An independent newsroom for organic search, AIO, GEO, and digital marketing.
Daily reporting on the stories shaping organic search, AI Overviews, and generative engine optimization — tracked across the industry, prioritized by what matters, and written as a quick, clear read.
A federal judge dismissed antitrust claims against Google while acknowledging that publishers have suffered demonstrable harm from the company's practices.
Google is generating team roster information via AI Overviews in search results, replacing direct traffic to roster pages.
A court dismissed Penske Media's lawsuit against Google over AI Overviews, ruling the publisher failed to prove Google had a formal agreement to use its content.
MARTECH fact-checks seven widely-repeated claims about AI's effect on search, from AI killing traditional search to LLMs replacing SEO teams, using data and case studies to separate myth from reality.
Google Gemini now attaches UTM parameters to referral links, enabling site owners to track traffic from the AI platform in their analytics systems.
Google's AI contribution pilot compensates publishers inconsistently, with some receiving less than 0.1% of their ad revenue and unclear payout formulas.
Reddit is discontinuing RSS feeds and ending free API access to prevent AI systems from scraping its data.
YouTube is deprioritizing recommendations for channels that repost others' Shorts with minimal edits to favor original content.
Google Local Service Ads are displaying ads from advertisers outside their stated service areas, potentially mismatching users with service providers.
Google is testing the removal of the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button from its search interface, replacing it in some cases with AI-related options.
Google is experimenting with variable product grid layouts in search results, testing configurations that show three to five products.
Cloudflare has moved its Monetization Gateway and Pay Per Use tools into beta, enabling per-request charging for AI agents and publisher compensation for AI usage.
OpenAI released a virtual try-on feature for clothing and accessories in ChatGPT across mobile and web.
Search Engine Journal is promoting a CTM webinar on October 13 about using first-party customer data to earn AI citations and optimize FAQ content.