Mackerel Media’s Search, Media and Digital Marketing Roundup – July 2026

This month has brought a variety of updates across search, AI and digital marketing. Google has introduced new Search Console reporting, AI-generated ad disclosures and search updates, while LinkedIn and ChatGPT have expanded their advertising tools. We also have news about the latest UK advertising spend figures and developments affecting the future of radio.

Google Puts Social in the Spotlight

This month, Google introduced Platform Properties in Search Console, which allows users to link and track how their Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube content performs across Google Search. This new reporting feature measures performance including clicks, impressions, search terms and top-performing posts, with additional insights about how users discover and engage with content. For website owners and content creators, this new measurement tool helps to provide a clearer understanding of how social media and video content performs and contributes to overall organic search performance.

Google is now adding AI ad disclosures across Search, YouTube and Discover, allowing users to see if an ad was created or modified using AI. Since AI-generated ads are becoming much more common, adding this disclosure adds greater transparency to how the ad was made, helping to grow trust in online advertising. Ads created using Google’s own generative AI tools will automatically include a disclosure, whilst advertisers using third-party AI tools will be able to manage disclosures (subject to local requirements). Google has stated that their ad policies will continue to prohibit any misleading or deceptive ads, regardless if AI was used.

 

Google is Becoming it’s Own Biggest Fan

A recent report from Profound has found that Google is citing its own properties within AI Mode, with Google becoming the second most cited domain across AI-generated responses (with YouTube citations at number one). The report shows that Google is choosing to show Google Business Profile listings and Product Knowledge Panels to users in their AI overviews rather than external websites, especially when a user is performing local business searches and product comparisons. As AI search continues to grow, this report reinforces the importance of an optimised, up to date Google Business Profile and accurate product feeds due to their high visibility in AI-overviews.

Google has also updated its Review Snippet structured data guidelines, with stricter rules concerning incentivised and fake reviews. Businesses must now clearly disclose if reviewers received incentives (such as discounts, vouchers or free products) to leave a review, and this must be shown on both the page and within the structured data. Google has also warned that websites found using fake or misleading reviews could face manual actions, such as the review stars being removed from search rich results or, in extreme cases, the page losing visibility on search. This update further reinforces the use of honest, transparent customer reviews to help build trust whilst maintaining organic search visibility.

 

From Conversations to Conversions…

ChatGPT Ads have seen a recent enhancement with new campaign management features. These new features include optimised CPC campaigns, automated budget pacing and bulk campaign editing. Users can also set geographic exclusions and integrate with third party tools such as AppsFlyer and Adjust to measure app installs and in-app events. This latest update helps to improve the functionality of ChatGPT ads so that it functions similarly to popular ad platforms such as Google and Meta ads, whilst making it easier to track performance and manage budgets and campaigns.

LinkedIn has launched a range of new AI-powered advertising tools designed to make it easier to create and manage campaigns more effectively. These new features include Brand Kit, which will use a company’s brand colours, fonts, logos and messaging for use across future AI generated content. LinkedIn is also rolling out an AI-powered ad copy generator, which will create promotional text based on the landing page URL, along with ad personalisation options which will dynamically add a LinkedIn user’s job title, company and industry within the ad itself. The updates are focused on reducing the time spent creating and testing campaigns, whilst helping businesses to maintain greater brand consistency across AI-generated ads.

 

Online Radio Turns the Volume Up

Online radio was the UK’s fastest-growing advertising medium in Q1 2026, according to the latest AA/WARC Expenditure Report. Online radio advertising investment increased by 22.1% year-on-year, while total radio advertising grew by 4.2%, which helps to highlight the growing strength of using multiplatform audio. Across all media platforms, advertising spend rose 9.3% to £11.7 billion in Q1. AA/WARC forecasts total UK advertising investment will reach £50.5 billion in 2026, up 8.2%, before rising a further 5.9% to £53.5 billion in 2027.

 

Alexa, Keep Radio Alive

The UK government has also confirmed plans to extend legal protections and support for UK radio services across major voice assistants, including AI-powered versions such as Amazon Alexa+, Google Assistant and Apple Siri. Media Minister Ian Murray outlined the government’s position in a statement to Parliament. Under the Media Act 2024, these platforms will now be designated as regulated Radio Selection Services, which will help protect listeners’ access to UK radio on voice-activated devices. For advertisers and media buyers, this extended protection will help protect the value of radio advertising and audience reach across voice assisted devices.