Insights
AI Search
Expert analysis on AI search, generative engine optimization, and the strategies reshaping digital marketing.
Google Search Services History: The AI Training Update Marketers Can’t Ignore
In the past week, Google quietly changed a setting that affects almost every business that depends on search marketing: your interactions with Google’s “Search services” can now include saved media (images, files, audio, and video) that may be used to develop and improve Google’s AI models unless users opt out. The immediate takeaway for marketers […]
Profound Launches an Always-On ‘Aim’ Agent for AI Search: The Next Phase of GEO Operations
AI search has already changed how customers discover brands. The new challenge is operational: once you can measure brand visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, what do you do next—every day, at speed, without drowning in dashboards? On July 2, 2026, Profound announced Profound Aim, an “always-on background agent” designed to convert AI Search signals […]
Google Is Testing Gemini-Powered Ads Inside AI Mode: What It Means for Marketers (July 2026)
Google is starting to show what the paid-search playbook looks like when the search results page becomes a conversation. In a May 2026 announcement from Google, the company confirmed it’s testing new Gemini-built ad formats inside AI Mode — including Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers — along with an “independent AI explainer” displayed inside […]
Google’s New ‘Intelligent Search Box’ and AI Agents: What It Means for SEO, GEO, and Demand Gen
Google just signaled the next phase of AI search: it’s not only summarizing answers, it’s restructuring how people ask questions and (soon) delegating the follow-through to agents. In its latest Search updates, Google says it’s rolling out the biggest upgrade to the Search box in over 25 years—an “intelligent Search box” that expands for longer […]
Cloudflare Will Block AI Bots on Ad Pages by Default (Sept 15): What It Means for GEO, SEO, and Marketing Attribution
In a move that could reshape how brands earn visibility in AI answers, Cloudflare announced new controls that let site owners distinguish between Search, Agent, and Training automated traffic—and then set different rules for each category. Cloudflare also said that starting September 15, 2026, new domains onboarding to Cloudflare will allow Search crawlers by default […]
Google Adds an AI Search Toggle in Search Console: What It Means for SEO, GEO, and Lead Gen
Google just signaled a major shift in how brands and publishers should think about visibility in AI-powered search: the company is now testing a new control in Google Search Console that lets site owners decide whether their content can appear in (and help ground) generative AI Search experiences like AI Overviews, AI Mode, and AI […]
Google Search Console Adds Generative AI Reports (AI Overviews & AI Mode): What Marketers Do Next
Google just gave marketers something weve been asking for since AI Overviews first started reshaping SERPs: visibility measurement. On June 3, Google announced new Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console dedicated reporting that shows how often your URLs appear inside generative AI features like AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus generative features […]
Google Search Console Adds AI Visibility Reporting: What the New Generative AI Reports Mean for SEO & GEO
Google is quietly giving site owners the first real measurement handle on what has become the most politically charged question in modern search: “Are we showing up in AI answers, and does it help us?” Google’s new Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console add a dedicated view of your impressions inside generative AI […]
OpenAI and Broadcom’s Jalapeño Chip: Why Cheaper AI Inference Changes AI Search and Marketing
What happened (and why marketers should care) OpenAI and Broadcom unveiled Jalapeño, OpenAI’s first custom chip designed specifically for AI inference—the work of serving model responses in products like ChatGPT and agent tools like Codex, not training new models. In plain English: OpenAI is trying to make every generated answer cheaper, faster, and more predictable. […]
Google’s June 2026 Spam Update Finished Rolling Out: What It Means for SEO, GEO, and AI Search Visibility
Google’s newest spam-focused ranking change is already in the rearview mirror — and that’s exactly why business owners should pay attention now. According to reporting that tracked Google’s rollout, the Google June 2026 spam update began on June 24, 2026 (around noon) and finished on June 26, 2026 (around 2pm ET). Google described it as […]