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October 2025: AI assistants start shopping, and product data becomes the priority

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Covers October 2025 · Published · 2 min read
Advertising performance statistics on a laptop
Photo: Carlos Muza on Unsplash

Covers October 2025. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

Quick answer: By October 2025 AI assistants, including ChatGPT and Google’s AI features, could line up products side by side, sum up what reviews said and sometimes help a shopper finish the purchase. For UK businesses selling online, complete and accurate product data became the starting point for showing up in AI shopping and in Google Shopping.

This matters beyond big retailers. A plumbing merchant with a web shop, a garage selling tyres online or a garden business selling paving and sleepers all depend on the same thing: the assistant has to understand exactly what you sell, what it costs and whether it is in stock.

What changed in October 2025?

Over the course of 2025, both OpenAI and Google added more shopping features to their AI products. These included more detailed product comparisons and, in some markets, early options to check out without leaving the chat.

Why was this important for UK businesses?

AI assistants depend on product information that is structured and consistent. If a feed had gaps, identifiers were missing or prices did not match across sources, a business risked being skipped when the assistant made its recommendations, just as the busy pre-Christmas period was approaching.

For a local firm that sells a few hundred lines online, the same rule applies. A tyre listing without the size, load rating and price clearly stated is far less likely to be picked up than one where every detail is filled in.

What to do about it now

  • Fill in your product feed fully, including GTINs, full attributes, current prices and how many you have in stock.
  • Make sure your product pages, structured data and Merchant Center all say exactly the same thing.
  • State returns, delivery and warranty terms clearly on every product page, plus any fitting or installation options.

Frequently asked questions

Does Merchant Center data feed AI assistants?

Google’s AI features use Shopping data. Other assistants rely on their own sources, which is why the information on your website and your structured markup matter as well.

Which product details matter most?

Correct product titles and identifiers, up-to-date prices and availability, good images, reviews, and the main specifications a buyer would look for.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? Our Google Ads service covers Shopping feeds and product data for local businesses that sell online. Get in touch.

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April 2025: ChatGPT search gets better at showing products

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Covers April 2025 · Published · 2 min read
Advertising performance statistics on a laptop
Photo: Carlos Muza on Unsplash

Covers April 2025. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

Quick answer: Towards the end of April 2025, OpenAI upgraded shopping in ChatGPT search so that product results came with pictures, prices, reviews and links through to retailers. AI assistants turned into another place where people compare products before buying, so accurate product details and reviews started to matter outside Google too.

This timeline entry, written in November 2026, revisits April 2025. It is most relevant to local businesses that also sell products online, such as a bathroom showroom with a web shop, a garden centre, a bike repair shop selling parts, or a salon selling haircare.

What OpenAI changed in April 2025

When someone asked ChatGPT search a shopping question, it began showing visual product cards. OpenAI said at the time that these results were picked independently and were not adverts.

Why it mattered to local sellers

UK businesses with clear product information, good reviews and websites that were easy to access stood a better chance of being shown. The change was also an early sign of the AI shopping and advertising features that came later.

How to get your products ready

  • Add product structured data that includes price, stock availability and review details.
  • Give products titles and descriptions that are specific and easy to understand, for example the exact model and size.
  • Ask happy customers to leave honest reviews on your website and on trusted platforms.

Frequently asked questions

Is it possible to buy a spot in ChatGPT’s product results?

When the feature launched, the product results were not paid placements. OpenAI brought in separate advertising in 2026.

What helps products appear in AI shopping answers?

Correct product data, reviews, stock availability, clear prices and mentions on websites people trust.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? If you sell products as well as services, we can make sure your shop and ads are set up to be found. See our Google Ads service, or Get in touch.

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November 2025: the first Black Friday shaped by AI search

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Covers November 2025 · Published · 2 min read
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Photo: Luke Chesser on Unsplash

Covers November 2025. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

Quick answer: November 2025 was the first Black Friday where lots of UK shoppers used AI assistants, AI Overviews and Google AI Mode on top of normal search and social media. The businesses that did most consistently paired solid product data with paid search, fresh paid social creative and email.

We’re looking back at November 2025 from November 2026 as part of our search timeline. Black Friday isn’t only for big retailers. Plenty of local firms sell products or take bookings online too, from a garage selling tyres to a salon selling gift vouchers or a heating firm running a boiler offer.

How the 2025 peak played out

More and more shoppers turned to AI tools to weigh up deals and research what to buy before parting with money. On the advertising side, businesses leaned hard on automated campaign types through the peak, including Performance Max, AI Max and Meta Advantage+.

Why local sellers should take note

The peak squeezed a whole year of change into a few short weeks. Accurate information, a good supply of fresh ad creative and campaigns set up well in advance counted for far more than anything done in a rush at the last minute.

For a local business with an online shop or booking system, that meant clear prices, clear availability and offers that AI tools and shoppers could easily understand.

How to prepare for your next peak

  • Get peak campaigns live early so automated bidding has time to learn before the busiest days.
  • Have several versions of your paid social ads ready, so people don’t get tired of seeing the same one.
  • Keep product and booking pages quick, accurate and clear about cut-off dates for delivery or appointments.

Frequently asked questions

How early should Black Friday ads go live?

A few weeks ahead. That gives automated bidding time to learn and lets early bargain hunters find you.

Will AI tools mention my Black Friday offer?

They can summarise offers they come across. Clear deal pages that search engines can crawl, plus accurate product details, make that more likely.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? We can get your Facebook and Instagram ads ready well before your busy season. Get in touch.

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July 2024: Google decides to keep third-party cookies in Chrome

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Covers July 2024 · Published · 2 min read
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Photo: Luke Chesser on Unsplash

Covers July 2024. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

Quick answer: On 22 July 2024 Google said it would not, after all, remove third-party cookies from Chrome, and proposed giving users more choice instead. Advertisers were relieved, but privacy law, consent rules and limits in other browsers meant first-party data remained just as important.

This entry is part of our timeline of the search and social changes that have shaped how local businesses win work online, written with hindsight.

What did Google announce in July 2024?

Following years of postponements, Google reversed its plan to phase out third-party cookies. It pointed to feedback from regulators, publishers and advertisers, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority among them.

Why it mattered for local businesses

Firms that had already put work into consent, server-side tracking and their own customer data kept their lead. Anyone hoping tracking would go back to how it used to be still had to deal with consent rules and with the restrictions built into Safari and Firefox. For a kitchen fitter running Google Ads, that meant measurement still depended on good setup rather than on cookies alone.

What to focus on now

  • Keep building consented first-party data, such as your customer email list.
  • Keep server-side tracking and enhanced conversions running and maintained.
  • Judge results using platform figures, your analytics and real jobs booked together.

Frequently asked questions

Do I still need a cookie banner?

Yes. UK law requires consent for non-essential cookies whatever the browsers do.

Are third-party cookies blocked in Safari and Firefox?

Yes. Both browsers restrict them by default.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? We set up consent friendly tracking and reporting through our analytics and measurement service. Get in touch.

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March 2021: Google rules out tracking individuals once cookies go

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Covers March 2021 · Published · 2 min read
Advertising performance statistics on a laptop
Photo: Carlos Muza on Unsplash

Covers March 2021. Part of our search timeline: a month-by-month look at the changes that shaped SEO, AI search, paid ads and social media, written in November 2026 for local businesses with the benefit of hindsight.

Quick answer: Back in March 2021, Google stated that once third-party cookies had been phased out it had no plans to develop replacement identifiers to follow individual people around the web. Chrome later changed its plans on removing cookies, but the lesson remained: your own first-party data and properly consented tracking are what modern advertising is built on.

This post is one entry in our timeline series, where we go back through search, AI, advertising and social changes one month at a time to explain what they mean for local firms. We wrote it in November 2026, so we already know how things turned out. Here we look at why Google’s 2021 statement still matters to trades and local service firms that advertise online.

What did Google say in March 2021?

Google’s advertising team announced that it would not use alternative identifiers to track people from site to site once third-party cookies were gone. Its focus would instead be on approaches that protect privacy and on the direct relationships businesses have with their own customers.

Why it mattered for trades and local firms

Any business that depended on remarketing or bought-in third-party audiences had to think again. A kitchen fitter who chased every website visitor with ads around the web, for example, could no longer count on that working the same way.

The things you collect yourself grew in value: email lists, records of past customers, server-side tracking and clear consent. So did ad platform automation that can perform with less data.

Steps to take today

  • Build your own customer data through newsletters, service reminders, online accounts or loyalty offers, always with clear consent.
  • Where customers have given permission, upload your customer lists to Google Ads and Meta.
  • Check your conversion tracking, such as calls, forms and bookings, is accurate and consented, so automated bidding learns from good data.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as first-party data?

It is information customers give straight to your business, for example their email address, the jobs or products they have bought from you, and their preferences.

Did Chrome end up removing third-party cookies?

No. In 2024 Google abandoned its plan to remove them completely, though privacy controls and regulations still restrict tracking based on cookies.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? We set up consented tracking and measurement that you can rely on through our analysis and reporting service. Get in touch.

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AI Max for Search in Google Ads: a practical guide for trades and local firms

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Published · 6 min read
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Photo: Carlos Muza on Unsplash

Quick answer: AI Max for Search is a setting you can switch on inside an ordinary Google Ads Search campaign. Google’s AI then matches your ads to relevant searches your keyword list doesn’t cover, adapts the ad wording to each search and chooses the best landing page on your site. It can uncover profitable new enquiries, but only if your conversion tracking is sound, your brand and URL controls are set and someone checks the search terms report every week.

For years Google has been taking more of the day-to-day decisions away from advertisers. Smart Bidding came first, then broad match got smarter, then Performance Max arrived. AI Max for Search is the newest piece, and Google now positions automated bidding, Performance Max and AI Max together as its recommended way to run search advertising.

For a plumber, electrician or roofer paying for every click, that raises a fair question: will it bring in more jobs, or just burn budget on the wrong searches? Handled carefully it can catch searches you would never have added as keywords, such as the long, chatty questions people now type after getting used to AI assistants. Handled carelessly it can waste money fast. Below is how we set it up for local businesses.

Key takeaways

  • AI Max is a switch on an existing Search campaign, not a separate campaign type.
  • It is made up of three features, text customisation, search term matching and final URL expansion, and you can control each one.
  • Without reliable conversion tracking and a decent amount of conversion data, it struggles.
  • Measure it by cost per conversion and conversion value rather than clicks or impressions.

The three parts of AI Max explained

FeatureWhat Google doesYour controls
Search term matchingPuts your ads in front of relevant searches outside your keyword list, using your ads and landing pages as cluesNegative keywords, brand exclusions and a regular look at search terms
Text customisationWrites headlines and descriptions shaped around the search and the content of your websiteCheck the generated assets, delete any you are not happy with and pin key messages where they matter
Final URL expansionChooses the page on your site that fits the search best and sends the visitor thereExclude pages that should never get paid traffic, for example a jobs page or blog posts

Searches that AI Max finds are tagged separately in the search terms report. That lets you see exactly what it is adding on top of the searches your keywords were already picking up.

Is your account ready for AI Max?

We would only think about switching it on when:

  • Conversion tracking is accurate and Consent Mode v2 is in place, which UK advertisers rely on to measure results and show personalised ads.
  • The campaign already produces a regular stream of conversions, such as calls and quote requests, so Google has something to learn from.
  • Bidding uses Smart Bidding, aiming at a target CPA (cost per acquisition) or a target return on ad spend.
  • Your service pages spell out clearly what you do and where. AI Max reads your website, so a vague page about “all your property needs” leads to vague matching.

We would wait if the account is brand new with hardly any data, if the budget is very tight, or if you work in a regulated area where every word of an ad has to be approved.

As an example, a heating engineer covering Dundee and Angus with a few months of tracked boiler repair enquiries is a reasonable candidate. A one-person cleaning business spending a small amount each month, with no tracked calls yet, is not.

Setting AI Max up step by step

  1. Check your tracking before anything else. Make sure each conversion action fires properly and that weak actions, such as someone viewing a page, are not set as primary goals.
  2. Test it on a single campaign. Pick a non-brand campaign that already performs, so there is a clear before and after.
  3. Set brand controls. Brand inclusions and exclusions stop AI Max bidding on rival firms’ names, or on searches for your own business name, unless that is what you want.
  4. Exclude pages that should not get ads. Typical ones are vacancies, blog articles and policy pages.
  5. Read the generated ad text in week one. Remove anything inaccurate, such as a service you do not offer or an area you do not cover.
  6. Look at search terms every week. Add negatives for anything irrelevant.
  7. Be patient. Give it two to four weeks of learning before deciding whether it works.

How to tell if AI Max is paying off

Compare an equal period before and after you switched it on, and avoid your busiest season if you can. A boiler firm comparing a quiet September with a freezing December will learn nothing useful. Check:

  • Return on ad spend, or cost per conversion.
  • Conversions that came from AI Max matched searches compared with those from your keywords.
  • How good the leads are, not only how many. Ask whoever answers the phone or books the jobs.
  • How much spend went on searches that are genuinely new, versus searches your keywords would have caught anyway.

If cost per conversion climbs and the new searches are not turning into enquiries, turn AI Max off for that campaign. You can try again once you have better data.

Searches are getting longer and more conversational, partly because people have got used to talking to AI tools. Someone might type “who can fix a combi boiler losing pressure near Forfar this week” rather than “boiler repair Forfar”. Fixed keyword lists struggle with that kind of search. On the paid side, Google’s response to the shift is AI Max. On the organic side, the same change is why we build content around the real questions customers ask.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI Max just Performance Max under another name?

No. Performance Max is its own campaign type that runs across all of Google’s channels. AI Max is a setting you switch on inside a Search campaign.

Does AI Max work alongside exact match keywords?

Yes. Your keywords keep running as usual, with AI Max layering further matching over them. Where an exact match keyword matches a search, it still takes priority.

Will AI Max write my ads?

It can create headlines and descriptions from your website and current ads. You are free to review or delete them, and it is worth checking them regularly.

Should a small local business with a small budget use it?

Usually not straight away. With a small budget and only a handful of conversions, there is not much data for Google to learn from. Get your tracking and keyword campaigns in order first, then run a test.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? We set up and manage Google Ads for trades and local service businesses, and we can tell you honestly whether AI Max is worth testing on your account. Get in touch.

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ChatGPT ads for UK trades: is it worth paying to appear in AI answers?

Aaron, Lead Local Marketing
Published · 5 min read
ChatGPT open on a laptop screen
Photo: Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

Quick answer: ChatGPT ads are sponsored cards that show up underneath ChatGPT’s replies for logged-in adults using the free and cheaper plans. They carry a clear label, sit apart from the reply, and people on paid ChatGPT plans don’t see them. For a UK trade or local service business, they’re worth a small test with proper tracking if your customers ask ChatGPT for help choosing. Treat them as an extra, not a swap for Google Ads or for earning a mention inside the answers themselves.

This is the year adverts moved into AI assistants. OpenAI started running ads in ChatGPT and has since let more advertisers buy them. Over at Google, ads already appear inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, served through ordinary Google Ads campaigns.

Plenty of the trades and local firms we speak to want to know if they should jump in. Below is how we weigh it up for a business like yours.

Key takeaways

  • The ad is a labelled sponsored card placed below the reply, not woven into it. OpenAI states that ads have no influence on what ChatGPT recommends.
  • Ads are only shown to logged-in adults on the free and lower-priced tiers. Paying subscribers get no ads.
  • Early reports suggest fewer people click these ads compared with Google search ads, so measure a test by enquiries and booked jobs rather than clicks.
  • Getting named in the reply itself is still worth more than a paid card sitting underneath it.

What actually happens when a ChatGPT ad shows?

A user types a question and ChatGPT writes its reply in the usual way. Where an advertiser’s offer fits what’s being discussed, a sponsored card may be shown below the reply. It has a visible “Sponsored” label, a brief message and a link.

Because the card lives outside the reply, it doesn’t alter what ChatGPT tells the user. Picture someone asking how to stop a radiator going cold at the top: the reply explains bleeding radiators, and a relevant heating firm’s card could appear beneath it.

Independent studies looking at US answers have reported ads on a big proportion of replies, including plain information questions and not only shopping ones. Take those numbers carefully. They’re one-off snapshots from outside researchers, not figures published by OpenAI.

ChatGPT ads and Google Ads side by side

Google Ads (search)ChatGPT ads
What sets the ad offKeywords and search terms, with more and more AI matchingThe subject and context of the chat
Where people see itGoogle search results, YouTube, AI Overviews, AI Mode and beyondUnderneath ChatGPT replies
Who can see itNearly everyone who searchesAdults signed in on the free or cheaper plans, nobody else
How established it isDecades of tools, data and benchmarksBrand new, with thin reporting and few benchmarks
Usual job in your planYour main way of catching demandA test pot for early learning and extra reach

Which local businesses are a good fit?

The best candidates are businesses where customers think things through before they buy, and are the type to get an AI assistant’s view before deciding:

  • Bigger, considered jobs: kitchens, extensions, loft conversions, new boilers, solar panels, landscaping projects.
  • Services where people ask for comparisons, such as which type of heat pump or roof covering suits their home.
  • Local services in busy, competitive towns, where people ask questions like “who’s the best roofer near me”.

They make less sense if most of your work comes from urgent, ready-to-buy searches. Someone typing “emergency plumber near me” with water through the ceiling is still best reached with Google search ads.

Setting up a sensible first test

  1. Confirm you can buy. Self-serve buying has been rolling out country by country and account by account. Check OpenAI’s advertiser tools show it as available for your UK account before you plan any spend.
  2. Ring-fence a test budget. Pick an amount you’re happy to learn from, usually a small slice of what you spend on search.
  3. Write ads that fit the chat. Make the ad feel like a useful next step, for example “See what a combi swap costs in Dundee”, rather than a shouty banner.
  4. Send clicks to a dedicated page that carries on the conversation the person was having, with straight answers and one simple way to get a quote.
  5. Measure it properly. Add UTM tags, make sure consent and conversion tracking work, and count calls, forms and booked jobs, not clicks.
  6. Review after four to six weeks and compare the cost per enquiry with what Google Ads delivers.

The free option: getting mentioned in the reply

A paid card under the reply has its uses. Being named inside the reply is better, and nobody charges you per click for it. We call that earned AI visibility. It grows from clear content on your website, plenty of good reviews and mentions on sites people trust, like local directories, trade bodies and the local press.

For a roofer covering three towns, that might mean a clear service page for each area, recent reviews that mention the towns by name, and an up-to-date Google Business Profile.

Frequently asked questions

Can an advertiser change what ChatGPT says?

According to OpenAI, no. Ads appear apart from the reply with a sponsored label, and paying doesn’t let an advertiser change ChatGPT’s recommendations.

Can I target ChatGPT ads with keywords?

Not the way Google Ads works. Ads are matched to what the conversation is about rather than to exact keywords, so clear messages and good landing pages matter even more.

Should a small trade business try ChatGPT ads?

Possibly, if you keep it small. Most small firms will get more from sorting out Google Ads, their Google Business Profile and their earned AI visibility before spending here.

Are there ads inside Google’s AI Overviews?

Yes. Your current Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can already serve ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, with no extra campaign needed.

Sources and further reading

Want help with this? We can plan and track a ChatGPT ads test next to your Google Ads campaigns, so you know what each enquiry really costs. Get in touch.

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