Author Archives: SocialSignalCounter

AI Recommendations Change With Nearly Every Query: SparkToro

AI Recommendations Change With Nearly Every Query: SparkToro

AI tools produce different brand recommendation lists nearly every time they answer the same question, according to a new report from SparkToro. The data showed a <1-in-100 chance that ChatGPT or Google’s AI in Search (AI Overviews/AI Mode) would return the same list of brands across repeated runs of the same prompt. Rand Fishkin, SparkToro […]

Google tests third-party endorsements in search ads

Google tests third-party endorsements in search ads

Google is experimenting with showing third-party endorsement content directly within Search ads. The test places short endorsements from external publishers under the ad description, including the third party’s name, logo, and favicon. What’s showing up. The test was first spotted by Sarah Blocksidge, Marketing Director at Sixth City Marketing, who shared a screenshot on Mastodon. […]

ChatGPT Ads CPMs, Ads Decoded Talks Analytics

ChatGPT Ads CPMs, Ads Decoded Talks Analytics

Welcome to this week’s PPC Pulse. This week’s news is a continuation of last week’s announcements about ChatGPT ads and the Google Ads Decoded podcast. ChatGPT announced premium-priced ads with limited data. The first episode of the Ads Decoded podcast, hosted by Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads product liaison, featured Group Product Manager Eleanor Stribling to […]

Google Explores AI Opt-Outs, Gemini 3 Powers AIOs

Google Explores AI Opt-Outs, Gemini 3 Powers AIOs

Welcome to this week’s SEO Pulse: updates affect publisher control over AI features, how AI Overviews process queries, and what AI model tradeoffs mean for content workflows. Here’s what matters for you and your work. Google Explores Letting Sites Opt Out Of AI Search Features Google says it’s exploring updates that could let websites opt […]

Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both

Is SEO a brand channel or a performance channel? Now it’s both

For a long time, SEO had the simplest math in marketing: Rank higher → Get more traffic → Fill the sales pipeline To the dissatisfaction of marketing executives, that linear world is breaking fast. Between AI Overviews, zero-click SERPs, and users getting answers directly from LLMs, the old “rank to get traffic and leads” equation […]

4 Reasons Your Google Ads Clicks Are Down & What You Can Do

4 Reasons Your Google Ads Clicks Are Down & What You Can Do

A click drop in your Google Ads account can feel like the floor just moved under your account. Not because clicks are considered more of a vanity metric. But because most sites still convert just a small slice of visitors. Shopify, believe that 2.5-3% is an average benchmark for industry leaders (although not backed with […]

What It Means For SEO

What It Means For SEO

Google published a research paper about creating a challenging dataset for training AI agents for deep research. The paper offers insights into how agentic AI deep research works, which implies insights for optimizing content. The acronym SAGE stands for Steerable Agentic Data Generation for Deep Search with Execution Feedback. Synthetic Question And Answer Pairs The […]

Why AI makes agency-client relationships matter more than ever

Why AI makes agency-client relationships matter more than ever

Working as an office manager in my early 20s, I read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Many of its principles still hold true today, and they guided me through multiple career transitions. Success in most careers comes from our interactions with people – whether clients or coworkers. For years, those principles […]

Google Ads API v23 brings PMax data, richer invoicing, scheduling

Google Ads API v23 brings PMax data, richer invoicing, scheduling

Google released v23 of the Google Ads API, the first update of 2026. It marks the start of a faster release cadence. What’s new. The update adds deeper Performance Max reporting, more granular invoicing, AI-powered audience tools, expanded campaign controls, and more: Performance Max transparency: Ad network type breakdowns are now available for PMax campaigns. […]

1/3rd of publishers say they will block Google Search AI-generative features like AI Overviews

1/3rd of publishers say they will block Google Search AI-generative features like AI Overviews

Google announced yesterday that it is exploring ways for sites to opt out of Google using their content for its AI-generative search features, such as AI Mode and AI Overviews. I asked the SEO community on X if they would opt out of these Google Search AI-generative features or not. The results. Of the over […]