Issue 42

Latest News

ChatGPT To Begin Testing Ads In The United States

OpenAI confirmed it will begin testing advertising in the United States for ChatGPT Free and ChatGPT Go users in the coming weeks, marking the first time ads will appear inside the ChatGPT experience.

The test coincides with the U.S. launch of ChatGPT Go, a low-cost subscription tier priced at $8 per month that has been available internationally since August.

The details reveal a cautious approach, with clear limits on where ads can appear, who will see them, and how they will be separated from ChatGPT’s responses.

Here’s what OpenAI shared, how the tests will work, and why this shift matters for users and advertisers alike.

Google rules out ads in Gemini — for now

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says Gemini won’t get ads — at least for now — as Google prioritizes trust and core assistant quality over monetization.

What’s new. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Hassabis said Google has “no plans” to introduce ads into Gemini, emphasizing a focus on building a better, more capable assistant across use cases and form factors. He suggested that monetization can wait while the technology matures.

Apple is finally upgrading Siri, and Google Gemini will power it

Apple is teaming up with Google to power its next generation of AI features, including a long-awaited Siri upgrade.

What’s happening: Apple will use Google’s Gemini AI models and cloud infrastructure to support future Apple Foundation Models. The multi-year partnership is expected to roll out later this year.

Helpful Guides

A Breakdown Of Microsoft's Guide To AEO & GEO

Microsoft published a sixteen page explainer guide about optimizing for AI search and chat. While many of the suggestions can be classified as SEO, some of the other tips relate exclusively to AI search surfaces. Here are the most helpful takeaways.

How to Develop an SEO Strategy: What Does the Data Say?

This week, our fabulous Sitebulb Cloud customer Jess Bott breaks down what data you need to inform your SEO strategy.

So, you're working on an SEO strategy, and the deadline is looming. There's nothing worse than staring at a blank slide deck with no idea where to begin.

Do you want to propose sorting out technical SEO? What about content or outreach? Those are all valid tactics, but how do you take that and turn it into a strategy you can present to your clients or your senior leadership teams? I start with the data.

How To Analyze Google Discover

While Discover data is limited, we can build propriety internal systems that help us get so much more out of the platform.

Data & Insights

56% Of CEOs Report No Revenue Gains From AI: PwC Survey

Most companies haven’t yet seen financial returns from their AI investments, according to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey.

The survey of 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries found that 56% report neither increased revenue nor lower costs from AI over the past 12 months.

OpenAI Search Crawler Passes 55% Coverage In Hostinger Study

Hostinger analyzed 66.7B bot requests across 5M+ hosted sites and found AI training crawlers are blocked more often, while OpenAI’s search bot expands.

Google AI cites retailers 4% vs. ChatGPT at 36%: Data

Google cites retailers only 4% of the time, while ChatGPT does it 36% of the time. That 9x gap means shoppers on each platform get steered in very different ways, according to new BrightEdge data.

Why we care. Millions of shoppers now turn to AI for deals and gift ideas, but product discovery works differently on the two leading AI search platforms. Google leans on what people say, while ChatGPT focuses more on where you can buy it.

Good Read

Why copywriting is the new superpower in 2026

AI didn’t kill copywriting. It killed low-grade informational SEO. Persuasion, positioning, and clarity now matter more than traffic volume.

SEO - The Web Almanac by HTTP Archive

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) continues to play a central role in how information is discovered and understood online. It encompasses the technical, structural, and content practices that determine whether a website can be effectively crawled, indexed, and surfaced in search results.

Strong SEO foundations not only support visibility in traditional search engines but are becoming increasingly important as AI systems begin to interpret and summarize web content in new ways.

This 2025 SEO chapter of the Web Almanac draws its data and insights from the HTTP Archive crawl, Lighthouse reports, Chrome User Experience (CrUX) reports, and custom metrics. Our goal is to document how the technical state of the web is evolving and to identify the factors that most influence organic visibility today.

While many SEO metrics have stabilized across the web, the context surrounding them is changing rapidly. The rise of AI crawlers, emergence of llms.txt and a growing emphasis on machine readability suggest that optimization is no longer only about being found by bots, but about being understood by them. How will these changing contexts in online search influence optimization moving forward and how do the latest data points already reflect AI’s influence on SEO?

Shopify Shares More Details On Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)

Harley Finkelstein, the president of Shopify, was recently interviewed about their open source Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), which enables agentic AI shopping. Co-developed with Google, he explains how UCP enables brands to be discovered by customers based on personalized recommendations, as opposed to advertising and classic search paradigms that are less personalized.

Issue 42 26th January 2026