Would you let a new member of staff write your shop window signs without ever looking at them? Of course you wouldn't. Yet that's roughly what Google's AI-written ads have asked of you until now. This week that changes, and there's a handful of other stories that matter if you sell online.
You Can Now See What Google's AI Is Writing for You
This is a Google Ads story, and it's the one I'd put at the top of your list. If you use AI Max for Search campaigns, Google has a feature called text customisation. In plain English, Google's AI writes extra headlines and descriptions for your ads, based on your website and your existing ads.
Until now, you largely had to trust it. Google has added a new section to its help page, "Text customization asset previews", which means you can now preview the assets its AI generates for your campaigns.
Why does that matter? Because the AI doesn't know your business the way you do. It doesn't know which claims you can't make or which offer ended last month. It doesn't know which product line you're quietly winding down. A preview lets you check what's being said in your name.
If you're running AI Max, or thinking about it, look at those previews regularly. I see this as a sensible step from Google, and it changes how I approach the "should I switch this on?" conversation. Being able to check the AI's work makes it a much easier yes.
Search Console Has Gone Quiet, So Don't Panic
This one's about organic search rather than paid, but it affects how you read your numbers. Google Search Console is the free tool that shows how your site performs in Google's unpaid results. Its performance report is running more than 64 hours behind. It normally updates within a few hours, so that's very unusual. The lag has shown up over the past few days, following Google's spam update.
What does that mean for you? If you log in and your clicks seem to have fallen off a cliff, they probably haven't. The data simply hasn't arrived yet.
The real risk is acting on half a picture. Don't rewrite product pages or change your site structure because of a gap in a report. Wait for the data to catch up before deciding whether anything has actually moved.
The Spam Update Is Done, and Site Moves Take Longer Than You Think
Staying with organic search, Search Engine Journal's round-up confirms that Google's spam update has finished rolling out. Two other points in it are worth knowing about.
First, a talk recap puts the time Google needs to work through a site move in months. That's not days or weeks. So if you're planning to change domain or replatform your store, timing really matters. Would you want that settling-in period to land on your busiest trading weeks? I wouldn't.
Second, there's new guidance from Google aimed at fake author profiles. If your blog or buying guides carry invented experts with stock photos, tidy that up. Real people and real expertise are the safer bet.
Going forward, plan big site changes well ahead of peak season. And keep paid search ready to carry the load while organic settles.
Bidding on Your Competitor's Name: Tempting, but Pricey
Back to Google Ads. Competitive conquesting means bidding on a rival's brand name so your ad appears when someone searches for them. It sounds brilliant. Who wouldn't want to pinch a competitor's customers at the very moment they're shopping?
The catch is the cost. WordStream points out that conquesting can be expensive, and offers three alternatives for winning those clicks without the hefty bill.
My own view is that it's rarely the first place an online shop should put its money. Those shoppers were looking for someone else, so clicks cost more and convert less often. Before you go after a rival's brand, ask a simpler question. Are you already winning the searches for the products you actually sell? Is your product feed in good shape, and are your own brand terms covered?
Sort those out first. Conquesting can have a place, but only as a measured test with a firm budget.
Getting Mentioned by AI Starts With Being Known
This one sits on the AI strategy side. A piece from Marketing AI Institute, drawn from MAICON 2026, argues that entity-led digital PR is the new path to AI visibility.
Let me translate. An "entity" is simply a recognisable thing, such as your brand, your products or your founder. The argument is that AI tools are more likely to mention businesses they can clearly identify. That recognition is built through credible coverage elsewhere on the web.
What does that mean for your shop? More of your customers are asking AI assistants what to buy. If your brand is only ever described on your own website, there's not much for those tools to go on. Mentions in trade press, reviews and reputable publications help.
This is something I'm paying close attention to, because it shifts the question. You used to ask whether you ranked. Now you also need to ask whether you're known. Paid search still brings in the ready-to-buy shopper today. Your wider reputation increasingly decides whether an AI recommends you tomorrow.
What I'm Watching
There's a common thread this week, and it's visibility in both senses. Google is letting you see more of what its AI does on your behalf, which is welcome. At the same time, one of its own reporting tools has gone slow, which is a reminder never to lean on a single source of data.
So here's what I'd do. If you use AI Max, check those previews. Hold off on big decisions until Search Console catches up. Plan any site move with months in hand, not weeks. And start thinking about how well your brand is known beyond your own website.
I'll be watching how the asset previews develop, and whether Google extends that kind of transparency to other campaign types. As ever, if you'd like to talk through what any of this means for your account, give me a call.