Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a central role in how Google determines which ads appear in response to a search and how they are ranked. The company uses a sophisticated machine learning (ML) infrastructure to handle almost every aspect of its Search Ads system — from understanding user queries to ranking ads based on value and […]
The SEO industry has evolved dramatically over the past decade, but the pace of change is about to accelerate even faster as we approach 2026. With the rise of AI-generated search, multimodal experiences, privacy-first regulations, and the blending of SEO with user experience and brand, the skillset required of an SEO professional is transforming radically. […]
Video content is now a driving force behind consumers’ attention in today’s digital era. Gone are the days of simple blog posts and stock images. Social media has transformed what entices clicks, follows, and likes, displaying a consistent stream of highly engaging visual content for users to sift through. Visual content, particularly in the form […]
A Google engineer’s redacted testimony published online by the U.S. Justice Department offers a look inside Google’s ranking systems, offering an idea about Google’s quality scores and introduces a mysterious popularity signal that uses Chrome data. The document offers a high level and very general view of ranking signals, providing a sense of what the […]
Most people stop reading a Google AI Overview after skimming the top third of an AI-generated answer – the median scroll depth is just 30%. That’s one of many insights from a new UX study conducted by Kevin Indig and Eric van Buskirk. By the numbers. The study confirms what many SEOs have suspected and/or […]
Google’s Search Relations team recently shared insights about how the search engine handles HTTP status codes during a “Search Off the Record” podcast. Gary Illyes and Martin Splitt from Google discussed several status code categories commonly misunderstood by SEO professionals. How Google Views Certain HTTP Status Codes While the podcast didn’t cover every HTTP status […]
Since its inception in 2015, the Search Engine Land Awards have recognized exceptional marketers on an annual basis — showcasing outstanding work, providing well-earned exposure in coverage and interviews, and bestowing upon them the highest honor in search. But the road between deciding to begin an application and winning the award can be a long […]
Searchers can now find out who paid for the ads they see, as Google is beginning to roll out its Ads Transparency policy. This update makes ad funding more visible to users. This new label could impact how consumers perceive and trust advertisements. Advertisers now have less ability to obscure financial relationships. What it looks […]
Google search impressions are up 49% year-over-year, but click-through rates (CTR) are down 30%, according to new data from BrightEdge. For that, all credit goes to AI Overviews, Google’s AI-generated summaries that launched one year ago. Why we care. Google’s AI Overviews have impacted SEO in a big way. For so long, the focus has […]
YouTube pitched advertisers on a new suite of ad formats aimed at tapping into its massive connected TV audience. Among the highlights from yesterday: interactive shopping ads that let viewers browse and buy products directly from their television screens. YouTube is capitalizing on its dominance in streaming to blur the line between passive viewing and […]