Instagram updates algorithm to benefit original creators

The app said it will no longer recommend photos and carousel posts from aggregator accounts and profiles that focus on re-posting.

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 30, 2026

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.

Google and Microsoft reported earnings…

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google Showing More Links Within AI Mode

Google may be testing showing more links and citations within the AI Mode results. Google has done this with AI Overviews a year or so ago and now may be testing it with AI Mode results.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Inventory De-Risking: How I Separate Viral Fads from Stable Brands

Learn how to spot viral product fads before they become dead stock. A practical guide to trend signals, product research, and safer e-commerce buying decisions.

Source:
Unknown Source

Google Analytics introduces Task Assistant

GA’s new Task Assistant helps advertisers quickly improve setup and data quality with guided, actionable recommendations.

Source:
Search Engine Land

AI Keyword Research: How It Works and 9 Prompts to Start

ChatGPT alone makes up volume and KD numbers. Here’s how AI keyword research works once you connect it to a real database, plus 9 prompts.

Source:
Keyword Research – SEO Blog by Ahrefs

AI Agents can’t help if they can’t see your marketing data

MCP solves the infrastructure problem that kept AI agents stuck at the analysis stage. But raw access to a live ad account is a liability without the guardrails a platform like Optmyzr provides.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Google Preferred Sources now works for all languages

Preferred Sources was supported globally but English only, now it works for all languages.

Source:
Search Engine Land

How AI models ‘understand’ your brand

Is AI misrepresenting your brand? Fix how you’re encoded, cited, and surfaced across training, retrieval, and generation.

Source:
Search Engine Land

From paid clicks to answer equity: Your new 2026 search strategy

AI is crushing CTR. Learn to swap rented clicks for authority that powers answers, stabilizes leads, and protects margins.

Source:
Search Engine Land

AI sees your brand as math, not messaging

As discovery shifts from traditional search, brands must package knowledge so AI can read, verify, and rank it.

Source:
Search Engine Land

From links to brand signals: The new SEO authority model

Links aren’t enough anymore. Learn why consistent brand presence across trusted sources is becoming the key driver of search authority.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Reddit marketing for SaaS: Insights from 117 brands

Analysis of SaaS brands reveals what actually works on Reddit and how AI search is reshaping visibility, discovery, and trust.

Source:
Search Engine Land

What blog posts should you write to be mentioned in ChatGPT?

A new ChatGPT fan-out analysis finds a strong bias toward commercial intent. Here’s what it means for your content strategy.

Source:
Search Engine Land

YouTube tests variable display sizes for video thumbnails

The platform said the experiment is designed to improve the impact of header images in order to better conform to different device configurations.

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

TikTok adds Campus Hub feature for U.S. college students

The new display allows verified attendees at more than 6,000 universities to connect to dedicated group chats and content feeds.

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

X introduces rebuilt AI-powered ad platform

The company said the update is the biggest ad system refresh in its history, adding the latest xAI models to help improve targeting and performance.

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

Meta launches AI ad connectors that work with outside chatbots

The company will allow external providers to plug data into another system, such as Claude or ChatGPT, without using API setups or developer credentials.

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

LinkedIn revenue rose 12% in the first quarter

The platform’s B2B marketing and artificial intelligence-powered recruiter tools helped drive business, while paid video posts grew nearly 30% year over year

Source:
Social Media Today – Latest News

Google Ads adds “Association” metric to Brand Lift Studies

Google Ads’ new Association metric shows how consumers link brands to key attributes, bridging awareness and consideration.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Google AI Max gets new controls, Shopping rollout and travel consolidation

Google is scaling AI Max across more campaigns while giving advertisers clearer control over AI-driven targeting and messaging.

Source:
Search Engine Land

Google Ads Recommendations Gains Results Tab

Google Ads seems to have added a new tab to the recommendations section named "results." I assume this section will show the results of any implemented recommendations you selected within your Google Ads campaigns.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Google Ads Select Partners To Run Ads With

Google Ads is testing more transparency around its partner network, letting some advertisers select if they want to run their ads on the search partner network and/or Google Display Network. It is labeled Partners in Alfa.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable

Microsoft Advertising PMax Website Publisher URL Report Gains Conversion & Spend

Microsoft Advertising has added conversion and spend metrics to the PMax Website Publisher URL report. So if you check out the report, you will see a bunch more insight and data into the performance of those ads.

Source:
Search Engine Roundtable