Google took the unusual step of issuing a response to news reports that AI search engines and chatbots were causing a decline in traditional search engine use, directly contradicting testimony given by an Apple executive in the ongoing U.S. government antitrust lawsuit against Google.

Apple Testimony That Triggered Stock Sell-Off

Google’s stock price took a steep dive on the news that people were turning away from traditional search engines, dropping by 7.51% on Wednesday. What triggered the stock sell-off was testimony by Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, who testified that search engine use by users of Apple’s Safari browser declined for the first time last month, expressing his opinion that a technological shift is underway that is undercutting the use of traditional search engines.

Early AI Adopters Turning Away From Google?

There is a view in Silicon Valley that Google Search is legacy technology. A recent episode of the Y Combinator show featured the host sharing that their Google search traffic has dropped by 15% and that he attributes that to AI use in both Google and chatbots. He explained that if you want to see the future you look to the early adopters, commenting that everyone he knows in Silicon Valley uses ChatGPT to get answers and that Google Search is defacto legacy technology.

The host described how 25 years ago the early adopters were using Google but that now, Google Search feels weird to him.

He said:

“People are now switching their behavior to where your default action if you’re looking for information is, you know ChatGPT or perplexity, or one of these things, and even just, you know, observing my own behavior. I’ll use Google mostly for kind of navigational. Like, if I’m just looking for a specific website and I know it’s going to give the same thing, but it’s starting to have that weird kind of, like legacy website, like I’m using eBay or something.”

Google’s Statement

Google’s statement was short and to the point, with no accompanying images to make it look like a blog post. Google’s statement could even be seen as terse.

Here’s what Google published:

“Here’s our statement on this morning’s press reports about Search traffic.

We continue to see overall query growth in Search. That includes an increase in total queries coming from Apple’s devices and platforms. More generally, as we enhance Search with new features, people are seeing that Google Search is more useful for more of their queries — and they’re accessing it for new things and in new ways, whether from browsers or the Google app, using their voice or Google Lens. We’re excited to continue this innovation and look forward to sharing more at Google I/O.”

AI Revolution: What Nobody Else Is Seeing

Here’s the video of the Y Combinator show that offers a peek at how people in Silicon Valley relate to Google Search. The part I quoted is at about the 24 minute mark.

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Framalicious

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Meta’s text-based social platform is now monetizing its 300 million monthly active users

Meta’s standalone app Threads is beginning a global rollout of advertisements within its feed starting Wednesday, expanding beyond the limited testing that began in January.

What’s happening:

• Image-based ads will appear between content in users’ Threads feeds.
• All eligible advertisers will gain access to Meta’s inventory filler.
• Ad placement on Threads will be a default for new campaigns using Advantage+ or manual placements.
• Advertisers can opt out through manual placement settings.

Why we care. The move signals Meta’s confidence in Threads’ growth and viability as an advertising platform almost two years after its July 2023 launch as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter). Threads also inherits Meta’s sophisticated targeting capabilities while providing a fresh opportunity to reach text-focused audiences who may have migrated from Twitter/X.

The platform’s growth trajectory and integration with existing Meta ad systems make it a potentially valuable addition to social media marketing strategies, with minimal additional effort required for brands already advertising on Facebook or Instagram.

Between the lines. Meta will implement its brand safety standards and controls on Threads, addressing a key concern for advertisers wary of some competitors in the text-based social media space.

• “People come to Meta’s apps for a personalized experience that helps them discover business and content they love, and ads are an essential part of enabling this,” Meta said in a statement.

The rollout plan. The company is taking a phased approach, testing ads in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., according to Meta spokesperson Matthew Tye.

Users can identify ads by looking for posts with a gray Sponsored label next to account usernames.

The early adopters. Fast-food chain Wendy’s and media-buying group GroupM participated in the initial testing phase in January.

• “We’ve been active on Threads since day one, and believe it provides a space to build community and bring our brand persona to life,” said Russ Mischner, VP of integrated marketing at Wendy’s.

Jim Kensicki, COO at GroupM Nexus North America, noted that early testing on Threads helped inform their clients’ media investment strategies.

These are two mega brands in their respective fields, so advertisers of all sizes should still approach cautiously.

Bottom line. Threads represents a significant new revenue stream for Meta, which has been clear about its monetization intentions despite initial user concerns.

As Instagram and Threads head Adam Mosseri stated earlier this year:

• “At the end of the day we’re a business and Threads needs to make enough money to pay for the people and servers that it takes to run the service and provide it to people for free.”

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Could ChatGPT launch an advertising product within the next year? The answer seems to be yes, based on internal OpenAI documents.

OpenAI appears to forecast a billion dollars in new revenue from “free user monetization” in 2026. That figure is forecast to grow to nearly $25 billion by 2029 of OpenAI’s total $125 billion projection.

The chart. Here’s a chart (shared by Juan González Villa on X) of OpenAI’s projection of rising revenues that includes “new products (including free user monetization).” Yes, that means ads:

Why we care. ChatGPT has an estimated 600 million monthly users. The ability for advertisers to reach ChatGPT’s users represents a significant new opportunity. But converting ChatGPT into an ad-supported product will also be a huge shift.

Yes, but. This seems like a reversal from past statements made by Open AI executives. In December, OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said:

• “Our current business is experiencing rapid growth and we see significant opportunities within our existing business model. While we’re open to exploring other revenue streams in the future, we have no active plans to pursue advertising.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also previously said during a podcast interview with Lex Fridman, “I kind of hate ads,” adding that he believed OpenAI could pay for its computational needs without resorting to ads:

• “I kind of hate ads just as an aesthetic choice. I think ads needed to happen on the internet for a bunch of reasons, to get it going, but it’s a momentary industry. The world is richer now. I like that people pay for ChatGPT and know that the answers they’re getting are not influenced by advertisers. I’m sure there’s an ad unit that makes sense for LLMs, and I’m sure there’s a way to participate in the transaction stream in an unbiased way that is okay to do, but it’s also easy to think about the dystopic visions of the future where you ask ChatGPT something and it says, ‘Oh, you should think about buying this product,’ or, ‘You should think about going here for your vacation,’ or whatever.”
• “And I don’t know, we have a very simple business model and I like it, and I know that I’m not the product. I know I’m paying and that’s how the business model works. And when I go use Twitter or Facebook or Google or any other great product but ad-supported great product, I don’t love that, and I think it gets worse, not better, in a world with AI.”
• “…it feels like there should be many more leaps forward in advertisement that doesn’t interfere with the consumption of the content and doesn’t interfere in a big, fundamental way, which is like what you were saying, like it will manipulate the truth to suit the advertisers.”

The report. The data comes from internal data obtained by The Information (subscription required).

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YouTube is testing a new AI Overviews carousel. It will appear in search results for select queries. The feature uses AI to highlight the most relevant clips from videos tied to a user’s search.

Why we care. Google AI Overviews have reduced visibility and traffic to websites. If this experiment is rolled out, could YouTube’s version of AI Overviews end up reducing visibility and video views for brands and creators?

How it works. When a user enters an certain type of query, YouTube will use AI to scan relevant videos and surface highlight clips that it deems most informative or useful. These clips appear in a carousel within the search results, giving users a quick snapshot of what they might want to watch.

YouTube said AI Overviews are designed to help searchers with:

• Product research (e.g., [best noise cancelling headphones])
• Travel and local discovery (e.g., [museums to visit in San Francisco])

Who can see AI Overviews. The feature is available as a limited test.

• Only a small subset of U.S. YouTube Premium members will see the feature.
• It applies only to some English-language search queries.

What’s next. YouTube will collect user feedback (via a thumbs-up or thumbs-down). Insights from this test will determine the future of YouTube’s AI Overviews or a broader rollout.

The announcement. Testing New AI Overviews in Search Results

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About the author

Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.

Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.

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Alphabet spent much of its Q1 2025 earnings call last night talking up the growth of AI Overviews, but dodged a question seeking clarity on how Google’s AI-generated answers impact click-through rates and conversion.

Why we care. Did Google decide that last night wasn’t “the moment to go into details of click-through rate and conversion and so on” because they don’t want to state what is becoming clear to most of us? That click-through rates from AI Overviews are, simply, lower? Because, on the organic side, data shows that is certainly the case (see our Dig Deeper section, below). Many websites have seen traffic decline since AI Overviews launched last May.

The exchange. An analyst from JPMorgan asked (in part):

• “Can you just tell us how we should think about the 1.5 billion AI Overviews users just in terms of breadth of rollout? And I know you’re saying monetization at approximately the same rate. But what does that mean in terms of click-through rates and conversion?”

Here’s how Philipp Schindler, Alphabet’s senior vice president and chief business officer, answered:

• “I don’t think this is the moment to go into the details of click-through rates and conversion and so on.”

By the numbers. Schindler once again repeated Google’s year-old claim that AI Overviews “continue to drive higher satisfaction and Search usage.” Here’s what else Alphabet shared about AI Overviews and monetization during the earnings call:

• AI Overviews have “more than 1.5 billion users every month,” said Sundar Pichai, Alphabet/Google CEO.
  • Yes, but. Let’s be honest. AI Overviews aren’t a product that has “users.” AI Overviews are a Google Search feature. All this number means is that 1.5 billion Google Search users are served AI Overviews every month – because you can’t opt out of seeing AI Overviews.
• The volume of commercial queries has increased since the launch of AI Overviews, Schindler said.
  • This dataless data point is based on internal Google data from January that Google previously shared in this blog post.
• “For AI Overviews overall, we continue to see monetization at approximately the same rate,” Schindler said.
  • Schindler was asked later in the call for clarity on this monetization, but basically repeated what he said earlier in the call: “But as I talked about it before, for AI Overviews overall, we see the monetization at approximately the same rate, which gives us a strong base on which we can innovate even more.”

Google Search. More than 2 billion people use Search every day, according to Pichai, and they mentioned the 5 trillion annual searches statistic. Here’s what else was discussed related to Google Search performance in Q1:

• AI Mode: “…queries are twice as long as traditional Search queries,” and Google is seeing “significant growth in multimodal queries,” Pichai said.
• Circle to Search: Usage increased “nearly 40% this quarter and monthly visual searches with Lens have increased by 5 billion since October,” Pichai said.
• Revenue: Google reported $66.9 billion in advertising revenue, a 10% YoY increase. This was driven primarily by financial services, insurance, retail, healthcare, and travel verticals.

Dig deeper.

Add Search Engine Land to your Google News feed.    

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About the author

Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.

Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.

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Google Analytics just made it easier to get quick insights and more accurate attribution.

The Reports snapshot section now includes pre-built templates focused on user behavior, sales and revenue, and marketing performance. That means less time building custom reports and more time actually using the data.

Alongside the templates, the card library has been updated, making it easier to browse and add the visualizations that matter most to your business.

These templates help users quickly surface relevant insights without needing to manually create or configure reports.

On the attribution front. Google Analytics will now use aggregate identifiers to attribute traffic from paid Google Ads more accurately – even in scenarios where individual-level data is limited.

Why we care. These updates streamline reporting and improve data accuracy, making it easier for marketers and analysts to measure what matters.

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About the author

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.

In 2008, Anu’s career started with

 delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.

Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup.

She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.

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Meta introduced a small but potentially powerful tweak to its Advantage+ Catalog campaigns: dynamic overlays.

Advertisers can now add price, discount, and shipping labels directly onto product images – styled like stickers – to make promotions pop in the Facebook Feed.

How it works. You’ve got four label options now:

• Current price.
• A strikethrough sale price.
• Percentage off.
• Free shipping.

You can turn each on or off, style them how you want, or let Meta choose what performs best.

Each overlay can be toggled on or off, and you can customize the look – or let Meta decide what to show based on performance signals.

The big picture. It’s a subtle update, but one that could meaningfully improve ad performance. In a crowded feed, a well-placed price tag or discount badge could be the scroll-stopper that drives a sale.

Why we care. While the feature isn’t entirely new (previously known as “labels”), this update gives advertisers more flexibility and control. It also taps into Meta’s AI to automatically show the most relevant offer, helping campaigns stand out and potentially convert better.

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Google today expanded its Checkout on Merchant feature to Demand Gen campaigns serving on YouTube In-stream inventory.

Previously available only for Performance Max campaigns and organic shopping results, this update brings the streamlined checkout experience to more advertising channels.

By the numbers. Advertisers providing checkout URLs have seen an average 11% increase in conversion value at similar CPA in their Demand Gen campaigns, according to Google data.

How it works:

• Checkout on Merchant creates an accelerated path from product discovery to purchase.
• Users can quickly add products to cart or proceed to checkout on merchant websites.
• Merchants can enable the feature through Google Merchant Center via two methods:
  • Providing a URL template at the account level.
  • Adding checkout link template attributes to individual products in the feed.

Why we care. This update significantly reduces friction in the customer journey, allowing users to move directly from YouTube ads to checkout on their website. With the possibility of increasing conversion value at a similar CPAs, this feature could directly impact bottom-line results while requiring minimal implementation effort.

For brands already investing in YouTube advertising, this expansion creates a more seamless shopping experience that can capture purchase intent in the moment, rather than losing potential customers in a multi-step process.

Bottom line. The expanded feature is available to all U.S. advertisers using product feeds, aims to shorten the path to purchase by connecting interested consumers directly with merchants’ checkout experiences.

Implementation guides are available specifically for general users and Shopify customers.

Add Search Engine Land to your Google News feed.    

New on Search Engine Land

About the author

Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.

In 2008, Anu’s career started with

 delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.

Outside editing Search Engine Land article she is the founder of PPC networking event – PPC Live and host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup.

She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.

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Shopify is changing how it handles checkout. If you’re running Google Ads or Analytics, you’ll need to act soon.

Key deadlines. Shopify Plus merchants must migrate by Aug. 28, 2025. Non-Plus merchants have until Aug. 26, 2026. Missing these dates could result in a total loss of conversion tracking on your Thank You and Order Status pages.

The fix. Use the Google & YouTube app. The Google & YouTube app, developed by Google for Shopify, is now the go-to way to handle all things measurement, ads, and analytics.

Why migrate now?

• No code hassle: Easy, direct integration with Google Ads, Analytics, YouTube, and Merchant Center.
• Future-ready: Supports Shopify’s evolving checkout.
• Performance boost: Unlock advanced features like Enhanced Conversions and Customer Match with just a few clicks.

Why we care. Shopify is phasing out legacy methods (like checkout.liquid and “additional scripts”) that many merchants use to install Google tags. If you aren’t ready, you risk losing conversion data, which is critical for optimizing ad performance and reporting.

Who needs to take action? If your Google tags live in checkout.liquid (Shopify Plus only), “Order status page additional scripts,” custom pixel setups, or legacy Google Analytics setup in Online Store > Preferences – you need to migrate. Its recommended that you migrate all Google tags to the Google & YouTube app to avoid data loss and performance issues.

Things to watch. Google Tag Manager isn’t supported in the app, so move tags out of GTM containers for full compatibility. Custom Pixels might work, but are unreliable – Google can’t guarantee their performance. If you didn’t update your Analytics tags before Feb. 2, Shopify converted them to custom pixels, which can cause inaccurate data.

Bottom line: Shopify’s checkout changes are here. If you’re running ads or relying on Google Analytics, migrating your tags to the Google & YouTube app is not optional – it’s essential to ensure you see as accurate data as possible.

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The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states unveiled their proposed remedies today aimed at dismantling Google’s illegal monopoly in search and search advertising. These include breaking off Chrome and banning default search payments.

The remedies. They break down into five categories meant to enable and increase competition:

• Distribution remedies. This would mean ending payments that “freeze the ecosystem in place,” including Google’s multi-billion-dollar payments to Apple and Android device makers.
• Chrome divestiture. This would separate Chrome from Google – organizationally and financially. Chrome accounts for 35% of all Google search queries and drives “billions in Search revenue” (the actual number is redacted). The DOJ also pointed out that Google “underinvests” in Chrome.
• Data remedies. This would require Google to share user-side data, search index coverage, and ad performance data – essential tools that help competitors train models, improve search results, and better compete.
• Advertising remedies. This would increase transparency and control for advertisers, while helping rival ad platforms compete more effectively. Specifically, Google would be forced to:
  • Provide more information to advertisers in search query reports.
  • Let advertisers opt out of broad and automated keyword matching.
• Anticircumvention provisions. This would establish a technical committee to monitor Google’s compliance.
  • This section includes a “contingent Android divestiture.” If competition hasn’t improved within five years, Google could be forced to spin off Android.

Why we care. If these remedies move forward, it could profoundly reshape how people access Google, how advertisers spend, and how competitors evolve in the search and generative AI markets.

Catch up quick. U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial: Everything you need to know

The opening slides. United States & Co-Plaintiff States v. Google LLC (redacted public version) (PDF).

What Google is saying. As you’d expect, Google called the DOJ’s proposed remedies “unnecessary and harmful” in a blog post.

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About the author

Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.

Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.

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