The Marketing Impact – April 2026

It feels like social media updates recently stepped aside, ready for a whole wave of AI Search and Trad Search updates. Some are a bit of noise, but we have other new features that are actually focused on improving the user experience! At the start of the year, it felt like we only saw updates in the search arena that were focused on bringing in new ad spend for platforms. It’s interesting that platforms have remembered who is going to use these updates.

Ready for the highlights (and lowlights)?

The TL:DR you need:

• ChatGPT’s reign as the top used AI LLM is under threat, however, most people are still searching on Google traditionally. 
• Google’s Personal Intelligence expands into your emails and photos. 
• Your audience is bored of AI videos, but that’s probably not that surprising. 
• Disney has rolled out a new social media platform called “Verts”

AI Search News for April

• AI Mode on Google seems to be a bit of hubris, as Google is the most cited source in AI Mode. These self-referential citations (links to Google Search pages) have been common in AI Overviews, but now they’re flooding AI Mode.
• A US federal judge ruled that Perplexity’s bot gained unauthorised access to Amazon systems. 
  • This is basically the tech version of a bouncer denying entry at the club, and honestly, it’s probably the first of many legal brawls between retailers and AI agents. 
  • If you’re on Amazon, or any other 3rd party ecommerce platform, you need to decide how you want to protect your assets and users.
• News publications account for 14% of AI citations. 
  • If you were hoping your PR efforts would save your SEO, bad news. A recent study showed that syndication and newswires are basically invisible to AI.
• Google has added two new features very focused on user experience
  • A new visual presentation for recipes in AI Mode (no more scrolling through a 2,000-word essay about the chef’s grandma’s garden to get to the ingredient list)
  • Ask Maps has been launched, a new AI-powered interface that uses Gemini to let you ask Google Maps about local businesses, get recommendations, and make travel plans. 
• ChatGPT sources 83% of its carousel products from Google Shopping. A new study suggests OpenAI is heavily using Google results to power answers. So, ChatGPT is basically just a middleman with a nicer font?
• Gemini is growing fast and closing the gap on ChatGPT. 
  • But let’s be real, both are still toddlers compared to the Goliath that is Google’s Trad Search. 

Trad Search News for April

• Google confirms AI-generated titles are being tested in search results. 
  • Google rewriting our beautiful, hand-crafted titles is nothing new, but AI doing it? This is the first time it’s been confirmed. 
• Google confirms development of controls to opt out of generative AI features. In response to the CMA’s proposals to keep search results fair.
• Google’s Personal Intelligence expands to AI Mode. It can now deliver search results that are based on your Gmail and Google Photo information, providing more tailored and relevant results based on previous online behaviour. This means it may be harder for new businesses to gain awareness with new audiences.
• Google releases Gemini Embedding 2. A multimodal model that processes video, audio, docs, and images in one request. 
  • It’s like the Swiss Army knife of AI.
• Google publishes a new help page for Universal Commerce Protocol. Finally, documentation that clarifies the requirements. 
  • They’re basically holding our hands and walking us toward the agentic future. You need an AI policy and an understanding of how to use this tool, asap!
• Yoast launches Schema Aggregation. A feature that maps all your structured data into a “schemamap.” In theory, it helps AI understand your content. In practice, it’s a visual way to see if you’ve been neglecting your technical SEO.
• Google says “Frequent crawling is a good sign!” The new page on web crawling explains that if Google is visiting you often, it means your content is fresh. 
  • Stop panicking about every server log spike.

Social Media & Platform Updates for April

You need to be focusing on social media. 68% of small businesses say social media (organic and paid) is driving the most value in 2026. Also, TikTok use among SMBs has surged from 17% in 2023 to 33%. We’ve officially moved past “should we be on TikTok?” to “why aren’t you on TikTok?”. Before you take on too many platforms, it’s worth thinking about your mental health and the mental health of your team. 

According to a new report, creators fear algorithm changes over burnout. We’re not afraid of the work, we’re afraid of waking up to find the algorithm hates us for no reason. The anxiety is real.

Meta Updates for April

• Facebook is trying to get creators back on their platform. They launched a fast-track program with guaranteed pay. You can earn $3,000/month if you have over one million followers. 
  • This, coupled with Meta’s paid profile options, screams that influencers will be the key way to deliver your message to your audience on Facebeook/Insta.
• Your audience is bored of AI videos. New data by Emplifii shows that Facebook Reels need a human face or speech in the first three seconds. 
  • If you’re leading with stock footage or product shots, nobody cares. Put your face on it or go home.
• Instagram is, allegedly and finally, testing comment editing. 
  • Finally, we can fix our typos without the shame of deleting and replying to ourselves like psychopaths.
• Adam Mosseri confirms that adding music to carousels helps them get recommended. They become eligible for the Reels feed. 
  • If you aren’t adding an audio to your static posts, you’re missing out.
• Adam Mosseri says the “biggest” misconception is that IG suppresses reach to sell ads. He insists it would be “bad business.” 

YouTube Updates for April

• YouTube is testing a thumbnail highlights feature. It shows a short snippet of what the video will entail. 
  • Goodbye, clickbait. Hello, actually showing us the content.
• YouTube launches an AI-powered creator partnerships platform. Gemini analyses audience similarity and growth to match brands with 3M+ creators. 
  • It’s like Raya for brand deals.

LinkedIn Updates for April

• LinkedIn confirmed that posts with links and hashtags aren’t automatically downranked. Also, scheduling with third-party tools won’t hurt you. 
  • My lived experience of this would suggest otherwise, so I don’t know how much I believe this. 
• LinkedIn has updated its algorithm with LLMs. It now understands the topic and meaning of posts, not just keywords.
  • Hopefully, we will all see more relevant topics and posts displayed! 

Pinterest Social Media Updates for April

• Pinterest adds a Promote a Pin option for marketers. 
  • They are really standing up and showing people that they are a go-to platform for marketers and should be considered for your content marketing.
• Pinterest launches its Spring Trends Report 2026. 
  • Key trends: curated comfort, spring soups not diets, micro escapes, and intentional connection. Basically, we want to look good, eat carbs, and touch grass. Relatable.

More Social Media Updates for April

• Disney starts to roll out Verts. A TikTok-esque vertical feed starting with Disney+ clips but eventually featuring creator content. 
  • Worse name ever!
• Substack launches a built-in recording studio. 
  • Personally, we think this is very convenient. We’ve seen many companies join a Teams meeting to record videos, so imagine having an actual studio space online to help with this.
• Snapchat positions itself as the “new” destination for B2B marketing. 
  • Before you pivot your entire social media strategy, consider your resources and if you want to see how much of this declaration comes true, before you invest.
• Reddit is the most-cited source across AI platforms. Appearing in 23% of sessions with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. LinkedIn follows a close second. 
  • If you aren’t managing your brand presence on Reddit, AI is currently summarising your competitors over there.