What’s New in Digital Marketing: Key Updates Heading Into 2026
If the last few months have taught marketers anything, it’s that the ground is still shifting under our feet. From Google’s core and spam updates to AI-generated summaries, evolving ad automations, and a muddy cookie landscape, it’s more important than ever to partner with a digital marketing agency that’s tracking the details, and translating them into growth.
1) Google Search: Core updates, spam crackdowns, and the rise of AI answers
What changed:
Google completed its June 2025 core update, a sizable recalibration aimed at surfacing more “relevant, satisfying content.” It ran from June 30 to July 17 and was widely considered a big one by data providers.
Hot on its heels, Google began rolling out an August 2025 Spam Update, the first in eight months, expected to run for several weeks and already showing volatility.
Meanwhile, Google’s AI Overviews (AI-generated summaries in search) are facing legal heat. According to Market Watch, major publisher Penske Media (Rolling Stone, Variety, etc.) filed suit alleging the feature siphons traffic and uses content without proper permission—another signal that the SERP is evolving into an “answer engine.”
Why does this matter?
Google’s core and spam updates can significantly affect visibility, rewarding high-quality, original content while penalizing thin or manipulative pages. At the same time, AI Overviews are reshaping how users consume information in search, often reducing clicks to publisher sites. Together, these shifts mean businesses need to focus on content depth, technical quality, and new strategies for standing out in a search environment where traditional traffic patterns are changing.
What to do:
Strengthen your focus on E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust) and invest in creating rich, original content—shallow or recycled material is increasingly vulnerable in core updates.
Embrace Answer/Generative Engine Optimization (AEO/GEO) by using summaries, clear headings, FAQs, and schema so your facts can be cited or summarized accurately in AI contexts.
Spam updates can create unpredictable swings, so focus on a clean technical setup—fast load times, clear site architecture, and solid user experience—to stay out of harm’s way.
2) Privacy & measurement: Cookies aren’t dead (yet), but the rules keep moving
What changed:
According to Reuters, in April 2025, Google signaled it would not roll out a standalone prompt for third-party cookies in Chrome and has been recalibrating its Privacy Sandbox commitments, with the UK CMA noting those commitments may no longer be needed in their prior form.
Why it matters:
If third-party cookies are phased out, advertisers will face gaps in how they measure performance and attribute conversions. That makes reliable first-party data, modeled reporting, and alternative tracking methods more important than ever. The changes won’t stop campaigns from running, but they will shift how success is tracked and optimized.
What to do:
Implement first-party data collection and server-side tagging where appropriate.
Use modeled conversions and channel triangulation (ads platforms + analytics + CRM).
Prioritize page performance and privacy transparency to future-proof rankings and trust.
3) Paid media: AI-assisted ads across Google/YouTube, Meta, and TikTok
What Changed:
Google/YouTube: At Google Marketing Live 2025, Google emphasized AI-enhanced campaigns across Search, YouTube, and Demand Gen—continuing to blend automation, creative tools, and reach. Expect more “assistive” features and broader placement control in 2025–2026.
Meta: Meta Advantage+ continues to centralize AI-driven budgeting, audiences, and creative, minimizing manual toggles while promising performance lift; Meta highlights growing adoption and quality improvements.
TikTok: At TikTok World 2025, TikTok rolled out AI-powered creative and automation tools designed to drive full-funnel outcomes—more search and performance levers, not just awareness.
CTV/Streaming: The Verge says we should to expect more AI-generated ad creative in connected TV; even Roku is pushing aggressively to let small businesses (SMBs) spin up video ads quickly with generative tools—broadening access to TV-like reach.
Why it matters:
AI-driven automation is rapidly reshaping paid media across platforms. Success now depends less on manual optimizations and more on the quality of your inputs—creative assets, first-party data, and conversion tracking. Advertisers who provide strong signals and diverse content are more likely to see consistent performance, while weak inputs make campaigns harder to control and optimize.
What to do:
Feed the machines: build creative variations, clean product/service feeds, and robust conversion signals (not just “leads” but qualified leads).
Keep brand safety and placement guardrails in place as automation expands.
Test Demand Gen/Shorts/Reels/CTV to diversify beyond search alone.
4) Content & format: AI video and short-form are accelerating
What changed:
Google’s Veo 3 AI video model now supports vertical formats and 1080p, and it’s moving toward YouTube Shorts integration—lowering production barriers for mobile-first creative.
Why it matters:
Short-form video is becoming central to digital discovery and engagement, especially on mobile platforms. With Google’s Veo 3 making high-quality vertical video easier and cheaper to produce, more brands will enter the space. That means higher competition for attention, but also greater opportunity for businesses that consistently create compelling, fast-hitting video content.
What to do:
Build a short-form system: engaging hooks, fast visuals, clear CTA and repurpose across Shorts, Reels, and TikTok.
Mix in big, polished videos with quick, bite-sized clips that use captions and text on screen to get the message across.
5) What to prioritize through 2026
Quality signals over shortcuts.
Focus on substance, not shortcuts. Google’s latest core and spam updates are making it clear: useful, well-built content wins. If you’ve leaned on quick fixes in the past, this is the moment to shift toward quality.
AEO/GEO and structured content.
Optimize for how AI tools extract answers: tight summaries, bullet Q&As, schema, citations, and consistent topical authority.
First-party data & privacy-ready measurement.
Take control of your own data. Be clear about consent, and start relying more on modeled conversions and CRM-based attribution as cookies become less reliable.
Creative velocity with controls.
Use Meta Advantage+, Google AI tools, and TikTok’s AI suite, but pair them with brand safety, negative placements, and strong conversion validation.
Channel mix resiliency.
Spread your reach across search, social, short-form video, and CTV. With AI Overviews reshaping how people click, it’s risky to depend on just one source of traffic.
Amid all the noise, the winners will be the brands that pair automation with strategy—feeding platforms clean data, authoritative content, and consistent creative testing. If you’re comparing partners and searching for the best PPC company or a full-funnel digital marketing agency, ask how they’re adapting to core updates, AI summaries, evolving privacy rules, and creative automation. The right team won’t just keep you afloat—they’ll help you ride the waves into 2026.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Marketing?
The pace of change in digital marketing can feel overwhelming—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Whether it’s optimizing for AI search, refining your PPC strategy, or building campaigns that balance creativity with compliance, the right strategy can help your business stay ahead of the curve.
👉 Book a strategy session with our team to discuss how we can put these 2026 tactics to work for your business today.
