News•Jan 21, 2026
Google Search Ranking Volatility Heated Again January 21
Google’s search algorithm exhibited renewed volatility on January 20‑21, following a previous spike reported on January 15. The fluctuations resurfaced after a brief lull over the weekend, causing noticeable position swings for many sites. Analysts observed that the volatility is not isolated to a single niche but spans multiple verticals. Google has not issued an official statement confirming a new core update.
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 21, 2026
Google Ads Still Not Coming To Gemini (Post ChatGPT Ads Announcement)
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis confirmed at Davos that Google has no plans to introduce ads to its Gemini AI product, even as OpenAI announced upcoming ads in ChatGPT. The statement reiterates Google's December claim that Gemini will remain ad‑free,...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 21, 2026
Google Adds "Answer Now" Button To Gemini App - If You Can't Wait...
Google has introduced an “Answer now” button in its Gemini app, allowing users to halt the model’s ongoing reasoning and receive an immediate reply. The shortcut leverages the Gemini 3 Flash model, which prioritizes speed over the more nuanced answers generated by...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 21, 2026
Google Local Service Ads Verified Section Details
Google is trialing new verification fields in its Local Service Ads detail screen. The pilot adds “Passed License Check,” “Number of Recent Bookings,” “Passed Background Check,” and “Has Business Insurance.” The changes were first spotted by Anthony Higman, who posted...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 21, 2026
Google Search Monopoly Appeal Legal Docs Mention Search Signals
Google has appealed the search‑monopoly ruling and filed affidavits arguing against court‑ordered data disclosures. The documents detail the proprietary signals—DocID mappings, crawl timestamps, spam scores, and device flags—that Google would have to share with qualified competitors. Google claims releasing this...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 21, 2026
How Recommender Systems Like Google Discover May Work via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Google Discover operates as a large‑scale recommender system built on the Two‑Tower architecture originally devised for YouTube. The model creates separate embeddings for users—based on watch history, search tokens, location and demographics—and for content items, matching them via similarity scores...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Jan 21, 2026
TransAct Appoints Dana Loof as Chief Marketing Officer to Accelerate Growth and Platform Expansion
TransAct Technologies announced the appointment of Dana Loof as Chief Marketing Officer to steer its global marketing strategy and accelerate growth of its BOHA! platform and casino‑gaming solutions. Loof brings a 30‑year track record in high‑growth tech firms, including senior...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 21, 2026
Consumer Text-Based Purchases on the Rise
In 2025, 65% of consumers completed purchases through brand text messages, marking the first time text messaging outpaced email for promotional offers in Vibes’ nine‑year study. The report also found 81% of respondents view RCS messaging as superior to SMS,...
By Retail Customer Experience
News•Jan 21, 2026
Five Tanning Firms Scorched as ASA Turns up the Heat
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned five tanning‑related advertising campaigns after finding them to be misleading and irresponsible. The ads, from SunShine Co, Tanbox Towcester, The Sun Company, Tan & Deliver Home Hire Sunbeds and Byrokko, claimed sunbeds...
By DecisionMarketing
News•Jan 21, 2026
Liverpool FC Signs SAS to up the Club’s Marketing Game
Liverpool Football Club has signed a multi‑year global partnership with SAS, appointing the tech giant as its official AI marketing automation partner. The club will roll out SAS Customer Intelligence 360 and SAS Viya to power real‑time analytics, campaign management...
By DecisionMarketing
News•Jan 21, 2026
Identity Violation and Pricing
Seth Godin argues that pricing across industries is shaped more by cultural identity than pure economics. Creators view their work as cultural stewardship, leading to price norms that signal belonging rather than profit maximization. Dynamic pricing in concerts sparked moral...
By Seth’s Blog
![What Profitable Google Ads Look Like in 2026 [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://cdn.searchenginejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/3-529.png)
News•Jan 21, 2026
What Profitable Google Ads Look Like in 2026 [Webinar] via @Sejournal, @Hethr_campbell
DigiCom, a 2025 Inc. 5000‑listed ecommerce growth agency, hosted a webinar revealing how its $200 M+ Google Ads portfolio leverages Performance Max Smart Bidding in 2026. The session detailed account architecture, creative tactics, and profit‑driven frameworks that keep ROAS under control in...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Jan 21, 2026
Myer to Launch Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Brands in Australia
Myer will introduce the complete Fenty Beauty portfolio—including Fenty Skin and the Australian retail debut of Fenty Eau de Parfum—across all stores and its e‑commerce platform starting in May. The rollout stems from a new partnership with Kendo Brands, the...
By Inside Retail Australia
News•Jan 21, 2026
Comcast’s Universal Ads Appoints David Shaw as Head of Global Expansion to Oversee Platform’s International Rollout
Comcast’s Universal Ads has hired David Shaw, a veteran of Twitter, Snap, TikTok and Reddit, as Head of Global Expansion. Shaw will oversee the commercial rollout of the TV‑focused ad platform beyond the United States, beginning with a UK launch...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 21, 2026
Why Beginning Boutique Collabed with ‘the Most Famous Woman in Men’s Tennis’
Beginning Boutique, the Brisbane‑based e‑tailer famed for party dresses, has unveiled a 20‑piece capsule with influencer Morgan Riddle, dubbed the most important woman in men’s tennis. The collection, blending festival flair with tennis‑inspired aesthetics, launches alongside the Australian Open to...
By Inside Retail Australia
News•Jan 21, 2026
The Australian Open Wants to Be ‘the Super Bowl’ for Experiential Beauty Marketing
Australian tennis’s governing body has elevated beauty retailer Mecca to a flagship sponsor for the 2026 Australian Open, positioning the event as a hub for experiential marketing aimed at Gen‑Z. In 2025 Mecca supplied gift bags to over 800 players...
By Glossy
News•Jan 21, 2026
Behind Pacsun’s Strategy for Keeping a Pulse on the Changing Tastes of Gen Z
Pacsun has launched a Youth Advisory Council and published its first Youth Report, gathering insights from 6,000 Gen‑Z and Gen‑Alpha respondents. The data fueled the creation of the PS Community Hub, a shoppable app that lets users curate purchases and...
By Modern Retail
News•Jan 21, 2026
FTC Announces Appeal in Meta Antitrust Case
The Federal Trade Commission announced it will appeal the November district‑court ruling that rejected its antitrust case against Meta. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were intended to neutralize competition and should result...
By Social Media Today
News•Jan 20, 2026
WOW Index Shows In-Store Experience Slipping in 2026
Léger’s 2026 WOW Index reveals a measurable decline in in‑store experience across Ontario and Western Canada, driven by higher prices, longer checkout waits, stockouts and fewer staff interactions. The study surveyed over 18,000 shoppers, evaluating 264 retailers in 34 sectors....
By Retail Insider Canada
News•Jan 20, 2026
OpenAI Search Crawler Passes 55% Coverage In Hostinger Study via @Sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Hostinger’s analysis of 66 billion bot requests shows a sharp divergence between AI crawlers. Training bots such as OpenAI’s GPTBot saw coverage plunge from 84% to 12% as sites increasingly block them. In contrast, assistant bots that power AI search, like...
By Search Engine Journal
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News•Jan 20, 2026
SaasRise Enterprise Mastermind Call Recap Jan 20, 2026
The SaasRise Enterprise Mastermind call highlighted four critical growth levers for high‑ACV SaaS firms. It recommended starting with retargeting ads and LinkedIn sponsored messages, then scaling AI‑personalized cold outreach to improve lead response rates. The discussion also covered AI‑driven coding...
By SaasRise
News•Jan 20, 2026
GrowthRise Mastermind Recap Jan 20, 2026
The GrowthRise Mastermind on Jan 20 2026 covered AI‑driven content creation, LinkedIn message ads, trade‑show marketing, and email list hygiene. Participants learned to use AI as a brainstorming aid, apply structured markup for SEO, and leverage tools like Canva, ChatGPT, and Gemini....
By GrowthRise
News•Jan 20, 2026
Organic Search Traffic Is Down 2.5% YoY, New Data Shows
A new Graphite analysis of Similarweb data for over 40,000 U.S. sites shows organic search traffic fell only 2.5% year‑over‑year, far less than the 25‑60% declines often cited. The largest publishers actually grew organic traffic by about 1.6%, while mid‑size...
By Search Engine Land
News•Jan 20, 2026
Overcoming the Barriers to Omnichannel by Recognising that One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Omnichannel retail is no longer a one‑size‑fits‑all proposition; success depends on tailoring strategies to each retailer’s customers, operating model, and growth goals. Consistent experiences across digital and physical touchpoints are now a baseline expectation, not a differentiator. Persistent challenges such...
By Retail Dive
News•Jan 20, 2026
Google Shopping API Cutoff Looms, Putting Ad Delivery at Risk
Google is sunsetting its legacy Shopping APIs and mandating migration to the Merchant API, the new single source of truth for Shopping Ads. Advertisers using the beta version must switch by February 28 2024, while Content API users have until August 18 2024. Failure to...
By Search Engine Land
News•Jan 20, 2026
Meta Adds More Languages to AI Translations for Reels
Meta has expanded its AI‑powered translation feature for Instagram Reels, adding Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Kannada to the existing English, Hindi, Portuguese and Spanish options. The new languages focus on India, now Meta’s largest single market for Facebook and...
By Social Media Today
News•Jan 20, 2026
How Brands Can Build AI that Inspires
The article argues that AI’s next evolution is moving beyond pure efficiency toward inspiration, creativity, and emotional engagement. Consumers now use generative AI for personal expression in areas like fashion, travel, and beauty, prompting brands to design AI that feels...
By Fast Company AI
News•Jan 20, 2026
X Publishes AI-Powered Algorithm Code
Elon Musk’s X has finally published the source code for its AI‑driven “For You” feed on GitHub, revealing the new Thunder and Phoenix ranking modules. The algorithm, fully AI‑powered since November, blends posts from followed accounts with machine‑learned recommendations based...
By Social Media Today
News•Jan 20, 2026
Does llms.txt Matter? We Tracked 10 Sites to Find Out
A recent study of ten diverse websites tracked AI traffic before and after adding llms.txt files. The data showed that eight sites saw no measurable change, two experienced traffic spikes that were tied to unrelated PR and content initiatives, and...
By Search Engine Land
News•Jan 20, 2026
What Brands Get Wrong About Personalization and How to Fix It in 2026
Brands claim to master personalization, yet most deliver fragmented experiences that break at channel handoffs. Maryna Hradovic outlines a three‑step framework—map distinct persona journeys, fix disconnects starting with website personalization, then iterate with AI and testing—to create real‑time, whole‑journey experiences....
By Total Retail
News•Jan 20, 2026
Two Firms Whacked for Illegal Marketing Bombardment
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed £225,000 in fines on two firms for massive unsolicited marketing campaigns. Allay Claims was fined £120,000 after sending more than 4 million text messages without valid consent, while Bristol‑based ZMLUK received a £105,000...
By DecisionMarketing
News•Jan 20, 2026
Pinterest Announces Two New C-Suite Leaders
Pinterest announced two senior‑level hires to accelerate its global advertising business. Lee Brown, former DoorDash CRO and Spotify ad chief, becomes the company’s first Chief Business Officer, overseeing sales, content, ad product marketing and customer operations. Claudine Cheever, who led...
By ChannelX (formerly Tamebay)
News•Jan 20, 2026
FunnL Launches Unified End-to-End B2B Growth Engine with Video Production and Social Media Services
FunnL has expanded its B2B demand‑generation platform by adding social media management and video production services. The new creative capabilities integrate directly with its existing ICP development, multi‑channel outreach, and appointment‑setting tools, creating a single operating system for brand and...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 20, 2026
What Is Bounce Rate? And How to Reduce It
Bounce rate measures the share of unengaged sessions—those that last under 10 seconds, trigger no conversion event, and view only one page—in GA4. The metric is not shown by default and must be added manually, but it serves as a...
By Semrush Blog
News•Jan 20, 2026
Advanced Creative, Targeting, and the Home Screen Are Driving What Viewers Remember on Connected TV
LG Ad Solutions partnered with MediaScience to measure viewer attention on Smart TVs using biometric and eye‑tracking data, finding that attention remains steady from power‑on through Home Screen discovery to CTV video ads. The study shows that precise targeting combined...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 20, 2026
SALESmanago Ramps Up AI and Messaging Tech to Redefine eCommerce Marketing in 2026
SALESmanago is rolling out a native WhatsApp integration and AI‑driven Recommendation Frames to give eCommerce marketers real‑time, hyper‑personalised customer experiences. The platform now supports multimedia messaging, automated journeys, and dynamic CTAs that target abandoned carts, restock alerts, and on‑site product...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 20, 2026
Best Writing Tools for Business in 2026
The article reviews the leading AI‑driven writing tools for businesses in 2026, highlighting features, platform integrations, and pricing. Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Ginger, LanguageTool, Hemingway Editor, and Otter each offer free tiers and paid plans ranging from $9.90 to $120 per user....
By Practical Ecommerce
News•Jan 20, 2026
What High Performing Email Campaigns Have in Common
High‑performing email campaigns share core attributes such as deep personalization, timely relevance, seamless automation, and relentless creative testing. Leveraging data‑driven insights and smart segmentation, especially through platforms like Klaviyo, enables marketers to tailor messages that resonate with individual recipients. Integrating...
By TechBullion
News•Jan 20, 2026
AITech Interview with David Norris, Chief Marketing Officer at Boost.AI
David Norris, Chief Marketing Officer at Boost.ai, explains how his two‑decade marketing background shapes the company’s storytelling and trust‑first strategy for conversational AI. He stresses that in regulated sectors—banking, insurance, telecom—AI agents become the literal voice of the brand, making...
By AI-TechPark
News•Jan 20, 2026
Perplexity AI Interview Explains How AI Search Works via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Perplexity AI’s interview with Jesse Dwyer reveals that AI‑driven search is becoming highly personalized, delivering different answers to identical queries based on user context. The core technical shift is from whole‑document indexing to sub‑document processing, where millions of granular snippets...
By Search Engine Journal
News•Jan 20, 2026
Google AI Mode Fan-Out Prompts To Narrow Your Query
Google is extending its AI Mode shopping experience with a "query fan‑out" feature that asks users clarifying questions to narrow product results. The system runs multiple simultaneous searches based on the user’s input, then surfaces the most relevant items in a...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 20, 2026
Google Search Team Does Not Endorse LLMs.txt Files
Google’s Search team clarified it does not endorse the LLMs.txt files appearing on some Google properties. The files were introduced through a recent CMS update and added to developer documentation, but the Search team later removed them while other product...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 20, 2026
Poll: More Advertisers To Add Microsoft Advertising To Marketing Mix?
A LinkedIn poll of over 200 advertisers asked whether Microsoft Advertising will be part of their 2026 marketing mix. Results show 42% already include it, 36% plan to add it, and 23% will not. The poll’s respondents are likely skewed...
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 20, 2026
Nativex Announces Strategic Partnership with Netflix to Bring Premium Streaming Inventory to Advertisers
Nativex announced a strategic partnership with Netflix to sell ad inventory on the streaming platform’s ad‑supported tier. The deal gives Nativex clients access to Netflix’s premium pre‑roll, mid‑roll, Pause Ads and QR‑enabled formats, backed by first‑party audience data. Netflix’s ad‑supported...
By MarTech Series
News•Jan 20, 2026
Google AI Mode Shows Product Inventory & Pricing In Light Font Color
Google AI Mode now displays product inventory and pricing in a much lighter font color, setting it apart from the standard Google Search interface. The change was first identified by Brodie Clark, who posted screenshots on X and SERP Alerts....
By Search Engine Roundtable
News•Jan 20, 2026
Yext’s Visibility Brief: Your Guide to Brand Visibility in AI Search by Yext
Yext released a new Visibility Brief that maps how brand visibility operates across traditional search, local listings, knowledge panels, and AI‑driven answer engines. The brief draws on data from thousands of brands to reveal where visibility gains are made and...
By Search Engine Land
News•Jan 20, 2026
Ex-Pinterest Marketer Andréa Mallard Named Microsoft AI CMO
Microsoft AI (MAI) appointed former Pinterest global CMO Andréa Mallard as its chief marketing officer. Mallard announced the move on LinkedIn, emphasizing AI’s transformative impact and the need for trustworthy technology. MAI, led by DeepMind co‑founder Mustafa Suleyman, recently rebranded...
By Adweek AI
News•Jan 20, 2026
What Happens After a User Clicks Your Affiliate Link?
The article demystifies the post‑click journey in loan affiliate marketing, showing that a click is merely the entry point to a multi‑step process involving tracking, risk checks, and lender approval. It explains why many affiliates see clicks but no payouts,...
By TechBullion
News•Jan 20, 2026
TikTok Turns to Pixels to Show Advertisers What Happens Beyond Its Walled Garden
TikTok has introduced an Off‑site Performance Analysis tool that uses a tracking pixel to follow user actions beyond the app. Launched on December 24, the feature links organic posts, TikTok Shop activity, live streams, and paid ads to purchases on...
By Adweek AI
News•Jan 20, 2026
Data Shows AI Overviews Disappears On Certain Kinds Of Finance Queries via @Sejournal, @Martinibuster
Recent BrightEdge data reveals that Google’s AI Overviews dominate finance queries with an educational focus, appearing in roughly 91% of “what is” style searches. In contrast, real‑time price lookups, calculator tools, and local “near me” queries trigger AI Overviews less...
By Search Engine Journal