In this month’s digital news, Google have announced a number of new Google Ads Performance Max controls and reporting features. Snapchat’s India research reveals traditional view-through rates fail to predict brand outcomes as $4.13 billion in digital ads go unnoticed.
OpenAI claims the new model family comes with reduced confabulations and improved coding capabilities. Google’s latest conversion metric lets advertisers track the brand buzz their ads generate across Search and YouTube.
Research shows profound differences between ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, suggesting a different approach to content to rank in each. Google has officially rolled out its AI-powered search experience, to users in the UK.
Google Ads for Performance Max gains new controls & reporting
Google has introduced new Performance Max controls and reporting tools in Google Ads. Updates include campaign level negative keyword lists, higher search theme limits (25 to 50), expanded demographic targeting with age and gender exclusions, and improved identification of new customers for better bidding. New diagnostics offer guidance on fixing goal and conversion setup issues. Reporting now covers Final URL expansion assets, with the ability to remove unwanted ones. Creative recommendations provide AI powered image improvement tips for channel performance. These features aim to simplify campaign management, enhance targeting accuracy, and boost customer acquisition effectiveness.
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Snapchat wants you to prioritise attention over impressions.
Snapchat has launched Attention Per Mille (APM), a new ad metric measuring genuine viewer engagement per 1,000 impressions, aiming to replace view through rates that fail to show actual attention. Research with Lumen and WPP shows 70% of India’s viewable digital ads get no attention, wasting $4.13bn annually. Gen Z gives 34% less attention than millennials, costing advertisers 16% more to match engagement. Snapchat’s AR lenses deliver up to 4.27x more attention than rivals and are most cost effective. The study offers creative best practices, industry insights, and tools to integrate attention metrics into campaigns, positioning Snapchat strongly in India’s Gen Z market.
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OpenAI launches ChatGPT-5 free to all ChatGPT users
OpenAI has announced GPT-5 in three variants: GPT-5 Pro, GPT-5 mini, and GPT-5 nano. Some of the models will be available across all ChatGPT, including for free users. OpenAI claims the new model family comes with reduced confabulations, improved coding capabilities, and a new approach to handling sensitive requests. Free users now have access to a simulated reasoning AI model. GPT-5 Pro is replacing o3-pro in ChatGPT for those subscriber tiers with access to it.
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Google Ads adds ‘Branded Searches’ as new conversion metric
Google has launched Branded Searches, a new metric to measure upper funnel impact. It tracks users who search for a brand on Google or YouTube within 30 days of seeing an ad, offering a clearer view of brand lift. Available across YouTube, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns, it does not yet support optimisation. Accurate setup via Brand Mapping is essential. This long anticipated feature helps advertisers connect awareness with user action, offering valuable insights into brand influence. More details are available on Google’s Measuring branded searches help page.
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Research shows differences in ChatGPT and Google AIO Answers
New research from BrightEdge highlights key differences in how Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT handle search queries and what results they serve, which reinforces the need for tailored strategies to be visible in each AI search platform. While Google typically delivers informational content, ChatGPT acts as a decision-making coach, recommending tools and services for action-oriented queries. The divergence is most notable in healthcare (62%), B2B tech (47%), and education (45%), with finance showing the least (39%). For example, ChatGPT suggests Zocdoc to find doctors, while Google links to directories. This shift in intent interpretation means SEO strategies must adapt, focusing on actionable, tool-based content for ChatGPT and detailed, research-friendly content for Google to remain visible across both platforms.
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Google’s AI Search Just Landed in the UK
Google has officially rolled out its AI-powered search experience, now called AI Overviews, to users in the UK. This marks a major shift in how search results are displayed, with AI-generated summaries appearing above traditional organic links. For marketers and SEO professionals, this could mean a drop in visibility for standard listings, as users may get answers directly from Google without clicking through. It’s a clear signal: optimising for AI-generated results is no longer optional. Brands need to rethink their content strategy and keep a close eye on how these changes impact click-through rates and conversions.
Read more here.
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