Growing a small YouTube channel can often be a frustrating experience for up-and-coming channels. The platform is extremely competitive, and the algorithm can often feel almost random, sometimes pushing your videos to achieve a healthy number of views, while other videos underperform, leaving you to wonder where you went wrong. YouTube Shorts can be a great way to help boost channel performance, both in the early stages of content creation and for already established channels.

Why YouTube Shorts are Important

On traditional YouTube videos, it is very difficult to be able to gain traction on YouTube search pages due to the highly competitive nature of most content. Outside of getting your video to appear on Google’s SERP, most people’s views will typically come from a combination of subscribers already following their channel and some new viewers from Google or YouTube. This is what makes YouTube Shorts so important; shorts are much more viral in nature, and don’t require subscribers to get views. YouTube will show your shorts to new users early on if they like similar content, and if your shorts perform well, a snowball effect will take place, which can see your views rise rapidly in a short amount of time.

How to make a Short Perform

There are a couple of key elements to making sure a short performs optimally, and most importantly, the hook. In the opening 2 seconds, your script needs to be able to explain what your video is about and be engaging enough for audiences to want to learn more, making it the most crucial part of your video. Nailing this and keeping people intrigued is probably the most important part of any short, but the pacing is also something that needs to be taken into consideration. If people are watching your shorts in full or on repeat your much more likely to get a viewership boost from YouTube. Pacing your short so it doesn’t lose people’s interest is important, keeping it engaging all the way through.

Turning Shorts into Subscribers

While shorts are great for attracting new viewers, one way in which they are not as reliable as long-form videos is in turning viewers into subscribers. Due to the short-form nature of YouTube shorts, people often flick through from one to the next and don’t have much incentive to stop and look around your channel, which people typically do more often with longer-form content. Therefore, finding ways to use your shorts to attract users to your channel is important. A good way to improve subscriber count with shorts is by including a call to action, such as breaking the short up into 2 parts and explaining you have a part 2 on your channel or linking your shorts to full-length channel videos, thus eliminating the limitations of shorts.

Understanding how YouTube shorts work allows you to accelerate the growth of your channel to new heights, wether your just starting or you’re already an experienced YouTuber.

When clubs, federations and agencies think about social media vetting, the focus is usually on players. High-profile athletes carry public reputations, sponsorship obligations and media exposure, so scrutiny feels obvious.

But in practice, some of the biggest travel and visa disruptions now come from people behind the scenes. Coaches, analysts, medical staff, operations managers, content teams and senior executives are increasingly subject to the same digital scrutiny when crossing borders, attending tournaments or supporting international tours.

For organisations operating globally, this creates a blind spot. You can prepare your squad perfectly and still face disruption if a key staff member is delayed, flagged or refused entry because of historic online activity.

Why non-playing staff are under growing scrutiny

International travel vetting has shifted quietly but significantly over the last decade. Many countries now treat social media history as part of identity verification and background screening, particularly for work-related travel, long-stay visas and tournament accreditation.

For clubs and governing bodies, this means:

• Support staff often apply under work or temporary employment visa categories, which attract deeper background review
• Coaching and medical staff frequently travel repeatedly, increasing the chance of historic posts resurfacing
• Senior front office staff are more likely to have long digital histories tied to commentary, business disputes or political discussion
• Public-facing communications and media staff leave large digital footprints by nature of their role

Unlike players, these individuals are rarely media trained around digital risk. Many have personal accounts that pre-date their professional careers and were never reviewed with international scrutiny in mind.

The operational impact when travel goes wrong

When a visa delay or refusal affects a player, the risk is obvious. When it affects staff, the consequences are often underestimated.

Common operational knock-on effects include:

• Delayed team preparation due to missing coaching staff
• Reduced medical or performance support on arrival
• Disrupted logistics and scheduling
• Reputational damage when travel issues become public
• Increased cost from rebooked flights, accommodation changes and emergency staffing

In tightly scheduled tournaments and tours, even a 48-hour delay can create competitive and commercial consequences.

What typically triggers historic social media flags

It is rarely one dramatic post. More often it is pattern-based digital context that creates concern during screening.

Examples include:

• Old political commentary that conflicts with destination country sensitivities
• Aggressive or inflammatory language in historic debates
• Association signals such as follows, groups or repeated interactions
• Deleted content that still exists in screenshots or archives
• Public arguments tied to employers, governing bodies or institutions
• Mismatches between declared identities and public digital behaviour

Most of this content was posted years earlier, long before international travel was part of the individual’s role.

A simple travel readiness framework for support teams

A practical vetting process does not need to be complex or invasive, but it does need structure. The first step is identifying which roles carry genuine exposure. Staff who travel frequently, apply for work or event visas, represent the organisation publicly or hold operational authority should be prioritised.

Once priority roles are mapped, the focus shifts to understanding the individual’s historic digital footprint. This includes reviewing public posts, old usernames, legacy accounts, forum activity and archived content. The objective is awareness rather than judgement.

From there, content should be assessed in context. Visibility, cultural and regional sensitivity, recency and likelihood of resurfacing all matter more than the emotional tone of any single post.

The final stage is preparation. Profile clean-up, privacy reviews, briefing staff for potential questioning and adjusting travel timelines should be completed during the two to four week window before travel, when scrutiny is highest.

Why this needs to be handled professionally

Many organisations attempt to manage social vetting internally without clear structure or standards. This often leads to inconsistent decisions, personal bias and poor record keeping. It can also create tension with staff if the process feels informal, unclear or intrusive.

A professional approach introduces clear boundaries, documented workflows and accountability. It ensures that assessments are based on real-world risk rather than opinion, while protecting both individual privacy and organisational reputation. When visa delays, border questioning or compliance issues arise, having a defensible process in place provides credibility and operational stability.

Turning vetting into operational hygiene

The strongest organisations now treat digital vetting as part of routine travel preparation rather than a crisis response.

When embedded into existing travel workflows, vetting becomes preventative. Risks are addressed earlier, disruption is reduced and planning becomes more predictable. Over time this creates smoother deployments, fewer last-minute issues and greater confidence across leadership and operations teams.

The goal is not surveillance or control. It is preparation, protection and continuity.

How Intelligency supports travel readiness

Intelligency’s historic social media vetting service is designed specifically for organisations managing high-mobility teams.

We help clubs, agencies and corporate teams:

• Audit historic digital footprints ethically
• Identify real-world travel and reputation risks
• Create mitigation strategies that protect individuals and organisations
• Build repeatable readiness processes
• Prepare teams before travel windows open

Our focus is not on policing behaviour. It is removing avoidable disruption before it becomes public or operationally damaging.

Is rebranding a safe idea for businesses?

Rebranding isn’t just a snap decision a company should make; it takes time, consideration, resources and can be taxing on a business if not done right, or it’s poorly received by the customers.

Whether a rebrand will achieve success or not will entirely depend on the suitability of a rebrand for the company. For some, rebrands rejuvenate businesses with branding that has gone stale. For others, it can be a sign of a complete lack of awareness of the impact of original branding.

What are the pros and cons of rebranding?

There are a number of advantages and pitfalls to rebranding; the appropriateness of a rebrand will always play a key part in how well a rebrand lands with audiences.

Pros

Rebranding sometimes can allow a business to elevate its brand identity to align with how it has evolved, or even how its customer base has evolved. This means the message and image of your brand correspond to the products or services you offer, which in turn helps the branding to feel authentic and well-fitting.

In a landscape where growth is static, businesses can revitalise their brand to pull in new engagement. Adapting branding can aid in attracting new audiences by appealing to them in ways that the branding wouldn’t have.

Rebranding can sometimes reposition businesses altogether, which can have benefits in itself. In cases where businesses may have reputationally suffered or have struggled to gain traction due to a competitive name, it creates an opportunity to re-emerge in a market.

Cons

The range of issues rebranding can pose for businesses is quite vast, and requires serious planning to ensure non-actualisation:

• Complete misalignment of rebranding, from visual to values and messaging, which then shows customers the business doesn’t understand their own brand value
• It can exhaust large amounts of resources
• Customers and audiences may become confused or alienated
• It can’t always undo previous business pitfalls; it is not a quick-fix solution
• Rebranding can impact the employees of the business; it’s a huge process shift which can sometimes break down morale and negatively impact staff

What are some well-known examples of successful rebrands?

Pringles

The Pringles rebrand back in 2021 was a subtle shift that integrated well with customers, both in stores and online. The minimalistic style adjustments help move the brand towards a more practical yet still recognisable identity.

The release of the rebrand fell upon the 30^th anniversary of the company, so rather than being blindsided, it naturally worked into an already important date for the company. It works because there are still the core elements that make the brand what it is, without disenfranchising its customers.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Formerly Dunkin’ Donuts, now recognised as Dunkin, shows again how simple rebranding, like dropping the second word, still works for audiences. The change was minor, not impacting how people identify with the brand. Instead. Listening to the customers who abbreviated the name and adjusting accordingly.

The change also positioned Dunkin’ as more than just a doughnut shop, tapping into a wider restaurant market, serving more than just sweet treats. What also worked is keeping recognisable elements of the brand intact, i.e. iconography and colour palettes.

Customers need to be able to feel like a brand is still familiar. Dunkin’ definitely demonstrates that familiarity is essential for rebranding success. Brands that champion authenticity and natural evolution grow with their audiences rather than growing apart from them.

What are some well-known examples of unsuccessful rebrands?

Jaguar

Jaguars’ Copy Nothing Rebrand in 2024 has to be one of the most memorable rebrand failures, where it couldn’t be clearer that what the brand aspired to did not align with the values or previous positioning of the business.

When they shirked their timeless and traditional aesthetic for new, simplistic and bold, the audience was alienated. Confusion around how a brand could be so off was a major point of discussion. It’s a great at demonstrating that in spite of a business wanting a newer, younger audience, when it hasn’t aligned with them previously. This then alienates the demographic that is dedicated to the previous form of branding. Essentially causing twice as many issues as it doesn’t land with the intended audience and harms the existing one.

Leeds United

When Leeds unveiled their new badge in 2018 to mark their centenary, the reaction from fans was overwhelmingly negative. Over 70,000 fans petitioned to reverse the change after feeling like the new design failed to represent the heritage, identity or values of the club.

The execution of the rebrand was fundamentally misjudged. From the unfamiliar American college-style design to the disconnect in messaging, the badge lacked the emotional and cultural impact that football branding depends on.

In a sector like sport, where identity is ingrained in the place, history and community, removing the rose from the crest strips fans of their regional pride. Which many supports deeply associate with the football club. Rather than achieving modernisation, they alienated fans.

This rebrand highlights a major lesson: when branding ignores the emotional ownership audiences feel, particularly when interwoven with heritage, even well-intended changes can feel disingenuous

Final thoughts

Rebranding can be a powerful move when it is driven by clarity, self-awareness and a genuine need for change. It is not about chasing trends or fixing deeper business issues through surface-level design, but about ensuring your brand truthfully reflects who you are, who you serve and where you are heading. When done with purpose and care, rebranding can strengthen relevance, rebuild trust and support long-term growth. When rushed or misjudged, it can dilute identity and distance loyal audiences. Ultimately, the success of a rebrand depends on understanding your brand first, then deciding whether evolution is necessary or if refinement, rather than reinvention, is the better path forward.

For UK and European sports organisations, travel to the United States has long been operationally complex but broadly predictable. That assumption is now shifting.

Recent expansions to US visa and entry screening mean social media vetting is becoming a more formal and influential part of the entry process for a growing number of travellers. While the policy is framed around national security, its implications are increasingly relevant for professional sport, particularly for clubs, governing bodies, agencies and international teams planning US-based competition, tours or commercial activity.

For those working across football, rugby, cricket, motorsport, athletics and international events, this is no longer a background issue. It is a planning and risk management issue.

What has changed

US authorities have expanded the role of social media review in visa decision-making. Applicants for work, student and exchange visas are already required to disclose social media identifiers, and proposals currently under consideration would extend this scrutiny to visa-waiver travellers, including UK and EU passport holders entering under ESTA.

In practice, this means:

• Applicants may be required to disclose up to five years of social media accounts
• Public posts, comments, likes, images and online associations may be reviewed
• Content perceived as controversial, inconsistent or sensitive can trigger delays or refusals
• Processing timelines may become less predictable

While not every traveller will be affected, the lack of transparency and discretion involved is what presents risk for sports organisations operating to fixed schedules.

What are the US potentially looking for in historic social media?

One of the challenges for sports organisations is that US authorities have not published a definitive checklist of what constitutes a risk during social media vetting. However, recent updates to US immigration policy provide strong indicators of how content may be assessed.

Changes to guidance from US Citizenship and Immigration Services suggest that social media activity is now being actively reviewed as part of broader discretionary decision-making, particularly where visas are required for work, study or exchange purposes.

Key risk indicators currently in focus

Based on recent policy updates and public statements, consular and border officials are likely to assess social media content for indicators such as:

• Any involvement with or promotion of extremist, terrorist or anti-American organisations
• Content that could be interpreted as supporting violence or public disorder
• Evidence of antisemitic activity or hate-based rhetoric
• Public statements that appear inconsistent with the purpose of travel or visa classification
• Online associations or interactions that raise concerns when viewed without a sporting or professional context

USCIS has stated that such factors may be treated as overwhelmingly negative in discretionary visa decisions. Importantly for sports professionals, context is not guaranteed. Posts made years earlier, jokes, sarcasm, or reposted content may be reviewed literally and in isolation.

Visa categories most relevant to sport

The following visa classifications are the most commonly used across professional and elite sport and are explicitly subject to social media review.

P-1A visa: internationally recognised athletes

The P-1A visa is the primary route for elite individual athletes and internationally recognised teams competing in the United States.

It is typically used for:

• Professional athletes competing at an internationally recognised level
• Teams entering the US for specific events, competitions or tournaments
• Short-term sporting engagements linked to organised competitions
• Approved training periods immediately before competitive events

For most elite athletes travelling to the US for tournaments, pre-season competitions or international fixtures, the P-1A visa will be the appropriate classification.

However, it is important to note that P-1A coverage is limited.

While the visa supports athlete participation, it does not automatically extend to coaching, medical, performance or operational staff. Those individuals must qualify separately under different visa categories, often involving greater discretionary assessment and, in some cases, higher exposure to social media vetting.

This distinction is critical for team travel planning, as an athlete may be cleared to enter while essential staff face delays or refusals.

H-1B and H-4 visas

H-1B visas are typically used for specialised professional roles, including coaches, performance staff, analysts, sports scientists and senior operational personnel. H-4 visas apply to dependents.

These visas involve discretionary assessment and are therefore particularly sensitive to adverse factors identified during background or social media checks.

F and M visas

F and M visas are used by student athletes and those enrolled in academic or training programmes linked to sport. This includes many international athletes competing in US collegiate systems.

Social media review may be used to assess character, intent and alignment with the stated purpose of the study or training.

J visas

J visas cover exchange visitors and are commonly used for short-term sporting exchanges, coaching programmes, training placements and development tours.

Given their temporary nature, J visa holders are often expected to demonstrate clear alignment between their activities and the stated exchange purpose. Any perceived inconsistency in public online content may trigger additional scrutiny.

Why this matters for UK and European sport

Pre-season tours and friendly competitions

US pre-season tours have become commercially and strategically critical for European clubs. Football teams from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga now routinely travel to the US for summer fixtures, sponsorship commitments and fan engagement.

These tours depend on:

• Tight travel windows
• Full squad availability
• Coaching, medical and performance staff travelling alongside players
• Media and commercial obligations with immovable dates

Even one delayed or refused entry can disrupt preparation, dilute commercial value and create reputational issues. Social media vetting introduces a non-sporting variable that clubs do not fully control, particularly for younger players or staff with extensive online histories.

The 2026 World Cup and major US-hosted events

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, the US will host thousands of athletes, coaches, analysts, medical professionals, officials and federation staff from Europe and beyond.

While headline athletes often receive the greatest attention, risk is frequently higher for:

• Coaching staff
• Performance analysts and sports scientists
• Physiotherapists and medical teams
• Operations and logistics staff
• Agency and federation personnel travelling with teams

These individuals often travel under different visa categories, with fewer safeguards and less margin for delay. A refused or delayed visa for a key staff member can materially affect preparation, compliance and performance.

European sports competing in US leagues and events

European participation in US-based competition continues to expand across:

• Rugby exhibition tournaments
• Boxing and MMA events
• Tennis and golf tours
• Formula 1, Formula E and motorsport
• International athletics meetings

These environments often involve frequent travel, short lead times and rotating personnel. Social media screening increases the risk of administrative friction that does not align with sporting calendars.

Athletes are not the only exposure

A common misconception is that visa scrutiny is primarily a player issue. In reality, coaching and support staff are often more exposed.

Support staff typically:

• Travel on work-related visas rather than athlete exemptions
• Receive less organisational support
• Are more likely to have extensive non-sporting social media histories
• Are essential to day-to-day performance and welfare

From a risk perspective, arriving without critical staff can undermine training, recovery protocols, safeguarding obligations and operational continuity.

Where Intelligency fits: pre-emptive social media risk management and vetting

This is where Intelligency’s historical social media vetting service plays a practical role.

Rather than reacting to visa issues once they arise, Intelligency already works with sports organisations to identify and mitigate potential digital risk in advance of US travel.

The service is designed specifically for environments where timelines are tight and the cost of disruption is high, such as pre-season tours, international tournaments and major events.

What the service does

Intelligency conducts a structured, confidential review of historical public social media activity across relevant platforms, looking for:

• Content that could be misinterpreted in a visa or border screening context
• Inconsistencies between online activity and stated visa purpose
• Legacy posts, comments or associations that may present risk when viewed out of context
• Platform-specific exposure that teams may not be aware of

This is not about policing opinion or restricting expression. It is about understanding how content may be interpreted by automated systems or human reviewers with no sporting context.

Why this matters for clubs, agencies and federations

For in-house teams, the value lies in predictability and control.

A pre-emptive review allows organisations to:

• Flag potential issues early, before visa submission
• Advise individuals on risk mitigation steps where appropriate
• Reduce the likelihood of last-minute refusals or administrative delays
• Protect commercial, competitive and reputational interests

Crucially, this can be applied not only to athletes but to coaching staff, medical teams, analysts and travelling personnel, where risk is often highest and visibility lowest.

A strategic safeguard, not a crisis response

Social media vetting is now a structural feature of US entry policy. Treating it as an afterthought increases exposure.

Intelligency’s approach positions digital vetting as part of standard travel and tournament readiness, alongside medical screening, safeguarding checks and compliance processes.

For organisations operating regularly in the US, this becomes a strategic safeguard rather than a reactive fix.

What UK sports organisations should be doing now

For clubs, agencies and governing bodies, the priority is not alarm but preparedness.

That means:

• Building longer lead times into US travel planning
• Reviewing visa categories for all travelling personnel, not just players
• Identifying roles where absence would materially affect performance
• Integrating social media risk assessment into pre-travel workflows

As US-hosted competition grows in scale and importance, off-field readiness will increasingly determine on-field success.

Historic Social Media Vetting for Sports visiting the US

Digital footprints are now part of border control. Sport is not exempt.

For UK and European sports organisations, the question is no longer whether social media vetting matters, but whether you are prepared for it.

Those who treat it as a strategic risk will travel with confidence. Those who do not may find their plans disrupted before they ever reach the pitch.

An Instagram repost is an action that allows accounts to reshare other accounts’ content. Reposts then appear on the main feed with an icon showing the account that reshared the content.

For brands, reposts typically involve sharing user-generated content (UGC) such as customer photos, videos, reviews, or Stories where the brand has been tagged. This allows businesses to amplify authentic customer voices while maintaining an active, engaging feed.

What are the benefits of reposting capabilities on Instagram?

For business accounts, there are many benefits that can be taken from incorporating reposts into a content strategy. Utilising user-generated content helps evidence real customers, rather than relying solely on brand claims. It brings visibility to the real people and stories behind a product or service.

Brands become more credible when they highlight genuine customer interactions and experiences. Reposts also demonstrate that a business listens to and values its audience, showing engagement with its customer community in an unedited, honest way.

Additional benefits include:

• Increased trust and credibility, as potential customers are more likely to trust peer recommendations than branded messaging alone.
• Stronger community building, because reposting makes customers feel recognised and appreciated, encouraging further engagement.
• Cost-effective content creation, as user-generated content supplements branded content without the need for additional production.
• Improved reach and discoverability, since reposts can introduce brands to new audiences via the original creator’s followers.

How to utilise reposts to demonstrate reliability and build trust

To effectively use reposts as a trust-building tool, brands should be intentional and strategic rather than resharing content at random.

Prioritise authentic customer experiences
Focus on reposting content that shows real-life use of your product or service. Testimonials, before-and-after results, behind-the-scenes moments, or candid reviews help potential customers visualise themselves having the same experience.

Maintain brand consistency
While reposts should feel authentic, they should still align with your brand values and visual identity. Adding subtle branded elements, captions, or context helps keep your feed cohesive without over-editing the original content.

Showcase a variety of voices
Reposting content from different customers highlights consistency and reliability. A mix of demographics, use cases, and formats such as Reels, Stories, and posts reinforces that positive experiences are not one-off occurrences.

Add social context through captions
Use captions to reinforce trust signals. Briefly explain the customer story, highlight outcomes, or quote feedback directly. This adds credibility and clarity while keeping the focus on the customer.

Engage and give credit
Always tag and credit the original creator. This transparency not only builds goodwill but also reinforces authenticity and ethical social media practices.

When used consistently, Instagram reposts become more than just shared content. They act as powerful social proof. By amplifying genuine customer voices, brands can build trust, demonstrate reliability, and create stronger emotional connections with their audience.

When looking at raw data for the first time, it can be extremely overwhelming. On YouTube Studio, there are so many different metrics, reports, and time frames to choose from and knowing how to understand which data to pick to tell a story is extremely difficult. In this article, we’ll discuss several key reports in YouTube Studio and what they can tell you about your content, how it’s performing and how you can improve it. 

Channel Performance

Channel Performance is one of the most fundamental reports on YouTube Studio, letting you see key metrics such as views, watch time, subscribers and revenue. If you want a basic understanding of how your channel is performing without getting into the nitty-gritty of data analytics, your channel analytics report is your main priority. These are your main metrics because views and watch time decide whether ot not your channel is successful enough or not to be monetised, which requires 1000 subscribers and 4,0000 watch hours in the past 12 months.

Audience Retention

The audience retention report lets you see how long people have been engaging with the videos on your channel. This is important because some of your content may be long-form and some may be short-form. Typically, short-form videos will generally have a higher audience retention due to their nature of requiring less time to watch. Analysing some of your longer-form content, how long it is being watched for, and different points of the video at which viewers are dropping off, is helpful in understanding if creating this type of content is working for you or if you need to change up the length or timings on your videos to keep people engaged and what works for you. The more people engage with your videos, the more likely they are to be pushed by the algorithm, so having content that is too long or making people lose interest will likely make your channel stand still.

Traffic Sources

The traffic sources report can be a very great analytical tool when diving deeper into how your YouTube channel is performing. Traffic Sources let you know how all your different viewers are finding you. This is important because by understanding how your viewers are finding you, you will know how to find them, or other areas you need to improve. For example, if over 60% of your traffic is coming to your YouTube channel externally from Google, it is important that you maintain a high level fo SEO on your videos including titles, thumbnails, descriptions, tags and more to keep appearing in google search, while understanding thatgrowing your channel in this way will eventually help to gain more traffic through YouTube search.

What this means for marketers

While reports such as channel performance allow for an overview of performance, marketers who want to make a deep dive into more nuanced areas of performance, extracting data to make educated decisions on selected videos, can do so by looking at different, more in-depth reports such as audience retention, traffic sources and more to improve performance over time.

Reports recently surfaced claiming that Google plans to introduce advertising into its Gemini AI chatbot in 2026. For marketers, this immediately raised questions about how Google might monetise AI, and how ads could appear inside conversational tools. Google has since pushed back on those claims.

According to the company, there are currently no ads in Gemini and no confirmed plans to add them.

The speculation began with a report suggesting Google had briefed advertisers on future plans to place ads inside Gemini. If true, this would mark a significant shift, transforming Gemini into a new advertising surface, similar to Search or YouTube.

Given Google’s advertising-first business model, the idea wasn’t hard to believe. AI tools are expensive to run, and marketers are watching closely to see where paid placements may appear next.

What has Google said in response?

Google responded quickly and publicly. Dan Taylor, Google’s Vice President of Global Ads, stated that the report was based on inaccurate information and anonymous sources. He confirmed that Gemini is ad-free today and stated that there are no plans to introduce ads.

Google’s Ads Liaison team backed up that message, reinforcing the company’s stance and aiming to calm concerns across the industry.

Ads are appearing in other AI Experiences

While Gemini itself remains ad-free, Google is already experimenting with ads in other AI-powered areas. Ads currently appear in AI Overviews within Search, and Google has acknowledged testing advertising in its AI Mode.

From a marketing perspective, this matters. It shows Google is actively exploring how ads can fit into AI experiences, just not directly inside Gemini, at least for now.

What should we take from this?

For now, Gemini isn’t an advertising channel. But the bigger picture hasn’t changed. Google is clearly testing where AI and advertising intersect.

Marketers should expect AI-driven ad formats to continue expanding across Search and beyond. Even if Gemini stays ad-free in 2026, the conversation signals what’s coming next, and why staying informed is essential.

As Google continues to integrate generative AI into search, advertisers are learning that familiar rules don’t always apply in new environments. One of the latest clarifications from Google Ads confirms that exact match keywords are not eligible to trigger ads within AI Overviews. While subtle on the surface, this shift has meaningful implications for how campaigns are structured and how brands show up in high-visibility search moments.

Understanding Google’s Update on Exact Match

Google recently confirmed that even if an advertiser is bidding on an exact match keyword identical to a user’s query, that keyword alone will not make an ad eligible to appear within an AI Overview. These AI-generated summaries are designed to respond to broader, more conversational intent, not precision keyword matching.

This marks a departure from how many advertisers traditionally think about control and relevance. Exact match still plays an important role in standard search results, but AI Overviews operate under a different logic, one driven by machine learning and inferred intent.

Why AI Overviews Favour Broader Targeting

AI Overviews are built to answer complex, exploratory questions. To do that effectively, Google relies on broad match keywords and AI-powered campaign types that give its systems flexibility to interpret meaning rather than syntax.

This doesn’t mean Google is removing advertiser control. Instead, control shifts from rigid keyword matching to smarter signals including conversion data, audience behaviour, and strong negative keyword strategies. Advertisers who lean into this approach are better positioned to access AI-driven placements.

What Marketers Should Do Next

For clients, this shift highlights an important evolution in how search works. User behaviour is becoming more intent-driven and conversational, particularly within AI-powered results. Brands that approach this change cautiously but proactively are better positioned to appear where attention is increasingly concentrated within AI-generated answers at the top of the page. By evolving keyword strategy in a controlled, data-led way, advertisers can safeguard results today while preparing for the future of paid search.

As we look back on 2025, it has been a year defined by learning, growth and reflection. Like any business journey, there have been challenges along the way, but these moments have helped shape our approach and strengthen the way we work. More importantly, the year has been filled with opportunities, progress and achievements that have moved the business forward and supported the work we deliver for our clients.

Throughout the year, our team has celebrated a wide range of successes, from personal milestones to collective achievements. Each win, no matter the size, has contributed to the momentum of the business and reinforced our focus on delivering thoughtful, effective marketing solutions.

We launch our PPC services

One of the standout developments of the year was the launch of our PPC services. Our co-director, Liam, took a bold step in early 2025 by expanding his skill set and introducing a new offering for our clients. This addition has allowed us to provide more comprehensive and well-rounded marketing support, helping clients optimise their campaigns and achieve stronger results. Expanding into PPC has strengthened our ability to support growth and deliver joined-up strategies.

Matthew passes his apprenticeship with flying colours

Another proud moment came when our SEO executive, Matty, completed his multichannel marketing apprenticeship with an impressive first. This achievement is a testament to his hard work, dedication and commitment to developing his expertise. His success reflects the value we place on continuous learning and professional development within the team.

Becoming finalists in the Yorkshire Post Business Awards

In September, we were honoured to be nominated as finalists for the Yorkshire Post Micro Business of the Year award. The evening at the Royal Armouries was a chance to celebrate alongside some of Yorkshire’s most inspiring businesses. While we did not take home the award, the experience itself felt like a win and a moment of genuine pride for the team.

Celebrating Together: A Festive Team Experience
As the year drew to a close, we took some time to celebrate together outside the office. Our team headed to Manchester for a live Crystal Maze experience, tackling physical and mental challenges together. The day was a testament to the collaborative spirit and strong team relationships we’ve built throughout the year. It was a fun and memorable way to wrap up 2025, reinforcing how much we value connection, support and shared achievement.

A thank you to our clients

None of the progress we’ve made in 2025 would be possible without the trust and collaboration of our clients. Working alongside such passionate and ambitious businesses has been a constant source of motivation for our team. Each partnership has challenged us to think smarter, be more creative and deliver meaningful results. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to continue building these relationships, supporting our clients’ growth and achieving even more together.

Looking ahead

As we move into the next year, we carry forward the lessons, confidence and motivation gained in 2025. We are excited to continue building on this momentum, supporting our clients and creating even more reasons to celebrate in the year ahead.

Search engine optimisation is evolving rapidly as AI-driven search experiences become more common. Can users use the same SEO techniques in AI Mode as in normal search to be successful? In this article, we will discuss all relevant SEO techniques for AI mode.

How Users Search in AI Mode

AI-powered search engines no longer rely on simple keyword matching. Instead, they use queries conversationally, analysing user intent. This means content needs to answer real questions clearly and naturally. Pages written for humans, with logical structure and depth, are more likely to be selected or referenced in AI-generated responses than those built purely around keyword repetition.

Technical SEO in AI Mode

While a lot of SEO techniques may not be relevant in AI Mode, Technical SEO is still important. Ensuring your site is easily crawlable for AI bots means it is easier for them to understand and evaluate your content, making you more likely to appear in AI-generated responses.

How to be successful in AI Mode

AI mode often delivers answers directly within the search experience, which changes how SEO success is measured. Rankings and clicks still matter, but being cited or referenced within AI-generated responses becomes a key outcome. This elevates the importance of brand authority, topical consistency, and content credibility across the web.

What Google says about SEO in AI Mode

Google’s Robby Stein named five factors Google uses to judge content within AI Mode, which Roger Monti has written about extensively in his article for Search Engine Journal. The five factors include quality, helpfulness, and real user satisfaction, driving visibility. AI Mode evaluates whether people find the information genuinely useful and use engagement signals and user behaviour to rank content, much like in traditional SEO.

What this means for Marketers

SEO in AI mode reinforces what we already know about SEO, content that helps users win. By focusing on the audience websites align naturally with AI and help to create engaging content for audiences that boost traffic and profitability.