<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-800x450.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Search marketing jobs" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-800x450.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-600x338.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-150x84.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing-550x310.jpg 550w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2021/10/hiring-in-search-marketing.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Land your next job in SEO or PPC. These brands and agencies are hiring to fill open search marketing positions right now.

Land your next job in SEO or PPC. These brands and agencies are hiring to fill open search marketing positions right now.

The latest jobs in search marketing

<div><img width="1920" height="1098" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="SEL Blog - discord" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11-768x439.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11-1536x878.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Discord’s new opt-in video ads offer brands "guaranteed" attention and access to deeply engaged, interest-driven communities with minimal privacy concerns.

<div><img width="1920" height="1098" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="SEL Blog - discord" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11-768x439.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/SEL-Blog-11-1536x878.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Discord has started testing unskippable, reward-based video ads — marking its most aggressive move yet into monetization outside of its Nitro subscriptions. The ads pause if users tab away, guaranteeing full impressions for brands.</p>



<p><strong>Details.</strong> Discord has begun rolling out In-Game Rewards — branded video ads tied to game-related perks. While these ads appear for everyone, users can opt into more personalized promotions via their privacy settings.</p>



<p>Discord originally gained traction as a “safe space” for gamers and niche communities. With over 200 million monthly active users, it has quietly become one of the largest social platforms. Until now, monetization was limited to its Nitro subscription model — offering perks like better streaming quality and cosmetic features.</p>



<p><strong>How it works:</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Unskippable, immersive video ads</strong>. These ads pause if users look away, ensuring full engagement.</li>



<li><strong>Opt-in personalization</strong>. Users can enable “In-Game Rewards” to receive promotions tailored to their gaming activity.</li>



<li><strong>Privacy-friendly targeting</strong>. Discord doesn&#8217;t rely on real names or invasive personal data, giving brands interest-based targeting with fewer privacy concerns.</li>
</ul>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="531" height="720" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/1748018167421.png" alt="" class="wp-image-455961" style="width:461px;height:auto"/></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="401" height="344" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-05-23-at-18.58.27.png" alt="" class="wp-image-455962" style="width:493px;height:auto"/></figure></div>


<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> Discord, once a haven for ad-free, community-first experiences, is rolling out video ads — a major shift with big implications for users and brands alike. They are guaranteeing full user attention through unskippable, opt-in video ads tied to rewards and access to highly engaged, interest-based communities with minimal privacy concerns and low competition. </p>



<p>As Discord expands beyond gaming, brands have a unique opportunity to reach passionate audiences in a high-impact, low-noise environment.</p>



<p><strong>The big picture</strong>. This move nudges Discord closer to mainstream social media — and away from its indie roots.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“It used to be a digital clubhouse. Now it’s another ad surface,” said <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7331697813879197696/">Navah Hopkins</a>, Brand Evangelist at Optmyzr and Discord user.</li>



<li>Still, Discord offers functionality that platforms like Slack can’t match, especially in its free tier, which retains message history and robust integrations.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>What Discord is saying</strong>. The company describes In-Game Rewards as “experiences based on you interacting with the games you love.” Users can browse available rewards in the <em>Quests</em> tab — or opt out entirely via settings.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;If you’re not interested in personalized Discord Quest promotions, you can opt out… You may still see Quest promotions, but they won’t be personalized,&#8221; according to Discord’s official policy.</li>
</ul>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="720" height="115" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/1748019739337.png" alt="" class="wp-image-455963"/></figure></div>


<p><strong>For brands</strong>. Marketers, however, should pay close attention.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Discord’s ad model guarantees full engagement: ads only play when users actively opt in, and they stop if users look away.</li>



<li>“This is not YouTube pre-roll,” Hopkins noted. “You get 100% of the viewer’s attention — and in niche, engaged communities.”</li>



<li>Targeting is interest-based rather than identity-based, reducing privacy concerns and increasing contextual relevance.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>What we’re watching</strong>. If Discord’s community can tolerate — or even embrace — this new ad experience, it could open a highly lucrative, high-engagement channel for brands.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Adoption by broader, more mainstream audiences in 2025 and 2026 could accelerate the trend.</li>



<li>The key: whether this format drives ROI without alienating the core user base.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>The bottom line</strong>. <a href="https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/22225542459415-Data-Used-for-In-Game-Rewards">Discord’s move into ads</a> marks a crossroads for the platform — straddling the line between community-driven tech and mainstream social media. Whether it can maintain trust while pursuing ad dollars may define its next chapter.</p>


Discord has started testing unskippable, reward-based video ads — marking its most aggressive move yet into monetization outside of its Nitro subscriptions. The ads pause if users tab away, guaranteeing full impressions for brands.
Details. Discord has begun rolling out In-Game Rewards — branded video ads tied to game-related perks. While these ads appear for everyone, users can opt into more personalized promotions via their privacy settings.
Discord originally gained traction as a “safe space” for gamers and niche communities. With over 200 million monthly active users, it has quietly become one of the largest social platforms. Until now, monetization was limited to its Nitro subscription model — offering perks like better streaming quality and cosmetic features.
How it works:
Unskippable, immersive video ads. These ads pause if users look away, ensuring full engagement.
Opt-in personalization. Users can enable “In-Game Rewards” to receive promotions tailored to their gaming activity.
Privacy-friendly targeting. Discord doesn’t rely on real names or invasive personal data, giving brands interest-based targeting with fewer privacy concerns.


Why we care. Discord, once a haven for ad-free, community-first experiences, is rolling out video ads — a major shift with big implications for users and brands alike. They are guaranteeing full user attention through unskippable, opt-in video ads tied to rewards and access to highly engaged, interest-based communities with minimal privacy concerns and low competition. 
As Discord expands beyond gaming, brands have a unique opportunity to reach passionate audiences in a high-impact, low-noise environment.
The big picture. This move nudges Discord closer to mainstream social media — and away from its indie roots.
“It used to be a digital clubhouse. Now it’s another ad surface,” said Navah Hopkins, Brand Evangelist at Optmyzr and Discord user.
Still, Discord offers functionality that platforms like Slack can’t match, especially in its free tier, which retains message history and robust integrations.
What Discord is saying. The company describes In-Game Rewards as “experiences based on you interacting with the games you love.” Users can browse available rewards in the Quests tab — or opt out entirely via settings.
“If you’re not interested in personalized Discord Quest promotions, you can opt out… You may still see Quest promotions, but they won’t be personalized,” according to Discord’s official policy.

For brands. Marketers, however, should pay close attention.
Discord’s ad model guarantees full engagement: ads only play when users actively opt in, and they stop if users look away.
“This is not YouTube pre-roll,” Hopkins noted. “You get 100% of the viewer’s attention — and in niche, engaged communities.”
Targeting is interest-based rather than identity-based, reducing privacy concerns and increasing contextual relevance.
What we’re watching. If Discord’s community can tolerate — or even embrace — this new ad experience, it could open a highly lucrative, high-engagement channel for brands.
Adoption by broader, more mainstream audiences in 2025 and 2026 could accelerate the trend.
The key: whether this format drives ROI without alienating the core user base.
The bottom line. Discord’s move into ads marks a crossroads for the platform — straddling the line between community-driven tech and mainstream social media. Whether it can maintain trust while pursuing ad dollars may define its next chapter.

Discord’s new opt-in video ads offer brands "guaranteed" attention and access to deeply engaged, interest-driven communities with minimal privacy concerns.

Discord enters the Ad arena

<div><img width="1920" height="1097" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>With AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini becoming the future of Google Search - where does that leave SEO.

<div><img width="1920" height="1097" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920.jpg 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/seo-crystal-ball-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Tuesday, at Google I/O, Google&#8217;s CEO, Sundar Pichai keynote led with how AI is transforming Google Search, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/liz-reid-google-new-head-of-search-438519">Liz Reid</a>, Google&#8217;s head of Search, called <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-begins-testing-ai-mode-while-rolling-out-gemini-2-0-ai-overviews-452993">AI Mode</a> the future of search (<a href="https://youtu.be/stnSRel03e8?feature=shared&amp;t=55">see video</a>).  With all this change to Google Search quickly approaching, SEOs are wondering where this leaves them.</p>



<p>Will SEO die again? Are we all out of jobs? What changes do we need to make to adapt to the future of Google Search, AI search engines and new AI experiences?</p>



<p><strong>The video. </strong>A number of search marketers asked my thoughts, so I thought I&#8217;d put together a video with my thoughts on all of this and them summarize it below:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Future of Google Search &amp; SEO" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gMFBUnLyVBM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>After attending Google I/O, watching the keynote, speaking with Google executives at I/O and also chatting with the search industry both in person at I/O and on social media, I felt it would be a good thing to put my thoughts together on all these changes happening in our industry. Of course, this is all super early, especially the agentic experiences, but it is important we all start thinking about how search is changing and what we need to be doing about it.</p>



<p><strong>Future of Google Search. </strong>There is no doubt that Google Search is changing in a big way. This is likely the biggest change Google Search ever made in its history, it is bigger than the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-20-google-universal-search-11232">universal search</a> change in 2007, bigger than featured snippets and even bigger than AI Overviews. AI Mode, which is <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-mode-us-searchers-455654">fully live in the U.S.</a> and coming to more countries and regions soon, is the biggest change to Google Search ever.</p>



<p>And Liz Reid, Google&#8217;s head of Search, said, &#8220;This is the future of Google Search, a search that goes beyond information to intelligence,&#8221; when talking about AI Mode (<a href="https://youtu.be/stnSRel03e8?feature=shared&amp;t=55">see video</a> 54 seconds in).</p>



<p>Plus, Google is showing the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/why-google-the-ai-mode-tab-is-always-on-the-left-455878">AI Mode tab before</a> the &#8220;All&#8221; tab and it will always be in the same position, unlike other tabs, like News, Videos, Images and others.</p>



<p>These are the changes that Google set out to make when <a href="https://searchengineland.com/gen-z-tiktok-google-search-survey-431345">younger searchers were going to TikTok over Google</a> a couple of years ago. AI Mode is the answer to OpenAI and its <a href="https://searchengineland.com/openai-adds-shopping-features-to-chatgpt-search-454714">ChatGPT Search</a>. It is the more <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-to-become-more-visual-snackable-personal-and-human-411769">snackable and consumable searcher experience</a>, Google has been talking about.</p>



<p><strong>The problem. </strong>The problem is, AI Mode and AI Overviews, according to <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-search-clicks-fell-report-455498">several</a> third-party studies, do not send traffic organically to websites. At least, they all show <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-hurt-click-through-rates-454428">huge drops in click-through rates</a> and <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-mail-online-ctr-drop-455393">drops in traffic</a> to websites.</p>



<p>AI Mode is <a href="https://searchengineland.com/googles-ai-mode-traffic-untrackable-455883">currently untrackable</a>, and we are told AI Mode and AI Overviews won&#8217;t be individually trackable within Google Search Console (<a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-ai-overviews-ai-mode-desktop-455733">or Google Ads</a>) from the main search results. So we all see less traffic from Google with AI Overviews and now AI Mode, we aren&#8217;t able to properly track them to validate that and see what changes we can make, it is a very troubling time for search marketers.</p>



<p><strong>Google must change. </strong>Google isn&#8217;t going to keep its search engine the way it was for the past two decades. Google knows it has to change, despite them making an absolute fortune from search ads. Google is worried about TikTok, worried about, ChatGPT, worried about searchers going to something new and better.</p>



<p>So AI Mode is the future of Google Search because Google wants to give searchers what they want. It doesn&#8217;t hurt that <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-expands-to-more-users-455651#:~:text=AI%20Overviews%20lead%20to%20a%2010%25%20growth%20in%20the%20number%20of%20searchers%20do">AI Overviews led to 10% growth in search queries</a> on Google. Wall Street loves that and advertising is baseline with AI Overviews on the page, than without them. </p>



<p>So the ad and revenue problem seems resolved.  Searchers, according to Google, are happier.  It just sends us less traffic and less conversions. And, to be real, you know Google cares primarily about making the searcher happy, because without happy searchers, they don&#8217;t have people clicking on search ads.</p>



<p><strong>Future of SEO. </strong>So where does that leave SEOs? We know AI Mode is the future and we know traffic to our sites and client sites are down.  What do we do?</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Brand mentions</strong>: Imagine you do a search and AI Mode gives you this long answer. In the answer, the same two brands are mentioned over and over again.  Do you think you might reach out to that brand to buy something they have to offer for your query?  You want to be the brand mentioned in the AI Mode or AI Overview answer.  Sure, you will get less traffic and probably fewer conversions but this is the space we are in now.</li>



<li><strong>Agentic integrations</strong>: Eventually, Google will recommend where you buy your products or services from directly from your queries. It has been called &#8220;Agentic&#8221; integrations or AI Agents. Google technically can have <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-ai-try-on-agentic-checkout-455716">AI Mode automatically integrate</a> with your site and buy directly from your site based on the query and a confirmation from the searcher. <br><br>Do you build integrations of these AI agents into your site? Will Google pick you over a much larger brand; like a mom and pop shoe store versus a Footlocker or a small travel agent over Expedia or Travelocity or direct integration with United, Delta or American Airlines? I even asked Hema Budaraju, the Senior Director of Product at Google about this and she responded that it is all very early in the journey and it is yet to be seen, in short, we don&#8217;t know yet.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Adapt or die. </strong>There are a lot of concerned people in the search marketing industry right now. The bottom line is while many of us like to complain and we honestly have good reason to be upset, complaining won&#8217;t help.  We need to adapt and change and experiment. Experiment with these new experiences, keep on top of these changes happening in Google and at other AI and search companies.  Then try new things and keep testing.</p>



<p>If you do not adapt, you will die. SEO won&#8217;t die, but you will become irrelevant.</p>



<p>The good news, SEOs are some of the best at adapting, embracing change and testing new strategies out.  So you are all ready and equipped for the future of search.</p>


Tuesday, at Google I/O, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai keynote led with how AI is transforming Google Search, Liz Reid, Google’s head of Search, called AI Mode the future of search (see video).  With all this change to Google Search quickly approaching, SEOs are wondering where this leaves them.
Will SEO die again? Are we all out of jobs? What changes do we need to make to adapt to the future of Google Search, AI search engines and new AI experiences?
The video. A number of search marketers asked my thoughts, so I thought I’d put together a video with my thoughts on all of this and them summarize it below:






After attending Google I/O, watching the keynote, speaking with Google executives at I/O and also chatting with the search industry both in person at I/O and on social media, I felt it would be a good thing to put my thoughts together on all these changes happening in our industry. Of course, this is all super early, especially the agentic experiences, but it is important we all start thinking about how search is changing and what we need to be doing about it.
Future of Google Search. There is no doubt that Google Search is changing in a big way. This is likely the biggest change Google Search ever made in its history, it is bigger than the universal search change in 2007, bigger than featured snippets and even bigger than AI Overviews. AI Mode, which is fully live in the U.S. and coming to more countries and regions soon, is the biggest change to Google Search ever.
And Liz Reid, Google’s head of Search, said, “This is the future of Google Search, a search that goes beyond information to intelligence,” when talking about AI Mode (see video 54 seconds in).
Plus, Google is showing the AI Mode tab before the “All” tab and it will always be in the same position, unlike other tabs, like News, Videos, Images and others.
These are the changes that Google set out to make when younger searchers were going to TikTok over Google a couple of years ago. AI Mode is the answer to OpenAI and its ChatGPT Search. It is the more snackable and consumable searcher experience, Google has been talking about.
The problem. The problem is, AI Mode and AI Overviews, according to several third-party studies, do not send traffic organically to websites. At least, they all show huge drops in click-through rates and drops in traffic to websites.
AI Mode is currently untrackable, and we are told AI Mode and AI Overviews won’t be individually trackable within Google Search Console (or Google Ads) from the main search results. So we all see less traffic from Google with AI Overviews and now AI Mode, we aren’t able to properly track them to validate that and see what changes we can make, it is a very troubling time for search marketers.
Google must change. Google isn’t going to keep its search engine the way it was for the past two decades. Google knows it has to change, despite them making an absolute fortune from search ads. Google is worried about TikTok, worried about, ChatGPT, worried about searchers going to something new and better.
So AI Mode is the future of Google Search because Google wants to give searchers what they want. It doesn’t hurt that AI Overviews led to 10% growth in search queries on Google. Wall Street loves that and advertising is baseline with AI Overviews on the page, than without them. 
So the ad and revenue problem seems resolved.  Searchers, according to Google, are happier.  It just sends us less traffic and less conversions. And, to be real, you know Google cares primarily about making the searcher happy, because without happy searchers, they don’t have people clicking on search ads.
Future of SEO. So where does that leave SEOs? We know AI Mode is the future and we know traffic to our sites and client sites are down.  What do we do?
Brand mentions: Imagine you do a search and AI Mode gives you this long answer. In the answer, the same two brands are mentioned over and over again.  Do you think you might reach out to that brand to buy something they have to offer for your query?  You want to be the brand mentioned in the AI Mode or AI Overview answer.  Sure, you will get less traffic and probably fewer conversions but this is the space we are in now.
Agentic integrations: Eventually, Google will recommend where you buy your products or services from directly from your queries. It has been called “Agentic” integrations or AI Agents. Google technically can have AI Mode automatically integrate with your site and buy directly from your site based on the query and a confirmation from the searcher. 
Do you build integrations of these AI agents into your site? Will Google pick you over a much larger brand; like a mom and pop shoe store versus a Footlocker or a small travel agent over Expedia or Travelocity or direct integration with United, Delta or American Airlines? I even asked Hema Budaraju, the Senior Director of Product at Google about this and she responded that it is all very early in the journey and it is yet to be seen, in short, we don’t know yet.
Adapt or die. There are a lot of concerned people in the search marketing industry right now. The bottom line is while many of us like to complain and we honestly have good reason to be upset, complaining won’t help.  We need to adapt and change and experiment. Experiment with these new experiences, keep on top of these changes happening in Google and at other AI and search companies.  Then try new things and keep testing.
If you do not adapt, you will die. SEO won’t die, but you will become irrelevant.
The good news, SEOs are some of the best at adapting, embracing change and testing new strategies out.  So you are all ready and equipped for the future of search.

With AI Overviews, AI Mode and Gemini becoming the future of Google Search - where does that leave SEO.

The future of SEO as the future Google Search rolls out

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Google lowered the customer match list minimum from 1,000 to 100 users, opening the door for smaller advertisers to leverage powerful audience targeting.

<div><img width="800" height="457" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-800x457.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-800x457.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-592x338.jpg 592w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-198x113.jpg 198w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-768x439.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/google-logo-1920.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>Google reduced the minimum audience size requirement for customer match lists in Search campaigns from 1,000 to just 100 users — a significant update for small and midsize businesses.</p>



<p><strong>The big picture</strong>. This update makes precision targeting more accessible to SMBs, who often struggle to meet high list-size minimums.</p>



<p>According to Google’s documentation, the new threshold applies only to customer match lists — not to remarketing lists or other audience types.</p>



<p>It also mirrors YouTube’s recent customer list minimums, signaling a broader push for consistency across Google’s platforms.</p>



<p><strong>Why we care</strong>. Previously, advertisers needed at least 1,000 users to qualify a customer list for use in search ads. Now, with only 100, this makes highly targeted, intent-driven ads accessible to smaller brands that couldn’t previously meet the threshold. It levels the playing field, allowing SMBs to compete more effectively and stretch their marketing budgets further with precision audience targeting on Google Search.</p>



<p><strong>Between the lines</strong>. This isn&#8217;t just a technical change — it&#8217;s a strategic shift. With tighter privacy norms, Google appears to be exploring how to maintain targeting precision without massive data pools.</p>



<p><strong>What they&#8217;re saying</strong>. “This is an amazing development and a huge win for SMBs!” — <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/navahhopkins/">Navah Hopkins</a>,  Brand Evangelist of Optmyzr, who first surfaced the change.</p>



<p>She credits Google Ads Consultant, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/borisbeceric/">Boris Beceric</a> for the tip, and teases more insights during their upcoming GML recap, promising &#8220;rants, tactics, and at least one song recommendation.&#8221;</p>



<p><strong>What’s next</strong>. Hopkins speculates that <a href="https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7558048?hl=en-GB&amp;sjid=2278633776129276213-NA">this move</a> could pave the way for greater transparency around search term data — another long-requested feature by advertisers.</p>



<p><strong>Bottom line</strong>. Small advertisers just gained a powerful new way to compete — and Google may be signaling a more inclusive future for ad targeting.</p>


Google reduced the minimum audience size requirement for customer match lists in Search campaigns from 1,000 to just 100 users — a significant update for small and midsize businesses.
The big picture. This update makes precision targeting more accessible to SMBs, who often struggle to meet high list-size minimums.
According to Google’s documentation, the new threshold applies only to customer match lists — not to remarketing lists or other audience types.
It also mirrors YouTube’s recent customer list minimums, signaling a broader push for consistency across Google’s platforms.
Why we care. Previously, advertisers needed at least 1,000 users to qualify a customer list for use in search ads. Now, with only 100, this makes highly targeted, intent-driven ads accessible to smaller brands that couldn’t previously meet the threshold. It levels the playing field, allowing SMBs to compete more effectively and stretch their marketing budgets further with precision audience targeting on Google Search.
Between the lines. This isn’t just a technical change — it’s a strategic shift. With tighter privacy norms, Google appears to be exploring how to maintain targeting precision without massive data pools.
What they’re saying. “This is an amazing development and a huge win for SMBs!” — Navah Hopkins,  Brand Evangelist of Optmyzr, who first surfaced the change.
She credits Google Ads Consultant, Boris Beceric for the tip, and teases more insights during their upcoming GML recap, promising “rants, tactics, and at least one song recommendation.”
What’s next. Hopkins speculates that this move could pave the way for greater transparency around search term data — another long-requested feature by advertisers.
Bottom line. Small advertisers just gained a powerful new way to compete — and Google may be signaling a more inclusive future for ad targeting.

Google lowered the customer match list minimum from 1,000 to 100 users, opening the door for smaller advertisers to leverage powerful audience targeting.

Google slashes Customer Match list minimums in Search Campaigns to 100 Users

<div><img width="1919" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Using ChatGPT&#039;s Advanced Data Analysis feature for PPC" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC.jpg 1919w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px" /></div>Explore real-world examples of how to use the feature to speed up PPC data processing and visualization, insights generation, and more.

<div><img width="1919" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Using ChatGPT&#039;s Advanced Data Analysis feature for PPC" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC.jpg 1919w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Using-ChatGPTs-Advanced-Data-Analysis-feature-for-PPC-1536x864.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1919px) 100vw, 1919px" /></div>
<p>The world of generative AI is evolving rapidly, with breakthroughs in image and video generation, multimodal capabilities, and – crucially for marketers – data analysis.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-paid-search">PPC</a> professionals, these tools offer a new level of speed and depth in uncovering insights and optimizing performance.</p>



<p>One standout capability is <a href="https://searchengineland.com/what-is-chatgpt-and-why-seos-should-care-392165">ChatGPT</a>’s Advanced Data Analysis, which allows users to upload raw data, ask natural language questions, and receive clear, actionable insights&nbsp; – fast.</p>



<p>&nbsp;What once took hours can now happen in minutes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advanced-data-analysis-in-chatgpt-access-and-availability">Advanced data analysis in ChatGPT: Access and availability</h2>



<p>Originally launched in July 2023 as a beta feature for Plus and Enterprise users, Advanced Data Analysis is now integrated directly into the core ChatGPT experience.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Free users have limited<em> </em>access to file uploads and advanced data analysis</li>



<li>Plus and Pro users have<em> </em>extended limits for deeper, faster analysis.</li>
</ul>



<p>Here’s a look at how this tool can elevate your PPC workflow.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uploading-and-preparing-your-google-ads-data">Uploading and preparing your Google Ads data</h2>



<p>To get started with ChatGPT, click the plus button to connect or upload the data source you&#8217;d like to analyze.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In this example, I uploaded a .csv file that I downloaded directly from Google Ads.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="836" height="236" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uploading-your-Google-Ads-data-to-ChatGPT.png" alt="Uploading your Google Ads data to ChatGPT" class="wp-image-455891" style="width:836px;height:auto" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uploading-your-Google-Ads-data-to-ChatGPT.png 836w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uploading-your-Google-Ads-data-to-ChatGPT-768x217.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 836px) 100vw, 836px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-key-insights-conversion-rates-by-day">Exploring key insights: Conversion rates by day</h2>



<p>I started by asking which day of the week had the best conversion rates and requested a chart.&nbsp;</p>



<p>ChatGPT began by scanning the file to identify where the actual data starts and what each column contains.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This step alone is valuable. It means you don&#8217;t have to clean the data yourself or give detailed instructions upfront.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For instance, this dataset doesn’t include a conversion rate column, so the model calculated it automatically.&nbsp;</p>



<p>I didn’t specify which data points to use in that calculation. The model inferred it, just as a junior data analyst would.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="865" height="633" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day.png" alt="Exploring key insights: Conversion rates by day" class="wp-image-455893" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day.png 865w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day-768x562.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" /></figure></div>


<p>Once the data is normalized, ChatGPT generates a graph sorted by the day of the week with the highest conversion rate.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In this case, it turned out to be Friday.&nbsp;</p>



<p>From there, you can customize the chart&#8217;s colors and interact further with the data using the “Now interactive! (Beta)” button built into the chart.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="787" height="511" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day-interactive.png" alt="Exploring key insights- Conversion rates by day (interactive)" class="wp-image-455894" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day-interactive.png 787w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Exploring-key-insights-Conversion-rates-by-day-interactive-768x499.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 787px) 100vw, 787px" /></figure></div>


<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/top-ai-tools-tactics-ppc-452938">Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forecasting-and-budget-recommendations">Forecasting and budget recommendations</h2>



<p>I then decided to take it a step further and asked ChatGPT to forecast results through the end of the year and recommend a target spend amount.</p>



<p>This is a common request we get as PPC marketers:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>How much could we spend?</li>



<li>What would the results look like?</li>
</ul>



<p>Traditionally, answering these questions can take hours – or even days – of building and refining models.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can now do this in a matter of minutes.</p>



<p>In this case, the model provided a recommended budget along with projected outcomes based on the dataset.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It also offered strategic suggestions for improving performance and achieving the forecasted results.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="788" height="224" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Forecasting-and-budget-recommendations.png" alt="Forecasting and budget recommendations" class="wp-image-455895" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Forecasting-and-budget-recommendations.png 788w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Forecasting-and-budget-recommendations-768x218.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px" /></figure></div>


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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncovering-deeper-insights-with-correlations">Uncovering deeper insights with correlations</h2>



<p>Here’s another use case that I believe delivers meaningful insights quickly.</p>



<p>In this example, I wanted to explore whether click-through rates (CTRs) and conversion rates were correlated.&nbsp;</p>



<p>ChatGPT quickly generated a scatter plot and identified a negative correlation of -0.64, meaning that, in this dataset, days with higher CTRs tended to have lower conversion rates.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It also provided a possible explanation for this pattern.</p>



<p>This is particularly valuable for those of us in paid search.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While we often know which levers to pull within the platform, we typically rely on a data scientist or analytics team to uncover and interpret deeper insights like this.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In this case, ChatGPT handles that analysis for you – bridging the gap between execution and strategy.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="883" height="845" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uncovering-deeper-insights-with-correlations.png" alt="Uncovering deeper insights with correlations" class="wp-image-455896" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uncovering-deeper-insights-with-correlations.png 883w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Uncovering-deeper-insights-with-correlations-768x735.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 883px) 100vw, 883px" /></figure></div>


<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/gpt-operator-changing-ppc-automation-452123">6 ways GPT Operator is changing PPC automation</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-handling-complex-visualizations">Handling complex visualizations</h2>



<p>The volume of data requests and potential analyses is virtually endless.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Fortunately, you can ask follow-up questions or refine the dataset if it’s too large to interpret effectively.</p>



<p>For example, I initially asked for a heat map broken down by campaign, but the output was overwhelming and unreadable.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, I followed up by requesting just the top 10 campaigns by spend – and received a much cleaner, more useful visualization. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="852" height="791" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Handling-complex-visualizations.png" alt="Handling complex visualizations" class="wp-image-455897" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Handling-complex-visualizations.png 852w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Handling-complex-visualizations-768x713.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 852px) 100vw, 852px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-letting-ai-suggest-the-next-analysis">Letting AI suggest the next analysis</h2>



<p>Even if you&#8217;re not sure where to begin, ChatGPT can help you get started – sometimes all it takes is a simple question.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In this case, I asked:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>&#8220;What are some other interesting insights or visual analyses that can be done with this data to help me improve performance?&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<p>The model responded with several suggestions that not only helped me dive deeper but also surfaced ideas I hadn’t considered.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These AI-driven prompts can spark meaningful new directions in your analysis.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1010" height="689" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Let-AI-suggest-the-next-analysis.png" alt="Letting AI suggest the next analysis" class="wp-image-455899" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Let-AI-suggest-the-next-analysis.png 1010w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Let-AI-suggest-the-next-analysis-768x524.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1010px) 100vw, 1010px" /></figure></div>


<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/chatgpt-prompts-for-ppc-392443">ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today</a></em></strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pareto-analysis-and-actionable-optimization">Pareto analysis and actionable optimization</h2>



<p>Next, I asked ChatGPT to generate a bubble chart for the top 30 campaigns and run a Pareto analysis.</p>



<p>This analysis revealed that 20% of campaigns were responsible for 80% of conversions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That’s incredibly useful insight, especially when deciding how much to invest in tail terms versus your core performers.</p>



<p>Both the bubble chart and Pareto breakdown provided quick takeaways and suggestions for actionable next steps based on the data.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="786" height="647" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-and-actionable-optimization.png" alt="Pareto analysis and actionable optimization" class="wp-image-455900" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-and-actionable-optimization.png 786w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-and-actionable-optimization-768x632.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px" /></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1529" height="1600" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-Campaign-contribution-to-total-conversions.png" alt="Pareto analysis - Campaign contribution to total conversions" class="wp-image-455901" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-Campaign-contribution-to-total-conversions.png 1529w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-Campaign-contribution-to-total-conversions-768x804.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Pareto-analysis-Campaign-contribution-to-total-conversions-1468x1536.png 1468w" sizes="(max-width: 1529px) 100vw, 1529px" /></figure></div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts-advanced-data-analysis-in-chatgpt-and-beyond">Final thoughts: Advanced data analysis in ChatGPT and beyond</h2>



<p>The real advantage here is how easily advanced data analysis becomes part of your workflow.&nbsp;</p>



<p>What used to take hours or specialized support can now happen in minutes, with AI identifying patterns, correlations, and opportunities you might have missed.</p>



<p>These insights lead to faster, more informed PPC decisions – whether it’s reallocating budget, refining targeting, or identifying underperforming campaigns.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As the tools evolve and more data gets connected, analysis becomes not just easier, but proactive.</p>



<p>This shift is giving PPC marketers a new edge: the ability to act on insights faster than the competition.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: <a href="https://searchengineland.com/how-to-automate-your-google-ads-workflow-with-the-chatgpt-api-454527">How to automate your Google Ads workflow with the ChatGPT API</a></em></strong></p>

The world of generative AI is evolving rapidly, with breakthroughs in image and video generation, multimodal capabilities, and – crucially for marketers – data analysis. 
For PPC professionals, these tools offer a new level of speed and depth in uncovering insights and optimizing performance.
One standout capability is ChatGPT’s Advanced Data Analysis, which allows users to upload raw data, ask natural language questions, and receive clear, actionable insights  – fast.
 What once took hours can now happen in minutes.
Advanced data analysis in ChatGPT: Access and availability
Originally launched in July 2023 as a beta feature for Plus and Enterprise users, Advanced Data Analysis is now integrated directly into the core ChatGPT experience.
Free users have limited access to file uploads and advanced data analysis
Plus and Pro users have extended limits for deeper, faster analysis.
Here’s a look at how this tool can elevate your PPC workflow.
Uploading and preparing your Google Ads data
To get started with ChatGPT, click the plus button to connect or upload the data source you’d like to analyze. 
In this example, I uploaded a .csv file that I downloaded directly from Google Ads.

Exploring key insights: Conversion rates by day
I started by asking which day of the week had the best conversion rates and requested a chart. 
ChatGPT began by scanning the file to identify where the actual data starts and what each column contains. 
This step alone is valuable. It means you don’t have to clean the data yourself or give detailed instructions upfront. 
For instance, this dataset doesn’t include a conversion rate column, so the model calculated it automatically. 
I didn’t specify which data points to use in that calculation. The model inferred it, just as a junior data analyst would.

Once the data is normalized, ChatGPT generates a graph sorted by the day of the week with the highest conversion rate. 
In this case, it turned out to be Friday. 
From there, you can customize the chart’s colors and interact further with the data using the “Now interactive! (Beta)” button built into the chart.

Dig deeper: Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC
Forecasting and budget recommendations
I then decided to take it a step further and asked ChatGPT to forecast results through the end of the year and recommend a target spend amount.
This is a common request we get as PPC marketers:
How much could we spend?
What would the results look like?
Traditionally, answering these questions can take hours – or even days – of building and refining models. 
Tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can now do this in a matter of minutes.
In this case, the model provided a recommended budget along with projected outcomes based on the dataset. 
It also offered strategic suggestions for improving performance and achieving the forecasted results.


					
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See terms.
Uncovering deeper insights with correlations
Here’s another use case that I believe delivers meaningful insights quickly.
In this example, I wanted to explore whether click-through rates (CTRs) and conversion rates were correlated. 
ChatGPT quickly generated a scatter plot and identified a negative correlation of -0.64, meaning that, in this dataset, days with higher CTRs tended to have lower conversion rates. 
It also provided a possible explanation for this pattern.
This is particularly valuable for those of us in paid search. 
While we often know which levers to pull within the platform, we typically rely on a data scientist or analytics team to uncover and interpret deeper insights like this. 
In this case, ChatGPT handles that analysis for you – bridging the gap between execution and strategy.

Dig deeper: 6 ways GPT Operator is changing PPC automation
Handling complex visualizations
The volume of data requests and potential analyses is virtually endless. 
Fortunately, you can ask follow-up questions or refine the dataset if it’s too large to interpret effectively.
For example, I initially asked for a heat map broken down by campaign, but the output was overwhelming and unreadable. 
So, I followed up by requesting just the top 10 campaigns by spend – and received a much cleaner, more useful visualization. 

Letting AI suggest the next analysis
Even if you’re not sure where to begin, ChatGPT can help you get started – sometimes all it takes is a simple question. 
In this case, I asked:
“What are some other interesting insights or visual analyses that can be done with this data to help me improve performance?”
The model responded with several suggestions that not only helped me dive deeper but also surfaced ideas I hadn’t considered. 
These AI-driven prompts can spark meaningful new directions in your analysis.

Dig deeper: ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today
Pareto analysis and actionable optimization
Next, I asked ChatGPT to generate a bubble chart for the top 30 campaigns and run a Pareto analysis.
This analysis revealed that 20% of campaigns were responsible for 80% of conversions. 
That’s incredibly useful insight, especially when deciding how much to invest in tail terms versus your core performers.
Both the bubble chart and Pareto breakdown provided quick takeaways and suggestions for actionable next steps based on the data.


Final thoughts: Advanced data analysis in ChatGPT and beyond
The real advantage here is how easily advanced data analysis becomes part of your workflow. 
What used to take hours or specialized support can now happen in minutes, with AI identifying patterns, correlations, and opportunities you might have missed.
These insights lead to faster, more informed PPC decisions – whether it’s reallocating budget, refining targeting, or identifying underperforming campaigns. 
As the tools evolve and more data gets connected, analysis becomes not just easier, but proactive.
This shift is giving PPC marketers a new edge: the ability to act on insights faster than the competition.
Dig deeper: How to automate your Google Ads workflow with the ChatGPT API

Explore real-world examples of how to use the feature to speed up PPC data processing and visualization, insights generation, and more.

Using ChatGPT’s Advanced Data Analysis feature for PPC

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Search intent" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-150x84.png 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Explore user motivations, intent categories, and tactics to create SEO content that resonates and converts.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Search intent" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types-150x84.png 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/Search-intent-Yes-there-are-more-than-4-types.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-guide-user-intent-429687">Search intent</a> is easy to define but harder to truly understand. </p>



<p>It’s more than just categories like informational or transactional. It’s about:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>What someone is trying to do in a moment.</li>



<li>How that action fits into a larger journey.</li>



<li>How your content and brand meet them there.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>



<p>If you&#8217;re still thinking in linear funnels or rigid personas, it’s time to go deeper.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-the-journey-why-search-intent-demands-more-nuance">Rethinking the journey: Why search intent demands more nuance</h2>



<p>Before we dive in, let’s step back and ask a few questions:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Do you have audience personas? A customer journey map? Funnels?</li>



<li>And more importantly, are those tools still accurate?&nbsp;</li>



<li>Are they as linear or predictable as they once seemed?</li>
</ul>



<p>I’m guessing they aren’t linear paths your audience follows the same way each time they engage with your brand from search.</p>



<p>Unless you’re solely focused on branded traffic – typically bottom-of-funnel and ready to convert – you probably care about search intent more broadly.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You likely understand how different behaviors connect to the content you create and the topics you target.</p>



<p>Traditionally, search intent has been divided into a few broad categories. </p>



<p>But with the range of human behavior, the ways people seek information, and ongoing shifts in search and AI, it’s important not to limit your thinking.</p>



<p>In 2023, at MozCon, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo">SEO</a> thought leader Lily Ray made an excellent point: there are actually many more intents.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" width="1000" height="560" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray.png" alt="From slide 65 of Ray's Mozcon presentation" class="wp-image-430871" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray.png 1000w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray-600x336.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray-800x448.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray-768x430.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2023/08/actual-search-intents-lily-ray-150x84.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>From slide 65 of <a href="https://www.amsivedigital.com/insights/seo/cracking-googles-code-the-impact-of-core-updates-and-search-intent-on-your-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ray&#8217;s Mozcon presentation</a></em></figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Inspired by Ray, and with my own perspective expanded, I’ll revisit the commonly accepted intents and share a broader set of examples.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-most-common-search-intents">4 most common search intents</h2>



<p>Search intent is commonly categorized into four buckets: commercial, transactional, informational, and navigational. </p>



<p>These serve as the four core search intents and the foundation of how many SEOs define a search action.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commercial-intent">Commercial intent</h3>



<p>Google categorizes commercial intent as pre-transactional searches.</p>



<p>A user intends to buy a product or service, but just needs a little extra convincing. This can include searches that compare features of similar products.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-transactional-intent">Transactional intent</h3>



<p>When a search query aligns with transactional intent, users are primed to purchase and often have a specific product or service in mind.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-informational-intent">Informational intent</h3>



<p>Informational search intents define search queries that indicate a user who wants to gain further knowledge about something.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-navigational-intent">Navigational intent</h3>



<p>True to its name, navigational intent directs users to specific pages. The pages users search for can range anywhere from a specific social media platform to directories in your local town.&nbsp;</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-for-all-intents-and-purposes">Expanding for all intents and purposes</h2>



<p>While those four search intents may broadly cover a sizable portion of queries, they don’t fully represent how users search.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Someone searching for a movie start time at a local theater may not behave the same way as someone looking for movie reviews.</p>



<p>Sure, both are looking for information about a movie, but they are in different stages of the customer journey.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Expanding your understanding of search intent can help refine your engagement and marketing strategies – ultimately improving your understanding of audience segmentation, relevancy, engagement, visibility, and increased conversions. </p>



<p>People often use search engines when they want to:&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-compare-products">Compare products</h3>



<p>People do their due diligence before making a purchase.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They review pricing, specifications, reviews, and other information about products, brands, and retailers.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-purchase-a-product">Purchase a product</h3>



<p>Once the product research and hand-wringing are complete, bottom-funnel searchers will use specific searches to find the exact product they want, often including the store they intend to purchase it from.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-a-store-s-nearest-location">Find a store’s nearest location</h3>



<p>Search engines are extremely useful for discovering which of the five fast-food burger joints within a two-mile radius of you is closest, has the best reviews, and is open.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-tutorials-or-tips">Find tutorials or tips</h3>



<p>Enthusiasts of various hobbies, such as gardening, photography, cooking, and gaming, use search engines to find tutorials, guides, and communities related to their interests.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fix-a-technical-problem">Fix a technical problem</h3>



<p>When encountering technical issues with devices, software, or appliances, users can search for troubleshooting tips, forums, and support resources to help resolve their problems.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-entertainment">Find entertainment</h3>



<p>Users looking for fun and entertaining things to do, such as finding activities or attractions in their city.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-get-directions">Get directions</h3>



<p>Whether planning a trip to a friend’s house or a trip cross-country, people use search engines to find accurate directions, maps, and real-time traffic updates to navigate their journeys.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catch-up-on-current-events">Catch up on current events</h3>



<p>When a user wants to know the latest stories or local, national, or international news.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-check-the-weather">Check the weather</h3>



<p>Users can check the temperature, determine whether they will need an umbrella later on, or determine if they need to make backup plans in case their picnic gets rained next weekend.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cook-something-delicious">Cook something delicious</h3>



<p>Search engines make it simple to discover new recipes and cooking methods from both amateur blogs and world-renowned chefs.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expand-their-brain">Expand their brain</h3>



<p>Search engines are a primary tool for finding information on almost any topic imaginable.&nbsp;</p>



<p>From historical events to scientific concepts to trivia questions, users can quickly locate relevant articles, websites, and resources.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-it-themselves">Do-it-themselves</h3>



<p>DIY enthusiasts find guides, tutorials, and tips for various projects, such as home improvement, crafting, gardening, and repairs.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-self-diagnose-their-symptoms">Self-diagnose their symptoms</h3>



<p>Before seeking professional advice or visiting a licensed medical practitioner, users can search their symptoms to understand whether they are allergic to something or have come down with a deadly illness.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understand-their-neighbor">Understand their neighbor</h3>



<p>Language barriers can become much smaller thanks to language translation tools that enable users to quickly translate text, phrases, or entire web pages between different languages.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-play-the-stock-market">Play the stock market</h3>



<p>Search engines provide access to real-time stock quotes, financial news, investment advice, and resources for managing personal finances and investments.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-a-new-job">Find a new job</h3>



<p>Job seekers use search engines to find job listings, research companies, access career advice, and prepare for job interviews.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plan-their-next-trip">Plan their next trip</h3>



<p>Travelers can almost do everything directly from search engines—research destinations, flights, rental cars, and hotels, and find tourist attractions and tips.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-find-photos-and-videos">Find photos and videos</h3>



<p>Users search for images and videos to find visual content related to specific topics, ideas, or projects. This includes finding stock photos, artwork, memes, and video clips.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identify-something-they-see">Identify something they see</h3>



<p>Searching using images has never been more advanced, with engines being able to identify flowers, wildlife, furniture, artwork, and more with just a picture.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listen-to-a-song">Listen to a song</h3>



<p>Music lovers can discover new music or listen to that song that’s been stuck in their head.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-figure-out-the-lyrics-to-a-song">Figure out the lyrics to a song</h3>



<p>No matter if users only know one line of the song they heard on the radio or know the title and artist, search engines can show them the lyrics.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watch-the-video">Watch the video</h3>



<p>Video results allow users to find movie trailers, music videos, tutorials, reviews, news clips, often without even having to leave the search results page.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-what-and-why-behind-a-searcher-s-query">The ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind a searcher’s query</h2>



<p>With <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-everything-you-need-to-know-449399">AI Overviews</a> at the top of search engine results pages and the emergence of diversified sources of how consumers find information, there’s a lot more interactivity through questions, context, and getting intent right by the searcher/information seeker.</p>



<p>Behaviors are shifting in how people search, in addition to where they search.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We have to keep up and make sure that we’re not too simplistic in how we position our content and our answers or solutions to what searchers are seeking.</p>



<p>Search intent is a key to SEO.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Understanding what and why someone is searching and aligning your brand, content, and engagement opportunities with it is central to SEO.</p>



<p>SEO is hard enough when you have a well-defined target audience and a great strategy and plan.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Your optimization efforts will fail if you do not understand user search intent&#8217;s “what” and “why.”</p>



<p>A full understanding and nuanced approach will help you nurture someone through their journey or funnel while also giving you a chance to tell your brand story and further engage them in the process.</p>



<p><strong><em>Dig deeper. <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-exploit-scoring-classifications-449333">Exploit reveals how and why Google ranks content</a></em></strong></p>

Search intent is easy to define but harder to truly understand. 
It’s more than just categories like informational or transactional. It’s about:
What someone is trying to do in a moment.
How that action fits into a larger journey.
How your content and brand meet them there. 
If you’re still thinking in linear funnels or rigid personas, it’s time to go deeper.
Rethinking the journey: Why search intent demands more nuance
Before we dive in, let’s step back and ask a few questions:
Do you have audience personas? A customer journey map? Funnels?
And more importantly, are those tools still accurate? 
Are they as linear or predictable as they once seemed?
I’m guessing they aren’t linear paths your audience follows the same way each time they engage with your brand from search.
Unless you’re solely focused on branded traffic – typically bottom-of-funnel and ready to convert – you probably care about search intent more broadly. 
You likely understand how different behaviors connect to the content you create and the topics you target.
Traditionally, search intent has been divided into a few broad categories. 
But with the range of human behavior, the ways people seek information, and ongoing shifts in search and AI, it’s important not to limit your thinking.
In 2023, at MozCon, SEO thought leader Lily Ray made an excellent point: there are actually many more intents.
From slide 65 of Ray’s Mozcon presentation
Inspired by Ray, and with my own perspective expanded, I’ll revisit the commonly accepted intents and share a broader set of examples.
4 most common search intents
Search intent is commonly categorized into four buckets: commercial, transactional, informational, and navigational. 
These serve as the four core search intents and the foundation of how many SEOs define a search action. 
Commercial intent
Google categorizes commercial intent as pre-transactional searches.
A user intends to buy a product or service, but just needs a little extra convincing. This can include searches that compare features of similar products. 
Transactional intent
When a search query aligns with transactional intent, users are primed to purchase and often have a specific product or service in mind.
Informational intent
Informational search intents define search queries that indicate a user who wants to gain further knowledge about something.
Navigational intent
True to its name, navigational intent directs users to specific pages. The pages users search for can range anywhere from a specific social media platform to directories in your local town. 

					
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
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See terms.
Expanding for all intents and purposes
While those four search intents may broadly cover a sizable portion of queries, they don’t fully represent how users search. 
Someone searching for a movie start time at a local theater may not behave the same way as someone looking for movie reviews.
Sure, both are looking for information about a movie, but they are in different stages of the customer journey. 
Expanding your understanding of search intent can help refine your engagement and marketing strategies – ultimately improving your understanding of audience segmentation, relevancy, engagement, visibility, and increased conversions. 
People often use search engines when they want to: 
Compare products
People do their due diligence before making a purchase. 
They review pricing, specifications, reviews, and other information about products, brands, and retailers.
Purchase a product
Once the product research and hand-wringing are complete, bottom-funnel searchers will use specific searches to find the exact product they want, often including the store they intend to purchase it from. 
Find a store’s nearest location
Search engines are extremely useful for discovering which of the five fast-food burger joints within a two-mile radius of you is closest, has the best reviews, and is open.
Find tutorials or tips
Enthusiasts of various hobbies, such as gardening, photography, cooking, and gaming, use search engines to find tutorials, guides, and communities related to their interests.
Fix a technical problem
When encountering technical issues with devices, software, or appliances, users can search for troubleshooting tips, forums, and support resources to help resolve their problems.
Find entertainment
Users looking for fun and entertaining things to do, such as finding activities or attractions in their city.
Get directions
Whether planning a trip to a friend’s house or a trip cross-country, people use search engines to find accurate directions, maps, and real-time traffic updates to navigate their journeys.
Catch up on current events
When a user wants to know the latest stories or local, national, or international news.
Check the weather
Users can check the temperature, determine whether they will need an umbrella later on, or determine if they need to make backup plans in case their picnic gets rained next weekend.
Cook something delicious
Search engines make it simple to discover new recipes and cooking methods from both amateur blogs and world-renowned chefs.
Expand their brain
Search engines are a primary tool for finding information on almost any topic imaginable. 
From historical events to scientific concepts to trivia questions, users can quickly locate relevant articles, websites, and resources.
Do-it-themselves
DIY enthusiasts find guides, tutorials, and tips for various projects, such as home improvement, crafting, gardening, and repairs.
Self-diagnose their symptoms
Before seeking professional advice or visiting a licensed medical practitioner, users can search their symptoms to understand whether they are allergic to something or have come down with a deadly illness.
Understand their neighbor
Language barriers can become much smaller thanks to language translation tools that enable users to quickly translate text, phrases, or entire web pages between different languages.
Play the stock market
Search engines provide access to real-time stock quotes, financial news, investment advice, and resources for managing personal finances and investments.
Find a new job
Job seekers use search engines to find job listings, research companies, access career advice, and prepare for job interviews.
Plan their next trip
Travelers can almost do everything directly from search engines—research destinations, flights, rental cars, and hotels, and find tourist attractions and tips. 
Find photos and videos
Users search for images and videos to find visual content related to specific topics, ideas, or projects. This includes finding stock photos, artwork, memes, and video clips.
Identify something they see
Searching using images has never been more advanced, with engines being able to identify flowers, wildlife, furniture, artwork, and more with just a picture.
Listen to a song
Music lovers can discover new music or listen to that song that’s been stuck in their head.
Figure out the lyrics to a song
No matter if users only know one line of the song they heard on the radio or know the title and artist, search engines can show them the lyrics.
Watch the video
Video results allow users to find movie trailers, music videos, tutorials, reviews, news clips, often without even having to leave the search results page. 
The ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind a searcher’s query
With AI Overviews at the top of search engine results pages and the emergence of diversified sources of how consumers find information, there’s a lot more interactivity through questions, context, and getting intent right by the searcher/information seeker.
Behaviors are shifting in how people search, in addition to where they search. 
We have to keep up and make sure that we’re not too simplistic in how we position our content and our answers or solutions to what searchers are seeking.
Search intent is a key to SEO. 
Understanding what and why someone is searching and aligning your brand, content, and engagement opportunities with it is central to SEO.
SEO is hard enough when you have a well-defined target audience and a great strategy and plan. 
Your optimization efforts will fail if you do not understand user search intent’s “what” and “why.”
A full understanding and nuanced approach will help you nurture someone through their journey or funnel while also giving you a chance to tell your brand story and further engage them in the process.
Dig deeper. Exploit reveals how and why Google ranks content

Explore user motivations, intent categories, and tactics to create SEO content that resonates and converts.

There are more than 4 types of search intent

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Boost company morale, attract new business, and earn the right to call yourself "award-winning". Enter the Search Engine Land Awards today!

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/Untitled-design-45.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div><p><img decoding="async" class="img-responsive alignnone wp-image-454268 size-full" title="Dark blue banner with white Search Engine Land 2024 Awards logo and woman in blue dress holding trophy" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header.jpg" alt="" width="1138" height="234" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header.jpg 1138w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header-600x123.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header-800x164.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header-200x41.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/08/sela25-header-768x158.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1138px) 100vw, 1138px" /></p>
<p>Winning an industry award can seriously impact how customers, clients, and colleagues regard your brand.<strong> Showcase your achievements</strong> and<strong> celebrate your professional excellence</strong> by entering <a href="https://searchengineland.com/awards?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=sel+awards+2025&amp;utm_content=reg+open" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>the Search Engine Land Awards</strong></a> – the highest honor in search marketing!</p>
<p>Now is the best time to apply: Super Early Bird rates expire at <strong>11:59pm ET this Friday, May 23</strong>… <a href="https://info.thirddoormedia.com/NzI3LVpRRS0wNDQAAAGajPr2eV78Jw1hg4LA6qQ3Tii_TpwRgUrGMhMhxwBDewHteo8pNLI21zu6TVaJj39PZxJQAuM=" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.thirddoormedia.com/NzI3LVpRRS0wNDQAAAGajPr2eV78Jw1hg4LA6qQ3Tii_TpwRgUrGMhMhxwBDewHteo8pNLI21zu6TVaJj39PZxJQAuM%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1747920159898000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3emooCemDN2cgcfllxA8-t"><strong>submit your completed application</strong></a> before then to <strong>save $300 off final rates</strong> (per entry!).</p>
<p>For the past 10 years, the Search Engine Land Awards have honored some of the best in the search industry – including leading in-house teams at <strong>Wiley Education Services, T-Mobile, Penn Foster, Sprint, and HomeToGo</strong> – and exceptional agencies representing <strong>Samsung, Lands’ End, Stanley Steemer</strong>, and beyond.</p>
<p>This year, it’s your turn. Here’s what you need to know:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>This is the 10th anniversary of the Search Engine Land Awards</strong>, a program designed to celebrate individuals, agencies, and internal teams within the search marketing community who have demonstrated excellence in executing organic and paid search marketing campaigns.</li>
<li><a href="https://awards.searchengineland.com/categories?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=sel+awards+2025&amp;utm_content=reg+open" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>This year’s program features 19 unique categories</strong></a>, from Best Use of AI Technology in Search Marketing to Agency of the Year&#8230; click here to explore them all.</li>
<li><strong>Applying is easier than ever</strong> – send us an executive summary that showcases, in 750 words or less, the award-worthy work you and your team performed this past year.</li>
<li>Completing your application empowers you to<strong> reflect on an impressive year of work</strong>, featuring its successes and lessons learned – an invaluable exercise for you and your team.</li>
<li>Winning a Search Engine Land Award is a unique, rewarding, and cost-effective way to <strong>put your organization a step ahead of its competitors</strong>, gain well-earned publicity, boost company morale, and more.</li>
<li><strong>Submit your application by this Friday, May 23,</strong> to enjoy Super Early Bird pricing – just $395 per entry ($300 off final rates!).</li>
<li>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="im">Not sure where to begin? Check out this <a href="https://searchengineland.com/straight-from-the-source-2025-search-engine-land-awards-judges-reveal-what-makes-an-application-award-worthy-455512" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.thirddoormedia.com/NzI3LVpRRS0wNDQAAAGUqHnjof4ynY6UexaHzHjC6pqG5Jd8pLjFNnES95kqW-FBu_ldkBGUEMqd57PZV1trtwn9jog%3D&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722527816269000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1rY7no_vdN7tAEVosUs_Sf"><strong>helpful collection of advice straight from select judges</strong></a> for insights on what makes a winning application.<br />
</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Don&#8217;t miss your opportunity to participate in the only awards program recognized by Search Engine Land, the industry publication of record. <a href="https://awards.searchengineland.com/2025/begin"><strong>Begin your application today! </strong></a></p>


Winning an industry award can seriously impact how customers, clients, and colleagues regard your brand. Showcase your achievements and celebrate your professional excellence by entering the Search Engine Land Awards – the highest honor in search marketing!
Now is the best time to apply: Super Early Bird rates expire at 11:59pm ET this Friday, May 23… submit your completed application before then to save $300 off final rates (per entry!).
For the past 10 years, the Search Engine Land Awards have honored some of the best in the search industry – including leading in-house teams at Wiley Education Services, T-Mobile, Penn Foster, Sprint, and HomeToGo – and exceptional agencies representing Samsung, Lands’ End, Stanley Steemer, and beyond.
This year, it’s your turn. Here’s what you need to know:
This is the 10th anniversary of the Search Engine Land Awards, a program designed to celebrate individuals, agencies, and internal teams within the search marketing community who have demonstrated excellence in executing organic and paid search marketing campaigns.
This year’s program features 19 unique categories, from Best Use of AI Technology in Search Marketing to Agency of the Year… click here to explore them all.
Applying is easier than ever – send us an executive summary that showcases, in 750 words or less, the award-worthy work you and your team performed this past year.
Completing your application empowers you to reflect on an impressive year of work, featuring its successes and lessons learned – an invaluable exercise for you and your team.
Winning a Search Engine Land Award is a unique, rewarding, and cost-effective way to put your organization a step ahead of its competitors, gain well-earned publicity, boost company morale, and more.
Submit your application by this Friday, May 23, to enjoy Super Early Bird pricing – just $395 per entry ($300 off final rates!).
Not sure where to begin? Check out this helpful collection of advice straight from select judges for insights on what makes a winning application.



Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in the only awards program recognized by Search Engine Land, the industry publication of record. Begin your application today!

Boost company morale, attract new business, and earn the right to call yourself "award-winning". Enter the Search Engine Land Awards today!

Super Early Bird rates expire this Friday… enter the Search Engine Land Awards now!

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="AI silver lining" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>Sitewide clicks are down, but clicks to homepages are up 10.7%. Your homepages may become even more valuable in AI search experiences.

<div><img width="1920" height="1080" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="AI silver lining" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920.png 1920w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/ai-silver-lining-1920-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" /></div>
<p>Google&#8217;s AI Overviews and large language models (LLMs) have severely eroded <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-search-clicks-fell-report-455498">clicks</a>, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-hurt-click-through-rates-454428">click-through rates</a>, and <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ai-overviews-mail-online-ctr-drop-455393">organic traffic</a> to websites. But a new Siege Media report may have found a silver lining: even if your sitewide traffic is down, your homepage may be increasing.</p>



<p><strong>By the numbers.</strong> For the websites examined in this study, homepage clicks increased:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Overall:</strong> 10.7%</li>



<li><strong>B2C:</strong> 8%</li>



<li><strong>B2B:</strong> 15%</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> As the report put it: &#8220;The sky isn’t falling. It’s shifting.&#8221; Because homepage traffic tends to convert better, brands with strong visibility in AI Overviews and LLM-generated results can reap the rewards.</p>



<p><strong>Yes, but.</strong> Not all brands win. If your website isn&#8217;t already getting homepage traffic, you still won&#8217;t. Non-brands and those reliant on non-branded traffic appear more likely to suffer. As the report put it:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>“If you weren’t a brand, this change hasn’t suddenly made you one.”</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>About the data.</strong> Siege Media analyzed six months of Google Search Console data from 50 national websites (28 B2B, 22 B2C). It compared homepage and sitewide traffic between the most recent three months and the prior three, to identify patterns emerging during a period of accelerated AI Overviews rollout and LLM changes.</p>



<p><strong>The report. </strong><a href="https://www.siegemedia.com/strategy/ai-homepage-traffic-increase" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Homepage Traffic is Up 10.7% from AI Overviews and LLMs [50-Site Study]</a></p>


Google’s AI Overviews and large language models (LLMs) have severely eroded clicks, click-through rates, and organic traffic to websites. But a new Siege Media report may have found a silver lining: even if your sitewide traffic is down, your homepage may be increasing.
By the numbers. For the websites examined in this study, homepage clicks increased:
Overall: 10.7%
B2C: 8%
B2B: 15%
Why we care. As the report put it: “The sky isn’t falling. It’s shifting.” Because homepage traffic tends to convert better, brands with strong visibility in AI Overviews and LLM-generated results can reap the rewards.
Yes, but. Not all brands win. If your website isn’t already getting homepage traffic, you still won’t. Non-brands and those reliant on non-branded traffic appear more likely to suffer. As the report put it:
“If you weren’t a brand, this change hasn’t suddenly made you one.”
About the data. Siege Media analyzed six months of Google Search Console data from 50 national websites (28 B2B, 22 B2C). It compared homepage and sitewide traffic between the most recent three months and the prior three, to identify patterns emerging during a period of accelerated AI Overviews rollout and LLM changes.
The report. Homepage Traffic is Up 10.7% from AI Overviews and LLMs [50-Site Study]

Sitewide clicks are down, but clicks to homepages are up 10.7%. Your homepages may become even more valuable in AI search experiences.

LLMs, AI Overviews may be quietly driving homepage traffic: Report

<div><img width="800" height="455" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-800x455.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-800x455.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-595x338.jpg 595w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-768x436.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-1536x873.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-150x85.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-600x341.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>Don't miss your chance to connect with your search marketing community - June 11-13 in Boston.

<div><img width="800" height="455" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-800x455.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-800x455.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-595x338.jpg 595w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-200x113.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-768x436.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-1536x873.jpg 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-150x85.jpg 150w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy-600x341.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2019/11/smxeast2019-copy.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div><p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/networking?utm_source=sel&amp;amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;amp;utm_content=networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-455669 size-full" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/smxa25_EB-email-masthead-4.png" alt="" width="1575" height="338" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/smxa25_EB-email-masthead-4.png 1575w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/smxa25_EB-email-masthead-4-768x165.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/smxa25_EB-email-masthead-4-1536x330.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1575px) 100vw, 1575px" /></a></p>
<p>Monitoring algorithm updates. Obsessing over AI Overviews. Fine-tuning audience targeting. The work you do every day makes you part of an exclusive community of passionate, creative, driven search marketers eager to learn the latest tactics to achieve KPIs and leave the competition in the dust.</p>
<p>Connect with your community at <a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>SMX Advanced</strong></a> – June 11-13 in Boston.</p>
<p>At SMX, you’ll participate in <strong>the most advanced, actionable search marketing training experience in the world</strong>… and <strong>meet the people who will change the course of your career</strong> – from future clients to colleagues, mentors, bosses, team members, and everyone in between.</p>
<p>With an array of both <strong>formal networking experiences</strong> – like the kickoff Meet &amp; Greet Reception and community meetups with Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz and Anu Adegbola – plus countless <strong>serendipitous opportunities</strong> during scenic group runs along the harbor, expert-led <strong><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/mastermind-sessions?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mastermind sessions</a></strong>, Birds of a Feather lunch tables, and beyond… <strong>SMX Advanced is where conversations spark, friendships are forged, and your search marketing chops are challenged</strong>.</p>
<p>Explore the <strong><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/agenda?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agenda</a></strong> and the complete list of <strong><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/networking?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">networking events</a></strong>, then <strong><a href="https://events.searchengineland.com/smx-advanced-2025?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking">secure your All Access pass</a></strong> to unlock the complete program, including nearly 50 expert-led sessions with <strong>Fred Vallaeys, Crystal Carter, Amy Hebdon, Brad Geddes, Mike King, Wil Reynolds, Ginny Marvin</strong>, and loads more search legends.</p>
<p>What are you waiting for? The first in-person SMX experience since 2019 kicks off in less than a month&#8230; and you have a lot of catching up to do.</p>
<p><a href="https://searchengineland.com/smx/advanced/?utm_source=sel&amp;utm_medium=textlink&amp;utm_campaign=smx+adv+2025&amp;utm_content=networking#testimonials" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-454989 size-full" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="699" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-600x205.jpg 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-800x273.jpg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-200x68.jpg 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-768x262.jpg 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/04/testimonial-slider-smx-advanced-2025-1536x525.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></a></p>


Monitoring algorithm updates. Obsessing over AI Overviews. Fine-tuning audience targeting. The work you do every day makes you part of an exclusive community of passionate, creative, driven search marketers eager to learn the latest tactics to achieve KPIs and leave the competition in the dust.
Connect with your community at SMX Advanced – June 11-13 in Boston.
At SMX, you’ll participate in the most advanced, actionable search marketing training experience in the world… and meet the people who will change the course of your career – from future clients to colleagues, mentors, bosses, team members, and everyone in between.
With an array of both formal networking experiences – like the kickoff Meet & Greet Reception and community meetups with Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz and Anu Adegbola – plus countless serendipitous opportunities during scenic group runs along the harbor, expert-led Mastermind sessions, Birds of a Feather lunch tables, and beyond… SMX Advanced is where conversations spark, friendships are forged, and your search marketing chops are challenged.
Explore the agenda and the complete list of networking events, then secure your All Access pass to unlock the complete program, including nearly 50 expert-led sessions with Fred Vallaeys, Crystal Carter, Amy Hebdon, Brad Geddes, Mike King, Wil Reynolds, Ginny Marvin, and loads more search legends.
What are you waiting for? The first in-person SMX experience since 2019 kicks off in less than a month… and you have a lot of catching up to do.

Don't miss your chance to connect with your search marketing community - June 11-13 in Boston.

Work hard, play hard: See the networking calendar for SMX Advanced

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="5 ways advertisers can prepare for Google’s AI Overviews" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>The arrival of ads in AI Overviews marks a big shift for Google search, though it's still unclear how the new ad format will perform.

<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-800x450.png" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="5 ways advertisers can prepare for Google’s AI Overviews" style="margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-800x450.png 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-600x338.png 600w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-200x113.png 200w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-768x432.png 768w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews-1536x864.png 1536w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2024/06/5-ways-advertisers-can-prepare-for-Googles-AI-Overviews.png 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></div>
<p>For the first time, ads are appearing directly within Google&#8217;s AI Overviews on desktop search, marking a major expansion of monetization within generative search experiences.</p>



<p><strong>Driving the news</strong>. The Shopping ads, which appear within AI Overviews, Google’s AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of certain search results, were spotted and shared by independent SEO consultant Brodie Clark <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brodieclark_heads-up-im-now-seeing-ads-appearing-in-activity-7331181894635585537-k3iC/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on LinkedIn</a>.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Hours earlier, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-ai-overviews-ai-mode-desktop-455733">Google announced  ads would begin rolling out in both AI Overview and AI Mode</a>.</li>
</ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="800" height="492" src="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/1747889969417.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-455890" srcset="https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/1747889969417.jpeg 800w, https://searchengineland.com/wp-content/seloads/2025/05/1747889969417-768x472.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Why we care.</strong> This shift, <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-ads-ai-overviews-ai-mode-desktop-455733">confirmed at Google Marketing Live 2025</a>, signals Google&#8217;s intent to fully integrate paid placements into its evolving AI search experiences, potentially reshaping how users interact with both organic and sponsored content.</p>



<p><strong>How it works</strong>. Ads appear within or alongside the AI-generated summaries on desktop, making them part of the immediate visual and contextual experience.</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Formats include Search ads (text-based) and Shopping ads (product listings with images), blending into AI-generated answers.</li>



<li>The feature is rolling out in stages, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks.</li>
</ul>



<p><strong>The big picture</strong>. Embedding ads in AI Overviews gives advertisers new high-visibility real estate, but also raises concerns about transparency and user trust in AI-generated results. As no word has been mentioned as to whether you&#8217;ll get reporting data on this new real estate, it will still be difficult to see the effectiveness of this update.</p>



<p><strong>What to watch</strong>. How users respond to the blending of ads and AI-generated content and whether advertisers see better or worse performance from these new placements.</p>



<p><strong>Bottom line</strong>. Ads in AI Overviews mark a pivotal shift in search monetization, one that blends paid content into the core of Google’s AI search experience.</p>


For the first time, ads are appearing directly within Google’s AI Overviews on desktop search, marking a major expansion of monetization within generative search experiences.
Driving the news. The Shopping ads, which appear within AI Overviews, Google’s AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of certain search results, were spotted and shared by independent SEO consultant Brodie Clark on LinkedIn.
Hours earlier, Google announced  ads would begin rolling out in both AI Overview and AI Mode.




Why we care. This shift, confirmed at Google Marketing Live 2025, signals Google’s intent to fully integrate paid placements into its evolving AI search experiences, potentially reshaping how users interact with both organic and sponsored content.
How it works. Ads appear within or alongside the AI-generated summaries on desktop, making them part of the immediate visual and contextual experience.
Formats include Search ads (text-based) and Shopping ads (product listings with images), blending into AI-generated answers.
The feature is rolling out in stages, with wider availability expected over the coming weeks.
The big picture. Embedding ads in AI Overviews gives advertisers new high-visibility real estate, but also raises concerns about transparency and user trust in AI-generated results. As no word has been mentioned as to whether you’ll get reporting data on this new real estate, it will still be difficult to see the effectiveness of this update.
What to watch. How users respond to the blending of ads and AI-generated content and whether advertisers see better or worse performance from these new placements.
Bottom line. Ads in AI Overviews mark a pivotal shift in search monetization, one that blends paid content into the core of Google’s AI search experience.

The arrival of ads in AI Overviews marks a big shift for Google search, though it's still unclear how the new ad format will perform.

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