<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>Google is testing new Performance Max controls that let advertisers influence which channels the algorithm prioritizes.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Ads-PMax-channels-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Google is testing a new Performance Max channel setting that could give advertisers a direct way to tell the algorithm which channels they value more — a notable departure from PMax&#8217;s traditionally automated approach to channel allocation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The feature, currently described as being in alpha testing, includes adjustment controls for Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What’s new.</strong> The experimental &#8220;Channels&#8221; setting appears to let advertisers make positive or negative adjustments for individual Performance Max channels.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="687" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/PMax-controls.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-485826" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/PMax-controls.jpeg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/PMax-controls-768x660.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A positive adjustment relaxes the CPA the system is willing to accept for that channel, effectively signaling that the advertiser places greater value on conversions coming from it. A negative adjustment tightens the CPA, encouraging PMax to place less emphasis on that channel.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Importantly, this isn&#8217;t the same as assigning a fixed percentage of budget to Search or YouTube. Instead, advertisers appear to be influencing the economics PMax uses when deciding where to pursue conversions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why it’s significant.</strong> Performance Max has historically given advertisers little direct control over how budgets are distributed between Google&#8217;s inventory.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Advertisers could influence the system through assets, audience signals, search themes and conversion value data, but Google&#8217;s existing documentation says advertisers can&#8217;t directly control how PMax allocates budget by channel.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If broadly released, this would represent a much more direct lever for influencing that mix.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>From visibility to control.</strong> The test follows Google&#8217;s introduction of <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-rolling-out-performance-max-channel-performance-reporting-456251">channel-level Performance Max reporting</a>, which gave advertisers greater visibility into where campaigns were serving and spending.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The new setting could provide the next piece of that puzzle: the ability to take what advertisers learn from channel reporting and use it to influence how PMax behaves.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>But attribution complicates things.</strong> Channel-level performance isn&#8217;t necessarily the same thing as channel-level value. A user could first encounter an advertiser through a YouTube ad and later convert through Search. Looking only at the channel receiving conversion credit could therefore make YouTube appear less valuable than its actual contribution to the customer journey.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Aggressively tightening a channel because its directly attributed CPA looks poor could potentially reduce demand or conversions elsewhere in the campaign.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why we care.</strong> Advertisers have spent years asking for more control over Performance Max, and this test could be one of the most consequential controls Google has introduced. It could help advertisers correct unwanted channel allocation without abandoning PMax altogether. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But it also creates another optimization decision: marketers will need to understand the role each channel plays beyond last-touch performance before telling Google&#8217;s algorithm where to pull back.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Google appears to be testing a significant shift in Performance Max: giving advertisers a direct lever to influence which channels its algorithm prioritizes. After giving marketers greater visibility into channel performance, Google may now be starting to give them more control over what happens next.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>First spotted. </strong>This update was spotted by Search Marketing Advisor Heidi Sturrock, who shared spotting it on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7497705244001370112/">LinkdedIn</a>.</p>


Google is testing a new Performance Max channel setting that could give advertisers a direct way to tell the algorithm which channels they value more — a notable departure from PMax’s traditionally automated approach to channel allocation.
The feature, currently described as being in alpha testing, includes adjustment controls for Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
What’s new. The experimental “Channels” setting appears to let advertisers make positive or negative adjustments for individual Performance Max channels.




A positive adjustment relaxes the CPA the system is willing to accept for that channel, effectively signaling that the advertiser places greater value on conversions coming from it. A negative adjustment tightens the CPA, encouraging PMax to place less emphasis on that channel.
Importantly, this isn’t the same as assigning a fixed percentage of budget to Search or YouTube. Instead, advertisers appear to be influencing the economics PMax uses when deciding where to pursue conversions.
Why it’s significant. Performance Max has historically given advertisers little direct control over how budgets are distributed between Google’s inventory.
Advertisers could influence the system through assets, audience signals, search themes and conversion value data, but Google’s existing documentation says advertisers can’t directly control how PMax allocates budget by channel.
If broadly released, this would represent a much more direct lever for influencing that mix.
From visibility to control. The test follows Google’s introduction of channel-level Performance Max reporting, which gave advertisers greater visibility into where campaigns were serving and spending.
The new setting could provide the next piece of that puzzle: the ability to take what advertisers learn from channel reporting and use it to influence how PMax behaves.
But attribution complicates things. Channel-level performance isn’t necessarily the same thing as channel-level value. A user could first encounter an advertiser through a YouTube ad and later convert through Search. Looking only at the channel receiving conversion credit could therefore make YouTube appear less valuable than its actual contribution to the customer journey.
Aggressively tightening a channel because its directly attributed CPA looks poor could potentially reduce demand or conversions elsewhere in the campaign.
Why we care. Advertisers have spent years asking for more control over Performance Max, and this test could be one of the most consequential controls Google has introduced. It could help advertisers correct unwanted channel allocation without abandoning PMax altogether. 
But it also creates another optimization decision: marketers will need to understand the role each channel plays beyond last-touch performance before telling Google’s algorithm where to pull back.
Bottom line. Google appears to be testing a significant shift in Performance Max: giving advertisers a direct lever to influence which channels its algorithm prioritizes. After giving marketers greater visibility into channel performance, Google may now be starting to give them more control over what happens next.
First spotted. This update was spotted by Search Marketing Advisor Heidi Sturrock, who shared spotting it on LinkdedIn.

Google is testing new Performance Max controls that let advertisers influence which channels the algorithm prioritizes.

Google tests channel prioritization controls for Performance Max

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="AI visibility" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Getting cited by AI isn't enough. Discover why winning recommendations requires cross-functional action beyond SEO and website optimization.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="AI visibility" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ai-visibility-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For most of search marketing&#8217;s history, action items stayed close to what SEO and website teams owned: technical issues, content, links, authority, and related work. Fixes often required developers, writers, or subject-matter experts, but SEO and website teams could usually diagnose the problems and influence the outcome on their own.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>AI visibility doesn&#8217;t fit as neatly into that SEO box.</strong>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A company can have a technically sound website that AI crawlers can access and understand, including what the company sells and who it serves. AI may even mention and cite the brand regularly in informational responses.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yet when a buyer asks what to purchase, those same brands can be left out. That&#8217;s because AI uses a different set of criteria when it shifts from providing information to making recommendations. As a result, AI visibility plans require action from teams across the organization, far beyond SEO and AI search.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is why I believe AI visibility now has two jobs:</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Optimize what SEO and development control.</strong></li>



<li><strong>Mobilize the organization for everything else.</strong></li>
</ol>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Mobilizing teams across the organization will become one of the most important capabilities for in-house teams responsible for AI visibility.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is something I’ll be addressing in my <a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/master-classes/topics/ai-brand-visibility" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI Brand Visibility SMX Master Class on</a><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/master-classes/topics/ai-brand-visibility"> Oct. 5</a>.</p>



<h2 id="h-being-visible-and-being-recommended-aren-t-the-same-problem" class="wp-block-heading">Being visible and being recommended aren&#8217;t the same problem</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Much of the industry&#8217;s GEO conversation today focuses on getting found and mentioned:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Can AI crawlers access our content?</li>



<li>Are we mentioned?</li>



<li>Are we cited?</li>



<li>Which sources influence AI responses?</li>



<li>How often do we appear compared with competitors?</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is a job in itself.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, when a buyer asks:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;I need a compressed air system for a food manufacturing facility that maintains consistent pressure during variable production demand without introducing oil contamination into the process. What should I consider?&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This isn&#8217;t simply a request for information about compressed air systems. The buyer has provided a specific set of requirements and asked AI to help make a decision. AI shifts from providing information to giving advice.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To answer well, AI must determine which solutions are appropriate for food manufacturing, which can handle variable demand, which address contamination concerns, what tradeoffs the buyer should consider, and more.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The AI system compares products using documentation, technical specifications, customer experiences, third-party sources, and its understanding of manufacturers and the buyers they serve. It also applies its own understanding of what matters most in that buying scenario to its evaluation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Once AI moves into <em>advising</em>, it&#8217;s no longer simply retrieving information. It&#8217;s making recommendations, and that&#8217;s when being understood and citable is no longer the same as being recommendable.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That significantly expands the role of the SEO and AI Search (GEO) team.</p>



<h2 id="h-sometimes-ai-understands-your-product-perfectly-and-that-s-why-you-re-omitted" class="wp-block-heading">Sometimes AI understands your product perfectly and <em>that&#8217;s</em> why you’re omitted</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Consider a manufacturer with strong domain authority, extensive content, and technically sound product pages. Its products consistently appear when buyers ask informational questions about the category.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now imagine a buyer asks:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;What equipment should I use for this application if minimizing downtime is more important than initial cost?&#8221; </li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The manufacturer disappears from the recommendations. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Why?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Most search teams would look for a content opportunity. Maybe the website doesn&#8217;t explain the product in the context of that application. Maybe its operational advantages aren&#8217;t documented. Maybe the information exists but isn&#8217;t easy to retrieve. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Those are fixable search and content problems.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But our analysis of leading brands is uncovering issues far beyond what SEO and AI Search (GEO) teams typically consider. We&#8217;re seeing reasons such as:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Higher maintenance requirements than competing products</li>



<li>Missing capabilities that matter for the buyer&#8217;s specific application</li>



<li>Consistent customer reports of difficult support experiences for complex issues</li>



<li>A component with a reputation for frequent failure</li>



<li>Cloud connectivity that&#8217;s reported to drop frequently</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These aren&#8217;t hypothetical examples. We&#8217;ve uncovered issues like these while investigating why large, sophisticated brands with strong products are omitted from AI recommendations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In these cases, AI wasn&#8217;t failing to find the company or its products. It understood them extremely well — in fact, too well. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">AI accurately recognized the products&#8217; limitations, what could go wrong, and where buyers were likely to face risk, frustration, higher total cost of ownership, more downtime, longer repair times, and other tradeoffs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The gaps we&#8217;re finding come down to buyer scenarios. Specific prompts surface evidence within AI&#8217;s context window that it uses to decide whether a company is a good recommendation for that buyer.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is a fundamentally different visibility problem than SEO or getting found by AI. It&#8217;s a <strong>recommendation problem</strong>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When recommendations are the issue, the work extends beyond the SEO and AI search (GEO) team and into cross-functional teams across the organization. In many cases, winning in AI search requires mobilizing far more teams than SEO ever did.</p>



<h2 id="h-getting-ai-to-recommend-a-product-often-exposes-problems-outside-seo-s-jurisdiction" class="wp-block-heading">Getting AI to recommend a product often exposes problems outside SEO&#8217;s jurisdiction</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Now consider a SaaS company that&#8217;s a true leader in its niche but consistently loses recommendations when buyers want a native integration with a particular enterprise platform. Its leading competitors offer one. This company doesn&#8217;t.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The website could clearly explain the available workaround. It could publish implementation documentation and customer examples showing the alternative works. That may improve the company&#8217;s visibility and AI&#8217;s perception. But content can&#8217;t turn a workaround into a native integration. If that capability matters to the buyer, AI sees the product as a poorer fit or a higher-risk choice.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We saw an even more striking example while researching a complex manufacturing machine. AI understood that one component was made from a different material than its competitors, recognized the performance implications of that design choice, and surfaced both the component and its material when throughput became important to the buyer later in the conversation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The product&#8217;s design itself becomes a factor in recommendations.</strong>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let that sink in for a moment. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Product design has rarely influenced marketing channels beyond reviews, listicles, and ecommerce filters.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is where AI visibility moves beyond the traditional boundaries of SEO. The SEO or AI Search (GEO) team can identify the pattern, measure how often it affects important buyer scenarios, and diagnose why the product loses recommendations. But it can&#8217;t change the material used in a product, add a native integration, or rewrite a company&#8217;s warranty policy.</p>



<h2 id="h-seo-needs-to-know-when-and-how-to-mobilize-other-teams-to-execute-ai-visibility-solutions" class="wp-block-heading">SEO needs to know when and how to mobilize other teams to execute AI visibility solutions.</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">AI visibility creates a different kind of cross-functional challenge than SEO. Analysis may uncover recommendation problems whose solutions don&#8217;t belong to SEO at all.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>If AI repeatedly excludes a product because buyers need a capability it doesn&#8217;t have, the next conversation belongs with <strong>Product</strong>. </li>



<li>If customer evidence causes the company to lose recommendations because of poor support for complex issues, that conversation belongs with <strong>Technical Support</strong> leadership.</li>



<li>If the return policy or refund timeline is blocking recommendations, that conversation belongs with <strong>Finance</strong> leadership.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The SEO and AI search (GEO) team&#8217;s expanded role is to bring cross-functional teams a business problem they may not even know exists:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;When buyers ask AI about this requirement, we lose. Here&#8217;s why. Here&#8217;s how often it happens. Here&#8217;s which products or revenue opportunities it affects. How do we fix it?&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">From there, the business can decide whether anything should change.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sometimes the answer is to change the product, policy, or process. Sometimes the answer is, &#8220;We can&#8217;t change,&#8221; and the team must rely on better positioning, stronger evidence, or clearer content to improve AI&#8217;s perception. And sometimes the company decides the buyer scenario simply isn&#8217;t important enough to justify action.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Pacesetter AI visibility programs will <strong>own the program</strong> while mobilizing cross-functional teams to <strong>own the solution</strong>. That creates two layers of ownership, unlike SEO, where responsibility typically rests with the SEO team. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The SEO and AI search (GEO) team may own monitoring recommendations, investigating losses, and diagnosing their causes. But when the cause lies in the product, customer experience, operations, finance, or another function, that team must be mobilized to own the solution.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The pacesetters in AI visibility won&#8217;t be the teams that learn to optimize everything they find. They&#8217;ll be the teams that know what SEO can fix, what it can&#8217;t, and how to mobilize the organization when the answer lies elsewhere.</strong>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Join me Oct. 5 for my all-new <a href="https://info.thirddoormedia.com/NzI3LVpRRS0wNDQAAAGjrwoumDq-ic3ckHue8llwq0cdQHGY5iKSuTrlejfQyEfSdbdm2N1ylu7-9ZdJkP63mxZo_TM=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AI Brand Visibility SMX Master Class</a> and discover what it really takes to earn recommendations in the AI era. This isn&#8217;t another tactical SEO workshop. It&#8217;s a strategic roadmap for understanding how AI is changing discovery, and how your organization can adapt before your competitors do.</em>


For most of search marketing’s history, action items stayed close to what SEO and website teams owned: technical issues, content, links, authority, and related work. Fixes often required developers, writers, or subject-matter experts, but SEO and website teams could usually diagnose the problems and influence the outcome on their own.
AI visibility doesn’t fit as neatly into that SEO box.



A company can have a technically sound website that AI crawlers can access and understand, including what the company sells and who it serves. AI may even mention and cite the brand regularly in informational responses.
Yet when a buyer asks what to purchase, those same brands can be left out. That’s because AI uses a different set of criteria when it shifts from providing information to making recommendations. As a result, AI visibility plans require action from teams across the organization, far beyond SEO and AI search.
This is why I believe AI visibility now has two jobs:
Optimize what SEO and development control.
Mobilize the organization for everything else.
Mobilizing teams across the organization will become one of the most important capabilities for in-house teams responsible for AI visibility.
This is something I’ll be addressing in my AI Brand Visibility SMX Master Class on Oct. 5.
Being visible and being recommended aren’t the same problem
Much of the industry’s GEO conversation today focuses on getting found and mentioned:
Can AI crawlers access our content?
Are we mentioned?
Are we cited?
Which sources influence AI responses?
How often do we appear compared with competitors?
This is a job in itself.
However, when a buyer asks:
“I need a compressed air system for a food manufacturing facility that maintains consistent pressure during variable production demand without introducing oil contamination into the process. What should I consider?”
This isn’t simply a request for information about compressed air systems. The buyer has provided a specific set of requirements and asked AI to help make a decision. AI shifts from providing information to giving advice.
To answer well, AI must determine which solutions are appropriate for food manufacturing, which can handle variable demand, which address contamination concerns, what tradeoffs the buyer should consider, and more.
The AI system compares products using documentation, technical specifications, customer experiences, third-party sources, and its understanding of manufacturers and the buyers they serve. It also applies its own understanding of what matters most in that buying scenario to its evaluation.
Once AI moves into advising, it’s no longer simply retrieving information. It’s making recommendations, and that’s when being understood and citable is no longer the same as being recommendable.
That significantly expands the role of the SEO and AI Search (GEO) team.
Sometimes AI understands your product perfectly and that’s why you’re omitted
Consider a manufacturer with strong domain authority, extensive content, and technically sound product pages. Its products consistently appear when buyers ask informational questions about the category.
Now imagine a buyer asks:
“What equipment should I use for this application if minimizing downtime is more important than initial cost?” 
The manufacturer disappears from the recommendations. 
Why?
Most search teams would look for a content opportunity. Maybe the website doesn’t explain the product in the context of that application. Maybe its operational advantages aren’t documented. Maybe the information exists but isn’t easy to retrieve. 
Those are fixable search and content problems.
But our analysis of leading brands is uncovering issues far beyond what SEO and AI Search (GEO) teams typically consider. We’re seeing reasons such as:
Higher maintenance requirements than competing products
Missing capabilities that matter for the buyer’s specific application
Consistent customer reports of difficult support experiences for complex issues
A component with a reputation for frequent failure
Cloud connectivity that’s reported to drop frequently
These aren’t hypothetical examples. We’ve uncovered issues like these while investigating why large, sophisticated brands with strong products are omitted from AI recommendations.
In these cases, AI wasn’t failing to find the company or its products. It understood them extremely well — in fact, too well. 
AI accurately recognized the products’ limitations, what could go wrong, and where buyers were likely to face risk, frustration, higher total cost of ownership, more downtime, longer repair times, and other tradeoffs.
The gaps we’re finding come down to buyer scenarios. Specific prompts surface evidence within AI’s context window that it uses to decide whether a company is a good recommendation for that buyer.
This is a fundamentally different visibility problem than SEO or getting found by AI. It’s a recommendation problem.
When recommendations are the issue, the work extends beyond the SEO and AI search (GEO) team and into cross-functional teams across the organization. In many cases, winning in AI search requires mobilizing far more teams than SEO ever did.
Getting AI to recommend a product often exposes problems outside SEO’s jurisdiction
Now consider a SaaS company that’s a true leader in its niche but consistently loses recommendations when buyers want a native integration with a particular enterprise platform. Its leading competitors offer one. This company doesn’t.
The website could clearly explain the available workaround. It could publish implementation documentation and customer examples showing the alternative works. That may improve the company’s visibility and AI’s perception. But content can’t turn a workaround into a native integration. If that capability matters to the buyer, AI sees the product as a poorer fit or a higher-risk choice.
We saw an even more striking example while researching a complex manufacturing machine. AI understood that one component was made from a different material than its competitors, recognized the performance implications of that design choice, and surfaced both the component and its material when throughput became important to the buyer later in the conversation.
The product’s design itself becomes a factor in recommendations.



Let that sink in for a moment. 
Product design has rarely influenced marketing channels beyond reviews, listicles, and ecommerce filters.
This is where AI visibility moves beyond the traditional boundaries of SEO. The SEO or AI Search (GEO) team can identify the pattern, measure how often it affects important buyer scenarios, and diagnose why the product loses recommendations. But it can’t change the material used in a product, add a native integration, or rewrite a company’s warranty policy.
SEO needs to know when and how to mobilize other teams to execute AI visibility solutions.
AI visibility creates a different kind of cross-functional challenge than SEO. Analysis may uncover recommendation problems whose solutions don’t belong to SEO at all.
If AI repeatedly excludes a product because buyers need a capability it doesn’t have, the next conversation belongs with Product. 
If customer evidence causes the company to lose recommendations because of poor support for complex issues, that conversation belongs with Technical Support leadership.
If the return policy or refund timeline is blocking recommendations, that conversation belongs with Finance leadership.
The SEO and AI search (GEO) team’s expanded role is to bring cross-functional teams a business problem they may not even know exists:
“When buyers ask AI about this requirement, we lose. Here’s why. Here’s how often it happens. Here’s which products or revenue opportunities it affects. How do we fix it?”
From there, the business can decide whether anything should change.
Sometimes the answer is to change the product, policy, or process. Sometimes the answer is, “We can’t change,” and the team must rely on better positioning, stronger evidence, or clearer content to improve AI’s perception. And sometimes the company decides the buyer scenario simply isn’t important enough to justify action.
Pacesetter AI visibility programs will own the program while mobilizing cross-functional teams to own the solution. That creates two layers of ownership, unlike SEO, where responsibility typically rests with the SEO team. 
The SEO and AI search (GEO) team may own monitoring recommendations, investigating losses, and diagnosing their causes. But when the cause lies in the product, customer experience, operations, finance, or another function, that team must be mobilized to own the solution.
The pacesetters in AI visibility won’t be the teams that learn to optimize everything they find. They’ll be the teams that know what SEO can fix, what it can’t, and how to mobilize the organization when the answer lies elsewhere.



Join me Oct. 5 for my all-new AI Brand Visibility SMX Master Class and discover what it really takes to earn recommendations in the AI era. This isn’t another tactical SEO workshop. It’s a strategic roadmap for understanding how AI is changing discovery, and how your organization can adapt before your competitors do.

Getting cited by AI isn't enough. Discover why winning recommendations requires cross-functional action beyond SEO and website optimization.

AI visibility has two jobs: Execute SEO and mobilize the organization

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>Google is adding Gemini Omni to Asset Studio, making it easier to turn creative briefs and brand assets into campaign-ready videos.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-AI-creative-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Google is bringing Gemini Omni into Asset Studio in Google Ads, allowing advertisers to turn creative briefs, brand guidelines and existing assets into multi-format videos that can be deployed directly into campaigns.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The new capabilities are aimed at reducing the work required to produce creative variations for Demand Gen, Performance Max and other Google and YouTube campaigns.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What’s new.</strong> Starting today, Google DeepMind&#8217;s Gemini Omni model powers new multimodal video creation tools directly within Asset Studio.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-video"><video height="1080" width="1920" controls src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/multimodal-bloom-flux-30s-demo-mp4.mp4"></video></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Advertisers can provide their brand guidelines and website URL, enter a creative brief or select existing static assets, and use Gemini Omni to generate video storyboards and motion scenes.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>How it works.</strong> Google has built the workflow around four stages: establish the brand, generate concepts, refine the creative and deploy the finished assets.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After importing brand guidelines and a URL, advertisers can generate initial concepts from prompts or existing creative. They can then use additional prompts to adjust individual scenes, voiceovers, pacing and aspect ratios before exporting the assets directly into campaigns.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Prompt-based editing.</strong> Advertisers can refine generated videos using natural language rather than rebuilding creative from scratch.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gemini Omni can make changes to scenes, backgrounds and styling while retaining context from previous instructions, allowing advertisers to iteratively develop the creative through a conversation-like workflow.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Brand controls.</strong> Google says Gemini Omni uses reasoning during scene generation to help AI-generated assets remain consistent with an advertiser&#8217;s visual identity and tone.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rather than only generating realistic-looking scenes, Google says the model reasons about what should happen next while attempting to maintain the brand standards supplied by the advertiser.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Multi-format creative.</strong> One of the main goals is to make it easier to produce the creative variety needed across Google&#8217;s different advertising surfaces.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gemini Omni can generate horizontal 16:9 and vertical 9:16 versions of video creative, reducing the need for advertisers to separately produce variations for different placements across Google and YouTube.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>From creation to campaigns.</strong> Finished assets can be exported from Asset Studio directly into Demand Gen, Performance Max and other YouTube or Google campaigns.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That creates a more integrated workflow where advertisers can move from a brief to generated creative and then into campaign deployment without relying on separate video production tools for each stage.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why we care.</strong> Producing enough video variations for Google&#8217;s increasingly creative-heavy campaign types can be expensive and time-consuming, particularly when advertisers need multiple formats. Putting generation and editing directly inside Google Ads could dramatically shorten that process. But advertisers will still need to scrutinize whether AI-generated videos genuinely meet their brand standards rather than relying solely on Gemini Omni&#8217;s interpretation of their guidelines.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Google is turning Asset Studio into a more complete AI video production environment, using <a href="https://business.google.com/us/accelerate/announcements/omni-in-google-ads/">Gemini Omni</a> to take advertisers from creative brief to brand-aware, multi-format video assets that can be deployed directly into campaigns.</p>


Google is bringing Gemini Omni into Asset Studio in Google Ads, allowing advertisers to turn creative briefs, brand guidelines and existing assets into multi-format videos that can be deployed directly into campaigns.
The new capabilities are aimed at reducing the work required to produce creative variations for Demand Gen, Performance Max and other Google and YouTube campaigns.
What’s new. Starting today, Google DeepMind’s Gemini Omni model powers new multimodal video creation tools directly within Asset Studio.








Advertisers can provide their brand guidelines and website URL, enter a creative brief or select existing static assets, and use Gemini Omni to generate video storyboards and motion scenes.
How it works. Google has built the workflow around four stages: establish the brand, generate concepts, refine the creative and deploy the finished assets.
After importing brand guidelines and a URL, advertisers can generate initial concepts from prompts or existing creative. They can then use additional prompts to adjust individual scenes, voiceovers, pacing and aspect ratios before exporting the assets directly into campaigns.
Prompt-based editing. Advertisers can refine generated videos using natural language rather than rebuilding creative from scratch.
Gemini Omni can make changes to scenes, backgrounds and styling while retaining context from previous instructions, allowing advertisers to iteratively develop the creative through a conversation-like workflow.
Brand controls. Google says Gemini Omni uses reasoning during scene generation to help AI-generated assets remain consistent with an advertiser’s visual identity and tone.
Rather than only generating realistic-looking scenes, Google says the model reasons about what should happen next while attempting to maintain the brand standards supplied by the advertiser.
Multi-format creative. One of the main goals is to make it easier to produce the creative variety needed across Google’s different advertising surfaces.
Gemini Omni can generate horizontal 16:9 and vertical 9:16 versions of video creative, reducing the need for advertisers to separately produce variations for different placements across Google and YouTube.
From creation to campaigns. Finished assets can be exported from Asset Studio directly into Demand Gen, Performance Max and other YouTube or Google campaigns.
That creates a more integrated workflow where advertisers can move from a brief to generated creative and then into campaign deployment without relying on separate video production tools for each stage.
Why we care. Producing enough video variations for Google’s increasingly creative-heavy campaign types can be expensive and time-consuming, particularly when advertisers need multiple formats. Putting generation and editing directly inside Google Ads could dramatically shorten that process. But advertisers will still need to scrutinize whether AI-generated videos genuinely meet their brand standards rather than relying solely on Gemini Omni’s interpretation of their guidelines.
Bottom line. Google is turning Asset Studio into a more complete AI video production environment, using Gemini Omni to take advertisers from creative brief to brand-aware, multi-format video assets that can be deployed directly into campaigns.

Google is adding Gemini Omni to Asset Studio, making it easier to turn creative briefs and brand assets into campaign-ready videos.

Google brings Gemini Omni video creation to Google Ads

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>Google is expanding LSA direct booking to more than 500 partners, making it easier for customers to book straight from ads.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-booking-integration-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Google is significantly expanding booking capabilities for Local Services Ads (LSAs), increasing support from around 20 Reserve with Google booking partners to more than 500.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The expansion means substantially more LSA advertisers can let potential customers book directly from their ads on Google Search and Maps, according to Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What’s new.</strong> Starting now, advertisers whose Google Business Profile already has an active partner booking link will automatically have that booking capability enabled for their Local Services Ads.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There&#8217;s no additional manual linking required. Eligible customers can move directly from seeing the LSA to making a booking through the advertiser&#8217;s existing booking partner.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A big expansion.</strong> Google says Local Services Ads now support more than 500 Reserve with Google booking partners, up from just 20.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That dramatically increases the number of businesses that could potentially use direct booking through their ads without adopting a different scheduling provider.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bookings become paid leads.</strong> Direct bookings generated through LSAs aren&#8217;t simply an additional interaction with the ad. Google says they will flow into LSA lead reporting as paid leads.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Advertisers can continue viewing and managing those booking leads from within their Local Services Ads profile.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Advertisers still have controls.</strong> Businesses that don&#8217;t want to use a particular booking provider can adjust their preferences.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Booking settings and individual partner links can be managed under Profile &amp; Budget > Settings within the LSA dashboard, including the ability to disable a specific partner link.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Google Ads migration.</strong> These settings won&#8217;t disappear as <a href="https://searchengineland.com/local-services-ads-come-to-google-ads-via-performance-max-482692">Google moves LSA accounts into Google Ads over the coming months</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Marvin said advertisers&#8217; booking preferences will carry over as part of that migration, helping preserve existing configurations through the transition.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why we care.</strong> Direct booking reduces the number of steps between seeing an LSA and becoming a lead. Expanding support from 20 to more than 500 booking partners could make that experience available to significantly more advertisers. But because those bookings are treated as paid leads, businesses should also monitor booking quality and costs rather than viewing the feature simply as a free conversion improvement.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Google is turning direct booking into a much more widely available Local Services Ads feature, automatically connecting existing eligible Business Profile booking links and letting customers go from an ad on Search or Maps directly to making an appointment.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Dig deeper. </strong><a href="https://x.com/adsliaison/status/2092237387178860721">Ginny Marvin announcement</a>


Google is significantly expanding booking capabilities for Local Services Ads (LSAs), increasing support from around 20 Reserve with Google booking partners to more than 500.
The expansion means substantially more LSA advertisers can let potential customers book directly from their ads on Google Search and Maps, according to Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin.
What’s new. Starting now, advertisers whose Google Business Profile already has an active partner booking link will automatically have that booking capability enabled for their Local Services Ads.
There’s no additional manual linking required. Eligible customers can move directly from seeing the LSA to making a booking through the advertiser’s existing booking partner.
A big expansion. Google says Local Services Ads now support more than 500 Reserve with Google booking partners, up from just 20.
That dramatically increases the number of businesses that could potentially use direct booking through their ads without adopting a different scheduling provider.
Bookings become paid leads. Direct bookings generated through LSAs aren’t simply an additional interaction with the ad. Google says they will flow into LSA lead reporting as paid leads.
Advertisers can continue viewing and managing those booking leads from within their Local Services Ads profile.
Advertisers still have controls. Businesses that don’t want to use a particular booking provider can adjust their preferences.
Booking settings and individual partner links can be managed under Profile & Budget > Settings within the LSA dashboard, including the ability to disable a specific partner link.
The Google Ads migration. These settings won’t disappear as Google moves LSA accounts into Google Ads over the coming months.
Marvin said advertisers’ booking preferences will carry over as part of that migration, helping preserve existing configurations through the transition.
Why we care. Direct booking reduces the number of steps between seeing an LSA and becoming a lead. Expanding support from 20 to more than 500 booking partners could make that experience available to significantly more advertisers. But because those bookings are treated as paid leads, businesses should also monitor booking quality and costs rather than viewing the feature simply as a free conversion improvement.
Bottom line. Google is turning direct booking into a much more widely available Local Services Ads feature, automatically connecting existing eligible Business Profile booking links and letting customers go from an ad on Search or Maps directly to making an appointment.
Dig deeper. Ginny Marvin announcement

Google is expanding LSA direct booking to more than 500 partners, making it easier for customers to book straight from ads.

Google expands direct booking for Local Services Ads

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>Google will start charging Local Services Ads advertisers for some missed and follow-up calls that qualify as valid leads from Oct. 1.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/LSA-call-policy-update-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Google is updating its Local Services Ads lead charge policy, changing how and when advertisers are charged for calls generated by their ads.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Starting Oct. 1st, certain missed calls and subsequent calls that meet Google&#8217;s valid lead criteria will become chargeable.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What’s changing.</strong> Missed calls during business hours will now be charged as valid leads when a user stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with some exceptions.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="496" height="756" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Lead-charge.png" alt="" class="wp-image-485801"/></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That means advertisers could be charged for a call even if nobody at the business actually answers it.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Subsequent calls.</strong> If an initial call doesn&#8217;t qualify as a charged lead, Google says subsequent follow-up calls between the business and the user will be charged if they meet its valid lead criteria.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Call routing exceptions.</strong> Google is introducing an exception for businesses whose call-receiving setup requires customers to press a key to reach the appropriate department.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In these cases, the 20-second timer won&#8217;t begin until the customer presses the key. Businesses won&#8217;t be charged if the customer doesn&#8217;t press a key and therefore isn&#8217;t routed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Spam protections.</strong> Google says it is introducing new safeguards intended to limit robot calls and address spam call abuse as part of the change.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The announcement doesn&#8217;t provide further details about how those protections will work.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why Google is making the change.</strong> Google says Local Services Ads customers often have immediate needs and expect to connect quickly with a trusted local professional.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The company says the policy change is intended to help the platform meet those customer expectations while rewarding businesses that provide &#8220;excellent responsiveness.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why we care.</strong> The change puts more importance on advertisers&#8217; ability to answer calls during business hours. Businesses could now pay for missed calls that last longer than 20 seconds, making call responsiveness and routing setup more directly connected to LSA costs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bottom line.</strong> Starting Oct. 1, Google will broaden what can qualify as a charged Local Services Ads call lead, including missed calls lasting more than 20 seconds during business hours and qualifying subsequent calls.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>First spotted.</strong> This updated was spotted by a digital marketer on <a href="https://x.com/theJoeShmow">X</a>. </p>


Google is updating its Local Services Ads lead charge policy, changing how and when advertisers are charged for calls generated by their ads.
Starting Oct. 1st, certain missed calls and subsequent calls that meet Google’s valid lead criteria will become chargeable.
What’s changing. Missed calls during business hours will now be charged as valid leads when a user stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, with some exceptions.




That means advertisers could be charged for a call even if nobody at the business actually answers it.
Subsequent calls. If an initial call doesn’t qualify as a charged lead, Google says subsequent follow-up calls between the business and the user will be charged if they meet its valid lead criteria.
Call routing exceptions. Google is introducing an exception for businesses whose call-receiving setup requires customers to press a key to reach the appropriate department.
In these cases, the 20-second timer won’t begin until the customer presses the key. Businesses won’t be charged if the customer doesn’t press a key and therefore isn’t routed.
Spam protections. Google says it is introducing new safeguards intended to limit robot calls and address spam call abuse as part of the change.
The announcement doesn’t provide further details about how those protections will work.
Why Google is making the change. Google says Local Services Ads customers often have immediate needs and expect to connect quickly with a trusted local professional.
The company says the policy change is intended to help the platform meet those customer expectations while rewarding businesses that provide “excellent responsiveness.”
Why we care. The change puts more importance on advertisers’ ability to answer calls during business hours. Businesses could now pay for missed calls that last longer than 20 seconds, making call responsiveness and routing setup more directly connected to LSA costs.
Bottom line. Starting Oct. 1, Google will broaden what can qualify as a charged Local Services Ads call lead, including missed calls lasting more than 20 seconds during business hours and qualifying subsequent calls.
First spotted. This updated was spotted by a digital marketer on X.

Google will start charging Local Services Ads advertisers for some missed and follow-up calls that qualify as valid leads from Oct. 1.

Google Local Services Ads will charge for some missed calls starting Oct. 1

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="How to turn an SEO backlog into a roadmap" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>SEO roadmaps should tie business goals to ownership, capacity, impact, and measurement. Otherwise, you’ve built a backlog.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="How to turn an SEO backlog into a roadmap" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/How-to-turn-an-SEO-backlog-into-a-roadmap-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Your <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> <a href="https://searchengineland.com/how-to-create-an-seo-roadmap-432389">roadmap</a> needs to be more than a list of activities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Every line in the list could be worth doing, but they should also tell you why it matters, what it’s supposed to accomplish, or what happens if it slips a quarter. A roadmap should answer “so what” for everything on it. Otherwise, you’ve built a backlog.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It’s important to note the difference because roadmaps and backlogs serve different purposes, even though they&#8217;re sometimes mistaken for interchangeable.</p>



<h2 id="h-seo-backlogs-vs-roadmaps" class="wp-block-heading">SEO backlogs vs. roadmaps</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A backlog is where ideas, patches, or nice-to-haves sit and wait their turn, while a roadmap is where you show measurable outcomes tied to initiatives when tasked with answering what SEO will actually deliver within a set time frame and why it deserves to be continuously funded compared to other growth levers.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Treating the two as the same is how teams end up defending activity instead of outcomes, and often, where roadmaps fail.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A backlog says:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Fix this set of canonical errors.</li>



<li>Add schema to a template.</li>



<li>Update category pages.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A roadmap says:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Why this matters.</li>



<li>What business outcome it supports.</li>



<li>Who owns it.</li>



<li>What has to happen first, if anything.</li>



<li>Expected impact, direct or indirect.</li>



<li>What it costs in time and resources.</li>



<li>How you’ll know it worked by measurement.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Everything that can clear those questions should be scored and sequenced on your roadmap. Everything that can’t should stay in the backlog until it can.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Your list is the first step. A framework for building the roadmap is the qualifying layer.</p>


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<h2 id="h-using-scope-for-seo-roadmapping" class="wp-block-heading">Using SCOPE for SEO roadmapping</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A helpful framework to categorize between roadmap and backlog is SCOPE. It’s similar in method to other acronymic frameworks, like RICE in product or RACI in operations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">SCOPE stands for:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Strategic alignment</strong>: Does the initiative tie to business goals the executives care about?</li>



<li><strong>Confidence in delivery</strong>: Will the initiative get shipped in the way it’s intended, without being derailed by dependencies?</li>



<li><strong>Ownership of execution</strong>: Who will actually do the work, and what’s their capacity?</li>



<li><strong>Potential impact</strong>: What’s the value of the initiative? Can you measure it honestly?</li>



<li><strong>Effort and elapsed time</strong>: What does the initiative cost, and how long will it take?</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Take your list of initiatives and run them through the matrix (hypotheticals within):</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Initiative</strong></td><td><strong>Strategic alignment</strong></td><td><strong>Confidence in delivery</strong></td><td><strong>Ownership of execution</strong></td><td><strong>Potential impact</strong></td><td><strong>Effort and elapsed time</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Fix canonical tag errors on product pages</td><td>High. Protects existing rankings from splitting equity.</td><td>High. No dependencies.</td><td>SEO team</td><td>Medium. Recovers lost equity but no new demand.</td><td>Low effort. 2 weeks.</td></tr><tr><td>Add schema to top commercial pages</td><td>Medium. Supports visibility and CTR.</td><td>High. No dependencies.</td><td>SEO team + content</td><td>Medium. Incremental changes.</td><td>Low effort. 3 weeks.</td></tr><tr><td>Consolidate thin category pages</td><td>Medium. Cleans up cannibalization.</td><td>Medium. Needs stakeholder alignment.</td><td>SEO team</td><td>Medium. But potentially avoids further issues later.</td><td>Medium effort. 6 weeks.</td></tr><tr><td>Rebuild internal linking architecture</td><td>High. Impact across the entire website.</td><td>Medium. Needs CMS support for dynamic linking.</td><td>SEO team + dev</td><td>High. Lifts authority flow across entire site.</td><td>Medium effort. 1 quarter for data-driven analysis.</td></tr><tr><td>Build a pSEO directory from the product database</td><td>High. Net-new organic demand captured at scale.</td><td>Low. Needs engineering bandwidth.</td><td>SEO team + engineering + QA</td><td>High. Largest net-new traffic opportunity.</td><td>High effort. Half year.</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-goals-strategy-planning-453492">SEO execution: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning</a></em></strong>



<h2 id="h-sequence-your-seo-priorities-on-your-roadmap" class="wp-block-heading">Sequence your SEO priorities on your roadmap</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While placing the initiatives across your matrix tells you what matters most, sequencing tells you what happens when.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Doing so is beneficial because some initiatives are cheap and fast, while others are expensive and slow to pay off.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you’re reporting on quarterly or half-year targets, your roadmap should include a mix of both. Otherwise, all of your wins will hit a wall in outcomes by month ~four, while long-horizon bets won’t show up until the next cycle, making it harder to justify the roadmap.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are some examples of quick wins:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Fix canonical errors:</strong> Low effort, ships in two weeks, fine outcome.</li>



<li><strong>Add schema to top commercial pages: </strong>Low effort, ships in three weeks, fine outcome.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are some examples of long bets:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Rebuilding the internal linking architecture:</strong> Blocks a quarter of work before compounding effects become visible.</li>



<li><strong>Building a pSEO directory off the product database:</strong> Has the highest upside to net-new traffic, but requires the most effort and time.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Good sequencing usually means quick wins that are low-effort and high-confidence, generating results while the slower initiatives run in parallel in the background.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That way, by the time quick wins are exhausted, you’ll start reaping the rewards of the bigger bets that have phased through their dependencies and are beginning to gain traction.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So you have the list, you have the qualifying layer, and now you’re sequencing appropriately. But what about limitations?</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/prioritize-technical-seo-fixes-business-impact-477385">How to prioritize technical SEO fixes by business impact</a></em></strong>



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<h2 id="h-build-the-seo-roadmap-around-realistic-implementation" class="wp-block-heading">Build the SEO roadmap around realistic implementation</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Roadmaps only work if you’re honest about what you can do.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/programmatic-seo">Programmatic SEO</a> (pSEO) is a clean example of an initiative that could slow your progress. This isn’t about spammy implementation, as some websites have produced thousands of thin pages and been hit by spam updates. It’s about building rich, unique content into database pages with structure and value for users.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Think of a large database-driven directory, for example. These initiatives can look fantastic in a strategy deck, but querying a database to spin up well-done pages with widgets across each will typically require engineering time. Meanwhile, engineering has its own roadmap and backlog that doesn’t focus on organic traffic.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The same logic applies to factors such as CMS limitations and other technical considerations. Your SEO initiatives aren’t just competing with each other on a SCOPE matrix and sequencing. They’re competing with product and dev roadmaps.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://hub.seofomo.co/surveys/ecommerce-seo-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEOFomo’s 2026 survey</a> found that implementation bottlenecks and development constraints were the most commonly reported reasons SEO projects didn’t meet their expectations. This includes dev backlogs, limited engineering capacity, and complex architecture.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although it can be underwhelming to accept and label initiatives as just not practical to get completed, it’s important to set realistic expectations so your roadmap remains aligned with what you can actually deliver.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Any advances in AI tooling may lower the barrier to implementation, but they won’t eliminate dependencies overnight. Complex architecture, governance, and deployment to production, especially in regulated industries, will probably still require coordination beyond the SEO team.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/fix-everything-wrong-seo-strategy-478437">‘Fix everything’ is the wrong SEO strategy</a></em></strong>



<h2 id="h-defining-measurement-before-implementation" class="wp-block-heading">Defining measurement before implementation</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Measurement is table stakes and baked into defining the potential impact of initiatives on your SEO roadmap. Revenue is usually the strongest outcome.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But SEO isn’t always cleanly attributable to revenue, as some initiatives support things like brand visibility, paid acquisition efficiency in multi-touch buyer journeys, or lifecycle enablement. Or, generally speaking, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-blended-customer-acquisition-costs-483589">SEO can reduce blended customer acquisition costs</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And the initiatives that support that contribution, although not direct, may still deserve to be on the roadmap because indirect value is still value.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whether it’s via blended CAC efficiency demonstrated through holdouts, direct revenue tied to first-touch attribution, or a mix, there needs to be an honest plan to measure it.</p>


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<h2 id="h-treat-the-roadmap-like-a-real-operating-plan" class="wp-block-heading">Treat the roadmap like a real operating plan</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">SEO roadmaps that work typically qualify their initiatives in comparison to others, are considerate of cross-functional dependencies, sequence based on capacity and expected timelines, are honest about what’s measurable, and are revisited on a regular cadence.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Once there’s early traction and a clear business impact, that’s leverage to go back and ask for increased capacity for larger bets.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In the meantime, your roadmap should be built like someone is going to ask you to defend it. Do that well enough, and no one has to.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/build-120-minute-weekly-seo-workflow-481205">How to build a 120-minute weekly SEO workflow that gets results</a></em></strong>

Your SEO roadmap needs to be more than a list of activities.
Every line in the list could be worth doing, but they should also tell you why it matters, what it’s supposed to accomplish, or what happens if it slips a quarter. A roadmap should answer “so what” for everything on it. Otherwise, you’ve built a backlog.
It’s important to note the difference because roadmaps and backlogs serve different purposes, even though they’re sometimes mistaken for interchangeable.
SEO backlogs vs. roadmaps
A backlog is where ideas, patches, or nice-to-haves sit and wait their turn, while a roadmap is where you show measurable outcomes tied to initiatives when tasked with answering what SEO will actually deliver within a set time frame and why it deserves to be continuously funded compared to other growth levers.
Treating the two as the same is how teams end up defending activity instead of outcomes, and often, where roadmaps fail.
A backlog says:
Fix this set of canonical errors.
Add schema to a template.
Update category pages.
A roadmap says:
Why this matters.
What business outcome it supports.
Who owns it.
What has to happen first, if anything.
Expected impact, direct or indirect.
What it costs in time and resources.
How you’ll know it worked by measurement.
Everything that can clear those questions should be scored and sequenced on your roadmap. Everything that can’t should stay in the backlog until it can.
Your list is the first step. A framework for building the roadmap is the qualifying layer.
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Using SCOPE for SEO roadmapping
A helpful framework to categorize between roadmap and backlog is SCOPE. It’s similar in method to other acronymic frameworks, like RICE in product or RACI in operations.
SCOPE stands for:
Strategic alignment: Does the initiative tie to business goals the executives care about?
Confidence in delivery: Will the initiative get shipped in the way it’s intended, without being derailed by dependencies?
Ownership of execution: Who will actually do the work, and what’s their capacity?
Potential impact: What’s the value of the initiative? Can you measure it honestly?
Effort and elapsed time: What does the initiative cost, and how long will it take?
Take your list of initiatives and run them through the matrix (hypotheticals within):

InitiativeStrategic alignmentConfidence in deliveryOwnership of executionPotential impactEffort and elapsed time
Fix canonical tag errors on product pagesHigh. Protects existing rankings from splitting equity.High. No dependencies.SEO teamMedium. Recovers lost equity but no new demand.Low effort. 2 weeks.
Add schema to top commercial pagesMedium. Supports visibility and CTR.High. No dependencies.SEO team + contentMedium. Incremental changes.Low effort. 3 weeks.
Consolidate thin category pagesMedium. Cleans up cannibalization.Medium. Needs stakeholder alignment.SEO teamMedium. But potentially avoids further issues later.Medium effort. 6 weeks.
Rebuild internal linking architectureHigh. Impact across the entire website.Medium. Needs CMS support for dynamic linking.SEO team + devHigh. Lifts authority flow across entire site.Medium effort. 1 quarter for data-driven analysis.
Build a pSEO directory from the product databaseHigh. Net-new organic demand captured at scale.Low. Needs engineering bandwidth.SEO team + engineering + QAHigh. Largest net-new traffic opportunity.High effort. Half year.






Dig deeper: SEO execution: Understanding goals, strategy, and planning



Sequence your SEO priorities on your roadmap
While placing the initiatives across your matrix tells you what matters most, sequencing tells you what happens when.
Doing so is beneficial because some initiatives are cheap and fast, while others are expensive and slow to pay off.
If you’re reporting on quarterly or half-year targets, your roadmap should include a mix of both. Otherwise, all of your wins will hit a wall in outcomes by month ~four, while long-horizon bets won’t show up until the next cycle, making it harder to justify the roadmap.
Here are some examples of quick wins:
Fix canonical errors: Low effort, ships in two weeks, fine outcome.
Add schema to top commercial pages: Low effort, ships in three weeks, fine outcome.
Here are some examples of long bets:
Rebuilding the internal linking architecture: Blocks a quarter of work before compounding effects become visible.
Building a pSEO directory off the product database: Has the highest upside to net-new traffic, but requires the most effort and time.
Good sequencing usually means quick wins that are low-effort and high-confidence, generating results while the slower initiatives run in parallel in the background.
That way, by the time quick wins are exhausted, you’ll start reaping the rewards of the bigger bets that have phased through their dependencies and are beginning to gain traction.
So you have the list, you have the qualifying layer, and now you’re sequencing appropriately. But what about limitations?
Dig deeper: How to prioritize technical SEO fixes by business impact




	
	
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
 
				
				
			
See terms.
		
Build the SEO roadmap around realistic implementation
Roadmaps only work if you’re honest about what you can do.
Programmatic SEO (pSEO) is a clean example of an initiative that could slow your progress. This isn’t about spammy implementation, as some websites have produced thousands of thin pages and been hit by spam updates. It’s about building rich, unique content into database pages with structure and value for users.
Think of a large database-driven directory, for example. These initiatives can look fantastic in a strategy deck, but querying a database to spin up well-done pages with widgets across each will typically require engineering time. Meanwhile, engineering has its own roadmap and backlog that doesn’t focus on organic traffic.
The same logic applies to factors such as CMS limitations and other technical considerations. Your SEO initiatives aren’t just competing with each other on a SCOPE matrix and sequencing. They’re competing with product and dev roadmaps.
SEOFomo’s 2026 survey found that implementation bottlenecks and development constraints were the most commonly reported reasons SEO projects didn’t meet their expectations. This includes dev backlogs, limited engineering capacity, and complex architecture.
Although it can be underwhelming to accept and label initiatives as just not practical to get completed, it’s important to set realistic expectations so your roadmap remains aligned with what you can actually deliver.
Any advances in AI tooling may lower the barrier to implementation, but they won’t eliminate dependencies overnight. Complex architecture, governance, and deployment to production, especially in regulated industries, will probably still require coordination beyond the SEO team.
Dig deeper: ‘Fix everything’ is the wrong SEO strategy



Defining measurement before implementation
Measurement is table stakes and baked into defining the potential impact of initiatives on your SEO roadmap. Revenue is usually the strongest outcome.
But SEO isn’t always cleanly attributable to revenue, as some initiatives support things like brand visibility, paid acquisition efficiency in multi-touch buyer journeys, or lifecycle enablement. Or, generally speaking, SEO can reduce blended customer acquisition costs.
And the initiatives that support that contribution, although not direct, may still deserve to be on the roadmap because indirect value is still value.
Whether it’s via blended CAC efficiency demonstrated through holdouts, direct revenue tied to first-touch attribution, or a mix, there needs to be an honest plan to measure it.
before your competitors.
      
Start your free trial
    
Treat the roadmap like a real operating plan
SEO roadmaps that work typically qualify their initiatives in comparison to others, are considerate of cross-functional dependencies, sequence based on capacity and expected timelines, are honest about what’s measurable, and are revisited on a regular cadence.
Once there’s early traction and a clear business impact, that’s leverage to go back and ask for increased capacity for larger bets.
In the meantime, your roadmap should be built like someone is going to ask you to defend it. Do that well enough, and no one has to.
Dig deeper: How to build a 120-minute weekly SEO workflow that gets results

SEO roadmaps should tie business goals to ownership, capacity, impact, and measurement. Otherwise, you’ve built a backlog.

How to turn an SEO backlog into a roadmap

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Google Business Profile categories and local rankings: What 1.8M profiles reveal" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Specific primary and additional categories, plus complete profiles, correlate with stronger local rankings. See what the data reveals.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Google Business Profile categories and local rankings: What 1.8M profiles reveal" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Google-Business-Profile-categories-and-local-rankings-What-1.8M-profiles-reveal-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to improve your local rankings, start by getting specific with your <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/google-business-profile">Google Business Profile </a>category, choosing relevant additional categories, and fully completing your Profile.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whitespark studied 1.8 million Google Business Profiles across 4,209 categories to learn more about the impact of Google Business Profile categories on rankings, identify notable trends among businesses with specific GBP categories, and explore the curious things that happen at the intersection of different categories. <em>(</em><strong><em>Disclosure</em></strong><em>: I’m the founder of Whitespark.)</em>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The findings challenge some assumptions about how category selection and Profile completeness affect local rankings. Here are three of the most interesting findings from the study.</p>



<h2 id="h-is-it-better-to-pick-a-generic-or-specific-category-for-rankings" class="wp-block-heading">Is it better to pick a generic or specific category for rankings?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The idea that Google matches the primary GBP category to the search term shouldn&#8217;t come as a surprise to any local marketer.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For example, here are the results for a search for “hair salons”:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category</strong></td><td><strong>Appearances</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Hair salon</td><td>7,952</td><td>49.9</td><td><strong>11.3%</strong>&nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Hairdresser</td><td>200</td><td>56.9</td><td>6.0%</td></tr><tr><td>Beauty salon</td><td>2,066</td><td>60.0</td><td>3.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Barber shop</td><td>297</td><td>79.5</td><td>1.3%</td></tr><tr><td>Nail salon</td><td>36</td><td>81.3</td><td>0.0%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The exact-match category, Hair salon, outperforms all other adjacent categories.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The same applies to a search for “plumbers,” where the “Plumber” category outranks all the other categories in the industry, and the pattern repeats for almost every category in our dataset. Obvious and expected.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, there&#8217;s more to consider when choosing your primary category: specificity.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Many business owners who aren&#8217;t familiar with local SEO might be tempted to pick a generic primary category, say, Restaurant or Law Firm, to capture broader search traffic.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, the data shows that across all industries, a <strong>specific</strong> primary category is associated with better rankings and a ~36% higher presence in the top 10 results (12.5% vs. 9.2%):</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category type</strong></td><td><strong>Businesses</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Generic (Restaurant, Store, Contractor, Attorney, etc.)</td><td>55,091</td><td>50</td><td>9.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Specific (everything modified)</td><td>1,664,733</td><td>45.8</td><td>12.5%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are three specific category examples:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Attorneys</strong>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank (lower is better)</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Criminal justice attorney</td><td>44.7</td><td>13.4%</td></tr><tr><td>Personal injury attorney</td><td>48.4</td><td>12.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Attorney (generic)</td><td>57.1</td><td>12.9%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Contractors</strong>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank (lower is better)</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Electrician</td><td>48.6</td><td>11.2%</td></tr><tr><td>Roofing contractor</td><td>53.1</td><td>12.6%</td></tr><tr><td>Plumber</td><td>53.2</td><td>10.4%</td></tr><tr><td>HVAC contractor</td><td>53.2</td><td>12.4%</td></tr><tr><td>Contractor (generic)</td><td>57.7</td><td>8.0%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Restaurants</strong>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank</strong><strong> (lower is better)</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Tapas</td><td>28.8</td><td>32.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Hawaiian</td><td>28.4</td><td>27.1%</td></tr><tr><td>New American</td><td>30.4</td><td>28.9%</td></tr><tr><td>French</td><td>37.0</td><td>15.8%</td></tr><tr><td>Spanish</td><td>40.1</td><td>18.5%</td></tr><tr><td>American</td><td>41.8</td><td>17.8%</td></tr><tr><td>Restaurant (generic)</td><td>49.7</td><td>10.1%</td></tr><tr><td>Mexican</td><td>66.7</td><td>2.7%</td></tr><tr><td>Pizza</td><td>74.8</td><td>1.6%</td></tr><tr><td>Chinese</td><td>73.2</td><td>0.6%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Specific categories rank better than generic ones every time. This is because:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The specific categories generally have less competition. Compare the number of Hawaiian restaurants in your town to the total number of restaurants.</li>



<li>Google always tries to match the primary category to the query. If you search for “plumbers,” Google wants to present the user with a list of businesses that specialize in plumbing, not general contractors.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Takeaway:</strong> If you want to rank for everything, you’ll end up ranking for nothing. Users have specific needs in mind when they search for a local business. So, choose a more specific primary category with less competition to reap those ranking benefits.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/local-seo-google-entity-467727">The local SEO gatekeeper: How Google defines your entity</a></em></strong>


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<h2 id="h-what-are-the-winning-primary-additional-category-combinations-for-rankings" class="wp-block-heading">What are the winning primary + additional category combinations for rankings?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After you pick your primary category with our advice above, the next step is to add additional categories. We’ve noticed in the data that aligning specific additional categories with your primary tends to have a positive impact on rankings.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are the primary + additional category combinations that rank the highest in our database:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Primary category</strong></td><td><strong>Best-ranking additional</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank</strong></td><td><strong>vs. no additional category</strong></td><td><strong>vs. “Service establishment”</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Veterinarian</td><td>Emergency veterinarian service</td><td>33.9</td><td>51.2</td><td>75.6</td></tr><tr><td>Electrician</td><td>EV charging station contractor</td><td>38.2</td><td>47.5</td><td>63.5</td></tr><tr><td>Gym</td><td>Athletic club</td><td>34.7</td><td>43.3</td><td>–</td></tr><tr><td>Plumber</td><td>Drainage service</td><td>47.3</td><td>54.0</td><td>62.3</td></tr><tr><td>Roofing</td><td>Gutter service</td><td>47.1</td><td>52.1</td><td>70.3</td></tr><tr><td>Personal injury attorney</td><td>Business attorney</td><td>40.8</td><td>51.4</td><td>–</td></tr><tr><td>Dentist</td><td>Cosmetic dentist</td><td>47.6</td><td>57.6</td><td>53.7</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The data shows that having well-chosen, specific additional categories correlates with higher rankings (by 6-17 rank positions) when compared to businesses that only have a single primary category.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, correlation isn’t causation. Business owners who add additional categories are more likely to take care of their local SEO in general (to optimize their GBPs, to ask for reviews, to do SEO work outside of their Google Business Profile, etc.). So, of course, their rankings reflect that.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Still, it’s noteworthy that the correlation exists.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, to no one’s surprise, a broad, generic category like “Service establishment” that no one ever searches for is useless. In fact, the data seems to suggest that it’s harmful to add this nothing-category to your Profile.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Has anyone ever in the history of the world gone to Google and typed “service establishment near me”? No. So, go specific.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/how-to-pick-the-right-google-business-profile-categories-447898">How to pick the right Google Business Profile categories</a></em></strong>



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<h2 id="h-the-gbp-completeness-index" class="wp-block-heading">The ‘GBP completeness index’</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One of the most important questions we asked when doing this study was, “Does Profile completeness differ systematically by category and industry?” And the follow-up to that: “Does GBP completeness predict rank?”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, we built a 0-5 GBP Completeness index, where we added one point each for the presence of:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>A website.</li>



<li>A business description.</li>



<li>Hours of operation.</li>



<li>Photos.</li>



<li>A claimed status.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">And we used this index to answer the following questions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Note:</strong> For this research, we didn’t gather all the data that Google Business Profiles contain (like business attributes, services, products, etc.). Thus, this index is based on the limited data we did gather.</p>



<h3 id="h-does-gbp-completeness-vary-systematically-by-industry" class="wp-block-heading">Does GBP completeness vary systematically by industry?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yes. Businesses in competitive industries where local SEO is essential for standing out have the most complete Profiles.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Industry</strong></td><td><strong>Avg completeness (0-5)</strong></td><td><strong>% fully complete (5/5)</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Home services</td><td>4.4</td><td>55%</td></tr><tr><td>Professional services</td><td>4.3</td><td>52%</td></tr><tr><td>Automotive</td><td>4.2</td><td>48%</td></tr><tr><td>Beauty and personal care</td><td>4.1</td><td>45%</td></tr><tr><td>Legal / Financial</td><td>4.1</td><td>46%</td></tr><tr><td>Retail</td><td>3.9</td><td>40%</td></tr><tr><td>Real estate</td><td>3.8</td><td>38%</td></tr><tr><td>Travel and tourism</td><td>3.6</td><td>33%</td></tr><tr><td>Community and organizations</td><td>3.0</td><td>22%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Meanwhile, the noncommercial/institutional industries (community and organizations categories like churches, for example) don’t put too much work into their Profiles because they don’t need to.</p>



<h3 id="h-does-gbp-completeness-predict-rank" class="wp-block-heading">Does GBP completeness predict rank?</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Yes, absolutely.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Completeness index</strong></td><td><strong>Avg rank</strong></td><td><strong>% in top 10</strong></td></tr><tr><td>0</td><td>62</td><td>4%</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>58</td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>54</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>50</td><td>9%</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>47</td><td>11%</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>43</td><td>13%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<div aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Our data shows that GBP completeness goes hand in hand with better rankings. Going from a 0 to a 5 in the GBP Completeness index improves average rank by ~19 positions and triples the rate of appearing in the top 10 results.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, it’s important to remember that correlation does not equal causation. Having a fully optimized Profile is one of the foundational steps to better rankings, but your local SEO work doesn’t end there.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A business owner with a complete GBP is more likely to publish Google Posts, request reviews, and pay attention to their website, citations, and online reputation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Takeaway:</strong> Begin by filling out every field of your Google Business Profile. Then, maintain that Profile: request reviews continuously, upload photos and videos often, and publish Google Posts. And, of course, don’t forget about your website SEO, your presence on social media, and your AI SEO.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-business-profile-audit-local-rankings-472990">5-step Google Business Profile audit to improve local rankings</a></em></strong>



<h2 id="h-your-local-rankings-checklist" class="wp-block-heading">Your local rankings checklist</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here’s your simple local rankings checklist based on the data from our study:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>When it comes to picking a primary category, always pick a specific one.</li>



<li>Don’t neglect your additional categories. Add all the additional categories that your business offers (and maybe skip “Service establishment”).</li>



<li>Fully optimizing your GBP is nonnegotiable. Simply doing this one thing can be more than enough to stand out from the competition in noncrowded industries. However, most businesses have to go beyond their GBP: optimize and maintain your website, build citations, be present on social media, engage with your online community, and pay attention to AI SEO.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These are just a few of the many findings from our category research. Stay tuned for the full report (publishing soon).</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/localized-ai-search-optimization-playbook-478499">The new playbook for localized AI search optimization</a></em></strong>

If you want to improve your local rankings, start by getting specific with your Google Business Profile category, choosing relevant additional categories, and fully completing your Profile.
Whitespark studied 1.8 million Google Business Profiles across 4,209 categories to learn more about the impact of Google Business Profile categories on rankings, identify notable trends among businesses with specific GBP categories, and explore the curious things that happen at the intersection of different categories. (Disclosure: I’m the founder of Whitespark.)



The findings challenge some assumptions about how category selection and Profile completeness affect local rankings. Here are three of the most interesting findings from the study.
Is it better to pick a generic or specific category for rankings?
The idea that Google matches the primary GBP category to the search term shouldn’t come as a surprise to any local marketer.
For example, here are the results for a search for “hair salons”:

Primary categoryAppearancesAvg rank% in top 10
Hair salon7,95249.911.3% 
Hairdresser20056.96.0%
Beauty salon2,06660.03.2%
Barber shop29779.51.3%
Nail salon3681.30.0%






The exact-match category, Hair salon, outperforms all other adjacent categories.
The same applies to a search for “plumbers,” where the “Plumber” category outranks all the other categories in the industry, and the pattern repeats for almost every category in our dataset. Obvious and expected.
However, there’s more to consider when choosing your primary category: specificity.
Many business owners who aren’t familiar with local SEO might be tempted to pick a generic primary category, say, Restaurant or Law Firm, to capture broader search traffic.
However, the data shows that across all industries, a specific primary category is associated with better rankings and a ~36% higher presence in the top 10 results (12.5% vs. 9.2%):

Primary category typeBusinessesAvg rank% in top 10
Generic (Restaurant, Store, Contractor, Attorney, etc.)55,091509.2%
Specific (everything modified)1,664,73345.812.5%






Here are three specific category examples:
Attorneys





Primary categoryAvg rank (lower is better)% in top 10
Criminal justice attorney44.713.4%
Personal injury attorney48.412.2%
Attorney (generic)57.112.9%






Contractors





Primary categoryAvg rank (lower is better)% in top 10
Electrician48.611.2%
Roofing contractor53.112.6%
Plumber53.210.4%
HVAC contractor53.212.4%
Contractor (generic)57.78.0%






Restaurants





Primary categoryAvg rank (lower is better)% in top 10
Tapas28.832.1%
Hawaiian28.427.1%
New American30.428.9%
French37.015.8%
Spanish40.118.5%
American41.817.8%
Restaurant (generic)49.710.1%
Mexican66.72.7%
Pizza74.81.6%
Chinese73.20.6%






Specific categories rank better than generic ones every time. This is because:
The specific categories generally have less competition. Compare the number of Hawaiian restaurants in your town to the total number of restaurants.
Google always tries to match the primary category to the query. If you search for “plumbers,” Google wants to present the user with a list of businesses that specialize in plumbing, not general contractors.
Takeaway: If you want to rank for everything, you’ll end up ranking for nothing. Users have specific needs in mind when they search for a local business. So, choose a more specific primary category with less competition to reap those ranking benefits.
Dig deeper: The local SEO gatekeeper: How Google defines your entity



  
more calls, visits, and sales.
      
Connect your business
    
What are the winning primary + additional category combinations for rankings?
After you pick your primary category with our advice above, the next step is to add additional categories. We’ve noticed in the data that aligning specific additional categories with your primary tends to have a positive impact on rankings.
Here are the primary + additional category combinations that rank the highest in our database:

Primary categoryBest-ranking additionalAvg rankvs. no additional categoryvs. “Service establishment”
VeterinarianEmergency veterinarian service33.951.275.6
ElectricianEV charging station contractor38.247.563.5
GymAthletic club34.743.3–
PlumberDrainage service47.354.062.3
RoofingGutter service47.152.170.3
Personal injury attorneyBusiness attorney40.851.4–
DentistCosmetic dentist47.657.653.7






The data shows that having well-chosen, specific additional categories correlates with higher rankings (by 6-17 rank positions) when compared to businesses that only have a single primary category.
However, correlation isn’t causation. Business owners who add additional categories are more likely to take care of their local SEO in general (to optimize their GBPs, to ask for reviews, to do SEO work outside of their Google Business Profile, etc.). So, of course, their rankings reflect that.
Still, it’s noteworthy that the correlation exists.
Also, to no one’s surprise, a broad, generic category like “Service establishment” that no one ever searches for is useless. In fact, the data seems to suggest that it’s harmful to add this nothing-category to your Profile.
Has anyone ever in the history of the world gone to Google and typed “service establishment near me”? No. So, go specific.
Dig deeper: How to pick the right Google Business Profile categories




	
	
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
 
				
				
			
See terms.
		
The ‘GBP completeness index’
One of the most important questions we asked when doing this study was, “Does Profile completeness differ systematically by category and industry?” And the follow-up to that: “Does GBP completeness predict rank?”
So, we built a 0-5 GBP Completeness index, where we added one point each for the presence of:
A website.
A business description.
Hours of operation.
Photos.
A claimed status.
And we used this index to answer the following questions.
Note: For this research, we didn’t gather all the data that Google Business Profiles contain (like business attributes, services, products, etc.). Thus, this index is based on the limited data we did gather.
Does GBP completeness vary systematically by industry?
Yes. Businesses in competitive industries where local SEO is essential for standing out have the most complete Profiles.

IndustryAvg completeness (0-5)% fully complete (5/5)
Home services4.455%
Professional services4.352%
Automotive4.248%
Beauty and personal care4.145%
Legal / Financial4.146%
Retail3.940%
Real estate3.838%
Travel and tourism3.633%
Community and organizations3.022%






Meanwhile, the noncommercial/institutional industries (community and organizations categories like churches, for example) don’t put too much work into their Profiles because they don’t need to.
Does GBP completeness predict rank?
Yes, absolutely.

Completeness indexAvg rank% in top 10
0624%
1585%
2547%
3509%
44711%
54313%






Our data shows that GBP completeness goes hand in hand with better rankings. Going from a 0 to a 5 in the GBP Completeness index improves average rank by ~19 positions and triples the rate of appearing in the top 10 results.
However, it’s important to remember that correlation does not equal causation. Having a fully optimized Profile is one of the foundational steps to better rankings, but your local SEO work doesn’t end there.
A business owner with a complete GBP is more likely to publish Google Posts, request reviews, and pay attention to their website, citations, and online reputation.
Takeaway: Begin by filling out every field of your Google Business Profile. Then, maintain that Profile: request reviews continuously, upload photos and videos often, and publish Google Posts. And, of course, don’t forget about your website SEO, your presence on social media, and your AI SEO.
Dig deeper: 5-step Google Business Profile audit to improve local rankings



Your local rankings checklist
Here’s your simple local rankings checklist based on the data from our study:
When it comes to picking a primary category, always pick a specific one.
Don’t neglect your additional categories. Add all the additional categories that your business offers (and maybe skip “Service establishment”).
Fully optimizing your GBP is nonnegotiable. Simply doing this one thing can be more than enough to stand out from the competition in noncrowded industries. However, most businesses have to go beyond their GBP: optimize and maintain your website, build citations, be present on social media, engage with your online community, and pay attention to AI SEO.
These are just a few of the many findings from our category research. Stay tuned for the full report (publishing soon).
Dig deeper: The new playbook for localized AI search optimization

Specific primary and additional categories, plus complete profiles, correlate with stronger local rankings. See what the data reveals.

What 1.8 million Google Business Profiles tell us about local SEO success

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/When-paid-media-optimization-starts-working-against-you.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="When paid media optimization starts working against you" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/When-paid-media-optimization-starts-working-against-you.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/When-paid-media-optimization-starts-working-against-you-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/When-paid-media-optimization-starts-working-against-you-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/When-paid-media-optimization-starts-working-against-you-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Cheap clicks can look efficient while producing weaker results. Learn how to connect paid media to sales, revenue, and profit.

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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Who doesn’t want to pay less for groceries? But what if the cheap groceries include spoiled food you wouldn’t want to eat? Cheapest isn’t always best.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The same tradeoff can happen in paid media. Paid media managers may be tempted to focus on the lowest CPCs and CPAs when evaluating cost efficiency. However, these low-cost clicks and leads may be less likely to result in revenue.</p>



<h2 id="h-high-ctr-doesn-t-tell-the-whole-story" class="wp-block-heading">High CTR doesn’t tell the whole story</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">CTR can easily become an unnecessary obsession. On the surface, it appears to indicate how relevant people find your ads.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But a higher CTR isn’t necessarily a good thing:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Higher CTRs aren’t necessarily translating into better conversion efficiency. While a number of factors could be in play, one indication could be that you’re driving less qualified users.</li>



<li>Bot traffic can drive abnormally high CTRs.</li>



<li>Some mobile display placements can encourage accidental clicks.</li>



<li>Niche search ads may intend to speak to a precise audience and gate out others. For instance, you may specify “enterprise” businesses in copy and not want smaller business owners to click.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you’re seeing a CTR that looks exceptionally high, be sure to look into the data further to see if you might be sending unqualified traffic. Review conversion rates, lead quality in your CRM, and on-site metrics like time on site in Google Analytics.</p>


<a href="https://www.semrush.com/analytics/traffic/paid-search?utm_campaign=ic_sel_0101ppc&#038;utm_source=searchengineland.com&#038;utm_medium=overlay&#038;onboarding=off" target="_blank">
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<h2 id="h-high-cpcs-aren-t-necessarily-bad" class="wp-block-heading">High CPCs aren’t necessarily bad</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In some pricey industries, high CPCs can be a major concern because the click is ultimately what a business is billed for. If you’re a business owner spending $50 for a click, you’re going to want to know that you’re getting a return from that traffic.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, the solution can become an obsession with bidding down on CPCs and focusing on keywords that are likely to be cheaper. For instance, “workout plans” might be a more efficiently priced keyword than “personal trainer near me,” but the latter more directly implies buying intent.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ultimately, by pursuing the lowest CPCs, you may be sacrificing visibility for the most relevant search terms that indicate a high likelihood of becoming a customer. While bid caps can still be helpful to avoid obsessively high CPCs, restricting bids too aggressively can mean missing out on qualified conversions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/paid-media-efficiency-cut-waste-improve-roas-474032">Paid media efficiency: How to cut waste and improve ROAS</a></em></strong>



<h2 id="h-chasing-low-cpas-can-mean-low-quality-leads" class="wp-block-heading">Chasing low CPAs can mean low-quality leads</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure you’re considering metrics beyond the initial form fill when tracking conversion metrics such as conversion rate and CPA. For lead gen-focused businesses, this likely looks like:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Some form of tracking initial lead > marketing qualified lead > sales qualified lead > sale</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Consider the conversion rate and CPA for each of these stages. You may find that keywords and audiences with a higher initial CPA generate more qualified individuals, a higher conversion rate to sale, and better ROI in the long run.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There’s a balance between getting enough conversion data into your ad platforms and optimizing for more qualified conversions. If you have a relatively low volume of final sales or a longer sales cycle, it’s worth identifying conversion points between the initial form fill and the sale to help fill in the gaps.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Value-based bidding, combined with multiple conversion stages assigned to levels of value based on proximity to the final sale, can help focus your campaigns on more qualified individuals as well. Just be sure to base your estimated values on real, recent data whenever possible. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For instance, if you make an average of $1,000 on a final sale, and 10% of sales qualified leads close to a sale, you would want to assign a value of $100 (10% x $1,000) to a sales qualified lead.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/the-high-cost-of-ppc-efficiency-445105">The high cost of PPC efficiency</a></em></strong>



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<h2 id="h-include-revenue-and-profit-metrics-when-possible" class="wp-block-heading">Include revenue and profit metrics when possible</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you’re just looking at conversions, CPA, and conversion rate, you’re not factoring in the full value of a prospect. Ideally, tracking the return you’re getting from campaigns should factor in the anticipated <a href="https://searchengineland.com/ppc-growth-blocker-diagnose-fix-468368">lifetime value</a> (LTV) of a sale.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Correlating stats like initial revenue, recurring revenue, average retention time, and upsells into additional products gives you a fuller picture of how profitable a particular campaign might be.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Getting this data into your backend lead-tracking platform is crucial. Having proper tagging set up, using consistent UTMs, and any unique parameters associated with CRMs or automation platforms is a vital step here.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Incorporating Enhanced Conversions for Leads in Google Ads and Conversion APIs for supported platforms can help you report on data further down the lead pipeline. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure to include conversions for leads that become marketing- or sales-qualified and those that close, helping tie reporting and optimization to true success metrics.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/ppc-growth-blocker-diagnose-fix-468368">How to diagnose and fix the biggest blocker to PPC growth</a></em></strong>



<h2 id="h-focus-your-reports" class="wp-block-heading">Focus your reports</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Even when you understand which metrics matter, reporting to higher-ups can lead to unnecessary focus on less-than-ideal measures. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For instance, you might be reporting on growth in overall sales, but CPCs may have risen in the same timeframe. If CPCs are highlighted more prominently in your report, they could become a discussion topic.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure your reports focus on the metrics that matter. While including metrics like CTR and CPC can still be helpful, you should highlight metrics like cost per qualified lead and conversion rate to final sale that relate most directly to your stakeholders’ ROI.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Additionally, if you see performance shifts that might raise red flags with your client or boss, get ahead of questions by calling out these changes in the report. For instance, you might say that CPCs rose due to aggressive competitor activity in the last month, but at the same time, ROAS remained efficient due to an increase in conversion rate to sale.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure your reports are more than simply tables of numbers and graphs. Tell a story about performance, add context, and show metrics in order of priority.</p>


<a href="https://www.semrush.com/analytics/traffic/paid-search?utm_campaign=ic_sel_0102ppc&#038;utm_source=searchengineland.com&#038;utm_medium=overlay&#038;onboarding=off" target="_blank">
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<h2 id="h-what-are-your-priority-metrics" class="wp-block-heading">What are your priority metrics?</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As you consider the metrics you’re optimizing toward and highlighting in reports, think about how they relate to the business bottom line and how stakeholders will interpret them.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Make sure you’ve built a foundation of reliable conversion data so you can connect ad platforms and reporting to the results most valuable to your client or company. Remember that focusing on the wrong metrics can lead to sunk costs and lower results in the end.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/micro-conversions-hurt-ppc-performance-473139">Why too many micro-conversions hurt PPC performance</a></em></strong>

Who doesn’t want to pay less for groceries? But what if the cheap groceries include spoiled food you wouldn’t want to eat? Cheapest isn’t always best.
The same tradeoff can happen in paid media. Paid media managers may be tempted to focus on the lowest CPCs and CPAs when evaluating cost efficiency. However, these low-cost clicks and leads may be less likely to result in revenue.
High CTR doesn’t tell the whole story
CTR can easily become an unnecessary obsession. On the surface, it appears to indicate how relevant people find your ads.
But a higher CTR isn’t necessarily a good thing:
Higher CTRs aren’t necessarily translating into better conversion efficiency. While a number of factors could be in play, one indication could be that you’re driving less qualified users.
Bot traffic can drive abnormally high CTRs.
Some mobile display placements can encourage accidental clicks.
Niche search ads may intend to speak to a precise audience and gate out others. For instance, you may specify “enterprise” businesses in copy and not want smaller business owners to click.
If you’re seeing a CTR that looks exceptionally high, be sure to look into the data further to see if you might be sending unqualified traffic. Review conversion rates, lead quality in your CRM, and on-site metrics like time on site in Google Analytics.
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High CPCs aren’t necessarily bad
In some pricey industries, high CPCs can be a major concern because the click is ultimately what a business is billed for. If you’re a business owner spending $50 for a click, you’re going to want to know that you’re getting a return from that traffic.
However, the solution can become an obsession with bidding down on CPCs and focusing on keywords that are likely to be cheaper. For instance, “workout plans” might be a more efficiently priced keyword than “personal trainer near me,” but the latter more directly implies buying intent.
Ultimately, by pursuing the lowest CPCs, you may be sacrificing visibility for the most relevant search terms that indicate a high likelihood of becoming a customer. While bid caps can still be helpful to avoid obsessively high CPCs, restricting bids too aggressively can mean missing out on qualified conversions.
Dig deeper: Paid media efficiency: How to cut waste and improve ROAS



Chasing low CPAs can mean low-quality leads
Make sure you’re considering metrics beyond the initial form fill when tracking conversion metrics such as conversion rate and CPA. For lead gen-focused businesses, this likely looks like:
Some form of tracking initial lead > marketing qualified lead > sales qualified lead > sale
Consider the conversion rate and CPA for each of these stages. You may find that keywords and audiences with a higher initial CPA generate more qualified individuals, a higher conversion rate to sale, and better ROI in the long run.
There’s a balance between getting enough conversion data into your ad platforms and optimizing for more qualified conversions. If you have a relatively low volume of final sales or a longer sales cycle, it’s worth identifying conversion points between the initial form fill and the sale to help fill in the gaps.
Value-based bidding, combined with multiple conversion stages assigned to levels of value based on proximity to the final sale, can help focus your campaigns on more qualified individuals as well. Just be sure to base your estimated values on real, recent data whenever possible. 
For instance, if you make an average of $1,000 on a final sale, and 10% of sales qualified leads close to a sale, you would want to assign a value of $100 (10% x $1,000) to a sales qualified lead.
Dig deeper: The high cost of PPC efficiency




	
	
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Include revenue and profit metrics when possible
If you’re just looking at conversions, CPA, and conversion rate, you’re not factoring in the full value of a prospect. Ideally, tracking the return you’re getting from campaigns should factor in the anticipated lifetime value (LTV) of a sale.
Correlating stats like initial revenue, recurring revenue, average retention time, and upsells into additional products gives you a fuller picture of how profitable a particular campaign might be.
Getting this data into your backend lead-tracking platform is crucial. Having proper tagging set up, using consistent UTMs, and any unique parameters associated with CRMs or automation platforms is a vital step here.
Incorporating Enhanced Conversions for Leads in Google Ads and Conversion APIs for supported platforms can help you report on data further down the lead pipeline. 
Make sure to include conversions for leads that become marketing- or sales-qualified and those that close, helping tie reporting and optimization to true success metrics.
Dig deeper: How to diagnose and fix the biggest blocker to PPC growth



Focus your reports
Even when you understand which metrics matter, reporting to higher-ups can lead to unnecessary focus on less-than-ideal measures. 
For instance, you might be reporting on growth in overall sales, but CPCs may have risen in the same timeframe. If CPCs are highlighted more prominently in your report, they could become a discussion topic.
Make sure your reports focus on the metrics that matter. While including metrics like CTR and CPC can still be helpful, you should highlight metrics like cost per qualified lead and conversion rate to final sale that relate most directly to your stakeholders’ ROI.
Additionally, if you see performance shifts that might raise red flags with your client or boss, get ahead of questions by calling out these changes in the report. For instance, you might say that CPCs rose due to aggressive competitor activity in the last month, but at the same time, ROAS remained efficient due to an increase in conversion rate to sale.
Make sure your reports are more than simply tables of numbers and graphs. Tell a story about performance, add context, and show metrics in order of priority.
a customer you lose.
      
See who’s stealing your traffic
    
What are your priority metrics?
As you consider the metrics you’re optimizing toward and highlighting in reports, think about how they relate to the business bottom line and how stakeholders will interpret them. 
Make sure you’ve built a foundation of reliable conversion data so you can connect ad platforms and reporting to the results most valuable to your client or company. Remember that focusing on the wrong metrics can lead to sunk costs and lower results in the end.
Dig deeper: Why too many micro-conversions hurt PPC performance

Cheap clicks can look efficient while producing weaker results. Learn how to connect paid media to sales, revenue, and profit.

When paid media optimization starts working against you

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Your-paid-search-ROAS-is-probably-wrong.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Your paid search ROAS is probably wrong" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Your-paid-search-ROAS-is-probably-wrong.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Your-paid-search-ROAS-is-probably-wrong-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Your-paid-search-ROAS-is-probably-wrong-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Your-paid-search-ROAS-is-probably-wrong-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Your platform claims the sale, your backend gives credit elsewhere, and neither can tell you if the ad caused it. Incrementality does.

Every performance marketer knows this scenario. The marketing platform, whether it’s Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads, or TikTok Ads, shows 5x ROAS.
You don’t believe it, so you pull the number from your backend, and it comes back 2x. Backend data must be true, right? You mark the campaign down as mediocre and move on.
The marketing platform’s 5x is inflated. The problem is, your backend’s 2x isn’t the truth either.
Marketing platforms count generously by design. 
View-through conversions, modeled conversions where consent was never granted, and a conversion window that credits a click from three weeks ago all flow into the number it reports to you, and they all point the same way — up. 
Marketing platforms grade their own homework and set your spend on the result.
The backend does the opposite, and it does it quietly. Most backend revenue reporting is last-click or something close to it. The order gets attributed to whatever the customer touched last, often a brand search or a direct visit, and the paid click that started the whole thing three weeks earlier gets nothing. 
Your CRM isn’t lying to you. It’s answering a narrower question than you think you asked.
Same flaw, pointing the other way
Both errors come from the same place: the moment a conversion gets pinned to a single touch. The marketing platform resolves that ambiguity in its own favor and books the assist as a win. The backend resolves it in favor of the last click and books the assist as nothing. Same ambiguity, opposite defaults. 
The gap between 5x and 2x is mostly the size of that disagreement, not the size of any fraud.
Picture two thermometers on the same patient. One runs five degrees hot, one runs five degrees cold. Averaging them doesn’t give you the fever. It gives you a number that belongs to neither thermometer and describes nobody. That’s what reconciling a marketing platform figure against a backend figure actually produces.
If the backend systematically strips credit from the touchpoint that opened the journey, then whatever did the opening gets underpaid, and the error runs in one consistent direction: away from the top of the funnel. It doesn’t fall evenly, though. Where it falls hardest isn’t where you’d guess.
Dig deeper: Why Google Ads, GA4 and CRM numbers never match



  
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The backend can’t see the ads nobody clicks
The under-crediting isn’t spread evenly. It scales with distance from the click, and that determines which channels the backend quietly robs.
Impression-based formats are where it goes nearly blind. Social, display, video, and connected TV work by influence, not clicks. Someone scrolls past your Meta ad, doesn’t click, then searches your brand three days later and buys. 
Your backend credits that last clickable touch, brand search, or direct, with the sale. The impression that created the demand gets nothing because there was no click for a last-click system to record. 
To your CRM, a Meta campaign that drove a week of branded search looks like it did nothing at all. Not undervalued. Invisible.
It got worse after iOS 14. Even the social clicks that do happen lost their match back to the purchase, so the one signal the backend might have caught thinned out, too. The channels built on impressions are the ones a last-click backend is structurally least able to see, and they’re exactly the channels teams are now told to justify against backend revenue.
Search is the exception, and I’ll be straight about why that matters coming from me. Search lives on a click, and the click usually sits close to the purchase, so a last-click backend captures a fair share of what search actually did. It still shorts the upper-funnel work, the generic and research queries that seed a branded search later, but the gap is narrower and far less invisible than social’s. Search is the channel the backend treats least unfairly.
This is the uncomfortable part. I sell search. The format the backend robs blind isn’t mine, it’s social, the one I have the least commercial reason to defend. 
So when I tell you the backend is systematically wrong about what your ads did, it costs me nothing to say search is fine and everything to admit the channel being destroyed by last-click logic is the one I don’t run.
The damage isn’t abstract. Judge your impression-based campaigns by last-click backend revenue, and you’ll switch off the demand generation that quietly feeds every clickable touch downstream, branded search included. 
Cut what doesn’t convert becomes cut what you can’t measure. The backend doesn’t merely undervalue the top of your funnel. It can’t see it, and acting on that blindness is how working awareness spend gets killed.
Dig deeper: Attribution vs. incrementality: Why you need both



When two platforms claim the same sale
Everything to this point assumed one channel. Add a second, and the over-reporting stops being something you can argue about and becomes arithmetic that can’t be true. 
Run Google and Meta together, pull each marketing platform’s reported conversion revenue for the same period, add them up, and set the total against what your backend says you actually made. For most accounts running at scale, the sum is higher than the actual number. Sometimes much higher.
That isn’t two platforms each being a little generous. It’s the same sale booked twice. 
A customer sees a Meta ad, searches your brand later, clicks the Google ad, and buys. Google logs the conversion. Meta logs it, too, on a view-through because it served an impression inside its window. 
Neither can see the other, so neither discounts a cent. You paid once, you sold once, and two dashboards recorded the revenue.
Meta’s view-through is the largest single source of the overage, and it pays to name who benefits from it existing: Meta, whose reported performance depends on claiming conversions it influenced at most and often didn’t touch at all. But Google runs its own version, counting engaged-view and modeled conversions that lean the number up. This isn’t a social-versus-search point.
Add a third channel, and it compounds even more. Reconciliation can’t rescue this. You’re no longer lining up two or more numbers; you’re trying to split one sale among parties who have each already claimed the whole of it.
Dig deeper: Why high-ROAS campaigns don’t always deserve more budget




	
	
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Reconciling gives you a third wrong number
The standard fix is to reconcile. Blend the sources, or move everyone onto data-driven attribution (DDA) and let the model split the credit. 
DDA presents itself as the answer to exactly this problem, but it still comes from the same marketing platform whose top-line number you already learned not to trust. Reallocating credit among paid touches still can’t show you the conversions that would’ve happened without ads. It reconciles. It doesn’t measure.
Whatever number reconciliation hands you, it’s still built from attribution, and attribution answers “which touch gets the credit,” never “would this have happened anyway.” Those are different questions. The reconciled figure is a more expensive guess at the first one.
This is where automated bidding turns the problem worse instead of better. 
Point Smart Bidding, or an agent layered on top of it, at the reconciled ROAS, and it optimizes toward it with total confidence, pouring budget into whatever the flawed number rates highly. The mistake a junior analyst makes reading the wrong column, an agent makes faster, at scale, and with more conviction. 
Wrong inputs don’t get more correct because the optimizer is sophisticated.
In the EU, the marketing platform side of this gap is structurally wider, not narrower. Consent mode means a real share of conversions are modeled rather than observed, and modeled conversions inflate exactly the top-line figure you’re trying to reconcile against. The German or European practitioner lining up a consent-mode platform number against a last-click backend is averaging two instruments that sit further apart than the U.S. case, not closer.
Dig deeper: Why attribution and impact are no longer the same thing in PPC



Build it or buy it, it’s still attribution
The honest reaction to all this is to go looking for a better attribution setup, and there are two doors: Build your own or buy one of the packaged suites. Both are worth understanding before you spend an engineering quarter or a five-figure subscription on either.
Building your own sounds like the sophisticated move, and the pitch is seductive: collect every touch server-side, resolve identity across sessions and devices, run your own multi-touch model instead of Google’s, own the whole thing. 
On a slide, it looks clean. In practice, it’s a standing data-engineering commitment, not a project with an end date. You’re deduplicating conversions across marketing platforms that each count a conversion differently, matching users who clear cookies and hop between devices, and rebuilding the pipeline every time a marketing platform changes an API or a window. 
Most teams underestimate this by an order of magnitude. The ones who pull it off have a data engineer whose actual job it is, not a paid search lead doing it on Fridays.
The backend you’re stitching to isn’t a fixed quantity. Some commerce platforms are far smarter than others. Shopify can show you the customer journey to a sale, the sequence of touches that led there, which is real raw material to work with. 
Plenty of CRMs and backends do nothing of the kind. They stamp the last touch and call it revenue. So “check your backend” isn’t uniform advice. What you can even see depends on the commerce platform you’re on, and that alone decides whether building anything on top of it is realistic.
The buy option is the packaged multi-touch attribution suite: Triple Whale, Northbeam, Rockerbox and the rest of the cottage industry that grew up after iOS 14 to rebuild the signal the pixel lost. The better ones now bolt marketing mix modeling and incrementality testing onto the attribution, which is the part actually worth paying for and the road the next section takes. 
On the attribution itself, here’s my take, and it’ll annoy a vendor or two. These suites earn their complexity only at seven to eight figures of revenue, where a dedicated analyst runs them and a single budget call moves enough money to justify the overhead. 
Below that, you’re buying a laboratory to settle a question a whiteboard could handle. The precision outruns both your data volume and the stakes of the decision, and a small account would learn more from one clean holdout than from an annual subscription to a dashboard it half configures and never quite trusts.
None of it, built or bought, cheap or dear, changes the category. Multi-touch attribution is still attribution. It answers which touch, with more granularity and better-looking charts, and it never answers whether. The most sophisticated version of the wrong question is still the wrong question, which is why the number that finally settles the argument has to come from somewhere else entirely.
Dig deeper: Why incrementality is the only metric that proves marketing’s real impact



  
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Turn it off to get the truth
There’s one number in this whole discussion that answers “would this have happened anyway,” and you can’t pull it from any dashboard. You get it by turning the channel off somewhere and watching what your backend revenue does without it.
That’s incrementality: The revenue that exists because the ads ran and wouldn’t exist otherwise. It’s the only figure that deserves to steer spend. You don’t need a measurement vendor to start.
Choose a geo holdout over a conversion-lift study if you run enough volume to split by region. It’s cleaner, and you own the data.
Hold the channel out of comparable markets for a full purchase cycle, not a week. Four weeks minimum.
Measure the delta in backend revenue between held-out and live regions, not the marketing platform’s reported conversions. It can’t see its own absence.
Run the test before you trust any reconciled or data-driven number. The holdout tells you whether the model was even close.
With more than one marketing platform in the mix, hold each one out in its own window rather than trying to reconcile their reported results. You can’t divide a sale among platforms that each claimed the whole thing.
One holdout won’t settle every budget question. For broader decisions, marketing mix modeling can provide a top-down view of each channel’s contribution from aggregate spend and outcomes. Use it alongside holdouts, and let attribution handle the day-to-day. No single one is the truth. They check each other.
So stop asking which number to trust. That question has no good answer because it assumes one of the two instruments on your desk is calibrated, and neither is.
Ask the other question instead. What does your backend revenue do when the campaign goes dark?
Everything that matters is in the answer. 
Every marketing platform in your stack runs hot, each in its own way. The backend runs cold. 
Until you turn a channel off and read the patient directly, you’re still averaging a row of miscalibrated thermometers and calling it a diagnosis. It costs me something to say the number flattering my channel is the unreliable one, too, but a wrong number that happens to favor you is still a wrong number.

Your platform claims the sale, your backend gives credit elsewhere, and neither can tell you if the ad caused it. Incrementality does.

Your paid media ROAS isn’t 5x. Or 2x.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>ChatGPT Ads adds automated bidding, platform targeting and view-through conversions as it expands into Latin America.

<div><img width="1672" height="941" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads.png 1672w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/Chatgpt-automatted-ads-1200x675.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1672px) 100vw, 1672px" /></div>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">ChatGPT Ads is adding a new Maximize results bid strategy, platform-level targeting and view-through conversion reporting, while expanding into Brazil and Mexico</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The updates give advertisers more control over where campaigns appear while simultaneously introducing more automation into how bids are managed.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What’s new.</strong> Advertisers can now select Maximize results as their campaign bid strategy, allowing ChatGPT Ads to automatically set and adjust bids based on the campaign&#8217;s selected goal.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The system is designed to generate as many results as possible from the available budget, shifting bid decisions from the advertiser to ChatGPT Ads&#8217; automated bidding system.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="707" height="713" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ChatGPT-ads-automatted-bidding.png" alt="" class="wp-image-485708" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ChatGPT-ads-automatted-bidding.png 707w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2026/08/ChatGPT-ads-automatted-bidding-95x95.png 95w" sizes="(max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px" /></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Automated bidding arrives. </strong>Rather than manually controlling individual bids, advertisers select their desired campaign goal and allow ChatGPT Ads to optimize bidding toward that outcome.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Platform targeting. </strong>Advertisers are also gaining more control over where their ChatGPT campaigns can run. When creating a campaign, an Eligible platforms setting lets advertisers select one or more supported surfaces: iOS app, Android app or Web.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That could be useful for advertisers that see meaningful differences in conversion rates, customer value or user behavior between mobile apps and the web.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>View-through conversions. </strong>ChatGPT Ads Manager now reports one-day view-through conversions at the campaign, ad group and individual ad levels.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A view-through conversion is recorded when someone converts within one day of seeing an eligible ad without a qualifying ad click receiving credit for that conversion.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The addition means advertisers may see more conversions attributed to ChatGPT Ads beyond those generated directly from clicks, making it important to distinguish between click-through and view-through performance when evaluating campaigns.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>WorkMagic integration.</strong> Advertisers can now connect ChatGPT Ads with WorkMagic to view ChatGPT campaign performance alongside other advertising channels.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The integration can also send conversion signals back to OpenAI through the Conversions API, providing another route for advertisers to feed outcome data into the platform.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Why we care.</strong> Automated bidding, platform targeting, view-through attribution and conversion signal integrations give advertisers more ways to optimize and measure campaigns, but they also introduce familiar questions around automation and attribution. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In particular, advertisers should watch how Maximize results performs against more controlled bidding approaches and how much reported performance is driven by newly visible view-through conversions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Bottom line. </strong>ChatGPT Ads is getting more sophisticated and more widely available, adding automated bidding, platform controls and view-through attribution just as the advertising platform expands into dozens of new markets.</p>


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ChatGPT Ads is adding a new Maximize results bid strategy, platform-level targeting and view-through conversion reporting, while expanding into Brazil and Mexico
The updates give advertisers more control over where campaigns appear while simultaneously introducing more automation into how bids are managed.
What’s new. Advertisers can now select Maximize results as their campaign bid strategy, allowing ChatGPT Ads to automatically set and adjust bids based on the campaign’s selected goal.
The system is designed to generate as many results as possible from the available budget, shifting bid decisions from the advertiser to ChatGPT Ads’ automated bidding system.




Automated bidding arrives. Rather than manually controlling individual bids, advertisers select their desired campaign goal and allow ChatGPT Ads to optimize bidding toward that outcome.
Platform targeting. Advertisers are also gaining more control over where their ChatGPT campaigns can run. When creating a campaign, an Eligible platforms setting lets advertisers select one or more supported surfaces: iOS app, Android app or Web.
That could be useful for advertisers that see meaningful differences in conversion rates, customer value or user behavior between mobile apps and the web.
View-through conversions. ChatGPT Ads Manager now reports one-day view-through conversions at the campaign, ad group and individual ad levels.
A view-through conversion is recorded when someone converts within one day of seeing an eligible ad without a qualifying ad click receiving credit for that conversion.
The addition means advertisers may see more conversions attributed to ChatGPT Ads beyond those generated directly from clicks, making it important to distinguish between click-through and view-through performance when evaluating campaigns.
WorkMagic integration. Advertisers can now connect ChatGPT Ads with WorkMagic to view ChatGPT campaign performance alongside other advertising channels.
The integration can also send conversion signals back to OpenAI through the Conversions API, providing another route for advertisers to feed outcome data into the platform.
Why we care. Automated bidding, platform targeting, view-through attribution and conversion signal integrations give advertisers more ways to optimize and measure campaigns, but they also introduce familiar questions around automation and attribution. 
In particular, advertisers should watch how Maximize results performs against more controlled bidding approaches and how much reported performance is driven by newly visible view-through conversions.
Bottom line. ChatGPT Ads is getting more sophisticated and more widely available, adding automated bidding, platform controls and view-through attribution just as the advertising platform expands into dozens of new markets.
customers won’t either.
      
See your AI visibility

ChatGPT Ads adds automated bidding, platform targeting and view-through conversions as it expands into Latin America.

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