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:
Google is adding Business Profile Integration into the Gemini app
Google is rolling out Business Profile connection in the Gemini App. Allowing profile admins to manage reviews, customer questions, and performance data all within Gemini.
The update, coming this month, will also allow GBP managers to draft replies and make profile edits with AI assistance. Google shared examples of how the update will improve Business Profile value and usability for business owners:
- Ask how your business did this month and be provided with a summary including impressions, direction requests, call data, and customer engagement.
- Ask for help responding to a review, and have a unique response drafted that references the customer feedback.
- Ask Gemini to update details like opening hours, adjust seasonal opening times, or give tips on optimising your profile.
Google Ads changes monthly budget pacing
How it works:
Google has updated how monthly budgets are paced when ad schedules are restricted. Campaigns running only during certain days or hours may now spend more of their allocated monthly budget than before.
What’s the benefit:
Advertisers may capture more available traffic during active periods, but PPC teams should review budgets carefully to avoid unexpected increases in spend.
Google expands preferred sources within AI search experiences
How it works:
Users can now choose which websites and publishers they prefer to see referenced in AI-generated answers.
What’s the benefit:
This means trusted and well-known brands may have a better chance of appearing in AI Search results. Advertisers should continue building brand authority and high-quality content to stay visible.
Google Search IO 2026
Google Search IO 2026 highlights a continued shift toward AI driven search, with Gemini powering a more interactive and agent based experience. Search is moving beyond traditional listings, allowing users to ask complex questions, use multimodal inputs, and complete tasks directly within the search interface.
Key updates include expanded AI Overviews, a stronger AI Mode, and new agent style features that can help users take actions such as planning or booking. This signals a move from search as a list of results to search as an AI assistant that helps complete tasks.
For SEO, the focus should shift toward topical authority rather than isolated keywords by building strong content clusters that fully cover a subject. Content should be clearly structured so AI systems can easily interpret and reuse it, supported by strong internal linking to reinforce relationships between pages. There is also increased importance on informational content that directly solves user problems, alongside consistent brand and entity signals to strengthen Google’s understanding of site authority. Overall, optimisation should prioritise intent completion rather than rankings alone, especially as more queries are handled through AI driven results.
Read moreAI-generated video creation spotted in Performance Max
How it works:
Google has begun rolling out AI-powered videos inside Performance Max campaigns. Advertisers can automatically generate video creatives from existing assets and campaign content using Gemini-powered tools.
What’s the benefit:
This lowers the barrier to creating video ads and could help more advertisers access YouTube and video inventory without needing dedicated creative resources.
May 2026 core update
Yesterday, Google announced the rollout of the May 2026 core update.
Google have said ‘This is a regular update designed to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.’
The rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete.
Check status dashboardPerformance Max – Search Partner & Display exclusions
How it works:
Google is rolling out new exclusions within Performance Max campaigns, allowing advertisers to exclude the following directly within campaign settings:
- Search Partners
- Display Network placements
What’s the benefit:
This gives advertisers more control over where Performance Max ads appear, helping reduce wasted spend and improve placement quality in automated campaigns.
Google launches site visits asset for Search & PMax
How it works:
Google has rolled out the new Site Visits asset for Search and Performance Max campaigns. The feature displays a non-clickable badge underneath ads showing how many visits a website has received, using labels such as “10K+ visits last month” or “1M+ visits.” The data combines both paid and organic traffic signals.
What’s the benefit:
This adds a layer of social proof directly into ads, which could help improve trust and click-through rates. Larger brands with strong traffic volumes may especially benefit from increased credibility in competitive auctions.
Google’s linking improvements in AI search
What’s changed?
Google has recently announced an update to the way it links to sources and information within its AI overview and in AI Mode.
It will now link directly within the AI response next to the relevant text, rather than linking a cluster of sources towards the end of the information provided.
It’s also introduced a new feature, giving users the ability to preview a website when hovering over the inline link on desktop.
Why it matters
The more relevant placement of links will help with further exploration on a subject, rather than AI responses being a ‘dead end’ to the search.
The new preview feature will help a user decide whether to click through to a site, with Google saying “We’ve seen that people might hesitate to click a link if they’re not sure exactly where it leads — so this update will help people feel more confident about visiting helpful websites.”
Read hereGoogle to stop FAQ rich results
On 7th May 2026, Google released an update stating that FAQ rich results will no longer show in search and the Search Console features will go away.
Google will no longer support FAQ rich results as of May 7, 2026. This means you will no longer see FAQ rich results in the Google Search results going forward. These features previously helped gain a larger share of the SERP through expandable drop downs for organic listings. We have seen this reduce significantly over the last 3 years, but the official announcement now confirms that FAQ rich results will no longer appear in the SERPs.
We believe there’s no concern or urgency to remove any FAQ structured data already in place, and other search engines may continue to process it and use it for their own purposes.
Read from Google
