Google Drops “Next” from Merchant Center: Google has officially simplified its platform branding, dropping the “Next” suffix from Merchant Center.
The “Proof vs. Practice” Shift: A major push in the SEO community today is to abandon the term “best practice” in favor of data-backed proof. The sentiment is that with AI-driven search, generic advice is no longer sufficient; sites need empirical evidence of what drives their visibility.
Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) Struggles: Industry experts are debating the ongoing difficulty of getting Marketing Mix Modeling right in an era where AI obscures traditional attribution data.
The Link Between AI, SEO, and Omnichannel: There is a renewed emphasis on the “holy trinity” of search: you must integrate paid search, organic SEO, and AI visibility into a single, cohesive system rather than treating them as silos.
Technical & Tactical Notes
Google Search Console Expansion: Google is continuing to roll out property tracking for social and video platforms, allowing you to monitor how your content on TikTok, X, and Instagram performs in Google Discover and Search.
Markdown vs. HTML for AI: Following recent discussions, John Mueller has been addressing the trend of SEOs creating markdown versions of pages specifically for AI crawlers. The consensus remains: ensure your core content is clean and structured for LLMs, regardless of the format.
Citation Instability: Reports are circulating that ChatGPT citations can shift significantly when the underlying “hidden search pipelines” switch, highlighting the volatility of relying on AI traffic.
E-commerce Vulnerability: There is a strong reminder that relying on templated product descriptions or supplier feeds is a high-risk strategy. Sites winning in the 2026 landscape are those with original proprietary data and expert-led product reviews.
In Brief
Stop Stuffing, Start Solving: The mantra for the year remains: stop keyword stuffing and start solving real user problems. Google’s algorithms are increasingly rewarding “Answer Capsules” (40–60 word direct answers) that are easily parsed by AI.
Schema is King: If you aren’t already, ensure you are utilizing FAQ, Article, and Organization schema markup; these remain the most effective “signals” for improving your odds of being cited in AI Overviews. I have to say – I’m GOOD with Schema – Get In Touch:)
