Tvist is more than a social networkβitβs a vibrant community where creatives and authentic voices connect and step away from the algorithms and AI. Build your profile, forge new friendships, share your latest work, and spark genuine conversations with real people. Support fellow creators with comments and become part of groups that share your passion. Tvist empowers you with integrated tools; open your own shop, share your craft, and use the community to build trust and engagement. Paid membership will provide access to additional tools, limit fake profiles, and support an ad-free environment.
Though not a universally recognized name like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, Koei Tecmo's Fatal Frame series carved out its niche with unique features, namelyΒ a distinct Japanese horror feelΒ in its story and setting, and the Camera Obscura, a very peculiar camera that enables regular people to see ghosts. The end results haven't always been perfect, but the series' unique vibe has made it a darling among many survival horror fans looking for something beyond the most celebrated series. Following the release of Maiden of Black Water in 2015, the Fatal Frame series returned in 2021 with a remake of the [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/between-tradition-and-innovation-fatal-frame-2-crimson-butterfly-remake-promises-a-terrifying-evolution-of-minakami-village/
Gini Talent provides global recruitment, staffing, employer of record, and business setup services across 100+ countries. It helps enterprises and high-growth teams hire, onboard, and stay compliant while scaling into new markets. Powered by proprietary tech and AI, it screens and shortlists thousands of candidates in hours, supports mass hiring, and connects you with IT consultants worldwide. From payroll and contracts to entity formation, it streamlines cross-border operations in one place.
Sony hosted its hour-long February 2026 State of Play today, and while plenty of the announcements were surprises, some of them, like the new Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls reveal, we had a heads up on. After its Steam page was accidentally updated to include additional information, like how the game will feature 20 characters at launch, it seemed like a safe bet that it would be featured during today's event. Not only was it shown off, but we got another look at more gameplay with this trailer, specifically featuring the Unbreakable X-Men, with Storm, Magik, Wolverine, and Danger all joining [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/the-unbreakable-x-men-join-the-marvel-tokon-fighting-souls-roster-august-2026-release-date-revealed/
With Saros getting an April 30, 2026, release date confirmation during The Game Awards 2025, it seemed like a lock to be included during today's February 2026 State of Play, and it was. Housemarque did not disappoint, making a major show of more gameplay from Saros as we get closer to its release. Today's trailer dug deeper into the game's systems and focused more on what Housemarque means by its "come back stronger" mantra for Saros' gameplay style. We got a look at how you'll upgrade your armor via the Armor Matrix with resources you gather on your runs, and [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/housemarque-shows-off-more-saros-gameplay-at-the-state-of-play-ahead-of-april-2026-launch/
It has been some time since we last sawΒ KratosΒ in action in God of War Ragnarok,Β and it will likely be longer before we see how his and Atreus' story continues. However, fans of the series now have one more game to look forward to: a remake of the first three entries in the series. Announced at the end of today's State of Play presentation with a brief teaser trailer, the God of War Trilogy Remake will deliver a modernized version of the Greek Saga in which Kratos is at his most violent. Unfortunately, details are scarce at the moment, as the [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/a-god-of-war-trilogy-remake-is-in-development-while-god-of-war-sons-of-sparta-launches-today/
Out of all the announcements included in today's February 2026 State of Play, the one that will potentially be the most remembered is Saber Interactive's reveal of a AAA John Wick game, featuring Keanu Reeves in the titular role, and the confirmation that the game is being made in collaboration with Chad Stahelski, director of the recent films and one of the key visonaries behind their success (who is also directing a Ghost of Tsushima film). You might recall that last month, almost right at the beginning of the year, Lionsgate teased that it was working on a major John [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/yeah-its-a-aaa-john-wick-game-saber-interactive-reveals-john-wick-coming-to-ps5/
Pinterest is seeing strong performance, both in usage and revenue.
The package aims to make it easier for SMBs to maximize their in-app presence.
Asine is an Android testing AI agent. Input natural language prompts (e.g., "Test login for crashes"), and the agent runs tests on cloud emulators, self-heals issues automatically, and delivers GIFs of executions along with reasoning logs. You can manage test cases and steps effortlessly in one dashboard. It is fast, smart, and script-free, saving you time and sanity!
After years of almost complete silence following Hideo Kojima's departure from Konami, theΒ Metal Gear SolidΒ series has finally returned to the spotlight withΒ Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1Β and last year's Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of the third entry in the series. While it's unknown if the remake developed by Virtuos and Konami will be followed by any other series' remake or new entry in the series, we have learned during today's State of Play presentation that fans will soon get the chance to experienceMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/metal-gear-solid-master-collection-vol-2-finally-brings-mgs-4-to-other-formats-this-august/
Star Wars: Galactic Racer made its gameplay debut during the February 2026 State of Play, with a short trailer from Fuse Games to showcase its podracing in action after the developer confirmed we'd have podracers alongside speeders and other vehicles from the Star Wars universe. The gameplay shown did its best to showcase how Fuse is trying to convey how insanely fast these vehicles are going. As much as the studio needs to hit the mark on the look of the world, the track design, and the handling for each of the vehicles, it'll all be for nought if it [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/now-this-is-podracing-star-wars-galactic-racer-gameplay-debuted-at-february-state-of-play/
Besides providing new looks at PlayStation Studios titles, the February 12 State of Play presentation showcased some of the biggest third-party games launching this year. Among them is Control Resonant, the second entry in Remedy Entertainment's series, and the studio's most ambitious game to date. An ambition that was made evident by the first gameplay showcase. The gameplay reveal, which can be watched below, shows how Dylan Faden, brother of Control's protagonist Jesse, takes on a wide range of paranatural threats using the environment and his shapeshifting weapon called Aberrant. Though only around 3 minutes long, the gameplay trailer does [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/control-resonant-new-gameplay-trailer-showcases-remedys-most-ambitious-game-yet/
As we predicted when Sony announced the State of Play, one of the PlayStation Studios reveals for tonight's showcase was the gameplay and release date reveal for Ghost of Yotei Legends, after it was initially announced during Gamescom 2025. Just like Ghost of Tsushima Legends, this new co-op multiplayer mode will be available as free DLC for players who already own Ghost of Yotei, and it'll arrive on March 10, 2026. Showcased with gameplay captured on a PS5 Pro, the new trailer showed a bit of the kinds of missions you'll get to play in Ghost of Yotei Legends, which [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ghost-of-yotei-legends-arrives-in-march-2026-new-gameplay-showcased-at-february-state-of-play/
Around eight months after its debut on PlayStation 5, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is launching on PC on March 19, complete with some PC-exclusive features. The game's release date on PC was confirmed with a new trailer shared during today's State of Play presentation, which also provided the first look at this new version of the game and some of its exclusive features, which include unlocked framerates (with the exception of cutscenes that will be locked at 60 FPS), ultrawide resolutions support, DualSense support, upscaling and frame generation, although the trailer did not specify if all current upscaling [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/death-stranding-2-on-the-beach-comes-to-pc-on-march-19-complete-with-ultrawide-resolution-supports-upscaling-and-frame-generation/
Any consumer electronic that features DRAM will get expensive to the point that its affordability will be out of your range. Soon, 8GB RAM configurations will become common, but hereβs something you donβt see every day. The Acer Aspire 14 AI, a 14-inch Windows 11 notebook thatβs equipped with 16GB RAM and up to a 1TB SSD, is available for as low as $459.99. How? Well, Amazon is giving you an incredible opportunity to own a decent portable computer, but youβll have to hurry because these deals donβt stay active for long. The Acer Aspire 14 AI is also marketed [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/acer-aspire-14-ai-decent-specifications-available-for-459-99-on-amazon/
Xbox plans to prepare developers for the future at GDC 2026 Microsoft has confirmed that it will be at GDC 2026 in full force, with plans to discuss the βfuture of Xboxβ, implying that we will hear about the companyβs βnext-generationβ plans at the event. While Microsoftβs statements are somewhat vague, a talk from their [β¦]
The post Xbox to prep devs for βwhatβs nextβ at GDC 2026 appeared first on OC3D.
MasterIt.AI delivers cognitive technical assessments that evaluate how developers reason and collaborate with AI, not just whether their code compiles. It places candidates in AI-assisted scenarios and measures metacognition, handling ambiguity, and contradiction detection. The platform captures problem-solving approaches, validates how candidates use AI tools, and produces clear reports that help teams hire faster with better fit. Use realistic case studies, coding with Copilot, and AI PM/EM discussions to see how candidates think.
Ubisoft has just reported its third-quarter financial results for its 2025 fiscal year, which covers the last three months of 2025, ending right at the end of the year on December 31, 2025. This is an important distinction to make, only because these results do not include all of the layoffs and restructuring that happened at the start of this year when the company announced its "major reset." This means that Ubisoft went forward with its plan to reorganize the entire structure of the company and layoff hundreds of workers across multiple of its global branches and its own headquarters [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ubisoft-third-quarter-growth-thanks-to-assassins-creed-overperformance/
Smartphones and PCs were going to be the obvious casualties of the DRAM shortage, but this global problem has also begun affecting routers, with the latest data revealing that companies mass producing networking equipment that donβt have a secure supply chain or strong negotiation power have been struck the hardest. With demand for memory increasing for AI server segments, both DRAM and NAND flash prices have jumped by more than 600 percent, meaning that if you want to upgrade your home or work network, youβd better upgrade fast. Around 20 percent of low-to-mid routersβ Bill Of Materials (BOM) accounts for [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/memory-crisis-impacting-routers-now-7x-more-expensive/
Earlier today,Β Pearl AbyssΒ published its Q4 2025 earnings report, and in the subsequent earnings call, the South Korean company revealed interesting tidbits about what it will focus on after the imminent launch ofΒ Crimson Desert. The executives revealed that, depending on market demand (that is to say, depending on how well the game sells), Pearl Abyss already has plans to potentially add downloadable content and even multiplayer. As you probably remember, the game was actually supposed to be an MMO at first. Then it shifted to an open world game with multiplayer elements, but in the last few years, Pearl Abyss hasn't [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/crimson-desert-expand-multiplayer-dlcs-depending-market-demand/
Three years ago this coming April, Wccftech's Alessio Palumbo caught up with Kwalee Labs (formerly Bonsai Collective) to talk about their debut game, Luna Abyss. A UK-based game studio co-founded by Harry Corr, Benni Hill, and former Team17 producer, Hollie Emery, they started working together in 2019, setting out to create what would become a story-driven, first-person bullet-hell shooter (FPBHS) set in a dystopian world where you play as Fawkes, a prisoner stuck not just in the dreary prison of Luna, but in the middle of a mysterious prophecy. While we still don't have an exact release date, back in [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/luna-abyss-hands-on-preview-doom-returnal-a-good-time/
Some new opportunities for streaming providers and entertainment brands.Β
Russian authorities are pushing users towards the government-owned Max app instead.
Musk has shared some new notes on X's performance.
The data shows that more businesses are using AI, but performance results are mixed.
As the SaaS market reels from a sell-off sparked by autonomous AI agents like Claude Cowork, new data shows a 53% drop in AI-driven discovery sessions. Wall Street dubbed it the βSaaSpocalypse.β
Whether AI agents will replace SaaS products is a bigger question than this dataset can answer. But the panic is already distorting interpretation, and this data cuts through the noise to show what SEO teams should actually watch.
From November 2024 to December 2025, SaaS sites logged 774,331 LLM sessions. ChatGPT drove 82.3% of that traffic, but Copilotβs growth tells a different story:
SaaS AI Traffic by Source (Nov 2024 β Dec 2025)
| Source | Sessions | Share |
| ChatGPT | 637,551 | 82.3% |
| Copilot | 74,625 | 9.6% |
| Claude | 40,363 | 5.2% |
| Gemini | 15,759 | 2.0% |
| Perplexity | 6,033 | 0.8% |
Starting with just 148 sessions in late 2024, Copilot grew more than 20x by May 2025. From May through December, it averaged 3,822 sessions per month, making it the second-largest AI referrer to SaaS sites by year-end 2025.
Investors erased $300 billion from SaaS market caps over fears that AI agents will replace enterprise software. But this data points to a less dramatic force: proximity.
Copilot thrives because it captures intent inside the workflow. Standalone tools saw a 53% traffic drop while workplace-embedded AI grew 20x.
Software evaluation is work, and Copilot sits where that work happens.
When someone asks, βWhat CRM should we use for a 20-person sales team?β while building a business case in Excel, that moment is capturedβone ChatGPT never sees. The May surge reflects that activation: Microsoft 365 users realizing they could research software without opening a new tab.
SaaS AI discovery sends users to internal search results first, not product pages.
Top SaaS Landing Pages by LLM Volume
| Page Type | LLM Sessions | % of AI Traffic | Penetration vs Site Avg |
| Search | 320,615 | 41.4% | 8.7x |
| Blog | 127,291 | 16.4% | 8.1x |
| Pricing | 40,503 | 5.2% | 3.2x |
| Product | 39,864 | 5.1% | 2.0x |
| Support | 34,599 | 4.5% | 2.1x |
Despite capturing 320,615 sessions β more than blog, pricing, and product pages combined β this dominance likely reflects LLM limitations, not superior content. LLMs route users to search when they lack a specific answer.
For SaaS companies watching their stock crater, thatβs useful news: thereβs a concrete technical fix. The 41.4% isnβt an existential threat. Itβs a crawlability problem.
When an LLM canβt find a direct answer, it defaults to the siteβs internal search. The AI treats your search bar as a trusted backup, assuming the search schema will generate a relevant page even if a specific product page isnβt indexed.
At 1.22%, search page penetration is 8.7x the site average. The cause is a βsafety netβ effect, not optimization.
When more specific pages β like Product or Pricing β lack the data an LLM needs, it falls back to broader search results. LLMs recognize the search URL structure and trust it will return something relevant, even if they canβt predict what.
Blog pages follow with 127,291 sessions and 1.13% penetration. These are structured comparison posts β βbest CRM for small teamsβ or βSalesforce alternativesβ β that LLMs cite when they have specific recommendations.
Pricing pages show 0.45% penetration; product pages, 0.28%. When users ask about software selection, LLMs route to comparison surfaces β search and blog β first. Direct product or pricing pages get cited only when the query is already vendor-specific.
SaaS AI traffic peaked in July at 146,512 sessions, then declined steadily through Q4:
| Month | Sessions | Change |
| July 2025 | 146,512 | Peak |
| August 2025 | 120,802 | -17.5% |
| September 2025 | 134,162 | +11.1% |
| October 2025 | 135,397 | +0.9% |
| November 2025 | 107,257 | -20.8% |
| December 2025 | 68,896 | -35.8% |
Every platform declined. ChatGPTβs volume was cut in half, dropping from 127,510 sessions in July to 56,786 by year-end. Copilot fell from 4,737 to 2,351. Perplexity dropped from 7,475 to 3,752.
Two factors drove the slide:
The July peak reflects midyear momentum: people are working, and Q3 budgets are still available. The Q4 decline reflects both fewer researchers and fewer active buying cycles.
This is where the sell-off narrative breaks down.
Investors treat a 53% traffic drop as proof that AI discovery is stalling. But the data aligns with standard B2B fiscal cycles.
AI isnβt failing as a discovery channel. Itβs settling into the same seasonal rhythms as every other B2B buying behavior.
Raw traffic numbers donβt show where to invest. Penetration rates and landing page distribution reveal what matters.
SaaS shows 0.41% sitewide AI penetration, but that average hides concentration. Search pages reach 1.22%β8.7x higher. Blog pages hit 1.13%. Pricing pages are at 0.45%. Product pages lag at 0.28%.
If youβre only tracking total AI sessions, youβre measuring the wrong metric. AI traffic could grow 50% while penetration on high-value pages declines. Volume hides what matters: where AI users concentrate when they arrive with intent.
Action:
Internal search captures 41.4% of SaaS AI traffic. If those results arenβt crawlable, indexable, or structured for comparison, youβre invisible to the largest segment of AI-driven buyers.
Most SaaS sites treat internal search as navigation, not content. Results return paginated lists with minimal product detail, no filter signals in URLs, and JavaScript-rendered content LLMs canβt parse.
Action:
The sell-off is pricing in obsolescence, but for most SaaS companies the real risk is invisibility. Pricing pages show 0.45% AI penetrationβbelow the 0.46% cross-industry average. Blog pages captured 127,291 sessions at 1.13% penetration, but only when content directly answered selection queries. The pattern is clear: LLMs cite what they can read and parse. They skip what they canβt.
Many SaaS sites still gate pricing behind contact forms. If pricing requires a sales conversation, AI wonβt recommend you for βtools under $100/monthβ queries. The same applies to blog content. When someone asks, βWhat CRM should I use?β the LLM looks for posts that compare options, define criteria, and explain tradeoffs. Generic thought leadership on CRM trends doesnβt get cited.
Action:
Copilot grew 15.89x year over year. Claude grew 7.79x. ChatGPT grew 1.42x. The fastest growth is in tools embedded in existing workflows.
Workplace AI shifts discovery context. In ChatGPT, users are explicitly researching. In Copilot, theyβre asking questions mid-taskβdrafting a proposal, building a comparison spreadsheet, or reviewing vendor options with their team.
Action:
The 53% drop from July to December reflects AI usage settling into the software buying process. Buyers are learning which decisions benefit from AI synthesis and which donβt. The remaining traffic is more deliberate, concentrated on complex evaluations where comparison matters.
For SaaS companies, the window for early positioning is closing. The $300 billion sell-off is hitting the sector broadly, but the companies that survive the repricing will be those buyers can find when they ask an AI agent, βShould we renew this contract?β
Teams investing now in transparent pricing, crawlable data, and comparison-focused content are building that findability while competitors debate whether AI discovery matters.
Overclockers UK is currently offering 40% off one of its best value gaming chairs Letβs be honest, every desk setup needs a good chair. While we often focus on the technical aspects of our PCs here, it cannot be denied that good seating matters. Overclockers UK is currently offering enthusiasts up to 40% off TX3 [β¦]
The post The TX3 Solo 360 is a gaming chair bargain at its current pricing appeared first on OC3D.
PowerFox is one of the few actively maintained browsers still supporting macOS 10.5 Leopard and 10.6 Snow Leopard. Built for both PowerPC and early Intel Macs, it delivers features long thought impossible on these systems, including TLS 1.3 support, up-to-date certificate handling, and regular security fixes.
Morni aggregates hundreds of international media outlets in real time. Its AI cross-references sources, synthesizes, and enriches each article to provide a clear and comprehensive feed. You can customize your coverage with categories and lists, and access a daily summary in text or audio with the Pro plan. The ad-free service respects your time and offers an AI chat assistant to delve deeper into the topics that interest you.
Two new budget gaming laptops have been launched by Colorful, featuring the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 GPUs. Colorful Unveils EVOL P15 Gaming Laptops, Featuring Core i7 14650HX-RTX 5060 and Core i5 13420H-RTX 5050 Configurations Hardware manufacturer Colorful has today introduced two new gaming laptops for the budget segment. These are equipped with affordable hardware to cater to the demands of gamers and professionals. These are the Colorful EVOL P15 gaming laptops, featuring two different configurations that bring the budget NVIDIA RTX 50 series GPUs as well as Intel's mid-range/high-end CPUs from the previous generations. The Colorful EVOL P15 marks [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/colorful-debuts-evol-p15-laptop-series-its-first-rtx-50-gaming-laptops-boasting-rtx-5050-and-rtx-5060/
While 1,200 Ubisoft employees are on strike this week in response to the company's recent "major reset," yet another piece of evidence regarding the heavily rumoured Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remaster has appeared online. Spotted by IGN, an Amazon UK listing for an Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Remastered art book is up and available for pre-orders. It also, interestingly, has a March 24, 2026, release date attached to it. What makes the art book seem legit, beyond the fact that Ubisoft is listed as the book's author, is that Titan, the publisher behind several Assassin's Creed artbooks, is [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-remastered-art-book-listing-spotted-on-amazon-uk-with-march-2026-release/
Samsung's return to the HBM market is a sight to see, and according to the latest announcement, its HBM4 process offers blazing-fast speeds and is now commercially deployed. Samsung's HBM4 Reaches Up to 13 Gbps, Making It Ideal For Integration With Vera Rubin The HBM industry is certainly seeing a shift in market dynamics, mainly in the distribution of market share among SK hynix, Samsung, and Micron. In particular, the race with the HBM4 technology has become much more competitive, and the Korean giant has improved its offerings by a huge margin. In the company's latest post, Samsung has revealed [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-hbm4-officially-makes-its-way-into-nvidia-vera-rubin/
NVIDIA's Blackwell platform has brought new levels of token optimization to AI inference workloads, as the company reveals a massive milestone in the realm of tokenomics. NVIDIA's GB200 NVL72 Achieves 10x Better Tokenomics Than Hopper, Credited "Expert-Level" Parallelism While NVIDIA has been racing to build new infrastructure in the AI world, one of the company's biggest focuses has been improving the efficiency of the hardware it deploys. And, with the Blackwell-trained frontier AI models dropping in the industry, we have seen how NVIDIA has progressed with token output and costs, and now, in a new blog post, the company has [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-has-managed-to-reduce-token-costs-by-10x-with-blackwell/
Lunar New Year is approaching, and 2026 is the Year of the Horse. Whether youβre traveling for the holiday or connecting with loved ones overseas, language barriers shouβ¦Google has detected a range of ways in which scammers are incorporating AI.
Discord's new age-verification requirements have pushed some users to explore alternative chat platforms, and Stoat is emerging as a popular option. The open-source app emphasizes privacy and strong user control. Stoat (formerly Revolt) is available on the web, Windows, macOS, and Linux, with an Android beta now rolling out.
CityScroller delivers instant self-guided tours that turn any trip into an engaging journey. Use interactive maps, real-time navigation, and curated points of interest to explore at your own pace with personalized routes tailored to your interests.
Available on iOS and Android, CityScroller helps you discover local highlights as it rolls out to new destinations. Join the newsletter to get notified when it arrives in your city.
Google clarifies campaign consolidation guidance, saying performance and business logic matter more than legacy granularity in AI-driven Google Ads accounts.
The post Google Clarifies Its Stance On Campaign Consolidation appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
FromSoftware's The Duskbloods was a standout reveal during the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal event, though its continued absence from the spotlight has led to speculation regarding its launch timeline. Despite the title not appearing during this month's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, the project remains on track to release before the end of the year. Kadokawa, FromSoftware's parent company, reiterated this window today in its Q3 fiscal year earnings report, confirming a generic 2026 schedule for the title. In the report, Kadokawa also addressed the game's platform status, stating it will "only be available for the Nintendo Switch 2". While this [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/the-duskbloods-still-targets-2026-release-as-switch-2-exclusive-kadokawa-confirms/
After a bombastic launch that saw Battlefield 6 become the best-selling shooter of 2025 and the best-selling game in the US overall in 2025, enthusiasm waned around EA's successful Call of Duty-killer as the assembled team of developers known as Battlefield Studios was unable to keep up with players' thirst for new content. It went from a game that had a chance of cracking 1 million concurrent players on Steam alone to one that has been struggling to hit 100K concurrent players. Thankfully, though, after an unwelcome delay, EA and Battlefield Studios may finally start to have better luck, as [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/ea-reveals-season-2-of-battlefield-6-packed-with-new-maps-weapons-vehicles-and-more/
Nexon has just reported its fourth-quarter 2025 financials, and, unsurprisingly, the company recorded "record-high Q4 and full-year revenue." The thing that makes it no surprise is the fact that Nexon is the parent company of Embark Studios, the team behind the hottest new extraction shooter, ARC Raiders. Which we now know has officially sold 14 million copies since it launched in October 2025. This official sales update comes after a recent report that ARC Raiders was the top-selling game across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation for a third consecutive month. It also means that the game sold just under 2M copies [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/arc-radiers-14m-copies-sold-record-high-revenue-nexon/
Weβre releasing a major upgrade to Gemini 3 Deep Think, our specialized reasoning mode.Learn more about how threat actors are misusing AI, and what Google is doing to stop it.In Google AI Overviews and LLM-driven retrieval, credibility isnβt enough. Content must be structured, reinforced, and clear enough for machines to evaluate and reuse confidently.
Many SEO strategies still optimize for recognition. But AI systems prioritize utility. If your authority canβt be located, verified, and extracted within a semantic system, it wonβt shape retrieval.
This article explains how authority works in AI search, why familiar SEO practices fall short, and what it takes to build entity strength that drives visibility.
For years, SEOs liked to believe that βdoing E-E-A-Tβ would make sites authoritative.
Author bios were optimized, credentials showcased, outbound links added, and About pages polished, all in hopes that those signals would translate into authority.
In practice, we all knew what actually moved the needle: links.
E-E-A-T never really replaced external validation. Authority was still conferred primarily through links and third-party references.
E-E-A-T helped sites appear coherent as entities, while links supplied the real gravitas behind the scenes. That arrangement worked as long as authority could be vague and still rewarded.
It stops working when systems need to use authority, not just acknowledge it. In AI-driven retrieval, being recognized as authoritative isnβt enough. Authority still has to be specific, independently reinforced, and machine-verifiable, or it doesnβt get used.
Being authoritative but not used is like being βpaidβ with experience. It doesnβt pay the bills.
Search no longer operates on a flat plane of keywords and pages. AI-driven systems rely on a multi-dimensional semantic space that models entities, relationships, and topical proximity.
In that semantic space, entities function much like celestial bodies in physical space, discrete objects whose influence is defined by mass, distance, and interaction with others.
E-E-A-T still matters, but the framework version is no longer a differentiator. Authority is now evaluated in a broader context that canβt be optimized with a handful of on-page tasks.
In AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, and similar systems, visibility doesnβt hinge on prestige or brand recognition. Those are symptoms of entity strength, not its source.
What matters is whether a model can locate your entity within its semantic environment and whether that entity has accumulated enough mass to exert influence.
That mass isnβt decorative. Itβs built through third-party citations, mentions, and corroboration, then made machine-legible through consistent authorship, structure, and explicit entity relationships.
Models donβt trust authority. They calculate it by measuring how densely and consistently an entity is reinforced across the broader corpus.
Smaller brands donβt need to shine like legacy publishers. In a semantic system, apparent size and visibility donβt determine influence. Density does.
In astrophysics, some planets appear enormous yet exert surprisingly weak gravity because their mass is spread thinly. Others are much smaller, but dense enough to exert stronger pull.
AI visibility works the same way. What matters isnβt how large your brand appears to humans, but how concentrated and reinforced your authority is in machine-readable form.
Dig deeper: From SEO to algorithmic education: The roadmap for long-term brand authority
The problem with E-E-A-T was never the concept itself. It was the assumption that trustworthiness could be meaningfully demonstrated in isolation, primarily through signals a site applied to itself.
Over time, E-E-A-T became operationalized as visible, on-page indicators: author bios, credentials, About pages, and lightweight citations.
These signals were easy to implement and easy to audit, which made them attractive. They created the appearance of rigor, even when they did little to change how authority was actually conferred.
That compromise held when search systems were willing to infer authority from proxies. It breaks down in AI-driven retrieval, where authority must be explicitly reinforced, independently corroborated, and machine-verifiable to carry weight.
Surface-level trust markers donβt fail because models ignore them. They fail because they donβt supply the external reinforcement required to give an entity real mass.
In a semantic system, entities gain influence through repeated confirmation across the broader corpus. On-site signals can help make an entity legible, but they donβt generate density on their own. Compliance isnβt comprehension, and E-E-A-T as a checklist doesnβt create gravitational pull.
In human-centered search, these visible trust cues acted as reasonable stand-ins. In LLM retrieval, they donβt translate. Models arenβt evaluating presentation or intent. Theyβre evaluating semantic consistency, entity alignment, and whether claims can be cross-verified elsewhere.
E-E-A-T isnβt outdated. Itβs incomplete. It explains why humans might trust you.
Applying E-E-A-T principles only within your own site wonβt create the mass that machines need to recognize, align with, and prioritize your entity in a retrieval system.
Human trust is emotional. Machine trust is statistical.
In practice:
Retrieval models evaluate confidence, not charisma. Structural decisions such as headings, paragraph boundaries, markup, and lists directly affect how accurately a model can map content to a query.
This is why ChatGPT and AI Overview citations often come from unfamiliar brands.
Itβs also why brand-specific queries behave differently. When a query explicitly names a brand or entity, the model isnβt navigating the galaxy broadly. Itβs plotting a short, precise trajectory to a known body.Β
With intent tightly constrained and only one plausible source of truth, thereβs far less risk of drifting toward adjacent entities.
In those cases, the system can rely directly on the entityβs own content because the destination is already fixed. The models arenβt βdiscoveringβ hidden experts. Theyβre rewarding content whose structure reduces uncertainty.
LLMs donβt experience topics, entities, or websites. They model relationships between representations in a high-dimensional semantic space.
Thatβs why AI retrieval is better understood as plotting a course through a system of interacting gravitational bodies rather than βfindingβ an answer. Influence comes from mass, not intention.
In embedding-based retrieval, entities behave like bodies in space, as demonstrated by Karpukhin et al. in their 2020 EMNLP paper on dense passage retrieval.
Over time, citations, mentions, and third-party reinforcement increase an entityβs semantic mass. Each independent reference adds weight, making that entity increasingly difficult for the system to ignore.
Queries move through this space as vectors shaped by intent. As they pass near sufficiently massive entities, they bend. The strongest entities exert the greatest gravitational pull, not because they are trusted in a human sense, but because they are repeatedly reinforced across the broader corpus.
Extractability doesnβt create that gravity. It determines what happens after attraction occurs. An entity can be massive enough to warp trajectories and still be unusable if its signals arenβt machine-legible, like a planet with enough gravity to draw a spacecraft in but no viable way to land.
Authority, in this context, isnβt belief. Itβs gravity, the cumulative pull created by repeated, independent reinforcement across the wider semantic system.
Classic SEO emphasized backlinks and brand reputation. AI search desires entity strength for discovery, but demands clarity and semantic extractability to be included.
Entity strength β your connections across the Knowledge Graph, Wikidata, and trusted domains β still matters and arguably matters more now. Unfortunately, no amount of entity strength helps if your content isnβt machine-parsable.
Consider two sites featuring recognized experts:
Only one will earn citations.
LLMs need:
Precision makes authority extractable. Extractability determines whether existing gravitational pull can be acted on once attraction has occurred, not whether that pull exists in the first place.
LLM retrieval is constrained by context windows and truncation limits, as outlined by Lewis et al. in their 2020 NeurIPS paper on retrieval-augmented generation. Models rarely process or reuse long-form content in its entirety.
If you want to be cited, you canβt bury the lede.
LLMs read the beginning, but then they skim. After a certain number of tokens, they truncate. Basically, if your core insight is buried in paragraph 12, itβs invisible.
To optimize for retrieval:
Donβt save your best material for the finale. Neither users nor models will reach it.
Dig deeper: Organizing content for AI search: A 3-level framework
The difference between a citation and a link isnβt subtle, but itβs routinely misunderstood. Part of that confusion comes from how E-E-A-T was operationalized in practice.
In many traditional E-E-A-T playbooks, adding outbound links became a checkbox, a visible, easy-to-execute task that stood in for the harder work of substantiating claims. Over time, βcite sourcesβ quietly degraded into βlink out a few times.β
A bad citation looks like this:
A generic outbound link to a blog post or company homepage offered as vague βsupport,β often with language like βaccording to industry expertsβ or βSEO best practices say.β
The source may be tangentially related, self-promotional, or simply restating opinion, but it does nothing to reinforce your entityβs factual position in the broader semantic system.
A good citation behaves more like academic referencing. It points to:
Itβs also tied directly to a specific claim in your content. The model can independently verify the statement, cross-reference it elsewhere, and reinforce the association.
The point was never to just βlink out.β The point was to cite sources.
The patterns below arenβt tasks to complete or boxes to tick. They describe the recurring structural signals that, over time, allow an entity to accumulate mass and express gravity across systems.
This is where many SEOs slip back into old habits. Once you say βE-E-A-T isnβt a checklist,β the instinct is to immediately ask, βOkay, so whatβs the checklist?β
But engineering retrieval authority isnβt a list of tasks. Itβs a way of structuring your entire semantic footprint so your entity gains mass in the galaxy the models navigate.
Authority isnβt something you sprinkle into content. Itβs something you construct systematically across everything tied to your entity.
E-E-A-T taught us to signal trust to humans. AI search demands more: understanding the forces that determine how information is pulled into view.
Rocket science gets something into orbit. Astrophysics navigates and understands the systems it moves through once there.
Traditional SEO focused on launching pagesβoptimizing, publishing, promoting. AI SEO is about mass, gravity, and interaction: how often your entity is cited, corroborated, and reinforced across the broader semantic system, and how strongly that accumulated mass influences retrieval.
The brands that win wonβt shine brightest or claim authority loudest, nor will they be no-name sites simulating credibility with artificial corroboration and junk links.
Theyβll be entities that are dense, coherent, and repeatedly confirmed by independent sourcesβentities with enough gravity to bend queries toward them.
In an AI-driven search landscape, authority isnβt declared. Itβs built, reinforced, and made impossible for machines to ignore.
Dig deeper: User-first E-E-A-T: What actually drives SEO and GEO
MSIβs RTX 5090 Lightning Z is now available in the UK, and itβs SUPER expensive MSIβs Uber-tier GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z graphics card is now available, and its pricing makes a regular RTX 5090 look cheap. At Scan Computers UK and Overclockers UK, this GPU is priced at Β£4,999.99. Is this the most expensive [β¦]
The post MSIβs RTX 5090 Lightning is now available in the UK, and its pricing is NUTS! appeared first on OC3D.
Loxalize helps e-commerce brands and agencies translate and localize product images in seconds. Instead of redesigning visuals or relying on slow, manual workflows, Loxalize automatically detects text embedded inside images, translates it, and replaces it while preserving the original layout, fonts, and branding.
Built for scale, Loxalize lets teams localize thousands of product images in minutes, from promo banners and PDP visuals to ads and social creatives. During early access, we localized over 10,000 product images for a Spotify-related brand in under 5 days, without redesigning a single asset. Our goal is simple: remove friction from image localization.
As GeForce NOW continues to celebrate its sixth anniversary, NVIDIA's cloud gaming platform is arriving on more platforms to turn "every screen into a gaming machine." The GeForce NOW app is officially live on Amazon Fire TV devices, and eight games join the cloud gaming library. Including Warhorse Studio's medieval RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and REANIMAL, the latest release from the original team behind the Little Nightmares games, Tarsier Studios. The news comes as part of yet another GFN Thursday, with a Capcom-dominated batch of games entering the cloud streaming service this week. Half of the eight games joining the [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-now-amazon-fire-tv-app-reanimal-kingdom-come-deliverance/
Apple was the only major smartphone OEM to record a meaningful year-over-year growth in China-related sales for the month of January 2026, with the rest of the OEMs having to contend with a veritable bevy of adverse base effects. Counterpoint Research: Apple recorded a year-over-year sales growth of 8 percent in China for January 2026, while other major OEMs recorded a double-digit percent decline As is evident from the above tabulation by Counterpoint Research, Apple recorded year-over-year sales growth of 8 percent in China for January 2026. However, all other major Chinese smartphone OEMs recorded double-digit-percent declines, largely due to [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-was-the-only-smartphone-brand-to-record-growth-in-china-in-january-2026/
NVIDIA launched its flagship GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card based on the Blackwell GPU architecture last year in January. The graphics card took the performance capabilities to new heights, and also added various new technologies, including support for next-gen AI capabilities such as Neural Rendering, Neural Shaders, DLSS 4, and DLSS MFG. The latter two technologies have been updated to DLSS 4.5 and MFG6X modes, offering even better image quality and smoother gameplay. As the software side for Blackwell RTX 50 GPUs continues to improve, so does the hardware, but not from NVIDIA but rather its partners. At CES 2026, [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/msi-geforce-rtx-5090-lightning-z-32-gb-gpu-review-the-beast-unleashed/
Peter Molyneux, the original creator of the Fable franchise at Lionhead Studios, shared his first impressions on the upcoming reboot after watching the recent presentation at the Xbox Developer Direct 2026. Speaking with IGN, Molyneux revealed that he got emotional at the idea that the Fable IP, which he and the rest of Lionhead spent so much time on, would return. He also pointed out that it was a good idea for Playground to reboot the series, and added that he agreed with the twist of the protagonist's village inhabitants turning to stone at the beginning of the game. When [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/original-fable-creator-reacts-to-reboot-i-felt-myself-tearing-up/
The most premium GeForce RTX 5090 has been officially priced at $5090, but you will have to enter a draw to win the chance to purchase it from MSI's website. However, many Indian retailers have started listing it for direct purchase. MSI RTX 5090 32G Lightning Z Officially Priced at $5090; MSI Starts Open Draw, but Several Indian Retailers List it at $9000-$9700 I am finally at peace seeing the RTX 5090 now costs $5090, but it's the most premium edition ever made. The MSI RTX 5090 32G Lightning Z, which has been officially listed on the MSI store, costs [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/msi-rtx-5090-lightning-z-is-now-available-on-multiple-indian-retailers-at-a-whopping-9050/
The Snapdragon X EliteΒ could achieve decent gaming performanceΒ in AAA games, but it was clear that there was a ton of improvement required, with one of the biggest hurdles being compatibility and optimization. Fortunately, Qualcomm has addressed the majority of those problems with its Snapdragon X2 Elite, with an initial gaming performance comparison showing that the latest SoC records a massive difference in the framerate. Unfortunately, thatβs when our praises end because the chipset has immense difficulty against Appleβs M5, which registered up to a 69 percent performance improvement over its newest rival. Against the Snapdragon X Elite, the Snapdragon X2 [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/m5-faster-than-snapdragon-x2-elite-in-new-gaming-benchmarks/
T-Mobile has just taken a significant step towards rolling out AI-powered services on its network, starting with a Live Translation feature with support for over 50 languages. T-Mobile is now embedding real-time AI services into its network, starting with a Live Translation feature for phone calls T-Mobile appears to be taking a lead in rolling out AI-powered services on its network, as illustrated by its just-announced Live Translation feature for phone calls. T-Mobile intends to officially launch this service in the spring of 2026 and is currently accepting registrations for the beta service from its postpaid members. Critically, T-Mobile notes [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/t-mobile-announces-an-ai-powered-live-translation-service-for-phone-calls/
The open-source Mesa 3D graphics stack has reached a major milestone with the official release of Mesa 26.0, which brings significant improvements for AMD GPUs. Mesa 26.0 Officially Released, Offering Enhanced Vulkan Ray-Tracing Performance on AMD Radeon GPUs Mesa, which is the foundational open-source graphics library for hardware acceleration on Linux systems, has hit its next major milestone with the release of Mesa 26.0. With the release of Mesa 26.0, significant performance improvements, API support expansions, and driver improvements for Linux can be expected on platforms that rely on Mesa's OpenGL, Vulkan, and Gallium3D implementations. One of the major highlights [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/mesa-26-0-rolls-out-bringing-major-vulkan-and-ray-tracing-improvements-for-radeon-gpus-on-linux/
AI search visibility in beauty is increasingly shaped before a prompt is ever entered.
Brands that appear in generative answers are often those already discussed, validated, and reinforced across social platforms. By the time a user turns to AI search, much of the groundwork has been laid.
Using the beauty category as a lens, this article examines how social discovery influences brand visibility β and why AI search ultimately reflects those signals.
Brand discovery has fragmented across platforms. AI tools influence mid-funnel consideration, but much discovery happens before a user enters a prompt.
The signals that determine AI visibility are formed upstream. By the time a user reaches generative search, preferences and perceptions may already be set. If brands wait until AI search to influence demand, the window to shape consideration has narrowed.
That upstream influence is increasingly social. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. consumers now use social platforms as search engines, per eMarketer research.Β
This shift extends beyond Gen Z and reflects how people validate information and discover brands. These same platforms consistently appear among the top citation sources in AI results. The dynamic is especially visible in the beauty category.
In a study our agency conducted with a beauty brand partner, we found that Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook ranked among the top cited domains in both AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
While Reddit is often viewed as an anti-brand environment, YouTube appears nearly as frequently in citation data, making it a logical and underutilized target for citation optimization.
Dig deeper: Social and UGC: The trust engines powering search everywhere
Itβs easy to focus on headline figures around AI usage, including the billions of prompts processed daily. But when measured against business outcomes such as traffic and transactions, the scale looks different.
Social platforms are already embedded in mainstream search behavior. For many users, search-like activity on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube is habitual. Nearly 40% of TikTok users search the platform multiple times per day, and 73% search at least once daily.
Referral data reinforces the contrast. ChatGPT referral traffic accounted for roughly 0.2% of total sessions in a 12-month analysis of 973 ecommerce sites, a University of Hamburg and Frankfurt School working paper found. In the same dataset, Googleβs organic search traffic was approximately 200 times larger than organic LLM referrals.
AI search is growing and strategically important. But in terms of repeat behavior, measurable sessions, and downstream transactions, social platforms and traditional search continue to operate at a substantially larger scale.
The most critical contrarian point for 2026 is that optimizing for social is also optimizing for AI. Large language models are not primary sources of truth. They function as mirrors, reflecting the consensus formed through human conversations in the data they are trained on.
AI systems also demonstrate skepticism toward brand-owned properties. One study found that only 25% of sources cited in AI-generated answers were brand-managed websites.
At the same time, AI engines prioritize third-party validation. Up to 6.4% of citation links in AI responses originated from Reddit, an analysis by OtterlyAI found. This outpaces many traditional publishers.
Thereβs also a measurable relationship between sentiment and visibility. Research shows a moderate positive correlation between positive brand sentiment on social media and visibility in AI search results.
Dig deeper: The social-to-search halo effect: Why social content drives branded search
Treating video as a βbrand channelβ or a social-first effort rather than a search surface is a strategic failure.
On platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, ranking signals are shaped by spoken language, on-screen text, and captions β signals AI crawlers increasingly use to βtriangulate trust.β
In the beauty category, for example, ChatGPT accounts for about 4.3% of searches, while Google processes roughly 14 billion searches per day. However, for βhow-toβ and technique-based queries, consumers favor the detailed, personalized guidance of social-first video content.
At the same time, the beauty sector has fractured into two universes, according to Yotpoβs GEO for Beauty Brands analysis.
Science-backed brands such as Paulaβs Choice and CeraVe dominate AI-generated results because they publish deep, structured educational content. Meanwhile, more traditional marketing-led brands are significantly less visible.
The phrase βdermatologist recommendedβ correlates with high visibility in AI results because large language models treat expert social proof as a primary ranking signal, according to the same report.
One of the biggest hurdles brands cite is budget. Many believe they need a Hollywood production crew to compete in video environments. That is a legacy mindset.Β
In todayβs environment, high-gloss production can be a deterrent. The current landscape rewards authenticity over polish. Consumers are looking for real people with real skin concerns, not highly filtered commercials.
Optimizing for video discovery doesnβt require filmmaking expertise. Brands can leverage internal talent without adding headcount.
If a new profile can reach more than 100,000 views per video within three months on a limited budget, the barrier isnβt equipment. Itβs clarity on the business case and disciplined execution.
Dig deeper: How to optimize video for AI-powered search
The data is clear. Brands canβt win the generative engine if theyβre losing the social conversation.
AI models function as mirrors, reflecting web consensus. If real users on Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok arenβt discussing a brand, AI systems have little to surface.
If marketers wait until a user reaches a ChatGPT prompt to shape perception, the opportunity has already narrowed.
Discovery happens upstream. Validation occurs in the loop between social proof and algorithmic citation.
Translating this into action requires rethinking team structure and priorities:
Weβre witnessing a shift from algorithm-driven discovery to community-driven discovery.
Itβs agile and multidisciplinary, and when executed well, it can meaningfully impact the bottom line.
Local search remains one of the strongest drivers of consistent lead flow for service businesses.
Outdated SEO tactics are losing impact as Googleβs algorithm updates reshape local visibility. Success now depends on disciplined tracking and consistent execution.
This 90-day sprint plan shows how to do both.
Many service businesses arenβt current on how local search has changed or how Google Maps now determines visibility. They have a Google Business Profile (GBP) and a website, yet the phone is quiet.
If a GBP isnβt visible, local prospects wonβt find the business when they search for its services. That may sound obvious, but the rules behind that visibility have changed.
Much of that shift traces back to Googleβs 2025 spam updates, which significantly cleaned up map results and tightened enforcement.
Review spam, keyword-stuffed business names, fake addresses, and profiles that donβt match real-world details are being filtered more aggressively. At the same time, Google is testing sponsored placements in the map pack, and AI-driven features are shaping how results appear.
The result? Volatility.
Rankings move even when nothing obvious has changed on the site. Business owners and SEOs regularly report drops in GBP impressions and map visibility in public forums. One thread doesnβt prove causation, but it reinforces a broader pattern: local search is less stable than many assume.
Shortcuts that once produced temporary lifts now carry long-term risk. Buying reviews, stuffing keywords into a business name, or stretching service areas beyond reality can lead to suspensions or lost visibility β often just as momentum begins to build.
That is why local SEO sprints matter.
Local performance isnβt driven by one-time actions. Reviews, content, citations, links, and customer experience signals build over time.
The businesses that win in 2026 arenβt chasing hacks. They execute consistently.
This 90-day sprint plan provides the structure to do exactly that.
Dig deeper: Why local SEO is thriving in the AI-first search era
If local visibility feels unstable, one of three core levers is usually weak. These levers form the foundation of any effective sprint plan and must work together.
Fix only one, and results will be inconsistent. Strengthen all three, and you create stability and sustained lead flow.
| Lead lever | What it means | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Google clearly understands your services and service area. | More map pack visibility. |
| Prominence | Reviews, links, mentions, and local trust signals. | More stability, more clicks. |
| Conversion | Your site and GBP make contacting you frictionless. | More leads from the same traffic. |
Google evaluates local businesses across multiple signals, from proximity and service clarity to reputation and user behavior.
Durable relevance comes from real local authority β accurate categories, consistent citations, strong service pages, and steady review growth.
Hereβs a structured way to strengthen each of the three lead levers.
If you donβt track from day one, local SEO becomes guesswork β and guesswork doesnβt generate consistent leads. Without clear attribution, you canβt fix whatβs broken or scale whatβs working.
When you begin working with a service business, start with attribution. Can you trace every call, form fill, and booking to its source? If not, optimization becomes trial and error.
Use the table below as a stop sign. If the core tracking elements arenβt in place, pause and fix them before moving forward.
Tracking checklist: Mark βyesβ or βno.β This is your baseline.
| Item | What βdoneβ means | Yes / No | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA4 setup | GA4 installed and collecting data. | ||
| Search Console | Verified and connected. | ||
| GBP Insights | Baseline saved. | ||
| UTM on GBP link | UTM added in GBP website field. | ||
| Call tracking | Tracking number. Source known. | CallRail is a solid option | |
| Form tracking | Form submit tracked. Source captured. | ||
| Booking tracking | Bookings tracked and attributed. | ||
| Weekly numbers | Weekly tracking routine set. | ||
| Monthly numbers | Monthly summary routine set. |
Baseline snapshot: Complete the table below before making any changes. Save a monthly screenshot as a clear baseline as you run your 90-day sprint.
| Metric | Last 7 days | Last 28 days |
|---|---|---|
| GBP calls | ||
| GBP website clicks | ||
| Form submissions | ||
| Booked jobs | ||
| GSC impressions | ||
| GSC clicks |
Start by fixing issues with your GBP. Itβs where Google gathers local signals and evaluates what your business offers. If your profile lacks clarity, even a strong website wonβt compensate.
One basic element people often get wrong is the primary category. If youβre an HVAC contractor, your primary category should be βHVAC contractor,β not βFurnace repair serviceβ or βContractor.β Be exact.
Secondary categories should reflect allied services only. Many businesses add long lists of secondary categories, believing it will generate more calls. In reality, it can dilute relevance and weaken the primary category.
What about posts, geotagged images, inflated service areas, or keyword-stuffed business names? These tactics create activity, not impact.
| GBP area | What to do | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Pick the closest match to your main money service | Picking a vague category βbecause it ranksβ |
| Secondary categories | Only true supporting services | Adding everything under the sun |
| Services | Add real services you sell | Made up services to chase traffic |
| Description | Keep it simple. Service + areas + proof | Keyword soup |
| Photos | Real photos. Real jobs | Stock images and fake βbefore afterβ |
Address and service area reality
Donβt try to cover an entire metro area if you canβt serve it. Set service areas based on reality and Googleβs rules. If youβre not compliant, your profile faces a higher risk of suspension and video verification.
If youβre a service area business, be conservative. Focus on the radius you can serve well. Itβs better to rank and convert strongly within your true radius than to look βbiggerβ on paper and struggle to build real signals.
Dig deeper: The local SEO gatekeeper: How Google defines your entity
This is core relevance work. Your GBP can be perfect, but if your website is thin, youβll struggle to hold positions long term.
Many businesses have only a homepage and a contact page, yet expect Google to understand everything about what they offer.
Google needs clear service pages, and so do customers. Each page should focus on one service and explain the process, benefits, and expectations in depth. These pages arenβt just for rankingsβthey answer questions, reduce hesitation, and drive calls.
Start with your highest-value pages:
Focus on your actual location and radius. Thatβs where you can build the right signals.
For example, if youβre a plumber in Mississauga, Ontario, and you create thin location pages for every city in the Greater Toronto Area, you may get impressions. But without real proof, real jobs, and real conversion strength, those pages rarely hold. You end up with a bloated site thatβs hard to maintain and easy for Google to ignore.
What a money service page must include: This isnβt βSEO copy.β This is how you win calls.
| Block | What to include |
|---|---|
| Pricing range | A range. Not βcall for quote.β Explain why your pricing differs. |
| Process | How do you do the service, step-by-step? |
| Proof | Licenses. Accreditations. Awards. Local reviews. |
| FAQs | Real answers to real questions customers ask.Β |
| CTA | Call. Form. Booking. Make it easy for your potential customers. |
On pricing, donβt overthink it. You donβt need a perfect quote on the page β just a range and a reason for that range.
These details turn tire-kicking visitors into qualified calls.
Location pages: Do them right or donβt do them at all
Copy-paste location pages are a common mistake. You canβt just swap the city name and call it a strategy.
Use this checklist to ensure each location page is unique and robust:
| Location page element | What makes it real |
|---|---|
| Local proof | Photos. Projects. Neighborhood references you actually serve |
| Service fit | Only services you provide in that area |
| Local FAQs | βDo you serve X.β βWhatβs the travel fee.β βSame-day serviceβ |
| Contact | Phone and booking paths that work on mobile |
A simple and effective internal linking structure
Build internal links on your site like they are a map. Because they are, for both site visitors as well as Google. If you leave pages disconnected, you waste the work you put into them. Check that:
Phase 3 is about cadence. Continuity beats bursts. At this point, many feel tempted to βgo hard for two weeksβ and then move on to something else.Β
Thatβs the wrong pattern for reviews and trust signals. A steady flow is safer and more believable.
Reviews. Weekly. Forever.
Collect reviews every week, not all at once and then radio silence. Put into place practices that regularly solicit reviews from recent customers.
Also, make customers aware of what they can mention in reviews.
Joy Hawkins has published case studies on review recency and performance, and continues to reinforce the idea that fresh reviews matter. But the bigger point is that this means utilizing a complete review strategy, not just a one-time push.Β
Consider this review cadence plan:
| Step | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Build list of satisfied customers | Weekly |
| Send SMS review ask | Weekly |
| Send email follow-up | Weekly |
| Respond to reviews | 2-3x weekly |
Dig deeper: Want to win at local SEO? Focus on reviews and customer sentiment
NAP consistency and citations
Clear, consistent citations wonβt fix a bad business. But they reduce confusion and strengthen local trust signals. The goal here is not βmore listings.β The goal is βno contradictions.β
Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) should match across:
Local links that make sense
Donβt buy backlinks. Build local authority that is real. What might this look like?
Spammy link tactics might give your site a short boost. But theyβre harmful in the long run.
Also, make certain that links are geographically sensible. If youβre a business in Canada, focus on links from Canada and not from random overseas sites. Relevance matters, and locality matters the most.
By the end of Month 3, your GSC queries should start to look up. Higher impressions. Better clicks.Β
If not, take a look at your pages that are in Positions 6-20. Thatβs where youβre getting impressions, but youβre not getting clicks.
This is where many businesses make mistakes. A big one is that they keep publishing new pages instead of improving pages that are already close to winning.
When you see queries and pages with Positions 6-20 in GSC
If you have pages that are ranking in these positions, here are some things you can fix to help them move up:
This matches how people consume information today: fast, on mobile, and looking for direct answers.
Simple reporting dashboard
Hereβs a simple dashboard to help you keep track of how youβre doing during the 90-day sprint and beyond. Use it consistently to track growth.
| Metric | This month | Last month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic leads | |||
| GBP calls | |||
| New reviews | |||
| New links | |||
| Top queries growth (GSC) |
Dig deeper: GEO x local SEO: What it means for the future of discovery
There are countless SEO tools available, but this sprint does not require a complex stack. Keep it simple and focused:
Local SEO is no longer something you βset upβ and revisit later. Rankings shift. Reviews age. Competitors publish new pages. Google adjusts the map pack. One-time optimization fades faster than most teams expect.
A 90-day sprint enforces consistencyβtracking before changing anything, fixing core GBP issues, building real service pages, collecting reviews weekly, and improving pages already close to ranking instead of chasing new ones. The gains compound.
IIt also keeps you away from the shortcuts that create problems in the first place. No:
Just as important, no operational gaps. If calls go unanswered or booking paths break, prospects move to the next listing. Over time, that lost engagement shows up in performance.
Local SEO in 2026 rewards businesses that operate like real businessesβclear, consistent, responsive. A 90-day sprint builds that rhythm. One-time optimization doesnβt.
Launch a Telegram app for your business in just 30 minutesβno coding required! Start selling inside a messenger with an audience of 1 billion users by simply uploading images of your products or services, descriptions, and prices. Users donβt need to register anywhere elseβtheyβre already authenticated in your app and can pay for products or services right away. Connect convenient payment providers to accept payments.
While CAPCOM's RE Engine gathered a controversial reputation in the past few years due to the spotty performance of Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon's Dogma 2, the game engine fares significantly better in more linear games. Among the games that does not suffer from any major performance issues caused by the engine itself is the Resident Evil 4 remake, but a recent update to the PC version has essentially put the game in a worse condition than it was at launch. "Updating years old software with new DRM is stupid," noted Digital Foundryβs Alex Battaglia. The tech expert's analysis confirms [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/updating-years-old-software-with-new-drm-is-stupid-resident-evil-4-remake-performance-is-significantly-impacted-by-enigma-drm/
The Dimensity 9600 chip, which is MediaTek's next flagship offering, is not expected to see the light of day until the third quarter of 2026. Even so, given the chip's near-apex credentials that are capable of giving Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon variant a run for its money, the Dimensity 9600 SoC continues to attract quite a bit of attention and interest from tech enthusiasts and prosumers alike. Dimensity 9600 chip's architecture TSMC's process node Unlike Apple's A20 chip, which is expected to leverage TSMC's N2 process, MediaTek is likely to opt for the Taiwanese fab giant's relatively more costly N2P process [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/roundup/mediatek-dimensity-9600-chips-launch-price-architecture-and-specifications-here-is-everything-you-need-to-know/
Today, South Korean developer Pearl Abyss has released the third and final Crimson Desert overview video. While the previous overviews were focused on the story and combat, this time the footage puts the spotlight on the game's non-combat activities. The heart of the player's journey in Crimson Desert will be in the Greymane Camp. After losing their homeland, Paelun, to the Black Bears, the faction established this stretch of land in Hernand as their new base of operations. Although the camp has humble beginnings, owing to the ragged state of the Greymane band at the beginning of the game, it [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/final-crimson-desert-overview-focuses-non-combat-activities/
An overview of Googleβs work at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, including a new whitepaper, AI updates and security recommendations.Intel Leak confirms huge NPU performance gains for Nova Lake desktop CPUs A new leak reveals that Intel plans to deliver a significant boost in NPU performance with its upcoming Nova Lake desktop CPUs. Nova Lake will be the first Intel desktop platform to feature Microsoft Copilot+ acceleration, smashing Microsoftβs 40 TOPS NPU requirement. Using [β¦]
The post Leaker confirms huge NPU boost for Intel Nova Lake β Arrow Lake Refresh disappoints appeared first on OC3D.
AMD Software 26.2.1 has arrived AMD has officially released its AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 26.2.1 optional driver update for Radeon GPU users. This new driver is optimised for newly released PC games, including Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, and Nioh 3. It also comes with fixes for Arc Raiders and The Finals. Highlights New [β¦]
The post AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 26.2.1 preps Radeon for the latest games appeared first on OC3D.
PC gamers can finally download Diablo II on Steam Diablo II: Resurrected has arrived on Steam, landing in the form of the gameβs βInfernal Editionβ, which comes with the gameβs new βReign of the Warlockβ DLC and its Lord of Destruction expansion. This means that Steam users will be able to enjoy Diablo IIβs remastered [β¦]
The post Diablo II has arrived on Steam, and itβs Steam Deck Verified appeared first on OC3D.
Samsungβs Galaxy Unpacked event is scheduled to happen later this year, and just like on previous occasions, we will be greeted with three flagships: the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. One concern heading into this year was whether the Korean giant would introduce any price hikes because of the DRAM shortage. According to the latest details presented below, we have our answer, and youβre not going to like it. Samsung is estimated to charge up to $113.2 more for its Galaxy S26 series, with the company unable to avoid the price hike Two storage models will be [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/galaxy-s26-south-korea-price-details-arrive-all-three-flagships-more-expensive/
MSI has added new 16-pin safety features in its AI PSU lineup, such as GPU Safeguard+, that help protect GPUs against unwanted damage. Worried About High-End GPUs Running On 16-Pin Connectors? MSI's Latest PSU & Software Innovations Can Help Protect Your Vital Components Yesterday, MSI launched its latest Afterburner update, which adds support for its new RTX 5090 Lightning Z graphics card and the latest AI PSU lineup. Today, we have decided to showcase some of these features and how they help in safeguarding your GPUs from unwanted operation/damage. For starters, it's not just MSI Afterburner that receives support for [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/msi-16-pin-gpu-safeguard-safety-features-demo-protecting-most-vital-pc-component-against-unwanted-damage/
Aside from announcing the new sales milestone of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, the Embracer Group also just revealed the final launch date of the Gothic remake. The game will need a little more polishing time, the group said, and is now set to ship globally on June 5, 2026. As you might recall, a public demo was released six years ago as a test to gauge interest in the remake. The reception was positive, despite some criticism of certain aspects of the demo, and led the Embracer Group to found Alkimia Interactive, which has been working on the Gothic remake [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/gothic-remake-finally-has-launch-date-june-5/
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Ahead of the India AI Summit, Google Arts & Culture is releasing new experiences that delve into Indiaβs cultural heritage.AMD now commands over 40% of server and desktop CPU revenue share AMD has reached new heights within the CPU market, with both its server CPU and desktop CPU revenue shares surpassing 40%. AMDβs server CPU revenue share is now 41.3%. On desktops, AMDβs CPU revenue share is now 42.6%. Note that AMDβs server and [β¦]
The post AMD secures EPYC win with record server CPU revenue share appeared first on OC3D.
Before the NES, home consoles were a burned market in the US. Nintendo reversed that narrative with games that turned consoles into a global industry again.
Launch is a community platform to discover, share, and promote AI products. Browse weekly launches, see winners and hidden gems, and explore categories spanning productivity, agents, and more. Makers can submit products and gain visibility with Launch Pass, while readers subscribe to a free weekly newsletter and join forums to connect with other builders. Use Launch to track what's new in AI, find tools by category, and engage with a community that helps your product gain traction.
Eyematch.ai lets you upload a face photo and search millions of online sources to find exact or similar matches. It delivers fast, clear results that show where a face appears across the web, helping individuals, brands, and investigators track images, verify identities, and spot fraud.
Eyematch.ai converts a photo into a facial data pattern and compares it against images online while keeping searches private; it does not store or share your photos. Use it to find where your pictures appear, uncover impersonation and catfish accounts, and monitor unauthorized use.
WordPress co-founder and Automattic are alleged to have planned to target at least ten competitors beyond WP Engine.
The post WP Engine Complaint Adds Unredacted Allegations About Mullenweg Plan appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
The iPhone 17e is expected to be Appleβs first hardware release of 2026, and for those wondering about its launch, the successor to the iPhone 16eΒ could be just around the corner, thanks to a reliable update, claiming that the inventory of Appleβs current-generation low-cost handset has βdried out.β This should be sufficient evidence that the company is gearing up for the announcement of the newer model. M3 iPad Air is also witnessing shortages, implying the arrival of the M4 refresh The track record of Bloombergβs Mark Gurman is top-notch, and while he might keep us in suspense regarding the M5 [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/iphone-16e-inventory-dried-out-iphone-17e-launching-soon/
This morning, during the Embracer Group's Q3 FY 2025/26 report (October-December 2025), it was revealed that Warhorse's Kingdom Come: Deliverance II game has sold more than five million units in its first year on the market. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II originally debuted on February 4, 2025, so it's been roughly a year and eight days since its release. The historical first-person open world action roleplaying game enjoyed an excellent reception; on Wccftech, reviewer Chris Wray awarded it a rare perfect score and waxed plenty of praise upon the latest work of the Czech studio: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/kingdom-come-deliverance-ii-5-million-units-sold/
This is perhaps the first time we are seeing the China-exclusive workstation GPU with its PCB exposed, revealing how the memory chips are laid out. GINNSOD Shows 28x 3 GB GDDR7 Memory Modules Layout on NVIDIA RTX 6000D Blackwell Server GPU The China-exclusive NVIDIA RTX 6000D was recently seen in a teardown video by GINNSOD, which appears to be showcasing the Server edition for the GPU. The RTX 6000D is the RTX PRO 6000 variant for the Chinese workstation and server market, and is nerfed to bring fewer shaders and memory capacity. As we can see in the video, the [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-rtx-6000d-84-gb-pcb-spotted-uses-a-28x-3gb-gddr7-chips-layout/
Samsung has reportedly sent out samples of its next-gen LPDDR6X memory technology to Qualcomm ahead of its LPDDR6 launch. Samsung Is Already Sending Out LPDDR6X Memory Samples To Firms Such As Qualcomm I know this is our third Samsung-related post of the day, but the news is definitely interesting as it talks about the next-generation LPDDR6X memory standard. The information comes from a Korean outlet, the bell, who have managed to confirm that Samsung shipped samples of its next-gen LPDDR6X memory to Qualcomm. As of right now, Samsung has already done its work on LPDDR6 memory and is expected to [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-next-gen-lpddr6x-memory-samples-already-delivered-to-qualcomm/
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AvairAI uses AI agents to manage your outbound prospecting and book qualified meetings so you can focus on closing. By providing your website and one customer story, it builds an account-based campaign, identifies target accounts and decision makers, crafts personalized emails, and makes compliant phone calls that handle objections. The platform verifies contacts and phone numbers for deliverability, employment, and TCPA compliance, and delivers production-ready assets like 12-touch sequences, curated prospect lists, and a trained AI call agent. Launch in minutes with no integrations and generate a nonstop pipeline. With Pair Selling, you never sell alone.
Samsung has officially commenced mass production and shipment of its next-gen HBM4 memory with up to 13 Gbps speeds & 48 GB capacities. Samsung Commences Mass Production & Shipment of HBM4 Memory: Up To 13 Gbps Speeds, 3.3 TB/s Bandwidth Per Stack, & 48 GB Capacities In 16-Hi Stacks HBM4 will be the next-generation memory standard adopted by powerful datacenter chips such as NVIDIA's Vera Rubin and AMD's Instinct MI450 series. The new standards offer more than just speed improvements, with the highlights listed below: Press Release: Samsung Electronics, a global leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-hbm4-memory-mass-production-with-up-to-13-gbps-48-gb-capacities/
Samsung Display has announced its new "QD-OLED Penta-Tandem" premium technology brand for its proprietary five-layer organic light-emitting structure. Samsung QD-OLED Penta-Tandem Displays Come With Five-Layer Organic Light Emitting Structure, VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500 Certification & Available Across Full Lineup This Year Press Release: Samsung Display unveiled βQD-OLED Penta Tandemβ, a new premium technology brand built on its proprietary five-layer organic light-emitting structure, a core innovation unique to its QD-OLED panels. Samsung Display announced that it has completed trademark registration for the new brand, created to highlight the distinctive value of its five-layer organic light-emitting structure applied to QD-OLED panels for [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/samsung-display-qd-oled-penta-tandem-premium-technology-brand/
Blizzard Entertainment hosted its final spotlight announcement in its flurry of spotlight showcases over the past two weeks with the Diablo 30th Anniversary Spotlight, a peek into everything coming to the Diablo franchise in the coming milestone year. Like previous spotlights for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Hearthstone, plenty was left off today's agenda to be revealed at BlizzCon 2026. But we now know of one major element that's coming to Diablo IV, Diablo Immortal, and Diablo II: Resurrected: Warlocks. The Warlock class is being added to all three aforementioned titles, the most significant of which perhaps is its inclusion [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/diablo-iv-diablo-ii-resurrected-diablo-immortal-warlock-class-blizzard-blizzcon/
ClearAhead helps you understand what is genuinely safe to spend over the next few weeks, without pressure or judgment. It focuses on a short look-ahead window and updates daily as income, bills, and extras change, allowing you to breathe and make calmer choices.
ClearAhead Basic (Β£0.99) works fully offline with no ads or tracking and includes overview, income, bills, extras, a 5-week forecast, and a lowest balance view. ClearAhead Pro (Β£2.99/month) adds a calendar, visual income vs. outgoing views, and gentle insights without altering your data or sending alerts. It is available on Android first, with iOS and Windows coming soon.
It's happened again. Highguard, the latest free-to-play live service first-person shooter to enter the fray, this time from developer Wildlight Entertainment, a team made up of former Apex Legends and Titanfall 2 developers, launched just two weeks ago on January 26, 2026. Today, February 11, 2026, a little more than two weeks since launch, the studio confirmed it had a round of layoffs. Individual developers across multiple branches, including principal and senior members of staff, shared the news on their LinkedIn accounts before the studio made a statement of its own on the official Wildlight Entertainment X (formerly Twitter) account. [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/two-weeks-after-launch-highguard-developer-wildlight-has-already-had-layoffs-reportedly-cutting-most-of-the-team/
Lab of Data builds AI-powered forecasting tools that take you from raw CSVs to decisions. Its RoadMap TrailBlazer platform cleans data, benchmarks over 45 statistical, machine learning, and deep learning models, and delivers chart-aware AI analysis, simulations, and executive narratives. Geneva Express brings the Geneva Expert System to spreadsheets with lightning-fast forecasts and full Excel integration, while ETS Express offers a free Holt-Winters tool, all with enterprise-grade security.
Konvertly is an all-in-one AI SDR that automates your outbound sales process. It finds verified B2B leads, writes hyper-personalized emails, and manages daily outreach with built-in safety limits. Stop gluing tools together; just press play and wake up to booked meetings.
cointester.io is a visual crypto trading strategy builder that lets you create and backtest crypto trading ideas without writing code. You can combine over 100 indicators, candlestick patterns, and AI sentiment signals, then test against more than five years of historical data across over 1,000 trading pairs with realistic fees and slippage. Configure leverage, stop loss, take profit, and position sizing. Review exactly where your strategy entered and exited, analyze performance metrics and charts, and validate whether your approach works on real historical data.
YouTube will send fewer channel notifications if users don't engage with them.
HookTide helps professionals grow their LinkedIn presence with voice-aware AI that learns your tone and positioning. It analyzes your profile and posts, generates authentic posts and carousels, and delivers weekly insights, goals, and action plans. You can track comments and get AI reply suggestions in the engagement hub, and monitor reach, sentiment, and trends with analytics. Teams can collaborate in shared workspaces and model brand or client voices.
Appleβs M2 MacBook Air offers decent hardware to those who require ample battery life and arenβt too worried about the lack of storage and memory upgrades available to them. However, there are always exceptions everywhere, and in light of the DRAM crisis, weβll bear witness to some unorthodox examples of creative juices flowing on various social media channels. The latest mod involves a portable Mac owner who wasnβt going to pay the ludicrous premium for a solid-state drive, so he took some tape, an existing SATA SSD, and a USB-C dongle and attached all three things to the M2 MacBook [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/m2-macbook-air-sata-ssd-mod-using-a-dongle-and-tape/
One of the most highly anticipated AAA survival horror games is right around the corner, and while Capcom gets ready to officially launch Resident Evil RequiemΒ this month, NVIDIA has launched its game bundle,Β where you get a free copy of the title with every purchase of an RTX 50 series GPU. Thankfully, this offer isnβt limited to desktop graphics cards and extends to gaming laptops, and youβll be thrilled to learn that the MSI Vector 16 HX AI, which houses the RTX 5070 Ti, is $200 off on Amazon. In short, youβre not just pocketing extra savings, but youβre also getting [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/msi-vector-16-hx-ai-rtx-5070-ti-amazon-gaming-laptop-deal-save-200-and-get-resident-evil-requiem-free-copy/
First, Apple scaled back its World Knowledge Answers AI project, as well as an AI-driven overhaul of the Safari browser and the Apple Health app. Now, it seems the Cupertino giant is rolling back the launch of the new Gemini-backed Siri, resorting to a gradual feature drop approach instead. Apple's launch of the new Gemini-backed Siri hits roadblocks As we've been noting ad nauseum over the past couple of weeks, Apple has formally selected Google's Gemini to power the next generation of its on-device Foundation Models as well as a revamped version of Siri, which would bring the much-delayed in-app [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apples-much-anticipated-siri-overhaul-hits-a-snag-new-features-to-now-roll-out-in-batches/
CI Games is getting ready to release its third Lords of the Fallen game with Lords of the Fallen 2, sometime later this year, which we last got a look at during The Game Awards 2025 with a new gameplay trailer. Outside of CI Games' chief executive officer, Marek Tyminski, promising that this fantasy action game won't be "politically correct" and that it will feature female characters in revealing armour, in a new developer deep-dive, game director James Lowe promises that the combat will be "bolder, braver, bloodier." A quick rundown on the series, if you're confused as to why [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/bolder-braver-bloodier-ci-games-digs-into-lords-of-the-fallen-2-combat-in-new-developer-deep-dive/
Q4 2025 turned out to be a fantastic quarter for AMD with the highest CPU revenue and unit share in both EPYC and Ryzen segments. AMD x86 CPU Share Continues To Grow: Explosive Gains With Ryzen Desktop & Highest Share For EPYC AMD's CPU market share has been growing steadily, and the end of 2025 saw its biggest CPU unit and revenue figures, as reported by Mercury Research. The latest figures show share increases in both client and server segments, so let's break down the numbers, starting with the client market. In Q4 2025, AMD's Desktop Revenue share increased by [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/amd-cpu-market-share-huge-growth-q4-2025-ryzen-desktop-highest-revenue-ever/
For years, the gold standard in Search ads was granularity. Advertisers built elaborate, multi-layered campaigns to cover every variable, from match types to device bidsβ¦Meta's 27th data center in the U.S. will help to power its AI ambitions.Β
Mini dramas are having a moment on TikTok and Instagram is taking notice.
The option gives users the capacity to change what they see in-feed.
The new option will generate a BitmojiΒ based on an image.Β
docs2excel.ai uses AI to extract custom data points or full tables from documents and convert them into Excel. No complex setup is required; just upload your documents and download the results. It is great for invoices, receipts, bank statements, and purchase orders, as well as resumes and research papers. Privacy is a priority: your files are processed only to deliver the service. They are never stored, sold, or used to train AI models.
Apple has just opened the proverbial floodgates by officially releasing the iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3,Β watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, HomePod Software 26.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.3 software updates. Apple iOS 26.3 goes official, along with software updates for a wide range of Apple devices The iOS 26.3 software update includes the following changes, as gleaned from the recent beta updates: Limit Precise Location Apple has added a new "limit precise location" feature, which limits carrier visibility to the neighborhood instead of the more precise street level. The following carriers will support this feature for now: Do note that this [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/apple-officially-released-ios-26-3-update-and-more/
Hello Games has just released Remnant, another free update for No Man's Sky. The patch (6.2) introduces gravity manipulation mechanics, extensive vehicle customization, and industrial waste processing facilities. The headline feature of Remnant is arguably the Gravitino Coil, a new Multi-Tool upgrade that fundamentally changes how players interact with the game world. This device allows travelers to magnetize, carry, and launch objects, creating entirely new gameplay possibilities through physics manipulation. No Man's Sky players are now able to grab and fling various items scattered across planets, including golden artifacts discovered in planetary ruins. However, the developers believe the tool's most [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/no-mans-sky-remnant-update-adds-gravity-manipulation/
For the second year in a row, Xbox has revealed the games awarded with its signature stamp of excellence in the Xbox Excellence Awards. The awards list 20 titles in four categories, though several of them are repeats, which means only 55 individual titles have made the cut this year. Of those 55, included are titles like ARC Raiders, Battlefield 6, Helldivers 2, and Hollow Knight Silksong, all of which made the cut as some of the best-selling games on the Xbox platform in 2025. The games are listed alphabetically in the Xbox Wire post announcing the winners, so we [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/arc-raiders-battlefield-6-helldivers-2-and-hollow-knight-silksong-were-some-of-the-best-selling-games-on-xbox-in-2025/
Verizon is showcasing its data throughput prowess this week after the Sunday's Super Bowl LX match in San Francisco, where the carrier says that it provided median download speeds of 2.16 Gbps at the height of the action. Verizon claims the data throughput it offered during this year's Super Bowl Sunday was the result of "nearly 200 individual network projects across the Bay Area" Verizon has just given a snapshot of the data throughput it powered via its dense network in the Bay Area: Do note that Verizon is the official 5G network of the NFL. As such, the network [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/verizon-customers-used-40-32-tb-of-data-in-the-vicinity-of-levis-stadium-on-super-bowl-sunday/
We have another film adaptation of a video game to look forward to, and it's once again another PlayStation franchise to add to the list of adaptations under the belt of Sony and PlayStation Productions. This time, it's Fast & Furious director Justin Lin taking on an adaptation of Arrowhead Games' Helldivers, with Dune's Duncan Idaho, Jason Momoa, starring in the film. The news comes from a report from Deadline, which adds that the film will premiere next year, on November 10, 2027, with Lin's Perfect Storm Entertainment and PlayStation Productions producing the film. Other adaptations, whether they're set to [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/jason-momoa-star-helldivers-film-fast-and-furious-director-justin-lin/
HP, one of the biggest PC manufacturers, has given its verdict on the ongoing DRAM shortages, and the solution is renting gaming laptops. Yeah, you read it right. HP Is Now Offering Four Different OMEN Laptop Configurations to Rent, And You'll Never Own the Device The DRAM supercycle has disrupted the PC supply chain, and it appears manufacturers have few options on board to mitigate the risks posed by rising DRAM prices. One solution discussed in the industry is sourcing Chinese memory modules, which is thought to be a cheaper option, but we won't go into that for now. In [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/hp-response-to-memory-shortages-isnt-switching-to-chinese-suppliers-or-cutting-specs-its-asking-gamers-to-rent-laptops/
ARC Raiders wouldn't be an extraction shooter if Embark Studios didn't have people asking you to bring stuff back from your trips Topside. That's why there are plenty of quests you'll be asked to complete for each of the traders featured. Though the actual tasks these quests require you to complete are relatively simple, they're not always simple to complete. Besides avoiding other players and ARCs to make it to your destination, if you're not thorough, you run the risk of needing multiple visits Topside just to get one objective completed. This guide will run you through how to complete [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/how-to/arc-raiders-the-league-quest-guide/
TikTok U.S. brings its local content display to American users.
Google's head of ads and commerce has shared some insights into what is coming.Β
The Wild West of web scraping is changing, due in large part to OpenAIβs deal with Disney. The deal allows OpenAI to train on high-fidelity, human-verified cinematic content β intended to combat AI slop fatigue.Β
This deal opens up new opportunities to reinforce your brandβs visibility and recall. AI models are hungry for high-quality data, and this shift turns video into an essential asset for your brand.
Hereβs a breakdown of why video is the new source of truth for AI and how you can use it to protect your brandβs identity.
When a large language modelβs training set lacks data on a specific brand, the LLM doesnβt admit that it doesnβt know. Instead, it interpolates, filling the gaps in your brandβs story. It makes guesses about your brand identity based on patterns from similar brands or general industry information.Β
This interpolation can lead to brand drift. Hereβs what it looks like when an AI model narrates an inaccurate version of your business.
Say you represent a SaaS company. A user asks ChatGPT about one of your productβs features. But the model doesnβt have information about that specific feature.
So, the model constructs elaborate setup instructions, pricing tiers, and integration requirements for the phantom feature.
This has surfaced for companies like Streamer.bot, where users regularly arrive with confidently wrong instructions generated by ChatGPT β forcing teams to correct misinformation that the product never published.Β
AI brand drift happens to local businesses, too. As one restaurant owner told Futurism, Google AI Overviews repeatedly shared false information about both specials and menu items.
To correct brand drift and prevent AI from distorting your brand message, your company must provide a canonical source of truth.
By producing authoritative videos (e.g., a demo that explicitly clarifies pricing), you provide strong semantic information through the transcript and visual proof. The video becomes the canonical source of truth that makes things clear, overriding opinions from Reddit and other sources.
In contrast, a text file contains low entropy. A statement like β50% offβ is identical whether it was written in 2015 or 2025. Text often lacks the timestamp of reality, making it easy for AI to manipulate or lose the context of the real world.
To fix this, you need a medium with more data packed into every second. A five-minute video at 60 frames per second contains 18,000 frames of visual evidence, a nuanced audio track, and a text transcript.
Video enables LLMs to capture non-verbal, high-fidelity cues, creating a validation layer that preserves the visual evidence often flattened or lost in written content.
Creative studios like Berlin-based Impolite specialize in high-production-value video that provides the chaotic, non-repetitive entropy that AI needs to verify. The studioβs work for global brands serves as the high-density data source that prevents brand drift.
For example, Karmanβs βThe Space That Makes Us Humanβ project is a masterclass in creating a canonical source of truth, using high-fidelity, expert-led video to anchor brand identity.
Dig deeper: How to optimize video for AI-powered search
As deepfakes proliferate, authenticity is shifting from a vague moral concept to a hard technical signal. Search engines and AI agents need a way to verify the provenance.
Is this video real? Is it from the brand it claims to be?
For AI models, real-world human footage is the ultimate high-trust data source. It provides physical evidence, such as a person speaking, a product in motion, or a specific location. In contrast, AI-generated video often lacks the chaotic, non-repetitive entropy of real-world light and physics.Β
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) is developing a new provenance standard to verify authenticity. The organization, which includes members such as Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and OpenAI, provides the technical specifications that enable this data to be cryptographically verifiable.
At the same time, the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), spearheaded by Adobe, drives the adoption of open-source tools for digital transparency.
Together, the two organizations go beyond simple watermarking. They allow brands to sign videos the moment they begin recording, providing a signal that AI models can prioritize over unverified noise.
Ever notice that tiny βCRβ mark in the corner of certain media on LinkedIn? This label stands for content credentials. It appears on images and videos to indicate their origin and whether the creator used AI to produce or edit them.Β
When you click or hover over the βCRβ icon on a LinkedIn post, a sidebar or pop-up appears that shows:
Some creators are already looking to circumvent the icon. Some have shared tips to hide the tag.
While some call it LinkedIn shaming, its presence signals authority. Itβs also gaining traction.Β
Google has begun integrating C2PA signals into search and ads to help enforce policies regarding misrepresentation and AI disclosure. The search giant has also updated its documentation to explain how C2PA metadata is handled in Google Images.
Dig deeper: The SEO shift you canβt ignore: Video is becoming source material
For content marketers, adopting C2PA is a defensive moat against misinformation and a proactive signal of quality.
If a bad actor deepfakes your CEO, the absence of your corporate cryptographic signature acts as a silent alarm. Platforms and AI agents will immediately detect that the content lacks a verified origin seal and de-prioritize it in favor of authenticated assets.
Hereβs how it works in practice.
Select Sony cameras use the brandβs camera authenticity solution to embed digital signatures in real time. The signature uses keys held in a secure hardware chipset. Sony uses 3D depth data alongside the C2PA manifest rather than a 2D screen or a projection to verify that a real 3D subject was filmed.
Similarly, select Qualcommβs products support a cryptographic seal that proves the photoβs authenticity. In addition, apps like Truepic and ProofMode can sign footage on standard devices.
C2PA-aware software, such asΒ Adobe Premiere Pro, integrates content credentials. This allows brands to embed a manifest listing the creator, edits, and software.
Think of it as a content ledger. Content credentials act as a digital paper trail, logging every hand that touches the file:
If the content is altered outside of a C2PA-compliant tool, the cryptographic link is severed.
When an AI model performs an evidence-weighting calculation to decide which information to show a user, it will see this broken signature.
Dig deeper: How to dominate video-driven SERPs
Information overload is constant nowadays. Traditional gatekeepers are struggling because AI generates content faster than humans can verify it. Authenticity becomes scarce online as Audiences increasingly seek out authenticity and strive to distinguish signal from noise.
From LLMs to search engines like Google, AI systems struggle with the same challenge. Verified subject matter experts (SMEs) are emerging as critical differentiators and as guarantors of credibility and pertinence.
An SME is a human anchor point of credibility for both humans and machines. When brands pair expertise with verifiable video documentation, they create something AI canβt replicate: authentic authority that audiences can see, hear, and trust.
A video transcript of an expert explaining a complex topic often captures colloquial, nuanced details that polished, static blog posts miss. Hereβs how to use expert-led videos as the starting point of your content flywheel:Β
By repurposing a single high-density video asset across these formats, you create a self-reinforcing loop of authority.
This increases the probability that an AI model will encounter and index your brandβs expertise in the format that the model prefers. For example, Gemini might index the video, while Perplexity might index the transcript.
It doesnβt have to be fancy, as this clip from Search with Sean shows:
Before you hit record, identify where your brand is most vulnerable to AI drift. To maximize the surface area for AI retrieval, proceed this way:Β
Hereβs a concrete example recorded with Semrushβs Brand Control Quadrant framework:
Dig deeper: The future of SEO content is video β hereβs why
With infinite, low-cost AI slop cropping up, itβs going to get harder and harder to fight deepfakes. But itβs harder for an AI to hallucinate a real physical event than a sentence.
The most valuable asset a brand owns is its verifiable expertise. By anchoring your brand in expert-led, multimodal video, you ensure that your identity remains consistent, protected, and prioritized.
A clear hierarchy of data is emerging: high-fidelity, cryptographically signed video is the premium currency. For every other brand, the mandate is simple: Record reality. If you donβt provide a signed, high-density video record of your business, the AI will hallucinate one for you.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of positioning your brand and content so that AI platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity cite, recommend, or mention you when users search for answers.
If that sounds abstract, the results arenβt.
For bootstrapped form builder tool, Tally, ChatGPT became the #1 referral source.
Theyβre not alone. Across industries, the shift is already measurable.
ChatGPT reaches over 800 million weekly users. Googleβs Gemini app has surpassed 750 million monthly users. And AI Overviews are appearing in at least 16% of all searches (significantly higher for comparison and high-intent queries).Β
The question isnβt whether AI is changing discovery. Itβs whether your brand is showing up when it happens.
So GEO is real. But is it stable enough to invest in seriously?
Thatβs a fair question.Β
When we tracked 2,500 prompts across Google AI Mode and ChatGPT through the Semrush AI Visibility Index, the first thing we noticed was volatility.Β
Between 40 and 60% of cited sources change from month to month.
But underneath the variances, patterns emerged.Β
The brands showing up consistently shared specific structural characteristics. Entity clarity, content extractability, multi-platform presence made them easier for AI systems to find, trust, and reference.
In this guide, Iβll share what weβve found about what GEO requires, how it differs from SEO, and the framework for increasing your visibility in AI-driven discovery.
GEO helps your brand appear in AI-generated answers.
For example, when someone asks an AI tool βWhat is the best whey protein powder for a mom in their 50s,β the response typically evaluates brands and recommends options based on ingredients, reviews, and credibility signals.
If your content or brand is included in that response, itβs an example of GEO in action.
Getting there requires coordinated effort across several areas:
These activities overlap with traditional SEO, but the emphasis shifts.
GEO builds on the same SEO fundamentals you already use. But it shifts the focus from rankings and clicks to how your brand is mentioned and cited inside AI-generated answers.
Hereβs a snapshot of some key differences between GEO and traditional SEO:
| What Changes | Traditional SEO | GEO |
| Primary goal | Rank in top search positions | Be referenced or mentioned in AI answers |
| Success metrics | Rankings, clicks, traffic | Citations, mentions, share of voice |
| How users find you | Click through to your site | AI includes you in generated responses |
| Key platforms | Google, Bing | Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity |
| How you optimize content | Title tags, keywords, site speed, content quality | Self-contained paragraphs, clear facts, structured data |
| How you build credibility | Backlinks, author credentials, reviews, domain authority | Positive mentions across trusted platforms and communities |
Use this table to update your mental model.Β
Traditional SEO fundamentals still matter. Weβre just adapting how we apply them as AI systems change how people discover information.
Now, letβs break down what this means in practice.
The core principles behind effective SEO still apply to GEO.
You still need to publish high-quality, authoritative content for real users. Your site still needs to be technically accessible. You still need credible signals of trust and expertise. And you still need to understand user intent and deliver clear value.
AI systems tend to reference content that is authoritative, well-structured, and easy to interpret. Those are the same qualities that support strong SEO performance.Β
If you already have a solid SEO foundation, GEO builds on it rather than replacing it.
Further reading: SEO vs. GEO, AEO, LLMO: What Marketers Need to Know
Where GEO diverges is in how that foundation is applied.
1. Where you need presence
Traditional SEO focuses primarily on your owned properties, i.e. your website and blog.
GEO benefits from strategic presence across platforms where AI tools discover information, including:
2. How you structure information
AI systems extract specific passages from your content to construct answers. They pull a paragraph here, a statistic there, and weave them together.
This changes how you need to structure information.Β
When youβre explaining a concept, defining a term, or sharing data, that paragraph should ideally work on its own. AI systems often extract these substantive passages without the conversational setup around them. (Weβll cover the mechanics of how this works in the strategic framework later.)
You need clear headings to help AI identify which section answers which question.
Also, putting answers early in sections may make them easier for AI to find and extract.
Traditional SEO often rewards comprehensive coverage. GEO places more emphasis on content thatβs easy to extract and reassemble. Weβre still learning exactly how different AI systems prioritize structure, but clarity consistently helps.
3. What you measure
Traditional SEO metrics like rankings, clicks, and bounce rate tell part of the story.
GEO adds new measurements, like:
Together, these metrics help you understand not just whether youβre visible, but how your brand is being positioned inside AI-generated responses.
You need both traditional SEO metrics and AI visibility metrics to understand your full organic search presence in 2026.
Note: You can track these metrics using Semrushβs Enterprise AIO, which monitors your brandβs visibility across AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity.Β
It provides granular tracking of mentions, sentiment, share of voice, and competitive benchmarking to help you optimize your AI visibility strategy.
An effective GEO strategy rests on five connected principles that work together to maximize your AI visibility.
(As AI systems evolve, specific patterns may shift, but these underlying principles provide a stable foundation.)
Each one addresses how AI systems discover, evaluate, and reference your brand.
Letβs look at them in detail.
SEO fundamentals still matter for GEO, but for a different reason than in traditional search.
In AI-driven discovery, these fundamentals still function as optimization levers, but they influence retrieval, interpretation, and attribution rather than rankings alone.Β
They create the baseline conditions that allow AI systems to retrieve information, interpret it accurately, and attribute it to a source with confidence.
For instance, AI-generated answers are assembled from content that is accessible, readable, and attributable.Β
When accessibility, readability, or clear attribution are weak, even strong content becomes harder for AI systems to surface or reference reliably.
This is why many sources cited by AI platforms share characteristics long associated with solid SEO foundations.Β
The overlap exists because clarity and reliability still matter across discovery systems, even as the surfaces change.
Technical accessibility plays a role here.Β
Content that cannot be consistently crawled, indexed, or rendered introduces uncertainty at the retrieval layer.Β
Page performance has a similar effect. Slower or unstable experiences donβt block inclusion outright. But they reduce how dependable a source appears when answers are assembled.
JavaScript-heavy implementations highlight this dynamic.Β
Many AI crawlers still struggle to consistently process client-side rendered content, which can make core information harder to extract or interpret.Β
When that happens, AI systems have less certainty about using the content as a reference point.
But technical setup is only part of the equation.
AI systems also assess content quality and credibility. Information that reflects real experience, clear expertise, and identifiable authorship is easier to contextualize and trust.Β
Signals associated with E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) influence not just whether content is referenced, but how it is framed within an answer.
Taken together, these foundations explain why SEO still underpins GEO. Not as a ranking system, but as the infrastructure that makes AI visibility possible.
Further reading: A technical SEO blueprint for GEO: Optimize for AI-powered search
Entities help AI systems understand and categorize information on the web. This includes distinguishing your brand from similar names, identifying what category you belong to, and understanding which topics youβre credible for.
AI systems donβt just read words. They interpret structure.
Before schema ever comes into play, they look for clear signals about:
The most reliable way to provide those signals is through well-structured information.
If those signals are unclear or inconsistent, AI systems have less confidence when deciding whether and how to reference you.
Take monday.com as an example. When AI systems crawl websites and process information, they see βmondayβ mentioned in many different contexts.Β
Clear, consistent descriptions across the site and supporting sources help AI understand that monday.com refers to project management software. Not the day of the week.
The same principle applies to category clarity. If you sell organic dog food, AI needs to categorize your brand under pet nutrition, not general groceries or pet accessories.
When someone asks βwhatβs the best grain-free dog food,β AI is more likely to consider brands it can clearly place in the correct category.
On a product page, it should be unambiguous what each element represents β the product name, the description, the price, the attributes, availability and variants.
That clarity needs to exist in the visible page content first.Β
Schema markup can then mirror that structure in a machine-readable format (typically JSON-LD). And that same structured understanding should also be reflected in downstream systems, like your product feed submitted to Google Merchant Center.
In other words, the page structure, the schema markup, and the commerce feed should all describe the same thing in the same way.
The goal isnβt to βadd schema.β The goal is to make your information logically structured so machines can consistently understand it across systems.
This is important because we donβt know how structured data is used inside large language models. Or how exactly schema influences training, retrieval, or real-time answer generation.
But we do know this: AI systems cross-reference signals from multiple sources and formats.
Your brand description on LinkedIn should align with what appears on your site. Profiles on Crunchbase, review platforms, or industry directories should reinforce the same category, positioning, and value proposition.
When these signals are consistent across sources, AI systems can categorize and reference your brand with greater confidence. When they conflict, confidence drops, and your brand is less likely to be mentioned.
This is why entity clarity isnβt just about a single markup tactic. It comes from designing your content and presence so machines can reliably understand who you are, what you offer, and where you belong wherever your brand appears.
Further reading: How Ecommerce Brands Actually Get Discovered In AI Search
Tip: You can check if your site has missing structured data that makes entity relationships unclear β along with other issues that could potentially be hurting your AI search visibility β using Semrushβs Site Audit.
If entity clarity determines whether AI systems consider your content at all, extractability determines which specific parts get pulled into AI-generated answers.
This principle operates at the retrieval layer.
AI systems donβt consume pages the way humans do. When generating answers, they retrieve specific passages from across the web and assemble them into a response.
Hereβs how it works mechanically:
LLMs break content into chunks, convert those chunks into numerical representations (vectors), and retrieve the most relevant passages when assembling an answer.
Those retrieved chunks are then synthesized into a response β often without the surrounding context from your original page.
This has practical implications.Β
Based on what weβve observed, passages that retain meaning when read in isolation are more likely to be retrieved and used accurately. Passages that rely on conversational setup or references like βas mentioned aboveβ or βthis is whyβ tend to lose clarity when extracted.
Now this may not apply to every paragraph on a page.Β
But paragraphs that contain definitions, explanations, comparisons, or key facts should ideally stand on their own. These are the passages AI systems are most likely to extract without the surrounding narrative.
So what makes content extractable?
One important distinction: This principle mainly applies to retrieval-augmented systems β like Google AI Mode and Perplexity with grounding, and ChatGPT with browsing enabled. These systems get content in real-time.
For base model knowledge (what the LLM learned during training), content structure is less important. That knowledge comes from training, not from retrieving per-query. Building presence in training data takes time and requires consistent, authoritative publishing.
Below is an example of self-contained content that AI systems can easily extract and reference.
The same extractability principle shows up in everyday writing as well.
For example, compare these two ways of explaining the same cooking technique:
Hard to extract: βThere are several reasons this method works. After trying it, most people find their eggplant tastes better. Thatβs why many chefs use it.β
Easy to extract: βSalting eggplant for 15 minutes before cooking removes bitterness and excess moisture. This technique improves the final texture.β
Both explain the same idea. But the second version states the technique, timing, benefit, and result clearly, which makes it easy for AI to extract as a standalone passage.
Here are other examples:
When content is structured this way, AI systems can reliably retrieve relevant passages and include them in answers.Β
Over time, that increases the likelihood that your expertise is surfaced accurately when users ask questions related to your domain.
AI systems donβt just pull from your website when building answers. They gather information from YouTube, Reddit, review sites, industry publications, social platforms, and more.
This creates two opportunities for visibility:Β
Your owned presence
Owned presence is content you or your team create on platforms beyond your website.
Podcasts, webinars, conference presentations, and educational platforms provide additional long-form content AI systems can extract from.
These platforms often play an important role in AI discovery.
In fact, Reddit, Linkedin, and YouTube were among the top cited sources by the top LLMs in October 2025.
When your brand creates valuable content on these platforms, you give AI systems more material to draw from.
But the key is creating substantive, helpful content that addresses real problems in your industry.
Earned mentions
Earned mentions are references to your brand that you donβt directly control.
When multiple independent sources discuss your brand in relevant contexts, AI systems have clearer signals to interpret your credibility.
Further reading: 7 ways to grow brand mentions, a key metric for AI Overviews visibility
Side note: Tools like Semrushβs AI PR Toolkit make this easier to evaluate at scale. Beyond counting earned mentions, it shows how your brand is framed across sources, including whether mentions skew positive, neutral, or negative.Β
This metric can be very important as you work to extend brand visibility beyond your website. Because sentiment influences how AI systems frame your brand in answers, not just whether they mention you at all.
Why both matter
Owned presence and earned mentions work together.
Your owned content demonstrates expertise and provides detailed information AI can reference. Earned mentions from customers and industry sources validate your credibility.
When AI systems encounter both, they build a comprehensive understanding of what you offer.
This owned and earned content may also become part of LLM training data in the future, shaping how AI systems learn about and reference your brand long-term.
Traditional SEO metrics (like rankings, clicks, and traffic) only tell part of the story. But they had one major advantage: the attribution path was clear.Β
A user clicked, landed on your site, and either converted or didnβt. You could tie that traffic directly to revenue.
AI search breaks that path. When an AI tool recommends your product to a user, they might never click through to your site. The conversion may still happen β they Google your brand name later, sign up the following week β but your analytics wonβt connect it back to the AI mention that started it.
Thatβs the real measurement challenge. Itβs not just that the metrics are different. Itβs that the link between visibility and revenue becomes harder to trace.
The value here isnβt just the click. Itβs being part of the answer.
This requires measuring your visibility differently.
Here are the key metrics to consider:
The challenge is that traditional analytics platforms (like GA4 or Google Search Console) cannot track these signals. They only see what happens after a click.
This creates a βmeasurement blind spot.β You might be the most mentioned brand in ChatGPT, but your standard dashboards would show zero activity.
Platforms like Semrushβs AI Visibility Toolkit are built to solve this specific problem. They help quantify these βinvisibleβ GEO metrics, turning qualitative data (like sentiment and mention frequency) into trackable numbers.
Its Brand Performance report shows how visible your brand is in AI answers, how you compare to competitors, and whether mentions skew positive, neutral, or negative.Β
The toolkit also highlights AI visibility insights, helping you understand how your brand is currently interpreted in AI answers and where adjustments may improve visibility.
Ultimately, a modern search strategy requires monitoring two distinct dashboards:
One for your websiteβs performance (rankings and traffic) in traditional search. And one for your brandβs mentions across AI search
You need both to see the full picture.
These principles increase your probability of appearing in AI answers. They donβt guarantee it.
The volatility in AI citations means even well-optimized brands experience fluctuation.Β
Different AI platforms weigh signals differently. User context and conversation history affect what gets cited. And AI systems are evolving rapidly β what works today may shift as models update.
Think of GEO like brand building: youβre increasing your odds across many moments of potential visibility, not securing a fixed position.Β
The brands that do this well show up more often, more accurately, and in better context. But thereβs no βrank #1β equivalent to chase.
That realism isnβt a reason to ignore GEO. Itβs a reason to approach it as an ongoing discipline. Showing up consistently, across surfaces, over time, is how you build trust with AI systems.
The biggest misconception is that AI-generated answers are too volatile to optimize for.
While individual responses change, the underlying inputs do not. AI systems consistently rely on durable signals like authority, clarity, and trust. Brands with strong entity clarity and credible sources appear repeatedly, even as surface-level outputs fluctuate. The patterns are stable enough to act on.
No, GEO builds on SEO fundamentals.
Traditional SEO optimizes for rankings and clicks. GEO optimizes for mentions, citations, and recommendations inside AI-generated answers.
They work together. Strong SEO creates the foundation (technical accessibility, quality content, credibility signals) that AI systems rely on when deciding which brands to reference.
The clearest way to frame it is as a hierarchy.
GEO sits inside AI SEO as one way to improve visibility within generative systems. The goal is not optimizing for a single model or interface. The goal is being seen, trusted, and reused wherever people search for answers.
Further reading: How to Rank in AI Search (New Strategy & Framework)
Content that is easy for AI systems to retrieve, understand, and reuse is most likely to appear in generative AI responses.
In practice, this means clear, direct answers to specific questions, self-contained explanations, fact-based comparisons, and concise definitions that make sense without surrounding context. AI systems tend to pull individual passages, not entire pages, so structure and clarity matter more than length.
Well-known brands often start with more authority, but they donβt automatically win. Smaller publishers can compete when they own a clearly defined topic, show up consistently across platforms, and are easy for AI systems to understand and trust.Β
In practice, focused niche sites may outperform larger brands when their expertise is clearer, better structured, and tightly aligned with specific audience needs.
The right way to think about GEO is as a long-term visibility discipline, not a short-term optimization tactic.
Success comes from making your expertise clear, consistent, and reusable wherever AI systems look for answers. That requires strong alignment across content, SEO, brand, PR, product, and customer touchpoints.Β
AI search does not change the goal of helping users. It raises the standard for coherence, accuracy, and trust across the entire web.
Starting with Minecraft: Bedrock Edition 26.0, Mojang is switching to a year-based versioning scheme. The update also refreshes several baby mob models and textures, fixes a Nether Portal lava ignition bug, and includes smaller gameplay polish under the hood.
Google's VP of Ads & Commerce published her annual letter previewing agentic commerce updates, AI Mode ad expansion, and creator-brand matching tools for 2026.
The post Googleβs Ads Chief Details UCP Expansion, New AI Mode Ads appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
At the start of 2026, Ubisoft didn't just announce layoffs at one of its studios (which is how it started 2025). It announced a "major reset," which included layoffs at multiple studios, the shuttering of Ubisoft Halifax, the cancellation of the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, and significant changes to its operating structure, alongside some unpopular new policies like a return-to-office mandate. The response to these changes has not exactly been positive, both internally within Ubisoft and externally across the industry. On the stock market, the announcement of the restructure saw the company's stock price drop 34%, which [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/1200-ubisoft-employees-kick-off-three-day-international-strike/
Arkheron, the interesting and ambitious blend between Diablo, PUBG, and Dark Souls from Bonfire Studios, which we first got a look at last September. It will have its first public playtest via the launch of a brand new demo arriving on February 20, 2026, just ahead of the first Steam Next Fest of 2026, which will officially kick off three days later on February 23. The news of the new demo also came along with a new trailer, where Bonfire Studios takes players through some of its plans for Arkheron as the team gets closer to launch, and some of [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/bonfire-studios-mix-of-diablo-pubg-and-dark-souls-arkheron-will-get-a-steam-next-fest-demo-ahead-of-launch-later-this-year/
On paper, the Galaxy S26 Ultra specifications can be termed as boring, but instead of following what other companies are doing, such as incorporating high refresh rate displays and going for record-high brightness levels, Samsung is adding something that will actually be of use to the average buyer. According to one tipster, the privacy display called βFlex Magic PixelβΒ is expected to arrive with the Korean giantβs top-end flagship, and it could end up becoming the deviceβs signature feature. Developers taking advantage of the Galaxy S26 Ultraβs privacy display can take the technologyβs usefulness to another level, if implemented properly On [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/galaxy-s26-ultra-privacy-display-addresses-concerns-rather-than-incremental-upgrades/
Rapidus, one of Japan's biggest native chipmakers, now plans to take its 2nm production ambitions to new heights, aiming to reach a respectable production capacity by 2028. Rapidus Plans to Achieve 60,000 WPM By 2028 For Its 2nm Process, Making It Japan's Most Ambitious Chip Fab The semiconductor industry is heating up, not just in terms of the competition it faces, but also in the demand foundries like TSMC are seeing amid the AI frenzy. While most chip orders are currently focused on the Taiwan chip giant, it appears that multiple competitors are seeking an 'opening window', among them Rapidus. [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/rapidus-accelerates-2nm-push-and-plans-dramatic-production-expansion/
MercurySteam, the developer behind the critically acclaimed 2D action game, Metroid Dread, followed up its beloved Nintendo-exclusive outing with something completely different last year. Blades of Fire was a new 3D action-adventure game that saw you take the role of Aran de Lira, the last blacksmith capable of wielding and forging true steel, who is tasked with killing the Queen to save humanity. When it launched in May 2025, Wccftech's Francesco De Meo reviewed it, and despite it lacking in originality with its fantasy setting and narrative, he praised the weapon variety and forging mechanics, giving it an 8.5/10. A [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/blades-of-fire-steam-version-2-0-release-date-nvidia-dlss-4-mercurysteam/
In less than a year since its release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has become almost legendary. Breaking all records for Game of the Year awards, the role-playing game developed by Sandfall Interactive has enjoyed immense popularity thanks to its classic JRPG gameplay and incredible art direction. Funnily enough, that art direction is so convincing that it recently triggered a national antiquities investigation in the Middle East. "This can't be for real, my Expedition Journal that comes with the Monolith Set got detained by customs for being 'possibly ancient", reported Reddit user Ahmed15252 on the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 subreddit. "Customs [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/clair-obscur-expedition-33-art-direction-is-so-authentic-it-triggered-a-national-antiquities-investigation/
The PC cooler industry remains vibrant with several options for users to select from. There are several well-known and go-to brands for cooling enthusiasts, but every once in a while, we get an opportunity to review products from companies that are unheard of. ASRock is the latest entrant in this market who have been steadily expanding its PC hardware and component reach into various segments. At CES, we got to see their full-fledged lineup, ranging from entry-level to mainstream and high-end designs. Today, we are going to test one of their higher-end gaming AIO coolers, the Phantom Gaming 360 LCD, [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/asrock-phantom-gaming-360-lcd-360mm-aio-liquid-cooler-review-great-cooling-with-vrm-fan-halo-argb-fan-frame/
Google VP Vidhya Srinivasan shares how Google is reimagining commercial experiences to be fluid, assistive and personal in 2026.Google today announced an early preview of WebMCP, a new protocol that defines how AI agents interact with websites.
WebMCP lets developers tell large language models exactly what each button or link on a website does. WebMCP allows websites to explicitly publish a clear βTool Contractβ that defines available actions.
It runs on a new browser API, navigator.modelContext. Through that API, the website shares a structured list of tools β such as buyTicket(destination, date). The AI can then call those functions directly, making interactions faster, more accurate, and far more reliable.
Structured interactions for the agentic web. WebMCP introduces two new APIs that let browser agents act on a userβs behalf:
These APIs act as a bridge, making your website agent-ready. They enable faster, more reliable agent workflows than raw DOM manipulation.
Use cases. Google shared use cases that show how an AI agent can handle complex tasks for your users with speed and confidence:
How to access the preview. You can apply for the preview to WebMCP here.
Why we care. Agentic experiences are shaping the future of searchβand possibly SEO. Dan Petrovic called it the biggest shift in technical SEO since structured data. Glenn Gabe called this a big deal. Itβs worth exploring these new protocols now.
Google is redesigning shopping and advertising around AI-powered, agent-driven experiences, and said speed and certainty will converge for consumers and brands in 2026.
In her third annual letter, Vidhya Srinivasan, Googleβs VP and GM of Ads and Commerce, outlined how Search, YouTube, and its shopping infrastructure are being rebuilt for the agentic era β where AI doesnβt just surface information but actively assists, recommends, and completes transactions.
Key trends. Google is redefining commercial intent across Search, YouTube, and AI interfaces. Ads are moving deeper into conversational experiences like AI Mode, creative production is becoming AI-native, and checkout is embedding directly into Search. Here are key takeaways from Srinivasanβs letter:
Why we care. Adapting to AI-mediated commerce is increasingly necessary to stay competitive. Buying decisions are shifting β more often happening inside AI-driven search, creator content, and agent-powered checkout flows that could reshape traffic and conversion paths. These changes may create new ways to reach high-intent shoppers, but they also signal growing platform control over discovery, measurement, and transactions, potentially affecting competition, costs, and brand visibility.
Googleβs blog post. What to expect in digital advertising and commerce in 2026
As consumers lean into AI search, the industry has focused on the technical βhowβ β tracking everything from Agentic Commerce Protocols (ACP) to ChatGPTβs latest shopping research tools. In doing so, it often misses the larger shift: conversational search, which is changing how visibility is earned.
Thereβs a common argument that big brands will always win in AI. I disagree. When you move beyond the βbest running shoesβ shorthand and look at the deep context users now provide, the playing field levels. AI is trying to match user needs to specific solutions, and itβs up to your brand to provide the details.
This article explains how conversational search changes product discovery and what ecommerce teams need to update on product detail pages (PDPs) to remain visible in AI-driven shopping experiences.
While semantic search is critical for understanding the meaning and context of words, conversational search is the ability to maintain a back-and-forth dialogue with a user over time.
Semantic search is the foundation for conversational visibility. Think of it like a restaurant: If semantic search is the chef who knows exactly what you mean by βsomething light,β conversational search is the waiter who remembers that youβre ordering for dinner.
| Feature | Semantic search | Conversational search |
| Goal | To understand intent and context | To handle a flow of questions |
| How it thinks | It knows βcarβ and βautomobileβ are the same thing | It knows that when you say βhow much is it?β, βitβ refers to the car you just mentioned |
| The interaction | Searching with a phrase instead of keywords | Having a chat where the computer remembers what you were asking about before |
| Example | Asking βWhat is a healthy meal?β and getting results for βnutritious recipes.β | Asking βWhat is a healthy meal?β followed by βgive me a recipe for that.β |
AI blends them together. It uses semantic understanding to decode your complex intent and conversational logic to keep the thread of the story moving. For brands, this means your content has to be clear enough for the βchefβ to interpret and consistent enough for the βwaiterβ to follow.
I recently shared how my mom was using ChatGPT to remodel her kitchen. She didnβt start by searching for βthe best cabinets.β Instead, she leveraged ChatGPT as her pseudo-designer and contractor, using AI to solve specific problems.
Product discovery happened naturally through constraint-based queries:
Her conversations were piling up, allowing her to reach multiple solutions at once. Her discovery journey was layered. When ChatGPT recommended products to complete her tasks, she simply followed up with, βWhere can I buy those?β
Brands and marketers need to stop optimizing for keywords and start optimizing for tasks. Identify the specific conversations where your product becomes the solution. If your data canβt answer the βWill this fit?β or βIs this easy?β questions, you wonβt be part of the final recommendation.
βRecommend productsβ is the top task users trust AI to handle, highlighting a clear opportunity for brands, according to Tinuitiβs 2026 AI Trends Study. (Disclosure: I am the Sr. Director of AI SEO Innovation at Tinuiti.)Β
For your brand to be the one recommended, your PDPs must provide the βground truthβ details these assistants need to make a confident selection.Β Β
Dig deeper: How to make ecommerce product pages work in an AI-first world
Step away from the keyword research tools and stop asking for βprompt volumes.β In an AI-driven world, intent is more important than volume. Before changing a single page, you need to understand the high-intent journeys your personas are actually taking.
To identify your high-intent semantic opportunities:
Your PDP should operate like a product knowledge document and be optimized for natural language. This helps an AI system decide whether to recommend the product for a specific situation.
Content should support better decision-making. Audit your PDPs to determine whether they provide enough detail on who the product is best for β and not for. Does the page explicitly name your ideal buyer, their skill level, lifestyle constraints, and deal-breakers?
AI shopping queries often include exclusions, and clearly outlining the important parts of your user search journey will help you understand where your products fit best.
Compatibility feels synonymous with electronics (e.g., βWill my headphones connect to this computer?β). But think beyond one-to-one compatibility and expand into lifestyle compatibility:
People are searching for how products fit into their lifestyle needs. Highlight and emphasize the features that make your products compatible with their lifestyle.
Dig deeper: How to make products machine-readable for multimodal AI search
Breaking down your customer search journey and listening to your customersβ concerns, either through AI sentiment analysis, social listening, or product reviews, will help you understand what you need to be specific about.
If your biggest customer complaint is understanding when and how to use your products, youβre likely not making it easy enough for them to buy. Better defining your product attributes helps users and LLMs alike better understand your products.
AI shopping discovery is driven by constraints instead of keywords. Shoppers arenβt asking for βthe best laptop bag.β Theyβre asking for a bag that fits under an airplane seat, survives a rainy commute, and still looks professional in a meeting.
PDPs should be written to reflect that reality. Audit your product pages to see whether they answer common βCan I β¦?β and βWill this work if β¦?β questions in plain language. These details often live in reviews, FAQs, or support tickets, but rarely surface in core product copy where AI systems are most likely to pull from.
Hereβs what transforming your content can look like:
Traditional PDP copy
PDP copy written for constraints
LLMs evaluate how well a product satisfies specific constraints in conversational queries or based on predetermined user preference information.
PDPs that clearly articulate those constraints are more likely to be selected, summarized, and recommended. This type of copy should also help your on-site customers better understand your products.
Dig deeper: Why ecommerce SEO audits fail β and what actually works in 30 days
Just because search platforms change doesnβt mean we should abandon everything weβve learned in traditional optimization.
Technical SEO fundamentals still heavily apply in AI search:
In conversational shopping, structured data is playing a different role than it did in traditional SEO strategies. In conversational shopping, itβs about verification.Β
AI systems use your schema to validate facts before they risk reusing them in an answer. If the AI canβt verify your price, availability, or shipping details through a merchant feed or structured data, it wonβt risk recommending you.
Variant clarity is just as important. When differences like size, color, or configuration arenβt clearly defined, AI systems may treat variants as separate products or merge them incorrectly. The result is inaccurate pricing, incompatible recommendations, or missed visibility.
Most importantly, structured data must match whatβs visibly true on the page. When schema contradicts on-page content, AI systems avoid recommending uncertain information.
Dig deeper: How SEO leaders can explain agentic AI to ecommerce executives
Success on the digital shelf has moved beyond high-volume keywords. In this new era, your visibility depends on how well you satisfy the complex constraints users can provide in a single search. AI models are scanning your pages to see if you meet specific, nuanced requirements, like βgluten-free,β βeasy to install,β or βfits a 30-inch window.β
The shift to conversational discovery means your product data must be ready to sustain a dialogue. The goal is simple: provide the density of information necessary for an AI to confidently transact on a userβs behalf. Those who build for these multi-layered journeys will own the future of discovery.
On the OpenAI podcast, OpenAI executive Assad Awan talked about how ads will roll out in ChatGPT, who will see them, and how the company plans to protect user trust.
Who will see ads. Ads will appear for Free and Go tier users.
The guardrails: Awan emphasized that OpenAI is structuring ads around strict trust principles:
The model doesnβt know when ads are present and canβt reference them unless a user explicitly asks about one, according to Awan.
Zoom in. OpenAI prioritizes user trust over user value, advertiser value, and revenue β a framework meant to prevent ads from shaping the modelβs responses, Awan said.
For small businesses. Awan described a future where AI acts as an advertising agent, helping small businesses run campaigns by describing goals in plain language instead of managing complex dashboards.
Why we care. ChatGPT ads could create a high-intent channel for reaching users during active conversations and decision-making moments. Its focus on relevance, AI-driven matching, and agent-style campaign tools could lower barriers for small and midsize advertisers while improving performance for larger brands. If OpenAI builds a trusted ad environment, it could reshape how advertisers approach discovery and customer engagement in AI-driven interfaces.
Whatβs next. Early ad tests will stay conservative, prioritizing usefulness and relevance over volume as OpenAI refines formats and placement.
The big picture. Through advertising, OpenAI is aiming to scale ChatGPT access while maintaining a trust-first design β a balance the company says is central to its long-term strategy.
The OpenAI podcast. Episode 13 β The Thinking Behind Ads in ChatGPT
Google Ads is rolling out recommended experiments on the Experiments page, highlighting test ideas based on an accountβs setup and performance data.
How it works. The platform suggests experiment opportunitiesβsuch as testing bidding strategies, creative variations, or new campaign featuresβand displays them in the Experiments dashboard.
Why we care. By removing the need to build tests from scratch, Google lowers the barrier to experimentation. You can act on optimization ideas more quickly and consistently. Just make sure youβre launching the right tests and configurations to avoid wasted time and budget.
Zoom in. Example prompts include suggestions like enabling final URL expansion to improve campaign performance, displayed as in-dashboard popups within the Experiments interface.
The big picture. Google is increasingly embedding automated guidance into Ads workflows, nudging advertisers toward continuous testing and data-driven optimization.
First seen. This update was spotted by Hana KobzovΓ‘, owner of PPC News Feed.
AMDβs next-generation βMedusa Haloβ CPUs will be gaming MONSTERS AMDβs Strix Halo processors bring together strong Zen 5 CPU cores with a powerful RDNA 3.5 GPU. While βGorgon Haloβ will refresh this range as the Ryzen AI Max 400 series, AMD has something much bigger planned with βMedusa Haloβ. Rumour has it that this chip [β¦]
The post Expect a BIG BOOST from AMD Medusa Halo thanks to LPDDR6 support appeared first on OC3D.
RED NOW streamlines short-form content creation with one-click video generation for TikTok and other platforms. Paste a link to start and produce ready-to-post clips without complex editing. The platform supports formats like vlogs, product marketing, reviews, tutorials, and more. RED NOW also outputs structured shot lists and timing guides, helping creators plan and execute content faster while maintaining a consistent style and workflow.
Google's John Mueller explains how a leftover HTTP homepage invisible to Chrome users can cause site-name and favicon problems in search results.
The post Hidden HTTP Page Can Cause Site Name Problems In Google appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Warframe, the popular free-to-play action RPG from Canadian developer Digital Extremes (that's also the MMO model that other MMO developers should be looking to), is rounding out its list of available platforms by finally arriving on Android mobile devices today. That said, it's a Canada-exclusive release today, and for the coming week, before it arrives on Android devices globally on February 18, 2026. With Warframe being one of the most successful live-service titles to come out of Canada that's currently active, this first week of exclusivity is a way for Digital Extremes to prioritize its Canadian players and give them [β¦]
Read full article at https://wccftech.com/warframe-android-mobile-devices-launch-canada-first-digital-extremes/
Google Ads rolled out a new feature that shows advertisers which campaigns their products are eligible for, directly in the Products section.
How it works. A new dashboard in the Products section includes:
Why we care. dvertisers can now quickly identify products that are missing from key campaigns or unintentionally overlapping across Shopping and Performance Max. The added visibility reduces the need to jump between campaign views to diagnose eligibility gaps.
The big picture: The changes help advertisers quickly identify products that arenβt running in expected campaigns, spot campaign overlap before it becomes a budget problem and save time troubleshooting product-level issues.
Between the lines. This is Googleβs latest move to give advertisers more granular control over Shopping campaigns, where product-level optimization can make or break profitability.
When. Available now in Google Ads.
First seen. This update was spotted by PPC News Feed owner Hana KobzovΓ‘.
AI search influence didnβt show up in our SEO reports or AI prompt tracking tools. It showed up in sales calls.
βFound you via Grok, actually,β a new lead said.
That comment stopped us cold. We hadnβt tried to rank in Grok. We werenβt tracking it. Yet it was influencing how buyers discovered and evaluated us.
That disconnect kept appearing in client conversations, too. Everyone was curious about AI search, but no one trusted the data.Β
Teams wanted visibility in ChatGPT and other AI tools, then asked the same question: βWhy invest in a channel that doesnβt show up cleanly in attribution?β
To answer that, we ran controlled experiments using assets we could fully control β an agency website, personal sites, an ecommerce brand, and purpose-built test domains.
The goal wasnβt to win AI rankings. It was to understand what still matters once AI enters the decision process:
Most AI search conversations fixate on visibility signals like brand mentions, citations, or visibility screenshots from AI prompt tracking tools.
Search has always had one job: help people make a decision.
We wanted to know if AI search performed the same job and actually changed commercial outcomes.
AI systems now operate at the stage where buyers compare options, shortlist providers, and reduce risk.
If AI mattered, it had to show up at the moment of decision.
On measurement limits:Β
A simple tactic became popular over the past year:
Iβve seen agencies do this locally and felt conflicted about it.
It wasnβt spam. But it relied on a blind spot β LLMs struggle to separate independent rankings from self-written ones.
Around the same time, Ahrefs published a large study that helped explain why this works. Glen Allsopp analyzed ChatGPT responses across hundreds of βbest Xβ-style prompts and found that βbestβ list posts were the most commonly cited page type.
Two things from the study stood out:
I could have tested these observations on StudioHawk. Instead, I did it on my personal brand website to manage the risk.Β
I published a list of the βBest SEO agencies in Sydneyβ and included my own website among the entries to test whether AI would βtake the bait,β so to speak.
Within two weeks, LawrenceHitches.com appeared across AI tools for βbest SEO agency Sydneyβ style searches:
The speed was surprising β traditional SEO rarely moves that fast.
If visibility appears this easily, then visibility alone canβt mean much, so I tested it again.
Initially, I could have been piggybacking off the already established StudioHawk brand, so I decided to run a self-promotion test on a fake website
We used a basic landscaping site built only for SEO and AI testing and published the same type of page, a βbest Xβ list.
This time, the topic was βbest landscapers in Melbourneβ:
Within two weeks, the list appeared in AI responses again. The result repeated almost exactly.
If a brand-new test site can surface this fast, then βappeared in AIβ doesnβt mean much on its own.
These two experiments showed one thing clearly: LLMs are still easy to influence at the surface level.
I ran these tests back in August 2025, but the same pattern still appears today.
A βbest SEO agency Sydneyβ search run in January 2026 shows the same list-driven results:
This creates a real conflict for brands.
On one side, the data says yes β the Ahrefs research shows βBest Xβ pages attract citations. Large brands like Shopify, Slack, and HubSpot publish self-ranked lists without obvious damage to rankings or AI visibility.
On the other side is buyer trust.
As Wil Reynolds put it, listing yourself first on your own site doesnβt build confidence with buyers. Thatβs the tension.
When bullish founders ask for the secret sauce to appear in ChatGPT, Iβm blunt. List-based βbest of Xβ pages that rank the author first have been a fast way to surface in some AI results.
That doesnβt work everywhere, and itβs unlikely to hold up long term.
Dig deeper: Google may be cracking down on self-promotional βbest ofβ listicles
If a landscaping site with no reputation can surface this quickly, then appearing in AI means very little on its own.
A lot of money is flowing into AI prompt tracking tools. Clients ask for them constantly. We use them too, but with a clear warning.
I wouldnβt make major decisions based on screenshots or Reddit threads about where a brand appears in ChatGPT.
Brand overlap between API outputs and real user sessions was as low as 24%, according to recent research from Surfer SEO comparing tracking APIs with scraped user experiences.
That means three times out of four, what the API told you was happening wasnβt what the user was actually seeing.
If a brand can appear in a screenshot but disappear in a real user session, then appearance alone isnβt a metric.
We stopped asking if we showed up.
Instead, we started asking, βDid this change how buyers behaved?β
These signals were harder to collect.
Dig deeper: 7 hard truths about measuring AI visibility and GEO performance
Kadi, an ecommerce brand we invested in that sells luggage, provided insight into our questions about whether AI results were affecting buyer behavior.
Running tests on Kadi has been an eye-opening experience for two reasons:Β
To move fast, we led with digital PR.
Kadiβs SEO foundation was solid but not perfect. We wanted to see how far off-site mentions could push SEO and AI visibility without heavy technical work or a polished site structure.
We conducted a large number of creative data campaigns and product placements, including:
It worked:
But there was a catch: Digital PR alone wasnβt enough to close the gap with competitors. It created quick traction in search results, but it didnβt resolve the underlying issues.
After launch, SEO foundation work became the priority.
Then, Black Friday made the reality obvious. A customer found Kadi through ChatGPT on a βkids carry-onβ query.
We saw this happen on the day of the query and showed the pathway:Β
That order was the largest of the Black Friday period.
On paper, AI did nothing. In reality, it was part of shaping the decision.Β
Digital PR can get you visibility spikes, but it doesnβt address the whole picture.Β
While AI traffic does convert, the attribution is inconsistent.
Across 2024 and 2025, StudioHawk underwent a full website rebrand and migration from WordPress to HubSpot.
Our own site sat at the bottom of the priority list for years. It was always the project we would get to later.Β
Finally, we paused other priorities and rebuilt the entire site.
The work started in 2023, before terms like βGEOβ existed. We were focused only on rebuilding service pages, social proof, and user experience end to end.
After launch, rankings improved and continue to grow.
In 2025, SEO became the agencyβs strongest channel by efficiency. It drove 65% of inbound leads and close to 60% of new revenue.
Between July and December 2025, AI search leads began to appear more often:
Initially, these were βOh, cool, we got a lead from AIβ moments around the office.
Sales calls started skipping early education. New leads arrived aligned based on fit and expectations.
Over time, we saw that:
That 10-day gap mattered.
It meant less time educating, fewer scope objections, lower price sensitivity, and higher confidence earlier in the process.
Within the first year, AI-influenced conversations contributed over $100,000 in closed revenue from 20+ leads, including deals with direct attribution from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok.
The blind spot remains attribution paths such as Instagram, direct, or organic, where AI influenced the decision but didnβt appear in reporting (as seen in the Kadi example).
Where direct AI attribution existed, buyers were more prepared. That preparedness shortened sales cycles and lifted revenue.
We started by asking where people would search next.
Our key finding? AI search doesnβt replace discovery. It compresses the consideration phase.
Consideration is that messy middle where buyers reduce risk, shortlist vendors, compare tradeoffs, and ask, βWho should I trust?β
They answer these questions before a buyer ever clicks a link.Β
It means your website no longer carries the full load β AI summaries and third-party mentions do the pre-selling for you.
This is the shift we now describe as the new consideration era.
As the map illustrates, weβve moved from a straight funnel to a complex, AI-influenced pathway where consensus is key:
Because this happens off-site, last-click attribution is broken.Β
A buyer might use ChatGPT to create a shortlist but convert later via direct search.
Strong SEO metrics were a core across all our experiments, but weβve stopped viewing them as the primary driver of value:
Traditional SEO became a supporting signal β proof that the foundation is sound, rather than the end goal.
After running a variety of AI search experiments, hereβs what I think brands should focus on.
Stop obsessing over prompt appearances (e.g., citations, mentions). These are shiny objects, but they fluctuate too easily.Β
Instead, measure:
AI hates vagueness. Making pages that make it clear what you do and who itβs for.
Pay attention to content that answers questions about risk, comparison, and price.
Focus on content that answers comparison, risk, and pricing questions. This makes a bigger difference than general category explanations.
Lack of consistency makes people doubt themselves. Conversely, consistency boosts confidence.
Check to see that your website, reviews, and digital PR all talk about your brand in the same way.
In the end, the results were the same across all experiments. What we got from our sales pipeline was typical:
AI search isnβt replacing basic SEO. Instead, it shows weak positioning more quickly than traditional search ever did.Β
What does that mean?Β
Simply put, AI speeds up decisions that were already forming.
Dig deeper: From searching to delegating: Adapting to AI-first search behavior
When left to its own devices, there are a couple of things Performance Max is absolutely great at doing for lead gen campaigns:
Itβs not inherently surprising that Google is doing whatβs best for Google β that is, lining its own pockets β by heavily optimizing toward the cheapest, path-of-least-resistance conversion events.
From experience with campaigns we inherit from new clients, this performance often catches brands off guard β especially those who take Google sales repsβ βhelpful adviceβ at face value.
It can take time for those brands to look past PMaxβs shiny, low CPAs and realize the truth: those leads do little to nothing for real pipeline or revenue.
However, Performance Max, when given the proper guardrails, can be a good source of incremental, quality leads β but the trick is in building those guardrails.Β
This article covers lead quality tactics that work and how to execute them, tactics that donβt work, and important differences between Performance Max campaigns in Google and Bing.Β
These are the specific levers that consistently influence lead quality in Performance Max.
Dig deeper: Top Performance Max optimization tips for 2026
The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need.
On the other hand, some of the usual campaign optimization strategies wonβt do much to move the needle on PMax lead quality. If thatβs your sole focus, you can de-prioritize:
Both Google and Bing have Performance Max campaigns, but there are differences in their offerings.
Googleβs Performance Max network spans search, display, YouTube, discovery campaigns, and Gmail. Itβs an absolutely huge amount of inventory β especially display and YouTube, which can be huge spam drivers if left unchecked.
Microsoft has far less video and display inventory. Their PMax campaigns primarily include Bing search, syndicated search, and the Microsoft audience network (which spans display, Outlook, and MSN).Β
When comparing performance between the two, we havenβt seen any notable differences, but itβs worth monitoring updates to each platformβs reporting and inventory going forward.
Dig deeper: Google and Microsoft: How their Performance Max approaches align and diverge
Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform.
If youβre considering running PMax for lead gen, you should approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism.Β
While PMax has been effective at driving scalable revenue for ecommerce,those campaigns need considerable guidelines to maintain lead quality.Β
For instance, preventing a high-end shoe retailer from racking up tons of conversions on things like replacement laces and shoe polish will require that the campaign develop sufficient PMax guardrails.
Considering how Google is moving toward additional automation and AI in campaigns, itβs important to keep testing and experimenting to gain an understanding of the tools available to analyze and shape PMax campaigns.Β
Google has issued some new releases to help as of late, including channel-level reporting, more options for exclusions, and campaign-level negative keywords.)Β
There is a lead scale out there that can provide a healthy ROAS if youβre willing and able to wrestle the algorithm into submission.Β
If youβve tested Performance Max campaigns for lead gen but paused them once it was clear they werenβt driving revenue, do a quick post-mortem on your past efforts. You might find thereβs room to whip Google into shape to do better this time around.Β
Take note of the tactics you havenβt yet implemented and prioritize putting them in place before you waste another dollar of your 2026 budget on poor-quality leads that just junk up your CRM.
Intel Core Ultra 400 βNova Lakeβ die sizes leak β bLLC is HUGE! Thanks to HXL, new details have leaked for Intelβs upcoming Core Ultra 400 series βNova Lakeβ CPUs, and to put it simply, these processors are HUGE! Compared with AMDβs leaked Zen 6 CPU die sizes, Intelβs CPU dies are much larger. Both [β¦]
The post Intelβs Nova Lake CPUs are HUGE, leak reveals β Especially if you include bLLC appeared first on OC3D.
Cloud-native standardization and deep-layer AI integration enable AI to execute security operations more efficiently. It addresses the challenge of accountability by enabling full-process auditing, providing optimal response strategies, and allowing rollbacks, which reduces concerns for security teams. With 24/7 uninterrupted, fully automated, and intelligent security operations, it offers a lighter, more cost-effective solution that delivers better and richer choices.
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