The season of spending is here, beginning with Black Friday and not ending, according to Snapchat, until the new year. Here’s the need-to-knows on how to get your brand seen in Q4 and beyond.
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SEO
1. Google Search Console adds annotations and branded query filtering
Google has been busy this month, rolling out two features SEOs have been requesting since the dawn of time. As third-party integrations and tools have been cropping up to fill the gaps, Google finally stepped in with native solutions – likely a strategic move to take back that territory. The highlights:
Annotations
You can now add annotations directly to the performance graph. Perfect for tracking the real-world impact of site changes, campaigns, or that “quick fix” that took three hours.
Branded Query Filtering
A long-overdue upgrade that makes it far easier to split branded vs non-branded traffic without duct-taping together external tools or endless spreadsheets. One caveat: the more granular you get, the more anonymised data disappears – filter with care.
Sources: Google for Developers, Search Engine Land
2. LLMs.txt – hype vs reality
A new study analysing hundreds of thousands of domains has landed – and while the sample size is big, the takeaway isn’t. Another study, same conclusion: LLMs.txt doesn’t currently do much of anything.
The study analysed around 300,000 domains and found that LLMs.txt adoption is very low, with only about 10% of the sites having implemented it. Google and other major platforms in this space don’t list this document as a ranking or citation signal. You can add it if you like, it won’t hurt – but it’s definitely not a task we’d allocate time to right now.
Source: Search Engine Journal
3. Adobe scoops up Semrush in a $1.9 billion deal
Already the kingpin of the design platform world, Adobe’s just scooped up one of the heavyweights in search analytics. This move further legitimises SEO and search visibility as key components of the martech landscape.
Expect Semrush to lean more enterprise, with prices to match – smaller sites and agencies could get priced out of the platform. It’s not all bad news, a shift this big leaves room for leaner, more affordable tools to swoop in.
Source: Reuters
4. Google introduce a major voice search update
The recent hype around voice search feels a bit like déjà vu – but it’s for a good reason. Google has binned its old Cascade ASR system and rolled out a new approach called Speech-to-Retrieval (S2R) earlier this month. Rather than converting speech to text first, S2R uses a machine-learning model to match queries directly to documents, skipping the transcription step entirely.
This shift underscores the growing importance of clear, context-rich content that answers natural-language queries – exactly the kind of content that also plays well with LLMs and AI-driven overviews.
Source: Search Engine Journal
5. Cloudflare wiped out half of the web
On 18th November, Cloudflare went down after making changes to their database systems. The impact wasn’t just on organic search – sites using Cloudflare saw a day of chaos, 5xx errors, and painfully long hours waiting for their sites to come back online. Perfect timing ahead of Black Friday, right?
Most sites should have fully recovered by around 17:00 the same day, and it’s unlikely this will have caused any long-term ranking issues in the SERPs. That said, it’s worth flagging this outage in your monthly reporting so that any short-term traffic drops have some context.
Sources: Cloudflare, Search Engine Journal
Digital PR
1. Roxhill’s an AI rockstar
Even Roxhill’s said it: PR teams are moving toward data-aware, AI-assisted content creation and outreach to meet the speed and complexity of today’s media environment.
Roxhill is planning to roll out:
- Real-time sentiment monitoring to help PRs shape more relevant press narratives.
- AI tools to support faster drafting and refinement, freeing teams to focus on angles and relationships. Essentially striking Chat GPT out of the equation.
- AI powered media list building, tailored emails and identifying audiences.
As with all the AI talk we’ve seen so far, this isn’t about replacing creativity, it’s about using AI to deliver stronger stories, tighter hooks, and highly targeted outreach. This move signals a new wave in the AI revolution with platforms like Roxhill finding ways to position themselves (and AI) as a great little helper, taking the gruntwork out of outreach and leaving PRs to the big picture thinking.
Source: Roxhill
2. PR agency profits have low confidence in profits
One of the most important industry stories this month comes from new data showing a challenging year ahead for PR agencies:
- Only 44% of firms expect to be profitable next year.
- Just 50% predict revenue growth (the lowest confidence levels since 2021).
- This downturn is happening despite near-total AI adoption: 99% of PR firms now use AI in some capacity.
The surge in AI tools hasn’t started paying off just yet. Agencies are investing heavily in new systems, training, and workflow optimisation, while clients are simultaneously scrutinising budgets more than ever.
We expect this to push the industry further toward:
- Performance-led PR
- Clearer measurement and attribution
- Diversified digital services, including CRO, content optimisation, and AI-search visibility
- Stronger value communication during pitching and reporting cycles
Source: Davis + Gilbert 2025 Industry Report
3. GEO & AI-Search: The new reality all digital PR teams must prepare for
AI-powered search is fundamentally changing user behaviour and with it, Digital PR’s role in visibility.Recent industry analysis highlights:
- AI-driven answer engines are consuming more queries, leaving fewer clicks for websites.
- Traditional SEO signals alone no longer guarantee coverage in AI search results.
- Third-party credibility (media coverage, expert commentary, and authoritative brand mentions) is becoming a key input for AI-generated answers.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is emerging as a critical area where PR and SEO intersect. Earned media is now more than a brand-trust asset, it’s a visibility signal for AI systems.
For agencies, this shift creates three immediate priorities:
- AI-readable content: structuring releases, blogs, and thought leadership so AI engines can easily interpret, contextualise, and cite them.
- Authority-driven campaigns.
- Digital PR campaigns must generate trust-building mentions that feed AI search models, not just backlinks.
Source: Tank – The Google AI search shift report
PPC
1. Microsoft Ads rolls out asset level editorial review
Microsoft Ads now reviews each headline, description, or image in an ad individually, instead of suspending the whole ad if one asset is flagged. Ads continue to run so long as enough assets pass review. Advertisers also get new status labels, and the ability to fix or appeal disapproved assets directly.
This is a welcome dose of adult supervision in a platform that sometimes felt like it ran on automated mood swings. You’re less likely to get blindsided by a full ad suspension – so long as you maintain a few clean assets, your budgets stay live. For clients, it means less downtime and fewer headaches during compliance sweeps. For us, it means campaigns run smoother even in the middle of holiday chaos.
Source: Microsoft Advertising
2. Google improves suspension accuracy and speeds up appeals
Google says it has cut incorrect advertiser suspensions by more than 80 percent and sped up appeal reviews. Most reviews now close fast, with almost all resolved within a day
If you have ever had a clean account get nuked for no reason, this will feel like justice finally arriving. Fewer false alarms and faster reversals mean campaigns stop losing momentum when you need them most.
Source: Search Engine Journal
3. Microsoft Ads Copilot gets smarter: performance comparison tools go global
Microsoft expanded its Copilot comparison features. Advertisers can now benchmark performance across different time periods, compare audience and test groups, and spot winning or weak areas without heavy manual analysis.
This saves hours normally spent digging through spreadsheets. You can shift budget faster, cut waste sooner, and make decisions based on what is actually moving the needle.
Source: PPC News Feed
4. Google Ads turns twenty five years old and reminds everyone the game has changed
A November industry recap reflected on the evolution of Google Ads and how far it has moved from strict keyword control toward AI driven automation and signal based decision making.
It serves as a polite reminder that anyone still running campaigns like it is a decade ago is leaving performance on the table. The platforms have changed and the approach needs to evolve with them.
Source: Search Engine Journal
5. New insights on winning with Performance Max
Another November article focused on what separates strong Performance Max campaigns from the rest. The pattern is clear. Success comes from working with the system rather than fighting it, giving it better signals, and analysing outputs properly.
It’s less about endless tweaking and more about accepting that Google would prefer we stop touching the controls altogether. The real trick now is reading the tea leaves they give us and pretending that counts as insight. The mindset shift matters, but mostly because Google keeps shrinking the buttons.
Source: Search Engine Journal
Paid Social
1. Meta integrates more AI-powered options into its ad flow
Meta is embedding more of its AI-powered “Advantage+” features directly into the standard ad-creation process, rather than making them optional add-ons. For new campaigns, Advantage+ options (including AI-based budgeting, audience targeting, and ad placements) are now turned on by default.
Meta reports its updated AI recommendation system delivers a major performance boost compared with earlier models: roughly 4x more efficient at driving conversions, and 2x more effective at transferring ad learnings across broader ad performance.
AI-driven targeting is likely to speed up campaign setup and reduce workload, but might also reduce the ability to finely control who sees ads. The improved efficiency and performance of AI-based ads means budgets might go further: lower cost per result and potentially better ROAS, especially for those prepared to trust the automated recommendations instead of micromanaging campaigns.
Some accounts may see no benefit or even worse performance from these automated features, because AI enhancements are not universally effective across all industries. This means marketers should monitor results closely rather than assuming automation will reliably outperform their manually optimised setups.
Source: Social Media Today
2. Meta begins shutting down social media accounts for Australian teens ahead of under-16 ban
The social-media law in Australia banning under-16s from using major platforms is about to go into effect. To comply, Meta has begun notifying users it believes are under 16 that their accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads will be deactivated from the 4th December. From that date onward, Meta will block new account registrations for under-16s and start revoking access for existing under-16 accounts, with full enforcement by December 10.
Meta is offering affected teens a period to download their data (posts, messages, memories etc) and allows them to regain access when they turn 16. The company says it will use age-assurance tools such as ID or facial-age checks when needed.
Brands whose products or services are tailored toward a teen audience in Australia will be significantly affected, as their reach and targeting options for under-16s will effectively disappear. Marketers may need to adjust creative strategies, since content or ad formats that appeal to younger teens might not find the same audience – meaning budgets, creatives and messaging must be reviewed.
This represents a broader risk for companies targeting teens globally, as other countries could adopt similar restrictions. Marketers will need to approach teen-focused audience segmentation with greater caution and ensure they’re prepared for potential regulatory shifts.
Source: TechCrunch
3. TikTok highlights the value of creator partnerships for marketing
TikTok says that creator-led content dramatically outperforms standard non-creator ads, delivering about 70% higher click-through rate for the same CPM. Creator-led content tends to feel more natural on TikTok because creators understand the platform’s trends, humour and visual style, helping branded messages fit seamlessly into the user experience.
Marketing on TikTok should lean more into UGC creator partnerships rather than relying solely on brand-produced ads, because creators’ content style tends to drive higher engagement and CTR than standard ads.
To build long-term presence and stay relevant, brands may benefit from combining high-impact campaign bursts with “always-on” creator collaborations that keep the brand in users’ feeds between major launches.
Source: Social Media Today
4. Snapchat highlights how brands can connect with shoppers
Snapchat’s new “Q5” report, focused on the holiday shopping season, shows how the platform can play a central role in how users discover and decide on purchases – especially through social connections and shared experiences with friends.
The report says that for many users, holiday shopping on Snapchat isn’t just about getting a deal: it’s a collective, community-driven experience. Inspiration, discussion and co-creation with peers shape buying decisions as much as price or product features.
Brands should think about Q5 campaigns as opportunities to spark interaction and conversation among Snapchat users. Content that people naturally want to share with friends is likely to create stronger momentum than straightforward promotional messaging. Creative strategy during Q5 works best when it feels native to the platform. Inspiration-led formats such as personalised gift ideas or UGC can blend into user behaviour and encourage discovery without relying on overt sales tactics.
The Q5 period on Snapchat extends beyond the traditional holiday peak, so marketers can benefit from staying active into the post-Christmas phase. Maintaining visibility with timely content, including New Year-focused themes or late-season offers, helps capture continued shopping interest.
Source: Social Media Today
Diligence to the details is what you get from Dark Horse. A free digital audit can uncover where this month’s updates could be helping or hindering your visibility online.