Search, social and AI news that actually affects South African businesses — short, plain-English, every weekday.
Google has stopped tidying up badly escaped structured data, so rich results can disappear without a single warning. Reddit lost 86% of its ChatGPT…
Read the brief →Google's video carousel now shows on under 20% of searches, down from just over 30%, and on tracked brand names it fell to around…
Read the brief →A 41 day experiment split one site's internal links between plain HTML and JavaScript. Googlebot found 2% of the JavaScript pages and the AI…
Read the brief →Google started the August 2026 spam update on Monday and it is still rolling out worldwide. WordPress 7.1 ships today, Instagram will now let…
Read the brief →Your Search Console AI impressions collapsed on 13 August and Google has confirmed none of it was real. Plus a paused AI Overviews test,…
Read the brief →Google's Smart Bidding change went live today, so a target you set as a ceiling is now an instruction. ChatGPT Ads started reading your…
Read the brief →Google Ads removes campaign level language targeting in late September, which matters more in a multilingual market than almost anywhere else. AI generated pictures…
Read the brief →New Lunio data shows Google search campaigns running AI Max carried 72 percent more invalid traffic, and Google converts eligible campaigns automatically on 1…
Read the brief →Google's Pixel 11 lets an assistant navigate apps and websites on a customer's behalf, across more than forty apps. Anthropic starts watermarking Claude text…
Read the brief →Google has opened its generative AI performance report to every Search Console account, complete with a pop-up pointing you at it. It counts impressions…
Read the brief →YouTube doubles the watch hours a new channel needs to start earning, from 4,000 to 8,000, effective February 2027. Google also banned repeated bilingual…
Read the brief →Google has begun piloting a rule that stops free email addresses like Gmail from making sensitive changes to a Google Ads account. Plus a…
Read the brief →The word yes is showing up as a query in Search Console, and it is coming from AI Mode follow-ups. Google is also about…
Read the brief →WordPress 7.0.3 closes twelve vulnerabilities, including a login screen flaw that needs no password at all. Google Shopping starts printing countdown badges on expiring…
Read the brief →Google switches off Assistant from 4 September with no way to switch it back, handing every Android phone, watch and projected Android Auto screen…
Read the brief →From 2 August, AI generated content shown to European audiences has to carry a label, with fines up to fifteen million euros. Google is…
Read the brief →Google has started asking some searchers to sign in and prove they are human before showing more results. Rankings moved on the first of…
Read the brief →Google switches local inventory ads on for every Shopping campaign from 31 August, and the Ads API will not let you switch them back…
Read the brief →Google starts retiring Dynamic Search Ads in September, migrating eligible campaigns to AI Max automatically. Google Business Profile chat has shut down for good,…
Read the brief →Google Search Console platform properties are now available to everyone, so you can finally see which searches surface your Instagram, TikTok and YouTube posts.…
Read the brief →Google Search Console platform properties went global this week, so you can now verify your Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube account and see the…
Read the brief →Google Search Console can now report on your Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube posts, and it arrives just as zero-click searches hit 68%. Rankings…
Read the brief →Google search rankings shifted for the third time this month and Google has confirmed nothing. Meanwhile ChatGPT opened self-serve ads to every business, and…
Read the brief →Google has banned fake and undisclosed incentivised reviews from review snippets, with manual actions for sites that ignore it. Plus the zero-click reality of…
Read the brief →An unconfirmed Google update rattled rankings over the weekend, with some sites reporting drops of up to 70 percent. Meanwhile AI Overviews are cutting…
Read the brief →Zero-click searches hit 68% and Google responds with big changes to AI Overviews, while Threads ads go global within days. Here is our plain-English…
Read the brief →Google rankings shifted sharply over the weekend of 18 and 19 July with no confirmed update, while new Search Console reports finally show how…
Read the brief →Google has switched on news carousels inside AI Overviews, Search Console is rolling out AI visibility reports, and Instagram now lets users tune their…
Read the brief →Google rankings wobbled again this weekend with no confirmed update, and Search Console can now track your Instagram, TikTok and YouTube content. Here is…
Read the brief →Google has started tracking social posts in Search Console, AI Overviews now carries live news, and TikTok is automating ad campaigns. Here is what…
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One short email each weekday: what changed in search, social and AI, and what it means for your business.
