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Tag: Performance Channel

ChatGPT Ads: Impressive Engagement but Scaling Concerns
I recently came across some fascinating insights regarding ChatGPT ads. The initial data indicates these ads are showing strong engagement, particularly with queries demonstrating intent, like Mother’s Day inquiries, which are driving more ad exposure.

According to SimilarWeb, ChatGPT ads are currently outperforming traditional benchmarks in engagement. However, the existing ad inventory is quite limited, and testing has been conducted on a relatively small scale, so it’s too early to label this as a long-term trend.

What’s Happening: The early analysis highlights that ads in ChatGPT conversations generate impressive click-through rates, surpassing Display and Podcast channels, likely due to high-intent user queries and the natural integration of ads within conversational responses.

These ad placements are uniquely integrated into conversational answers, making them feel more like part of the content instead of being disruptive.

Why We Care: If these CTRs can be sustained on a larger scale, ChatGPT may evolve into a powerful performance channel, particularly valuable for advertisers aiming to connect with users during moments of high intent.

However, there’s a catch to be mindful of: the ad inventory is still restricted, and early performance metrics often appear more positive before broader rollouts introduce competition and variability.

Between the Lines: Although high CTRs are promising, they don’t automatically translate into high performance. The ultimate factors will be conversion quality, cost efficiency, and scalability to determine if ChatGPT ads can compete with established platforms like Google Ads.

Furthermore, the novelty of the format might lead to higher user engagement simply because it’s a new experience.

Zoom In: Some ad categories are showing stronger results than others. For instance, prompts related to Mother’s Day are triggering ads about three times more often than average, showcasing a strong intent to purchase. Brands like Etsy and Nordstrom are already experiencing notable visibility in this space.

What to Watch:
- Whether CTRs maintain their levels as the ad inventory grows
- Comparisons of conversion rates to other platforms like search and social media
- Evolution of pricing models beyond the initial testing phases
Bottom Line: Although ChatGPT ads have shown strong initial engagement, advertisers should remain cautious. Until more comprehensive data regarding scale, costs, and conversions are available, it’s wise to view ChatGPT as a promising test channel rather than a stable, established one.

Dig Deeper: Advertising in AI: Insights from Real User Behavior

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
May 5, 2026
Unlocking New Revenue Streams: ChatGPT’s Bold Advertising Shift

Recently, I’ve noticed that ChatGPT is rolling out ads to users who aren’t logged in. This change could dramatically boost the ad inventory as advertiser interest surges.

What’s happening. According to early reports, ads are seamlessly appearing within conversations for those not logged in, although OpenAI hasn’t made a formal announcement. Interestingly, these ads fit into the chat responses rather than looking like traditional banners.

Why we care. For me, the expansion to logged-out users means more inventory, allowing budgets to stretch further and reach audiences with intent. If this trend continues, I believe ChatGPT could become a powerhouse in the performance marketing arena.

Zoom in. I’ve noticed that advertisers in the pilot phase struggle to spend due to limited inventory, despite lowered financial barriers (from $200,000 to $50,000). Expanding the potential audience seems like a logical step to overcome this hurdle.

User experience. Personally, I find the ads relatively unobtrusive and well-integrated into conversations, though some minor UX issues persist.

Between the lines. It’s clear to me that this is an inventory issue, not a demand one. Advertisers are eager, and OpenAI is diligently working to scale up.

What to watch. I’ll be keeping an eye on whether OpenAI formalizes this rollout and expands further, which will indicate how rapidly ChatGPT can evolve into a competitive ad channel.

Bottom line. I think opening ads to logged-out users is the key that could convert advertiser interest into substantial spending power for ChatGPT.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

April 23, 2026
SEO as a Brand and Performance Channel: The New Reality

I’ve come to realize that SEO now serves as both a brand and performance channel. The traditional traffic model has been disrupted by AI Overviews and zero-click SERPs, making brand strength crucial for SEO ROI.

For years, SEO was straightforward: rank higher, get more traffic, then boost the sales pipeline. However, this simple equation is rapidly evolving, much to the frustration of marketing leaders.

With AI Overviews and users getting answers directly from LLMs, the idea of “rank and receive traffic and leads” is less effective now. Even top keyword positions don’t guarantee the clicks they once did.

This shift has sparked challenging discussions in boardrooms. Executives often question, “If traffic is down, how can we measure SEO success?”

It’s obvious now: the traffic model has changed, yet the demand for ROI remains. We must treat SEO as a brand-dependent performance channel, not just a traffic provider.

Why traffic and pipeline are no longer in lockstep

Linear attribution has never fully reflected the dynamic nature of organic search. While ChatGPT isn’t replacing Google, it’s augmenting it.

Users now verify information across platforms due to skepticism of search and LLM results. Where research once happened solely within Google’s ecosystem, it has become more scattered.

Today’s organic search is akin to a pinball machine, with buyers bouncing across channels unpredictably. This introduces complexity that traditional attribution software struggles to follow.

Such complexity has broken the linearity executives crave. Traffic and pipeline charts, once aligned, now often diverge.

Across B2B SaaS portfolios, a common pattern emerges: organic sessions may be flat or declining, yet rankings for high-intent terms stay stable, and the pipeline from organic search grows.

This mismatch doesn’t indicate SEO failure. Rather, it shows that traffic is no longer a reliable business impact measure.

The traffic lost to zero-click searches often consists of informational, low-intent content. What remains is higher-intent traffic, closer to conversion.

We’re seeing the “atomization” of search demand. Short-head, broad keywords are declining, while specific, long-tail queries with higher intent are rising.

Many leaders mistakenly react to dropping sessions by pushing for quantity, aiming to regain the lost numbers through top-of-funnel content. This often inflates vanity metrics without delivering qualified leads.

SEO ROI is now the downstream outcome of brand traction

For years, SEO was viewed as a pure performance channel. We believed optimizing some keywords would suffice.

In reality, SEO has always depended on brand strength. The rise of AI-driven engines highlights this, expecting reputations, not just keywords.

If your brand lacks authority, technical optimizations alone won’t elevate your status. Brand strength determines organic performance limits. Search engines seek web-wide consensus, and weak associations hinder results.

Brand strength for LLMs means owning topical authority, aligning with customer queries, being validated by trusted sources, and having clear positioning.

SEO captures pre-existing demand validated by your brand, not creating it from nothing.

The new defensibility metrics for SEO

As traffic no longer headlines KPIs, new defensibility metrics are necessary. Successful teams focus on revenue and reputation impact, not just volume.

Metrics proving business impact include stable top-10 rankings for commercial keywords, increased Ahrefs traffic value, stable solution page traffic, growing homepage traffic, and developing LLM referral traffic.

When pipeline per organic visitor rises, even with falling sessions, the dialogue shifts from “SEO is broken” to recognizing SEO’s evolution.

Modern SEO is moving from acquisition to influence

Successful SEO isn’t about recovering traffic but influencing buyer decisions and enhancing organic visibility. In an AI-first context, zero-click doesn’t imply zero-value.

SEO remains key in building market readiness, positioning brands as authorities even before buyers enter the funnel.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 30, 2026
Gain Cross-Account Insights with Google’s New PMax Report Feature

I’m excited to share that Google has expanded the Performance Max Channel reporting to MCCs, providing us advertisers with unprecedented insights across accounts. This new update allows me to see how PMax spends and performs across various channels, all in one place.

The Channel Performance report, which was previously available only per account, is now accessible in some manager (MCC) accounts. This is particularly thrilling as I’ve been eager for Google to confirm this rollout, and now it’s happening in live environments!

Why it’s important to me: This MCC-level visibility means I can efficiently analyze Performance Max’s spend allocation across different channels like Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Shopping without having to dive into separate accounts. It’s a fantastic time-saver for managing large portfolios.

What I’m paying attention to: I’m keen to see when this feature becomes widely available across all MCCs. Plus, I’m hoping Google might introduce deeper metrics or export options to further enhance our analysis.

This development was first noticed by Mike Ryan from Smarter Ecommerce. He’s also published a helpful guide on using Google’s Channel Performance reports. His insights have been invaluable!

Conclusion: With MCC-level Channel Performance, Google is moving closer to demystifying Performance Max, particularly for agencies requiring extensive cross-account insights. It’s a welcome change for many of us strategizing at scale.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 22, 2025
Combatting Affiliate Fraud: Secure Your 2026 Growth

Affiliate marketing is a major driver of revenue, but it also hides significant losses. I’ve seen firsthand how brand bidding, ad hijacking, coupon abuse, and subtler forms of affiliate fraud can erode ROI and distort attribution figures.

The critical issue isn’t whether these challenges exist, but rather understanding how much they’re impacting our business. In this article, I delve into the most prevalent types of affiliate marketing fraud. I’ll also share insights on how modern tools like Bluepear offer advanced affiliate fraud detection strategies that protect our growth, reputation, and budget.

Not all affiliate programs offer the same benefits, nor do they come with the same risks. Particularly in SaaS, where affiliate commissions can be between 20% to 70%, these programs become highly enticing targets for fraudsters.

Fraudsters exploit trust gaps, often bidding on brand terms or using shady tactics like ad hijacking and coupon code misuse to siphon off profits. A staggering 63% of affiliate marketers identify these threats as their primary concern.

Unfortunately, much of this fraud operates under the radar. Affiliates execute campaigns and manage landing pages without real-time monitoring, which means you may end up paying commissions on existing traffic or, worse, funding brand impostors.

Let’s dig deeper into common fraud tactics and how to recognize and counteract them early on. Equipped with strategies, you can shield your program from such threats.

I focus on four primary fraud tactics: brand bidding, ad hijacking, coupon abuse, and non-compliant content. Each poses unique challenges but can be counteracted with the right preventative measures.

Brand bidding occurs when someone purchases ads using your brand name. This diverts potential customers who are actively searching for your product, resulting in needless commission payments. It’s crucial to maintain a detailed list of brand-related keywords in your affiliate terms and monitor for sudden spikes in performance metrics.

Ad hijacking mimics your paid search ads, lowering your campaign visibility. Regular checks and test searches can expose these fraudulent activities.

Coupon abuse is trickier; it manipulates traffic from affiliates who rank high for brand-related coupon searches. Ensuring coupon activity is pre-approved and regularly monitoring search results helps mitigate this fraud.

Non-compliant content can easily escape detection. Cloaking tactics mean users see different content than compliance teams. Establish strong creative guidelines and treat content audits as an ongoing activity.

Defending against affiliate fraud requires continuous vigilance, clear program rules, and leveraging technology. Platforms like Bluepear use automated systems to highlight and eliminate fraud, giving you back control.

For 2026, my focus is on building stronger relationships with affiliates, ensuring transparency, and promoting a culture that prioritizes honesty and clear communications.

Ultimately, affiliate fraud is a continually evolving threat. By understanding these tactics, setting clear expectations, and utilizing advanced tools, we can protect our interests and secure sustainable growth.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 19, 2025
Google Expands PMax Campaign Budgets Globally for Better Control
I’m excited to share with you that Google is taking a big step forward by implementing total campaign budgets for Performance Max (PMax) campaigns globally. This change allows us as advertisers to manage our campaigns with greater precision, eliminating the complicated math of daily budgets.

Google’s long-awaited total campaign budget option is finally making its way into Performance Max campaigns outside of the U.S., potentially marking the start of a global rollout. This is great news for those of us who have been hoping for a more streamlined budgeting process.

What’s Happening:
- With the introduction of the total budget option, it now sits alongside the classic average daily budget within PMax.
- Google had previously announced plans to extend this feature to Search, Shopping, and PMax, and this rollout indicates that this expansion is progressing.
- In the field, marketers, including those noted by Thomas Eccel and shared by Mohamed Hamed (Turki), are already experiencing it live.
Why We Care. Over the years, advertisers like us have been forced to manually calculate average daily budgets from fixed totals, especially cumbersome for short-term, flighted campaigns. Fortunately, this new feature saves us from that meticulous task, providing better pacing control over ad spending without depending on daily averages.

Between the Lines. This is a significant quality-of-life improvement for performance marketers handling flights, bursts, or fixed-end-date campaigns, where overspend risks were previously significant.

The Bottom Line. At last, Google offers advertisers a budget model in tune with real-world campaign strategies, and those of us managing flight-based PPC campaigns may find this enhancement particularly impactful.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
November 14, 2025
YouTube’s Innovative Cost Adjustments Ease Ad Campaign Risks
Recently, I discovered that YouTube is experimenting with a beta feature designed to lower the costs of Demand Gen Target CPA (tCPA) campaigns that aren’t performing as expected. This new approach aims to maintain a tighter grip on CPAs during the often unpredictable learning phase, offering us advertisers a form of financial relief when early results aren’t as impressive as predicted.

Why this matters to me. This update provides me with a financial safety net at the start of YouTube campaigns, which is typically the most uncertain period where conversion predictions fluctuate dramatically. It’s quite refreshing to see Google taking a step to refund part of the ad spend voluntarily as a way to meet performance targets.

How it works from what I understand:
- The system keeps an eye on new Demand Gen tCPA campaigns during their initial learning stages.
- If conversions are not hitting Google’s forecast, it may recalibrate costs retroactively to align CPAs with my target goals.
- The adjustment kicks in within five days of launching a campaign and may last up to three weeks.
- There won’t be separate credits or line items; instead, I’ll notice the final reported cost has been subtly adjusted.
What this means for me as an advertiser. Google seems to be making an effort to reduce performance volatility in the beginning, allowing their algorithms more leeway to learn while minimizing my financial risk.

What I should watch out for. The eligibility for this feature largely depends on the quality of my account, how well tracking is maintained, and consistently following best practices. Even then, adjustments aren’t guaranteed and could only be applicable to certain days or specific campaigns.

The takeaway? For me, YouTube’s performance-based cost adjustment marks a small yet meaningful shift: Google is showing a willingness to share risk during the crucial learning period, making it smoother for us performance-focused advertisers to start our Demand Gen campaigns.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
November 14, 2025
Exploring Google’s Promising yet Imperfect AI Ads Advisor
Having spent 24 hours experimenting with Google’s innovative “Ads Advisor,” I was eager to uncover its potential. This AI assistant, designed to optimize advertising campaigns, left me with a sense of cautious optimism.
Why it matters to me. Google is diving deeper into autonomous AI systems that work on our behalf. My firsthand experience offers a glimpse into the real-world functionality of Ads Advisor, moving beyond Google’s promotional promises.
As these AI tools become integral to campaign management, understanding their accuracy and limitations is vital. It’s crucial for us advertisers to discern which tasks are safe to delegate to AI, and where human intervention remains non-negotiable to safeguard performance and budgets.
What I liked:
- No Google bias: Impressively, the AI consults the broader web before responding, even suggesting to bypass default Google settings like unchecking “Display Network” and “Search Partners” for a fresh Search campaign.
- Comprehensive perspective: Beyond Google Ads, it advises on enhancing product titles for Shopping campaigns, though some recommendations lacked precision in execution.
Areas of concern:
- Outdated insights: The AI occasionally bungled performance diagnostics and referred to obsolete interfaces like “Tools & Settings > Conversions.”
- Limited autonomy: Despite its promising name, the Ads Advisor stops short of implementing changes. It offers guidance, which at times, falls short.
The final verdict. I liken the Ads Advisor to “an enthusiastic intern who just nabbed their Google Ads certification — sometimes hitting the mark but often missing.” While I see its future promise, I urge small business owners to be wary of accepting its counsel uncritically.
Moving forward: My journey with the Ads Advisor continues, as I plan to share in-depth evaluations in an upcoming YouTube video. Stay tuned for more insights.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
November 13, 2025
Google’s PMax Innovations: Integrating Twitter Videos in Ad Campaigns

When setting up my Performance Max (PMax) campaigns in Google Ads, I recently noticed something intriguing. Video assets from my Twitter (X) ad campaigns were popping up in the “Suggested” creatives section.
How it works:
The videos I found were seamlessly uploaded to a YouTube channel linked to my advertiser’s account.

A transparency message revealed the source of the data: “Videos from other ad platforms are sourced by third-party provider @Pathmatics (by Sensor Tower).”

Google prompts us to ensure we have the legal rights to use and distribute these videos through Google Ads.

What Google says: Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, has confirmed this feature is an experimental effort aimed at enabling advertisers like myself to easily incorporate our top-performing social video assets into Google Ads campaigns.

She clarified that this isn’t related to X (Twitter) ad inventory being made available on the Google Display Network.

Why we care. This experiment indicates Google Ads’ progress toward autonomously integrating assets across platforms. This could significantly decrease the time spent by reusing effective social campaign creatives. However, it does bring up concerns regarding data permissions, creative control, and transparency. These are aspects I’ll definitely be scrutinizing as automation in marketing deepens.
Between the lines:

This integration exemplifies Google’s increasing dependence on automation and partnerships to reduce creative barriers in PMax.

Involvement of Pathmatics points to the use of third-party intelligence in surfacing social ad assets, which raises new questions about data sourcing and control for advertisers like myself.
First seen. This update was first noticed by Performance Marketing Consultant Francesco Cifardi on LinkedIn.
The bottom line. Although this feature is still experimental, it showcases Google’s aspiration to make PMax not only automated but also highly asset-aware across various platforms.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 13, 2025
AI Traffic Insights: ChatGPT Leads, SEO Still Rules

I recently came across a fascinating report on AI referral traffic that’s shaking things up in the digital world. According to Conductor’s AI search benchmark report, AI-generated traffic currently makes up just over 1% of website visits across ten major industries.

AI referral traffic: It’s intriguing to see that 1.08% of all web traffic originates from AI. Among this, ChatGPT is a dominant force, accounting for 87.4% of AI referrals. Leading industries include IT with 2.8% and Consumer Staples at 1.9%, while Communication Services and Utilities are seeing the lowest shares, at 0.25% and 0.35%, respectively.

AI answer engine market share: ChatGPT is at the helm, followed by Perplexity. Interestingly, the impact varies across industries. For instance, Gemini is responsible for 21% of AI traffic in Utilities, whereas Copilot contributes 5% in Financials.

AI vs. traditional traffic: Despite the rise of AI, traditional organic search still reigns supreme. Industries like Health Care (42.4%), Communication Services (39.6%), and Industrials (33.8%) lead in organic search shares.

Why we care: While organic search remains a heavyweight, AI is emerging as a powerful channel. If a brand isn’t appearing in AI answers, it risks being invisible to its audience. While SEO strategies overlap with AI and other platforms like ChatGPT, being a Google ranking champion doesn’t guarantee AI visibility.

The brands AI cites most: Across 17 million AI responses, AI prefers different brands compared to Google. Giants like Amazon and Walmart top the list for consumer queries. In health and finance (YMYL categories), reputable sources like Mayo Clinic and NerdWallet are often cited. Meanwhile, industry stalwarts like Google and Microsoft lead in tech and B2B queries.

AI Overviews benchmarks: From an analysis of 21.9 million Google searches, 25.11% triggered AI Overviews, with categories like Health Care and Financials in the lead. The preferred content types cited are blogs, videos, and articles among others.

About the data: The comprehensive report analyzed 13,770 domains, over 3.3 billion sessions, and millions of AI interactions, offering a snapshot of the growing AI impact from May to September 2025.

The report: For a detailed analysis, I recommend checking out The 2026 AEO / GEO Benchmarks Report.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 13, 2025

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