Hard to believe it’s already November. The clocks have gone back, the Christmas lights are starting to appear, and somehow the digital marketing world has managed to pack a year’s worth of change into a single month.
AI is weaving itself even deeper into search and advertising, Google has started experimenting with new ad formats inside AI Mode, and platforms like Meta and Microsoft are reshaping how brands connect with audiences. From automated video ads to smarter compliance tools, the industry is shifting fast (and keeping up has never mattered more).
Here’s a quick look at the updates making the biggest impact, and what they mean for your marketing in the months ahead.
Ahrefs’ new Brand Radar data shows that brand mentions are now almost as powerful as backlinks for visibility in AI search results. In fact, there’s a strong 0.67 correlation between how often a brand is mentioned online and how frequently it appears in AI citations.
Authority still matters. Mentions on credible sites, topical forums, and even user-generated content all feed into how AI systems “see” your brand. The twist? You don’t even need a clickable link anymore. Just being mentioned in trusted spaces counts.
Ahrefs’ Tim Soulo explains that AI models rely on these mentions both in their training data and during live web searches. The more you’re talked about on credible platforms, the more likely AI is to quote or reference you.
What this means for you:
If backlinks were the old currency of SEO, brand chatter is the new one.
Encourage coverage on reputable blogs, media, and communities.
Track mentions as closely as you do backlinks.
Focus on credibility and consistency; AI rewards familiarity and trust.
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Google has given its AI Mode some shiny new tricks. Users in the US can now ask it to book:
Event tickets
Beauty appointments
Wellness sessions
It is part of an early Labs test, but it shows how Google is moving from simply finding things to actually doing them.
Why it matters:
This is search turning into a personal concierge. If you offer bookable services, this could soon put your business in front of customers before they even land on your website.
What you can do now:
Add structured data so Google can understand your services.
Keep your prices, availability, and contact details accurate.
Simplify your booking flow so it takes as few clicks as possible.
Seer Interactive analysed thousands of searches and confirmed what many suspected. When Google’s AI-generated Overviews appear on a results page, clicks on traditional results drop.
Sites not mentioned in the AI box saw CTR fall by 65%.
Even those featured saw around a 49% drop.
AI Overviews are capturing user attention before they reach the usual list of results.
Create trustworthy, expert-led content that AI will want to cite.
Match content type to intent. Think how-tos, FAQs, and comparisons.
Track organic traffic carefully. Dips may reflect layout changes, not quality.
Build other traffic streams through email, social media, or partnerships.
Microsoft’s latest Copilot update turned it into a smarter personal assistant. It now includes:
Long-term memory that remembers user preferences.
Search connectors that pull data from Gmail, Google Drive, Outlook, and OneDrive.
Group chat for teams collaborating directly inside Copilot.
Search behaviour is shifting. People are asking AI tools for answers instead of searching manually.
Write clear, structured content that AI tools can summarise easily.
Keep your information up to date and accessible.
Prepare for a world where more searches happen privately within AI assistants.
And speaking of Microsoft… Microsoft has given Bing Places for Business a much-needed redesign and moved it to bing.com/forbusiness. The update introduces faster imports from Google Business Profiles, a smarter recommendation tool, and a smoother interface for managing multiple listings.
The new version includes:
A cleaner, faster dashboard for Bing Search and Maps.
A Recommendation Tool that flags missing info like photos or opening hours.
Real-time syncing with Google Business Profiles.
Automatic migration for existing users, so no setup stress.
It’s free, live now, and built after months of feedback from business owners.
If local visibility matters to your business, this update is worth your time.
Update your Bing listing to match your Google info.
Use the Recommendation Tool to fill in gaps and boost reach.
If you manage multiple locations, the import tool will make life easier.
Google is testing new “Reviews” and “Overview” buttons in Local Service Ads. There is also a visible messaging button showing how quickly a business replies.
Google is putting more emphasis on trust and communication. Businesses that reply quickly and have strong reviews may perform better in local results.
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews regularly.
Reply to messages as quickly as possible.
Keep your photos, contact info, and business hours updated.
Google has expanded its “What’s happening” feature to more industries and countries. It lets you share quick updates, events, or offers directly on your Business Profile in Search and Maps.
This gives local businesses a simple way to stay visible and active without relying on ads.
Treat your Business Profile like a mini social feed.
Post updates about events, new products, or special offers.
Use good visuals to grab attention in search results.
OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser powered by ChatGPT itself. Instead of juggling tabs, you can ask questions directly within the page you’re viewing. Atlas understands what’s on your screen, summarises it, and can even take actions like researching or planning tasks in real time.
Key features include:
Browser memory so ChatGPT can recall what you were working on and pick up where you left off.
Agent mode, which can research, analyse, plan, and even book appointments while you browse.
Easy setup, allowing quick import of bookmarks, passwords, and history from your current browser.
It’s available on macOS for Free, Plus, Pro, and Go users, with Windows, iOS, and Android versions on the way.
If you live in your browser all day, Atlas could save you hours.
Use it as your personal research assistant to summarise and plan.
Let it handle repetitive tasks while you keep working.
Explore its privacy controls to decide what context it remembers.
YouTube launched “Ask Studio,” an AI assistant built into YouTube Studio. You can ask it questions like:
“How did my last video perform?”
“What are viewers saying in comments?”
It analyses your analytics, comments, and past uploads to give quick insights.
YouTube is making data analysis easier for creators and brands. That means less time digging through reports and more time improving performance.
Use it to find which videos keep people watching the longest.
Adjust your titles, tags, and thumbnails based on what is working.
Focus on topics that drive engagement, not just clicks.
A massive study from Buffer analysed over 11 million TikTok videos and found:
Posting 2–5 times per week gives the biggest jump in views.
Posting more often brings smaller improvements but demands more time.
TikTok continues to shape discovery and brand visibility. It is becoming a search engine in its own right.
Stick to two to five quality posts each week.
Turn existing content, such as blog snippets or product demos, into short videos.
Use captions and keywords, since TikTok search results now appear in Google.
Google is testing new UI elements for sponsored results, including a “Hide sponsored results” button, which gives users more control over what they see. Meanwhile, Connected TV (CTV) and even linear TV are becoming more programmatic and targetable, offering new advertising inventory beyond the usual digital channels.
These shifts suggest that the line between online and offline ads is blurring fast. Brands that can follow audiences across devices and formats will win visibility where competitors drop off.
Why you should care:
Advertising is expanding beyond the browser.
Optimise your creative for CTV, streaming, and voice-led ad environments.
Track users across devices to understand where conversions really happen.
Revisit budgets and test placements in emerging programmatic spaces.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has started using AI monitoring to identify non-compliant ads. It’s already tracking early voluntary restrictions for HFSS (high fat, salt, sugar) and alcohol ads ahead of full legislation coming into force in January 2026.
This means ads will be reviewed automatically and at scale, reducing the margin for error. For brands in regulated sectors, compliance needs to be proactive, not reactive.
Regulated industries are facing stricter oversight.
Review ad formats, targeting, and creative for compliance early.
Don’t assume “standard” placements are still acceptable.
Build compliance checks into campaign setup instead of fixing issues later.
Google’s VP of Product for Search, Robby Stein, has confirmed what most marketers suspected: ads are here to stay, even as AI reshapes search. In a recent interview, Stein said user behaviour is expanding with AI, not shifting away from search, and Google is already testing ads within AI Mode and AI experiences.
Stein emphasised that AI recommendations are not influenced by paid inputs. They’re generated from web and Google data, separate from ad signals. But he also teased what’s coming next: “new and novel ad formats” designed for conversational and multimodal search.
These could include richer ad placements for product research, local services, or shopping experiences that better match how users describe what they want in natural language.
AI search isn’t removing ads; it’s reinventing them.
Expect AI-native ad formats built around voice, chat, and image-based queries.
Brands may need to rethink how their offers appear in AI-driven search flows.
Early testing of ad extensions for AI Mode could help you understand what drives clicks in conversational results.
Google is giving advertisers an unexpected upgrade. A new Demand Gen feature will automatically convert image ads into short videos, expanding reach across YouTube, Shorts, Discover, and other Google properties.
The tool uses existing image and text assets to create video variations in multiple aspect ratios, making campaigns more dynamic without additional creative work.
This update applies to all image-only ad groups created before August 27, with auto-generated videos starting to serve from October 31, 2025 (unless advertisers choose to opt out).
How it works:
Google’s AI pulls from current image and text assets to produce branded video variations.
Videos are automatically formatted for vertical, horizontal, and square placements.
Advertisers can opt out or manage settings through Google Ads or their rep.
This feature expands your ad library without extra production costs.
Video formats usually deliver higher engagement and stronger performance.
Review your assets before October 31 to ensure auto-generated videos align with your brand.
If you prefer manual control, opt out early or customise the output to maintain consistency.
If 2025 has proven anything, it’s that the digital world doesn’t wait for anyone. AI has moved from being a buzzword to quietly rewriting how we search, advertise, and create. Google’s experimenting, Microsoft’s integrating, and everyone else is trying to keep pace.
But behind all the new tools, one truth still holds: marketing is about people. The technology may be changing, but the challenge is still the same; getting the right message to the right audience at the right moment.
So, as we head into the home stretch of the year, take stock. Revisit what’s working, test something new, and make sure your strategy is ready for a very AI-flavoured 2026. And if you’d like a hand making sense of it all, get in touch with Verkeer. We’ll help you turn these updates into opportunities and make sure your brand stays visible, adaptable, and ahead of the curve.