Just when you thought you could mentally sign off for and enjoy the holiday season, the digital landscape decided to drop a whole load of year-end surprises. We’ve cut through the festive noise to bring you the marketing news that actually matters and what it means for your strategy heading into the new year.
Ready for the highlights (and lowlights)?
The TL:DR you need before the eggnog kicks in:
- Instagram & Facebook now let you add links to Reels, but there’s a monetary catch! You must be Meta Verified to use this feature.
- LinkedIn is in hot water, denying allegations of gender bias in its algorithm!
- Vine is back… sort of! A new diVine is being funded, which is a new archive and platform for the iconic six-second loops.
- Google’s AI Overviews are officially a traffic threat, with a new study showing CTR can drop by up to 61% when they appear.
- TikTok is diving headfirst into podcasting and confirming its role as a Gen Z search engine, with deeper analytics.
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SEO Updates
The AI-driven future of search is here, and it’s having a direct, measurable impact on traffic. Meanwhile, the tools we rely on are getting major upgrades (and one had a very bad day).
Google Updates for November
- A study by Seer Interactive found click-through rates drop by 61% when AI Overviews are present. Even when they aren’t shown, CTRs are down 41%, proving AI is fundamentally changing user behaviour.
- Are we saying goodbye to blue links and now fighting over citations?
- GA4 has added highly-requested new date ranges like ‘last month’, ‘this month’, and ‘quarter to date’ to make reporting less of a headache.
- Google launches Canvas, an AI-powered itinerary builder, and improved Flight Deals that understand natural language queries.
- As someone who plans out every part of their holiday in Google Calendar, I am very excited to use this new feature.
- Brand query filters have been added to Google Search Console, a crucial tool for anyone focused on branded traffic and reputation.
- AI Mode in Search is now powered by Gemini 3, promising more complex reasoning.
ChatGPT Updates for November
- A new study revealed that when in agent mode, ChatGPT used the Bing API for results 92% of the time and selected the top result 63% of the time.
Social Media Updates
This month, the social sphere is all about platforms putting features behind paywalls, scrambling to fix unpopular algorithms, and leaning into their new identities.
Instagram & Facebook Updates for November
- In a major shift, Instagram and Facebook now allow you to add clickable links to Reels, but only if you pay for a Meta Verified subscription.
- The paywall era is in full effect, after previously seeing LinkedIn place features behind a paywall.
- Instagram has confirmed it will allow users to rearrange their grid posts but is still figuring out the rollout timeline.
- Instagram is testing a new optional layout where Reels and DMs move to the second and third tabs in the bottom menu, further prioritising video.
- You need a video content section included in your 2026 social media strategy!
- A feature in the works would allow ANYONE to share your story to theirs, potentially amplifying reach but also raising privacy questions.
- Instagram is testing skippable ads on Reels, these would work much like YouTube’s skippable ads.
LinkedIn Updates for November
- LinkedIn denies gender bias in its algorithm after users report that they get more reach when they change their gender to male.
- Our CEO, Edwina, tested this out and saw a significant uplift in impressions in the first two weeks of changing her LinkedIn gender.
- The ability to pin content to Company Pages appears to have been removed, possibly for all users.
- I am very sad about this, but potentially we will see the return of resharing or even reposting the same content to keep it at the top of a company page.
Threads Updates for November
- Threads continues to innovate quietly, but the major news is its steady growth in daily active users, keeping it on track to compete with X.
TikTok Updates for November
- Hello, Podcasts! TikTok is partnering with iHeartMedia to get into the podcasting game, further cementing its status as an all-in-one entertainment hub.
- TikTok’s own head of marketing confirmed that 86% of Gen Zers search on TikTok instead of traditional engines.
- Obviously, this is an incredibly biassed statement for them to make and doesn’t include how they may also be searching on AI LLMs as an alternative to traditional search engines.
- The platform is now showing creators the % of video views that came from search directly in their analytics.
- This section of the analytics tool also shows what search terms your content is showing for. This can help you understand what TikTok thinks your content is about. Perhaps time for a mini content audit on your TikTok content?
Other Social Updates
- Facebook is launching nicknames for Groups, allowing users to post, comment, and react anonymously, directly competing with Reddit’s anonymity.
- Pinterest is letting users “dial down” AI-generated content in their feeds, taking a stand for authenticity which we love.
- Jack Dorsey is funding diVine, a new platform providing access to 100,000+ classic Vine videos and allowing new uploads.
- YouTube is testing an in-app private messaging feature, moving toward a more social, community-focused experience.
- Previously, YouTube tried to make the platform more social with a “Community” feature added to YouTube profiles, however, this wasn’t adopted by users. Even the largest of YouTube profiles, often, don’t use this.
Marketing Training Updates
The end of the year is a time for reflection. The smartest move you can make for 2026 is to honestly assess your skills and fill the gaps.
- Admit what you don’t know! As we’ve seen with volatile algorithms and new AI tools, real confidence isn’t faking it. It’s knowing your strengths and being secure enough to admit what you haven’t mastered yet.
- The AI hype is real! If you’re not already integrating AI into your 2025 strategy, you’re officially behind. The question is no longer if you should use it, but how. Are you considering how you are using AI as a marketing department?
Stay Up To Date With Marketing
Digital marketing is ever-evolving, with new social media channels, new forms of searching for content and updates to algorithms and consumer changes. It’s important to stay up to date with the latest information to ensure your marketing is moving towards hitting your goals and targets.
There’s a lot to keep up with in marketing, which is why we offer a range of online and face-to-face marketing training courses and 1-2-1 consultancy packages that cover the latest trends and best practices that your organisation needs in order to succeed.
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