Google held Rethink 2026 as two virtual sessions. Rethink Retail ran on September 16 and Rethink ROI on September 17, both at 10 a.m. ET. The retail session focused on preparing marketers for an AI-powered holiday season, with fresh shopping insights and practical next steps. Google framed it as an ads event, but the most important changes land squarely in SEO territory. Every major announcement comes back to one idea: AI surfaces now decide which products shoppers see, and t

If you've checked your brand's visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI Mode lately and felt confused by what you found, you're not alone. Your brand might show up in an AI-generated answer with a clickable source link — that's a citation. Or it might just get talked about by name with no link at all — that's a mention. These are not the same thing, they're not earned the same way, and most brands are optimizing for the wrong one. Understanding the difference is quic

Google is sending two contradictory signals on llms.txt — and both are coming from inside the house. On May 15, Google's Search Central published its official AI search optimisation guide. It named llms.txt directly in a mythbusting section, grouping it alongside content chunking and AI-specific schema as tactics that do not help with AI Overviews, AI Mode, or any generative AI Search feature. Gary Illyes confirmed publicly: Google does not support llms.txt and has no plans t

The search ecosystem isn’t just evolving; it’s experiencing a complete structural revolution. Based on the latest breaking news, the rules of organic traffic are being rewritten right now. Buckle up—here are the top 10 updates you must act on today to dominate the SERPs. 1. The May 2026 Broad Core Update Attacks the Web Over the weekend, Google dropped a massive bombshell by launching the official May 2026 Broad Core Update. SEO tracking tools are lighting up with extreme vol