Let’s go through the latest in digital marketing news, resources, tools, and jobs…

Google's 'Ask YouTube' Finds the Exact Part of a Video That Answers Your Question
Abrar Al-Heeti
YouTube launched Ask YouTube, a new feature that lets you make more complex queries and then shows a list of videos, including Shorts, related to that topic. You can also ask follow-up questions to further pinpoint what you're looking for. It is now available for Premium members in the US aged 18 and up.

The 9 Instagram metrics you need to track in 2026
Hannah Macready
Hannah shares the nine Instagram metrics worth tracking in 2026, what each one measures, and how to know if you’re on track.

LinkedIn doesn't want your AI slop anymore
Karissa Bell
LinkedIn is taking new steps to reduce the reach of posts that bear the hallmarks of AI-generated drivel. Laura Lorenzetti says the changes will target everything from outright engagement bait to recycled "thought leadership" and other "generic" content that "lacks the authenticity and originality". 

Social media for small business growth: what works in 2026
Rebecca MacFarlane
Rebecca goes through the true impact of using social media for small business growth and offers actionable insights for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Google tests new conversational ad formats in AI Mode and Search
Anu Adegbola
Google is rolling out Gemini-powered conversational ad formats across AI Mode and Search. These formats include Conversational Discovery ads, Highlighted Answers, AI-powered Shopping ads, and Business Agent for Leads. The updates are part of Google’s broader push to integrate Gemini deeper into Search and advertising experiences.

Google Ads Benchmarks 2026: Competitive Data & Insights for Every Industry
Susie Marino
WordStream looked at over 13,000 search advertising campaigns across 23 industries running between April 2025 and March 2026 and shares the industry benchmarks. The results show that the overall average cost per lead in Google and Microsoft Ads has actually gone down, among others. 

Google Ads Primary Conversion Actions May Be Used For Enhance Predictions
Barry Schwartz
Google updated a number of its Google Ads help documentation to say "Primary conversion actions not used for optimization may be used to enhance predictions." It is not clear if this is a change in what is actually happening or just a clarification to the Google help documentation about what was happening already.

Why Incrementality Testing Alone Won’t Fix Your Paid Media Budget – The Missing Metric
Tony Adam
Incrementality testing alone won't fix your budget allocation problem. Tony shares the three-layer measurement stack DTC brands actually need.

What Is Content Engineering, and How Do You Do It?
Louise Linehan
Louise goes through what content engineering is, its core components, who is responsible for it, and how you can become a fully-fledged Content Engineer.

How to build a Voice & Style Guide People Can Actually Write In
Melissa Popp
Most content doesn't fail because the writer is bad. It fails because the brand has no clear voice. Melissa goes through how to build one you can use, test, and refine.

Why Your Content Budget Keeps Getting Rejected (And What Pitch Works)
Robert Rose
Your case for content marketing keeps losing, not because of what you say but because of what you’re pitching. Robert explains how a journalist-turned-content marketer reframed the ask and secured the budget.

How to Write Content for AI Search That Users Will Still Love
Rebecca Brosnan
Rebecca explains how to optimize your content for AI search engines while maintaining human appeal and establishing your brand as an authoritative source.

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The goal is simple: make it easier for digital PR, comms, and marketing teams to spot what’s resonating in the media right now, and learn from the campaigns that are actually earning coverage.

Meta adds new creator publishing tools
Andrew Hutchinson
Meta launched two new publishing tools: Content Planner and a bulk upload option for Reels, designed to make it easier for creators to plan and schedule their content, maintain posting consistency, and streamline the posting process.

Can A 300,000-Influencer Network Built On AI-Generated Content Work?
Greg Jarboe
Enterprise brands know they want to scale content. Most don't have the infrastructure to measure it. Unilever's creator strategy makes that gap impossible to ignore.

How Creators Make Money Online in 2026 [Business Models]
Nadica Naceva
Nadia goes through how creators actually make money in 2026 through brand deals, subscriptions, UGC, affiliate marketing, and digital products.

X Is Making a Major Creator Push, Launching Ad Product to Connect Brands and Users
Alex Weprin
X is bringing a new product called Creator Connect to market, using AI to connect brands to relevant creators in search of more ad dollars. The company is a bit vague on the mechanics of it, but it will use tech from sister company xAI, and incorporate campaign objectives, real-time trends and audience interest.

​The New Rules of AI Visibility and How To Prepare for It​
Aleyda Solis 
Aleyda goes through why AI search should be treated as an evolution of SEO, not a disconnected discipline, the biggest changes affecting AI search optimization, and more in this comprehensive guide.

Your Inbox Might Be the Next AI Search Signal​
Garrett Sussman, Michael Tandoh, Cate Dombrowski 
The iPullRank team tested whether Google's Personal Intelligence layer could influence brand recommendations across 1,922 AI Mode responses. The results point out that brand signals added to personal context in a Google Personal Intelligence connected account changed AI Mode recommendations; a recommendation sitting in Gmail mattered more than a brand sitting in Google Photos, among other insights. Check it out.

​Is AI Killing Publisher Search Traffic? What The Guardian and Telegraph Think
Jojo Furnival, Jessie Willms, Harry Clarkson-Bennett 
In publishing SEO circles "AI did it" has become the default explanation for a lot of traffic decline. But the audience was already leaving, AI just made it harder to ignore. Jessie Willms and Harry Clarkson-Bennett go through the shifts and how the economics don't work anymore.