What Google's new AI Mode links mean for brand websites
Google moved inline links higher in AI Mode and AI Overviews on 15 October 2026 and is testing an official websites section, so brand task pages matter more.
Perspective
Short briefings on the AI news that matters to UK marketing leaders, each checked against the original source, plus longer guides on search, content and AI adoption.
What Google Ads channel prioritisation means for paid teams
Google Ads added channel prioritisation and budget allocation on 14 October 2026. Search campaigns using Display change in February 2027, so audit them now.
What Bing's Topics Portfolio means for AI search content plans
Bing added Topics Portfolio to Webmaster Tools on 13 October 2026. It lists the AI answer queries where other sites get cited and yours does not.
Meta and TikTok AI ad tools from Advertising Week, a UK guide
Meta and TikTok unveiled AI checkout, video and agent tools on 5 and 6 October 2026. Checkout has no UK date yet, but TikTok Search Ads is live in the UK.
What ChatGPT's GPT-6 Intelligent UI means for marketing teams
OpenAI put GPT-6 and Intelligent UI into ChatGPT on 7 October 2026, so answers now arrive as comparisons, maps and tools. Brand calculators face a new rival.
What ChatGPT's new ad measurement tools mean for paid teams
OpenAI added ten attribution partners and a visual ad format test to ChatGPT Ads on 5 October 2026. Its geo-lift work is early, so test incrementality yourself.
AI Overviews hit 82% of tracked brand searches in September
DemandSphere data published 1 October 2026 shows AI Overviews on over 80% of tracked brand searches, up from 26%. Check what Google says about your brand.
Lightspeed's AI shopping study and what smaller brands should do
A Lightspeed study published 29 September 2026 found AI assistants picked national chains over smaller rivals up to 94% of the time. Here is how to respond.
What OpenAI's dots and ChatGPT plugins mean for marketing teams
OpenAI opened ChatGPT to native brand plugins and launched always-on dots agents at DevDay on 29 September 2026. Brands need a plugin plan and agent rules.
What Adobe's AI shopping forecast means for Black Friday
Adobe forecast on 28 September 2026 that AI referrals to US retail sites will rise 130% this holiday season. UK brands should measure them before Black Friday.
What Google's Lens data in Search Console means for SEO teams
Google added a multimodal filter to Search Console on 24 September 2026, so brands can see which pages Lens and Circle to Search visitors land on.
What ChatGPT Ads on Shopify means for UK ecommerce brands
OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads app for Shopify began reaching merchants outside the US on 23 September 2026, and the UK already has self-serve access.
Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent, a guide for UK marketing teams
Grok Bot is SpaceXAI's managed agent team, Hermes Agent is Nous Research's free self-hosted one. What each does and which suits a UK marketing team.
What the CMA's AI choice screen plan means for UK marketers
The CMA wants AI assistants like ChatGPT on Google's UK Android and Chrome choice screens, with a yearly prompt, and that raises the value of AI citations.
The citation moved off the page
The overlap between top Google links and AI-cited sources has fallen from 70% to under 20%. Your rankings stopped predicting who gets quoted.
The 90-day AI integration plan for marketing leaders
A 90-day plan to integrate AI into a marketing team, audit usage, build a voice prompt, rebuild two workflows, measure weekly and talk to the team.
Building content engines that compound
Content compounds when topic architecture, steady cadence, internal linking, repurposing and a feedback loop run together through the flat early months.
How to evaluate AI tools without falling for the demo
Judge an AI tool on its integrations, model dependence, documentation, a real reference customer and a four-week solo pilot before you roll it out.
When not to use AI in marketing
Keep AI off your brand-defining line, senior people's social posts, unhappy-customer support, pricing and trust pages, and strategic pivots. Here's why.
The SEO playbook for premium endurance brands
Premium endurance brands grow organic search by owning brand search, winning category queries and earning editorial authority on a clean technical base.
Five practical ways to improve content production with AI
Use AI for research, an operational brand-voice prompt, briefs before drafts, built-in repurposing and a weekly feedback loop to lift content output.
Paid channels in the AI era: when bidding agents face off
Platform bidding agents reward creative volume, clean signal and strong landing pages, so the human job in paid media is inputs, outcomes and guardrails.
Earned channels in the AI era: when journalists also use AI
Earned media still works when journalists use AI, but it now compounds through senior people's opinions, original data and partnerships with a real story.
Owned channels in the AI era: from website to platform
In the AI era your website should run like a product, shipping and testing pages every week and built to be cited, instead of sitting still between rebuilds.
The hidden cost of AI adoption nobody talks about
AI adoption in marketing usually stalls on people and process, a squeezed junior layer, quality drift, old workflows and the time it takes to keep up.
Why most marketing advice is noise
Most marketing advice lags how AI now shapes discovery. What matters is answer engine optimisation, AI-native distribution and faster cycles.