Author: Ryuzaki

Google is expanding capabilities in Google Ads Editor to give advertisers more creative flexibility, automation control, and budget precision — especially as AI-driven campaign types continue to evolve. What’s new. The 2.12 release introduces a wide set of updates across Performance Max, Demand Gen, and video campaigns, with a clear focus on scaling creative assets and improving workflow efficiency. Creative expansion. Performance Max campaigns now support up to 15 videos per asset group, allowing advertisers to feed more variations into Google’s AI for testing. The addition of 9:16 vertical images also reflects growing demand for mobile-first formats, particularly across surfaces…

As Google rolls out AI Overviews, AI Mode in Search, and the Gemini ecosystem, we face a growing challenge: what happens when users get answers — and soon complete purchases — without leaving Google’s interfaces? Enter Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), now in beta. UCP is designed to help brands to sell to consumers without leaving the Gemini or LLM experience. Consumers can check out within the LLM, add rewards points, and fully execute the transaction. Here’s an example flow: How Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol works At its core, UCP standardizes how consumer AI interfaces communicate with merchant checkout systems.…

OpenAI is beginning to build the infrastructure for a formal advertising business around ChatGPT — but early performance signals suggest the company still has work to do to match established search platforms. What’s happening. OpenAI started testing an Ads Manager dashboard with a small group of partners, according to confirmation shared with ADWEEK. The tool allows marketers to launch, monitor, and optimise campaigns in real time, similar to the campaign management platforms used across digital advertising. Why we care. OpenAI is beginning to build a self-serve ads ecosystem around ChatGPT with a dedicated Ads Manager, as they prepare for AI…

Google appears to be testing a new “Sponsored Shops” format in Google Shopping results that highlights entire stores instead of individual products — a potential shift in how brands compete in Shopping ads. What’s happening. Instead of displaying only single product listings, the new block groups multiple products from the same retailer into one sponsored unit. The format features the store name, several products from that shop, and signals such as ratings and brand presence, effectively creating a mini storefront directly inside the Shopping results. Why we care. The new “Sponsored Shops” format in Google Shopping could shift competition from…

The words “incremental” and “incrementality” get thrown around in affiliate marketing, but they might not mean what they sound like. There may be no increase in actual sales, new customers, or revenue. Affiliate marketers who refer to incrementality often look at it only within the affiliate channel, not across your company as a whole. To determine whether affiliates are truly incremental, ask a simple question: Would the sale have happened without the affiliate program? The answer determines whether the partner is bringing you new customers and revenue or simply intercepting customers already in your checkout flow. Why high-intent traffic doesn’t…

LinkedIn is launching a new AI-powered feed ranking system that uses large language models and GPUs to analyze post content and surface more relevant updates to its 1.3 billion members. Why we care. Understanding how LinkedIn surfaces content is critical if you want your posts — or your brand’s — to be discovered. The new system prioritizes topical relevance and engagement patterns, LinkedIn said. Posts that demonstrate expertise and align with emerging professional conversations may travel farther across the network — even without existing connections. The details. LinkedIn rebuilt much of its feed recommendation system using large language models, transformer…

The webpage is no longer the unit of digital visibility. For years, we’ve built our digital presence on a foundation of URLs and keywords, but that infrastructure was designed for a highway that AI has now bypassed. In the search everywhere revolution, the most powerful atomic unit is the entity — a well-defined, machine-readable representation of a concept, product, organization, or person. The brands establishing AI-era dominance are engineering entity authority. To survive the shift from traditional search to generative discovery, we must move beyond the page and focus on entity linkage to build a foundation of AI visibility. The…

The rules of organic content are shifting from a “publish more” to a “prove more” mindset. Search results increasingly answer questions directly through AI summaries, shopping features, and other SERP integrations. Visibility alone doesn’t resolve buyer uncertainty. For ecommerce brands, organic visibility now requires recognition and trust amid the noise on the SERPs. The 2026 game is both simpler and more demanding. Invest in organic assets that: Reduce buyer uncertainty. Are machine-readable. Compound across multiple discovery surfaces. The forces shaping organic content’s ROI in 2026 Today’s search is defined by three forces changing how content performs. AI discovery is normal…

Over the past decade, I’ve reviewed hundreds of resumes, conducted countless interviews, and led numerous technical tests for SEO candidates.  Along the way, I’ve met many exceptional professionals — but I’ve also noticed a recurring pattern of common interview mistakes that can hold even the most talented candidates back. Below are 11 common mistakes I’ve observed in SEO interviews — and how you can easily avoid them. 1. Projecting arrogance instead of confidence  Confidence is great! While imposter syndrome is common in SEO, it’s important to maintain realistic confidence in your skills and experience. However, there is a fine line…

Are you watching your team’s creative operations buckle under mounting pressure? You’re not alone. As project complexity skyrockets and client demands intensify, creative leaders face an unprecedented challenge: scaling operations without sacrificing quality or burning out teams.  The solution isn’t working harder, rather, it’s working smarter with technology that transforms your entire content lifecycle. Here’s how forward-thinking creative operations leaders are building resilient, scalable workflows that thrive in 2025’s demanding landscape. The perfect storm facing creative operations Creative teams are caught in a maelstrom of expectations and pressures. Research shows that 77% of marketing teams report increased project volume year-over-year,…