Digital Industry Updates
At Embryo we keep a log of key industry updates within the digital marketing landscape. The updates cover changes with Google and algorithms and platforms that affect SEO, PPC, as well as social platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
If you would like to contribute, then please contact h.middleton@embryo.com or e.murray@embryo.com.
Filter by:
AI search is splitting user behaviour
Google is not putting every AI experience in one place. Search, AI Mode and Gemini are being used in different ways, with Google’s VP of Search Liz Reid saying people often move between them depending on what they are trying to do.
Search and AI Mode are more likely to be used for informational queries, while Gemini leans more towards writing and creative tasks. AI Mode also appears to be where longer, more complex and conversational questions are happening.
For brands, that makes authority and clarity even more important. If people are asking different types of questions across different Google tools, brands need to be clearly associated with the topics they want to be found for. Digital PR can support this by building trusted coverage, expert commentary and consistent mentions across the wider web, helping search engines and AI tools understand who the brand is, what it knows and when it should be surfaced.
Read moreGoogle adds real-time policy reviews in ads advisor
How it works:
Google has added real-time policy review features to Ads Advisor. The system can now automatically monitor accounts, detect policy issues, and suggest fixes 24/7 to prevent campaigns from being unexpectedly paused or disapproved.
What’s the benefit:
This helps advertisers resolve policy problems faster and avoid downtime. PPC teams may spend less time troubleshooting disapprovals and more time focusing on performance and optimisation.
Google introduces seasonal theming for Performance Max assets
How it works:
Google has introduced seasonal creative theming for Performance Max campaigns. This allows advertisers to align messaging and visuals with seasonal events (such as sales periods or holidays) within the same campaign, without creating entirely new campaigns.
What’s the benefit:
This saves time and helps ads stay relevant during key seasonal moments. PPC teams can maintain performance during busy periods while reducing the need for manual campaign changes.
Google Search console fixing bug inflating metrics
Since 13th May 2025, impression reporting has become challenging. Google recently confirmed a bug was affecting how impressions had been logged in Search Console, with a fix now being rolled out over the coming weeks. The ‘bug’ caused huge inflation in impression figures, making it difficult to accurately benchmark SERP visibility and evaluate month-on-month trends.
Thankfully, Google has begun and will continue making corrections over the coming weeks.
So if you notice impressions dipping over the next few weeks, it’s most likely down to Google correcting the data rather than any drastic changes in visibility
Read moreGoogle Ads rolls out results tab in recommendations
How it works:
Google Ads has added a new “results” tab to the recommendations section. This tab shows advertisers the actual impact of applying or ignoring each recommendation (e.g., how spend or conversions might change). It gives a clearer context before you choose to implement any of the recommendations.
What’s the benefit:
Instead of guessing what an automated suggestion will do, PPC teams can see estimated impact up front, helping avoid changes that might waste budget.
March 2026 core update complete
Just days after a quick, spam update roll-out was complete, Google have announced their latest core update has officially rolling out this morning. The March 2026 core update has been deemed a “regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites”.
As we typically expect with all core updates, this may take up to 2 weeks to complete and we will be continuing to monitor all impact for clients and competitors across various industries. Ideally, impact will always be minimal for those sites which are improving organic performance, but it’s important not to knee-jerk react to any site changes until the update has finalised and rankings have stabilised.
See updateGoogle’s March 2026 Spam Update finished in record time!
How it works: Google has fully rolled out its March 2026 Spam Update, completing the entire process in less than 24 hours. The update targets “scaled content abuse,” site reputation abuse, and expired domain abuse. Unlike updates in the past that often take weeks to deply, this fast rollout highlights a far more efficient and likely automated approach to identifying and penalising poor-quality, AI-created spam.
Why it matters for SEO: With this update rolling out so quickly, it’s likely sites will be able to see an impact almost immediately. It’s a key reminder for businesses and SEOs to consistently be prioritising strong content that highlights strong E-E-A-T (experiece, expertise, authority and trust), rather than throwing out a high volume of low-value and poor quality pages.
Read moreGoogle introduces Gemini-powered ads advisor in marketing platform
How it works:
Google has launched Ads Advisor, an AI tool powered by Gemini within the Google Marketing Platform. It helps advertisers diagnose creative issues and automatically generate performance insights. The tool is now available for users managing campaigns through platforms like Display.
What’s the benefit:
This update makes campaign management faster and more automated, especially for large accounts. PPC teams can spend less time on manual troubleshooting and more time on strategy.
Google expands creative asset options in Google Ads
How it works:
Google has expanded the range of creative assets that advertisers can use in campaigns, including more media formats such as images, videos, and other visual elements. This gives advertisers more flexibility to build engaging ads across different placements.
What’s the benefit:
More creative options allow advertisers to improve ad quality and engagement. PPC teams can test different formats to identify what resonates best with their audience and potentially improve performance metrics such as click-through rate.
Google adds automatic end screens to video ads
How it works:
Google Ads is introducing automatic end screens for video ads. After a video finishes, Google will automatically add an interactive card encouraging users to take an action, such as visiting the website. These cards are generated automatically and may replace any manually added end screens in the video ad.
What’s the benefit:
This feature helps guide viewers towards a conversion after the ad finishes. By automatically adding a call-to-action screen, advertisers can see better engagement and more conversions from their video campaigns without manually designing end screens.
