial role in ranking and driving clicks. Replacing them might affect keyword strategy, brand voice, and engagement—and there’s the risk of inaccuracies that could impact performance.

The context. It’s worth noting that Google is already exploring AI-generated headline rewrites in Search results, which seems to be part of a larger strategy extending beyond Discover and now reaching YouTube as well.

Google mentioned a “small” experiment in Search where original page titles were swapped for AI-generated versions to enhance query matches and engagement.

Reaction. Feedback so far hints at a less satisfying browsing experience. The added step of expanding summaries could slow down discovery and hinder content selection, which opposes YouTube’s engagement goals.

What’s next. There’s no word yet from YouTube about a wider rollout. The absence of titles might just be a bug, but integrating AI summaries fits with Google’s broader push into using generative AI.

First seen. I first learned about this test through Android Authority.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 27, 2026
ChatGPT’s $100M Ad Success: Self-Serve Launch in April
As I dive deeper into the world of ChatGPT, I’m amazed to learn that OpenAI’s latest innovation has already hit the milestone of $100 million in ad revenue, and we’re on the brink of more exciting developments.

Just six weeks into the ad pilot, it’s clear that OpenAI is just getting started with its rollout, showing ads to less than 20% of eligible users in the US free and Go tiers daily.

The numbers are impressive. Over $100 million in annualized ad revenue has been generated with a mere fraction of the potential ad capability being tapped.

To break it down:
- Only 20% of eligible users see ads, yet the figures are astonishing.
- 85% of Free and Go users qualify to see ads, hinting at enormous future growth.
- More than 600 advertisers have already hopped on board.
Looking forward to what’s next. In April, self-serve advertiser access is set to launch, which will no doubt broaden the landscape further.
- We’re on track for self-serve access in April.
- Expanding geographically into Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is on the horizon.
- Dave Dugan, formerly of Meta, has been brought on board to drive ad sales.
Why it matters to me. ChatGPT’s swift growth to $100 million in revenue illustrates a substantial opportunity, particularly since the ad inventory is set to expand dramatically.

April’s self-serve access is a game-changer, opening up the platform to many more advertisers beyond the 600 brands currently engaging. It’s reminiscent of the early days of search and social ads—getting involved early could be very rewarding.

Focusing on ad quality. OpenAI reports that less than 7% of ads are considered ‘low relevance’ by users. Improving this figure is a priority, which is reassuring as user trust is crucial.

The broader picture. Ads are pivotal for OpenAI’s path to going public. With projections to earn over $17 billion from ChatGPT users by 2026, ads from the free user base will play a significant role.

The bottom line is clear. Generating $100 million from just 20% of potential users in six weeks suggests a strong early market signal. As self-serve access launches and the audience grows, those who are hesitant may soon realize the platform’s potential.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
March 27, 2026
Discover Google Ads API v23.2: Enhancements and Insights

I’m excited to share that Google has released version 23.2 of its Ads API, bringing several exciting updates that enhance video, app campaigns, and audience planning tools.

What’s New in This Release?

First, there’s the new VideoEnhancement resource. It now allows me to identify whether a video ad is Google-generated or advertiser-provided. This provides much-needed clarity on how ads are enhanced automatically.

Additionally, the AppTopCombinationView resource offers read-only insights into top-performing asset combinations in app campaigns, a valuable tool for optimizing my campaign strategy.

For those utilizing Demand Gen campaigns, I can now disable the hotel feed using HotelSettingInfo.disable_hotel_setting. This gives me more control over my ad placements.

This update also introduces a new conversion metric for tracking indirect first in-app installs across Campaign, Customer, and AdGroup resources, giving me deeper insights into conversion performance.

Moreover, enhancements to ContentCreatorInsightsService and ReachPlanService means I can further refine my content strategies and audience reach planning.

Steps to Upgrade

To benefit from these updates, I’ll need to upgrade to v23.2 by updating both client libraries and client code. Fortunately, all updated libraries and code examples are already available.

Join the Live Walkthrough

If you’re looking for more information, I recommend attending Google’s live release walkthrough on March 26 at 11am ET. It will be streamed live on Discord and YouTube, and a recording is provided afterward.

Why This Matters

The addition of the VideoEnhancement resource addresses a significant gap in Performance Max reporting. For those of us developing custom reporting tools, this means improved visibility into creative performance.

Final Thoughts

Although this release is part of Google’s routine updates, the enhancements, particularly in the VideoEnhancement resource, are worth noting. It’s a significant step forward for developers like myself working on Performance Max creative reporting.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 27, 2026
Boost Your Campaigns: Google PMax Adds Seasonal Theming
I’ve recently discovered an exciting update from Google that makes managing seasonal campaigns a breeze. Their new Asset Group Theming feature is a game changer inside Performance Max, allowing me to quickly apply seasonal themes to existing asset groups without having to start from scratch.

Here’s How It Works: I can clone a top-performing asset group and apply a theme. Google then takes care of generating themed image variations and suggesting headlines and descriptions that match, all while keeping the original group intact. This way, I can safely test new themes without any risks.

The Themes Available:
- Promotional: Sale, Studio/Editorial
- Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
- Cultural moments: Christmas, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Hanukkah, New Year, Lunar New Year, and Back to School
Where to Find It: I find the theme application option inside Asset Groups ahead of major holidays, or by selecting “Apply theme to existing asset group” while setting up a new one.

Important Note: This tool is a starting point, not a complete solution. It uses existing images and adds themed backgrounds without replacing videos, and only updates a few headlines. Everything still requires review to ensure it fits the campaign before going live.

Why This Matters: Seasonal creative refreshes used to consume a lot of time, especially when factoring in design resources and the risk of performance drops with asset changes. This feature minimizes that hassle, allowing me to adapt my best-performing strategies quickly.

The Bottom Line: Think of this as a creative assistant, rather than a designer replacement. For those of us juggling multiple seasonal peaks, the time savings alone make it worth exploring.

First Spotted: Google Ads specialist Bia Camargo first noticed this update and shared it on LinkedIn.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
March 27, 2026
Unveiling Google’s March 2026 Core Update: What You Need to Know

I just found out that Google has officially rolled out its much-anticipated March 2026 core update. This marks the inaugural core update of 2026, closely following the recent March 2026 spam update and February 2026 Discover update.

Google made the announcement today, confirming the start of the rollout. They mentioned this process could stretch out over two weeks. I find it fascinating how these updates play a pivotal role in shaping search algorithms and ultimately influence how content is surfaced on Google.

What Google is saying. In an update on their Search Status Dashboard, Google stated: “Released the March 2026 core update. The rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete.” They also took to LinkedIn to emphasize that this is a regular update focused on showcasing relevant and satisfying content for searchers across various sites, reiterating the two-week completion window.

About core updates. Google’s core updates happen several times annually and bring broad alterations to search algorithms and systems. While we expect some updates, they surprised us by adding some smaller, unannounced changes. The anticipation of frequent updates didn’t quite pan out as we thought.

What to do if you are hit. If your site takes a hit from this core update, Google hasn’t provided any new guidance, but in previous instances, they’ve advised us to focus on creating helpful content. They stress there’s no specific action to swiftly rectify any negative impact; however, recovery could occur gradually with subsequent core updates.

In summary, Google’s enduring guidance remains: create content for people, not just search engines. There’s nothing extraordinary creators need to do for this update as long as they provide gratifying content meant for users. If rankings slip, Google encourages looking through their helpful content guidelines.

For comprehensive details about Google’s core updates, Google’s technical documentation provides in-depth information.

Previous core updates. Let’s have a quick glance at some recent core updates. The December 2025 update began on December 11 and wrapped up by December 29. Similarly, the June 2025 update ran from June 30 to July 17. It’s intriguing to see these timelines and their impact on content visibility across Google’s domain.

Why we care. Every core update brings a ripple effect to Google’s search results and rankings. I view these updates as opportunities—some of us might see a beneficial shift in rankings and search visibility, while others may need to adapt to new fluctuations. I sincerely hope this update benefits your efforts, boosting both traffic and conversions.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 27, 2026
Explosive Growth: Automated Traffic Surpassing Human Activity

I recently came across an intriguing report by HUMAN Security revealing a seismic shift in internet traffic dynamics. Automated traffic is accelerating at a staggering rate, outpacing human traffic growth by eightfold. Machines aren’t just passively scrolling; they’re actively engaging online!

In 2025, automated traffic surged by 23.5% compared to the previous year, while human traffic increased by a mere 3.1%. This data, outlined in the State of AI Traffic report, paints a compelling picture of our digital evolution.

AI-driven traffic is spearheading this transformation, with its monthly volume skyrocketing by 187% year over year. Notably, AI agents and agentic browsers, such as OpenAI’s Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet, experienced an astonishing growth of nearly 8,000%!

As defined in the report, automated traffic encompasses all internet activity generated by software systems rather than humans. This includes classic automation like search engine crawlers and monitoring bots, as well as more sophisticated AI-driven traffic.

Matthew Prince, Cloudflare’s CEO, foresaw this trend, predicting that bots might overtake human web usage by 2027. A bold forecast, but one that seems increasingly plausible.

Why we care. The landscape of search is evolving beyond mere human interaction. AI agents now delve into discovery, comparisons, and transactions, dynamically influencing Google’s evolving results and other AI-powered interfaces.

The details. HUMAN categorizes AI-driven traffic into three main types:

1. Training crawlers, which still dominate AI traffic at 67.5%, though their lead is waning as scrapers and agents gain traction.

2. Real-time scrapers, which are essential for AI searches and live answer engines, boosted by nearly 600% in 2025.

3. Agentic AI systems, which autonomously execute tasks, are smaller in share but growing rapidly and proving to be highly disruptive.

AI agents behave more like users. These systems are becoming more sophisticated, engaging in navigation, logging in, and conducting transactions. In 2025:

– 77% of agentic activity was observed on product and search pages.

– Close to 9% involved account-level interactions.

– Over 2% reached checkout processes.

About the data. HUMAN examined over a quadrillion interactions from 2022 to 2025, using aggregated, anonymized data from its customers. The report classified AI-driven traffic into three categories using user-agent strings, infrastructure signals, and activity characteristics. However, self-reported bot identities may not fully capture AI-driven activity.

Bottom line. The digital world is shifting from being solely human-focused. Discovery is no longer restricted to search engines. Optimizing content now involves deciding which machines can access and act upon it.

The report. For deeper insights, you can check out the 2026 State of AI Traffic & Cyberthreat Benchmark Report.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 26, 2026
Discover Google-Agent: Revolutionizing AI Traffic Tracking

I’ve recently come across news about a fascinating development from Google: the introduction of the Google-Agent user agent. It’s designed to signal when AI agents complete tasks on behalf of users, marking a significant step towards AI-driven web interactions. I’m eager to share what I’ve learned about this new feature and its implications.

What Happened: Google added Google-Agent to its collection of user-activated fetchers on March 20, and it’s currently rolling out gradually. This intrigued me because it means a novel way of tracking AI interactions is becoming available to us.

The Google-Agent user agent identifies requests made by AI programs running on Google’s infrastructure, which includes experimental tools like Project Mariner. It’s fascinating to see how advanced Google is getting in this space.

How It Works: Google-Agent appears in HTTP requests when an AI agent visits a site to complete tasks initiated by users. Imagine it like a helping hand behind the scenes, orchestrating internet tasks for us.

For example, Google-Agent could be used for browsing pages, evaluating content, or performing actions like submitting forms. This differs from traditional crawlers like Googlebot that operate continuously without user prompts. It’s exciting to think about how this technology could evolve further.

IP Ranges: Google has shared the IP ranges for its desktop agent, and notably for its mobile agent as well. This transparency is helpful as it allows us to better manage and identify website traffic.

Why We Care: With this insight, I can now distinguish between traditional crawl activity and visits spawned by users through AI agents using server logs. This capability will enable me to track agent-assisted conversions, understand emerging user behaviors, and prepare for what might be called ‘agentic search’.

What They’re Saying: According to Google’s announcement, “The Google-Agent user agent is rolling out over the next few weeks, and will be used by Google agents hosted on Google infrastructure to navigate the web and perform actions upon user request.” This statement makes me realize the potential impact on our digital interactions.

What to Watch: While early volumes of activity may be low, now is the ideal time to establish a baseline. Monitoring logs for Google-Agent activity ensures I stay informed, and I need to ensure that my CDN and WAF configurations aren’t unintentionally blocking these IP ranges.

Furthermore, it’s crucial for me to validate that key site actions, including forms and user flows, function smoothly for automated agents, ensuring an optimized experience for users.

Dig Deeper: For those as curious as I am about this exciting development, here’s more insight into Google-Agent.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 26, 2026
How Clickout Media Transformed News Sites into Gambling Channels

I recently stumbled upon a report about Clickout Media, a company that’s notoriously transforming reputable news sites into hubs of AI-driven gambling content. Google refers to this practice as ‘site reputation abuse’. Essentially, it involves using legacy news brands, adding fabricated bylines, embedding casino links, and eventually abandoning these sites after they incur penalties from Google.
According to PressGazette, Clickout Media has been buying sports, gaming, and tech sites only to pivot them from authentic editorial content to topics saturated with casinos and cryptocurrency. Former employees revealed that original reporting gets stripped and replaced with AI-generated articles that promote offshore gambling links.
The approach leverages existing domain authority to manipulate Google rankings. Initially, legitimate content is maintained to preserve the site’s credibility. However, as time passes, gambling content takes over, with human writers being replaced by AI-generated articles and fake author profiles. The revenue stream mainly comes from affiliate deals with casino operators, often linked to player losses.
It’s disheartening to see the impact—several previously active publications are now deindexed, with repercussions including layoffs and closures. Alarmingly, even charity websites have been repurposed to host gambling content.
In Google’s view, publishing content at such a scale purely to manipulate rankings is a breach of their policies, labeled ‘site reputation abuse.’ This can result in manual actions and the removal of these sites from Google’s search index.
As someone who cares about the integrity of SEO, it’s clear this isn’t search engine optimization in any authentic sense. It’s a blatant manipulation of reputation to deceive and gain at scale.
For those interested in learning more, Rob Waugh has an in-depth report on this issue titled ‘The SEO Parasites Buying, Exploiting and Ultimately Killing Online Newsbrands’

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

March 26, 2026

←Previous Page

1 … 24 25 26 27 28 … 62