This week, Erin Sparks and Jacob Mann are joined by Danny Goodwin, editorial director at Search Engine Land, for a special “News from the News” edition. They dive into the sharp rise of Google Ad costs and the troubling effects of CPC inflation, Instagram’s experimental new collaborative Storylines feature, and an in-depth study comparing AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Bing, and Google. The conversation shifts to major legal blows hitting Google’s ad tech monopoly, new research revealing how AI overviews are significantly cutting into click-through rates, and the future of search as generative AI reshapes the landscape. Plus, Danny shares exciting updates about SMX Advanced returning live this June in Boston, marking the first in-person event in five years.

News from the EDGE:

[00:04:29] CPC inflation: How fast are Google Ads costs rising?
[00:09:45] Instagram Experiments With Collaborative Stories Feature
[00:12:47] ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Google vs Bing: Which AI search engine generates the best answers?
[00:19:30] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics

Focus on the News:

[00:20:32] Court: Google’s illegal ad tech monopoly harmed the open web
[00:22:42] Google hit with $6.6 billion lawsuit over search dominance
[00:24:20] DOJ unveils plan to end Google’s illegal search monopoly
[00:28:58] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: WAIKAY from InLinks
[00:30:10] Google Search boss: AI Overviews boost click quality
[00:33:59] New data: Google AI Overviews are hurting click-through rates
[00:38:05] How generative information retrieval is reshaping search

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Celeste Gonzalez, Director of Rue Labs at Rickety Roo, joins EDGE to explore how heat maps and user behavior tracking are transforming SEO strategy. She walks through Microsoft Clarity’s suite of tools—including tap, scroll, attention, and area heat maps—and explains how they reveal real user interactions beyond what traditional metrics can offer. From understanding time-on-page to visualizing content engagement, Celeste shows how these tools help SEOs optimize design, layout, and messaging. She highlights the growing need to “earn the scroll,” not just the click, especially as attention spans shrink and SERPs shift.

Celeste also addresses common missteps, like overreacting to limited data or drawing conclusions in isolation. She encourages combining heat map data with tools like GA4 and leaning into collaboration with UX and marketing teams. With empathy and clear visual insights, SEOs can better advocate for redesigns, justify strategic shifts, and ensure content supports the entire user journey. This episode offers a practical, data-driven case for elevating UX within modern SEO workflows.

Key Segments:

[00:07:56] Understanding Heat Maps

[00:13:01] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:14:38] SEO Testing and Heatmap Insights

[00:16:23] User Interaction Analysis Tools

[00:22:36] Copilot Streamlines Data Analysis

[00:25:43] Balancing User Data & Client Concerns

[00:29:01] SEO ROI Amid Changing SERPs

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Resources

https://clarity.microsoft.com/blog/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-heatmaps-data/

https://serpology.substack.com/p/leveraging-heatmaps-for-seo-testing

Advertisers are bailing on TikTok as another U.S. ban looms, shifting dollars to Meta while creators scatter to backup platforms. Meanwhile, Google credits Gemini for nuking 240 million spammy reviews and business edits, but don’t expect them to help you get your real reviews back.

Big legal moves are underway: The NYT lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft will proceed, and Chegg is suing Google for killing traffic via AI Overviews. Sara Taher joins the show to unpack the long-term consequences of AI scraping and shrinking search real estate.

We also dive into new AI traffic data showing LLMs are sending visits, barely, and why Google suddenly loves YouTube again. If you’re not aligning schema, content, and branding now, you’ll be shouting into the algorithm void.

News from the EDGE:

[00:02:26] Advertisers pull back from TikTok, boost Meta amid ban uncertainty

[00:08:49] Google credits Gemini for better detection of fake business reviews and maps spam

[00:14:11] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics

AI / SEO News with Sara Taher:

[00:15:48] NYT case against OpenAI and Microsoft can advance

[00:18:20] Chegg sues Google for hurting traffic with AI as it considers strategic alternatives

[00:21:46] AIO prevalence has now surpassed 20%.

[00:25:53] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: WAIKAY from InLinks

[00:29:19] 63% of Websites Receive AI Traffic

[00:34:18] YouTube citations in Google AI Overviews surge 25%

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