Meta is changing how ad formats are selected, moving away from traditional formats like Flexible, Single image, Carousel, and Collection. Instead, ads will use a new system allowing multiple formats and creatives within a single ad, using Uploaded Media and Format display options. This shift enables ads to adapt dynamically across platforms, driven by AI, aiming to maximize advertiser results and Meta's revenue.
The branded queries filter in Search Console is now available to all eligible sites, helping analyze traffic by distinguishing branded from non-branded queries. Available since Feb 21, it works well compared to custom regex filters. Testing on large sites showed mixed accuracy, with AI sometimes excelling and other times missing. Google plans to improve accuracy, making it a useful SEO tool already.
Starting March 2026, Merchant Center for Agencies is available in the U.S. and Canada, offering a centralized platform to manage client portfolios. It streamlines operations with a single interface, enhances oversight with a central dashboard, enables early issue detection to prevent suspensions, and helps improve client performance by identifying optimization and growth opportunities.
Meta acquired Moltbook, a Reddit-like social network where AI agents communicate using OpenClaw. Moltbook joins Meta Superintelligence Labs, with creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr joining the team. OpenClaw allows natural language chats with AI agents via popular apps. Moltbook went viral due to fake posts and security flaws, allowing humans to impersonate AI agents. Meta's future plans for Moltbook remain unclear.
Effortlessly audit your Google Ads account with Marketing Auditor. Perform 200+ automated checks to uncover optimization opportunities and save over 10 hours per audit. Generate white-label reports in minutes with 50+ pages of actionable insights. Customize your reports with professional themes or your own branding, and export them in editable formats like PowerPoint or Google Slides. This tool is the ultimate solution for efficient and impactful Google Ads audits.
Google will add AI voice-over to Performance Max video ads by generating voice from headlines/descriptions and layering it onto videos without existing voice. This new feature creates a new video asset and is opt-out, not opt-in. Advertisers must disable it by March 20, 2026, under video enhancement controls if they don't want it. After that, voice-enhanced versions may be served automatically.
Meta will add extra charges called "Location Fees" to cover Digital Service Taxes in certain countries starting April 2026. The fees vary by country: Austria 5%, France 3%, Italy 3%, Spain 3%, Turkey 5%, and the UK 2%. These fees apply based on where ads are shown, not where the advertiser's business is located, increasing the effective CPM for campaigns in these markets.
Starting April 1, 2026, Customer Match uploads via the Google Ads API will no longer work. Users must switch to the Data Manager API for uploading and managing Customer Match data. This change affects developers who haven't uploaded Customer Match data in the last 180 days. The Data Manager API offers enhanced security, unified data ingestion, and new features like confidential matching and encryption. Other Google Ads API functions remain unchanged.
Amazon's new seller agreement lets it disable AI tools on its platform without appeal. It invested $50 billion in OpenAI and is building its own AI Seller Assistant to tighten control. eBay banned third-party AI shopping agents and plans its own AI. OpenAI's ChatGPT has 900 million weekly users who can buy without marketplaces. Marketplaces block outside AI and build their own to control product discovery, shifting from search to AI-driven shopping.
OpenAI released GPT-5.4, their most capable model for professional work, improving reasoning, coding, and tool use. It handles spreadsheets, presentations, and documents better, supports up to 1M tokens, reduces errors, and speeds workflows. GPT-5.4 features tool search for efficiency and improved safety. Available in ChatGPT, API, and Codex, with GPT-5.4 Pro for complex tasks.
