Anthropic Clarifies How Claude Bots Crawl Sites and How to Block Them
Anthropic updated its crawler documentation, detailing three distinct user agents—ClaudeBot, Claude‑User, and Claude‑SearchBot—and their respective functions. ClaudeBot gathers public web content for training Anthropic’s generative AI models, Claude‑User retrieves pages in response to user queries, and Claude‑SearchBot indexes sites to improve Claude’s search results. The company explains that blocking each bot via robots.txt has specific implications for training inclusion, real‑time query access, and search visibility. Site owners can use standard Disallow directives, but IP‑based blocks are unreliable because the bots use rotating cloud IP ranges.
Google Fixed a Serving Issue with Search Results
Google experienced a brief serving issue affecting search results early Wednesday, February 25, around 1:30 am ET. The outage lasted roughly 15 minutes before engineers resolved it, and the status page confirmed the fix. The incident generated minimal user complaints, but...
Google Ad Grants Now Lets Nonprofits Optimize for Shop Visits
Google has lifted the restriction on using “shop visits” as a goal in its Ad Grants program, allowing eligible nonprofit accounts to optimize campaigns for real‑world foot traffic. The change lets advertisers align bidding with Maps and location‑driven search results,...
Google Search Console Page Indexing Report Missing Data Prior to December 15
Google Search Console's page indexing report is missing data prior to December 15, a reporting bug that affects every user of the tool. The gap eliminates historic indexing metrics, making trend analysis impossible for that period. Google has not issued an...
Merchant Center Flags Feeds Disruption
Google Merchant Center announced a service disruption affecting product feeds, which began on February 4, 2026 at 14:00 UTC. The public status dashboard still lists the issue as under investigation with no estimated resolution time. Feeds power Shopping ads and free listings, so...
What’s Next for PPC: AI, Visual Creative and New Ad Surfaces
PPC is moving past traditional search as AI‑first ad formats like Microsoft’s showroom ads and immersive gaming placements gain traction. Visual creative is becoming a staple throughout the funnel, with brands needing richer asset libraries to feed AI‑driven optimization. Experts...
Emina Demiri Talks Surviving Firing Your Biggest Client
Emina Demiri Watson, head of digital at Vixen Digital, revealed that the agency deliberately terminated a client that generated roughly 70% of its revenue after a three‑month toxic relationship deteriorated. The move exposed a severe customer‑concentration risk that the firm...
Google Now Attributes App Conversions to the Install Date
Google Ads is changing app‑campaign conversion attribution from the click date to the actual install date. This aligns Google’s reporting with Mobile Measurement Partners such as AppsFlyer and Adjust. The shift eliminates the default 30‑day lag that often delayed conversion...
Google Ads Shows How Landing Page Images Power PMax Ads
Google Ads now shows advertisers how landing‑page images can be turned into Performance Max (PMax) creatives. By opting in, brands allow Google to pull visual assets directly from their webpages and automatically generate ad variations. The platform previews these automated...
This Press Release Strategy Actually Earns Media Coverage
Press releases alone no longer guarantee coverage, but a data‑driven, journalist‑centric approach can revive their impact. By researching recent relevant stories, citing journalists in the release, and then pitching them directly with tailored messages, practitioners can secure multiple organic features....
Google Launches More Visible Links in AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google has launched a new UI element that places visible link cards in AI Overviews and AI Mode. When users hover over these links on desktop, a pop‑up displays richer icons and descriptions, and the same style appears on mobile....
Google Shifts Lookalike to AI Signals in Demand Gen
Google is converting Lookalike audiences in Demand Gen campaigns from strict targeting buckets into AI‑driven optimization signals starting March 2026. The new model lets the system expand beyond the predefined Lookalike pool, using similarity tiers as guidance rather than hard...
Google’s Jeff Dean: AI Search Relies on Classic Ranking and Retrieval
Google’s AI Search still relies on the classic retrieval‑ranking pipeline, with large language models applied only after a multi‑stage filtering process. Jeff Dean describes a "filter‑first, reason‑last" architecture that narrows billions of indexed pages to a few thousand candidates before...
Google Ads Tool Is Automatically Re-Enabling Paused Keywords
Google Ads’ Low‑activity system bulk changes tool is unexpectedly re‑enabling keywords that advertisers have paused. Logs show automated bulk updates with an undo option, a function previously used only for pausing inactive elements. Google has not confirmed whether this is...
Google AI Mode Doesn’t Favor Above-the-Fold Content: Study
A SALT.agency study of 2,318 URLs cited by Google’s AI Mode found no correlation between a text’s above‑the‑fold position and its likelihood of being quoted. Researchers measured pixel depth across travel, e‑commerce and SaaS verticals and observed citations from deep...
A Preview of ChatGPT’s Ad Controls Just Surfaced
OpenAI has surfaced a detailed ad‑settings panel for ChatGPT, revealing separate History and Interests tabs, privacy safeguards, and user‑controlled personalization toggles. The interface assures advertisers never access chat content, IP addresses, or personal identifiers, and lets users delete ad data...
Amanda Farley Talks Broken Pixels and Calm Leadership
Amanda Farley, CMO of Aimclear, discussed the pitfalls of broken tracking infrastructure and the broader need for data hygiene during episode 340 of PPC Live. She highlighted how a global campaign’s pixel failure revealed systemic onboarding and validation weaknesses, prompting...
Performance Max Built-In A/B Testing for Creative Assets Spotted
Google has launched a beta feature that lets advertisers run structured A/B tests on creative assets within a single Performance Max asset group. Users can define control and treatment asset sets, split traffic—commonly 50/50—and run the experiment for several weeks...
Google Ads Adds a Diagnostics Hub for Data Connections
Google Ads has introduced a diagnostics hub within Data Manager that monitors the health of data connections such as offline conversions, CRM imports, and tagging. The centralized dashboard assigns status labels—Excellent, Good, Needs attention, or Urgent—and provides real‑time alerts for...
How PR Teams Can Measure Real Impact with SEO, PPC, and GEO
PR measurement often stalls due to siloed teams and limited analytics resources. By partnering with SEO, PPC, and emerging Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) teams, PR can link media coverage to concrete customer actions. The article outlines a three‑step framework—connecting outreach...
Google Releases Discover Core Update – February 2026
Google rolled out the February 2026 Discover core update, initially to English‑speaking users in the United States, with a global rollout planned over the next months. The algorithmic change aims to surface more locally relevant, in‑depth, and original content while demoting...
How First-Party Data Drives Better Outcomes in AI-Powered Advertising
First‑party data is now the most powerful lever for AI‑driven advertising, according to Julie Warneke of Found Search Marketing. By feeding CRM‑derived signals into Google’s AI bidding, advertisers can boost conversion quality, revenue, and ROAS even as CPCs rise. Performance...
Google Ads Adds a Second Set of Eyes for High-Risk Account Changes
Google Ads has introduced multi‑party approval, a security layer that obliges a second administrator to sign off on high‑risk actions such as adding or removing users and changing roles. When an admin initiates such a change, an in‑product request is...
In Google Ads Automation, Everything Is a Signal in 2026
Google Ads automation in 2026 relies entirely on signals rather than manual settings, turning AI into the primary performance driver. Every account element—from conversion actions and keyword data to creative assets and budget pacing—feeds the learning model. High‑quality signals, especially...
Microsoft Launches Publisher Content Marketplace for AI Licensing
Microsoft Advertising unveiled the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), a platform where publishers can license premium articles and media to AI developers and receive usage‑based payments. The system lets publishers set licensing terms while AI builders discover content for grounding specific...
Advanced Ways to Use Competitive Research in SEO and AEO
The article urges marketers to integrate competitive research for both traditional SEO and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) in 2026. It contrasts the benefits of SEO tools—keyword intent, demand capture—with AEO tools that shape demand, influence early‑funnel decisions, and dictate brand...
The In-House Vs. Agency Debate Misses the Real Paid Media Problem by Focus Pocus Media
The article argues that the long‑standing in‑house versus agency debate overlooks the real paid‑media challenge: how performance leadership is structured. Companies often see campaigns run smoothly, yet growth stalls because tracking, strategic ownership, and systematic testing are weak. The author...
Kirk Williams Discusses Why Client Fit Is Very Important
Kirk Williams, founder of PPC micro‑agency Zato, warns that taking on mis‑aligned clients is the biggest mistake agencies make. He identifies emotional, time, and financial taxes that accrue when expectations and agency capabilities diverge. By overhauling his discovery process to...
7 Custom GPT Ideas to Automate SEO Workflows
Search Engine Land outlines seven custom GPT prompts that let SEO teams automate routine workflows, from annual project planning to technical audits. Each prompt includes setup steps, example inputs, and optional integrations with tools like Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and Slack....
How to Find Great Writers (and Other Content Marketing Struggles)
The article outlines a practical framework for locating and retaining great content writers amid a crowded marketplace flooded with AI tools and low‑cost freelancers. It stresses evaluating fundamentals such as grammar, readability, and audience focus, and prioritizing writers skilled in...
AI Local Visibility Is up to 30x Harder than Ranking in Google: Report
SOCi’s 2026 Local Visibility Index reveals that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity surface far fewer business locations than Google’s local 3‑pack. Only 1.2% of 350,000 locations appear on ChatGPT, 11% on Gemini, and 7.4% on Perplexity, compared...
Google Adds One-Click Ad Previews to PMax
Google has added a one‑click preview feature to Performance Max, allowing advertisers to click directly on images or videos within the Asset Groups table to see how ads will appear across placements. The update eliminates the need to navigate to...
Google Searches per U.S. User Fell Nearly 20% YoY: Report
U.S. desktop Google searches per user dropped nearly 20% year‑over‑year, while Europe saw only a 2‑3% decline. The fall reflects fewer repeat queries as AI‑generated answers satisfy users instantly. Zero‑click searches now represent about 20% of desktop events, but growth...
Bing Webmaster Tools Testing New AI Performance Report
Microsoft is testing a new AI Performance report within Bing Webmaster Tools, offering beta‑level visibility into how often Bing Chat and Copilot cite a site. The report displays daily citation counts, cited pages, grounding queries, and query intent, but it...
EU Puts Google’s AI and Search Data Under DMA Spotlight
The European Commission has launched two formal specification proceedings under the Digital Markets Act to dictate how Google must share Android AI capabilities and anonymized search data with rivals. The moves target Google’s control over hardware features used by its...
ChatGPT Ads Come with Premium Prices — and Limited Data
OpenAI is rolling out ads inside ChatGPT at roughly $60 CPM, about three times the cost of typical Meta placements. Advertisers will receive only high‑level metrics—total impressions and clicks—without insight into downstream actions such as purchases. The first wave targets...
Google Ads Bug Removes Notes Option for some Advertisers
Google Ads users are encountering a bug that removes the “Add note” option from the account‑change popup, making it harder to document campaign adjustments. The issue, flagged by paid‑search consultant Odi Caspi, appears intermittently over the past weeks. Workarounds include clicking...
A Smarter Way to Approach AI Prompting
Generative AI’s rise has exposed costly hallucinations caused by vague prompts. The article proposes rubric‑based prompting as a systematic guardrail that defines decision rules, uncertainty handling, and failure behavior. By embedding concise rubrics alongside prompts, models prioritize accuracy over fluency...
Why Demand Gen Works Best Alongside Performance Max for Ecommerce
Google’s Demand Gen campaign type has matured into a powerful visual advertising solution for ecommerce, offering granular audience and placement control across YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Shorts. When paired with Performance Max, which excels at automated, conversion‑driven scaling, advertisers can...
Nick LeRoy Turns SEO Consulting Into Fundraiser for Minnesota Immigrant Support
SEO veteran Nick LeRoy converted his consulting platform into a fundraiser for Minnesota immigrant support, offering services in exchange for donations to the GiveMN charity. Within seven hours the campaign raised roughly $1,950, backed by prominent SEO agencies, SaaS firms,...
Same URL in AI Overviews and Blue Links Counts as One Google Search Console Impression
Google Search Console treats a URL that appears in both an AI Overview and the traditional blue‑link list as a single impression. John Mueller confirmed that the platform aggregates multiple appearances of the same URL on a SERP into one...
International SEO in 2026: What Still Works, What No Longer Does, and Why
International SEO’s traditional playbook—country‑specific URLs, localized content, and hreflang—no longer guarantees visibility in 2026’s AI‑driven search landscape. AI models now prioritize semantic equivalence, entity clarity, and local authority before applying ranking signals, causing simple translations and page‑centric tactics to be...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Inside SearchGuard: How Google Detects Bots and What the SerpAPI Lawsuit Reveals
Google sued SerpAPI for allegedly circumventing its newly deployed SearchGuard anti‑bot system, which monitors mouse, keyboard, scroll and timing signals to distinguish humans from automated scrapers. The lawsuit, filed under DMCA Section 1201, highlights Google’s effort to protect its search...
GEO Myths: This Article May Contain Lies
The article debunks three prevalent Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) myths—llms.txt files, schema markup, and fresh content—by applying a "ladder of misinference" framework. It shows that llms.txt lacks empirical support, schema markup offers limited AI visibility benefits, and fresh content has...
10 Salary Negotiation Tips for Search Marketers
Negotiating salaries in marketing is challenging due to inconsistent job titles, lack of industry standards, and recent market shifts. The article outlines ten actionable tips grouped into four themes: assessing personal value, understanding realistic market rates, aligning with company values,...
Amy Hebdon Discusses the PPC Decision that Cost Her a Good Client Relationship
On episode 337 of PPC Live The Podcast, paid‑search veteran Amy Hebdon discusses two early career mistakes—a creative compliance conflict and an inactive low‑touch account—that strained client relationships. She emphasizes that while the tactical decisions were correct, poor communication and...