Every note, newest first. Each one opens with a TL;DR, so you can stop whenever you like.
Building an audience
Instagram is testing horizontal Features up to about 90 minutes, Clips as Reels, episodic Series, and more discoverable Lives — plus Apple TV in the US. Most of it is invite-only, with no YouTube-style ad share yet. Steal the clip-to-long habit; don’t rebuild your week around a beta.
Paying to be seen
Meta’s Brand Summit (15 Oct) pushed Ads Super Burst, First Impression Ads (US test), and broader Reels Trending Ads. Today (28 Oct) product browsing turns on in existing ads unless you opted out. Here’s the plain-words tour with a doodle for each format.
Paying to be seen
ChatGPT ads are chosen by matching your ad to the conversation, then auctioned. 100,000+ advertisers are already in. For most small businesses, watch for now, and don’t move your budget yet.
Paying to be seen
Google Ads is rolling out controls to say which channels get your budget first, plus a one-click test of AI Max. Both are useful, but all channels default to high priority, so nothing changes unless you change it.
Getting found
Many rank trackers spiked on Saturday 24 October 2026, which suggests Google changed something. Google hasn't confirmed it. Wait a week, check Search Console, and change nothing in a panic.
Getting found
Tracking tools now put Google’s AI summary on 80%+ of searches, up from about half in mid-2025. Your clicks may keep falling. Your job is to be the business the summary mentions.
Turning visitors into money
Google’s Universal Cart began rolling out in the US in mid-October 2026: add to cart inside Search, pay with Google Pay. If you sell online, your product listings now matter more than your homepage.
Paying to be seen
Meta's new business terms let it crawl websites tied to your business, even if you don't buy ads. It dropped the word 'train' from the clause, and moved the start date from 30 October to 20 November. Review the terms and your robots.txt.
The big picture
Two things hit WordPress sites on 19 to 21 October 2026: critical PHP flaws that need your host to update, and UpdraftPlus connection keys that let attackers add admins. Update, check your users, then check your plugins.
Knowing what works
CAC is what you spend on marketing to win one new customer. LTV is what that customer pays you over time. If a customer is worth much more than they cost, grow. If not, fix prices, repeat visits or costs before you spend more.
Getting found
Yes, SEO still matters, but fewer people click through when Google shows an AI summary. Be the business the summary is built from: clear answers, real reviews and a name people search for.
Getting found
Expect three to six months before SEO brings steady visitors, and longer in busy markets. The early weeks are setup. The payoff is that it keeps working after you stop.