Google Marketing Live (GML) for the EMEA region took place on the 21st of May 2026 and featured the latest announcements across Search, YouTube, commerce, measurement and AI-powered advertising. Google promised new product launches and platform updates, as well as insights into where digital marketing is heading next, and this year’s event delivered plenty to unpack.
A theme we noticed throughout the event was how AI is becoming more deeply embedded into how people search, shop and interact with ads. Google focused on how AI-powered discovery and conversational search experiences are being designed to simplify campaign management and improve performance. There was also a Q&A portion of the event, and more than 1,500 questions were submitted, with Google leaders narrowing those down to 15 for live discussion and voting.
If you missed GML, not to worry, we’ll cover some of the main announcements that were made in this article. While many of the announcements focused on paid media, there were also some clear signals about where organic search is going, which we’ll cover below, too.
The Main Product Announcements from GML 2026
Google used this year’s event to show how quickly Search is moving away from traditional keyword matching and toward context and conversational experiences. Below are some of the biggest updates announced during the event.
New Ad Formats for AI Mode
A main talking point was the expansion of ads into AI-powered search experiences. Google explained that AI Overviews now have 2.5 billion monthly users, and AI Mode searches are typically three times longer than traditional queries. This is important because longer searches give Google much richer intent signals to work with. To support all of this, Google announced several new ad formats that’ll be powered by Gemini:
- Conversational Discovery Ads – Ads show up naturally within AI Mode responses based on the user’s question and surrounding AI-generated context
- Highlighted Answers – Recommendation-style ad placements that appear when users are researching products or services
- AI-Powered Shopping Ads – Shopping ads are now enhanced with Gemni-generated product descriptions written in more natural language
- Business Agent for Leads – AI-powered ad experiences that let users ask questions directly inside an ad itself, using information from the brand’s website
Google also shared that AI Max Research is driving 27% more conversions and, overall, is helping advertisers unlock billions of previously unreachable searches. At the moment, these ad formats are being tested in the US, but we expect the UK rollout to happen soon.
Upgrades to Asset Studio
Google is also upgrading creative production workflows around AI. Asset Studio is being rebuilt with multimodal creative generation powered by Gemini, which will allow advertisers to create images, video, ad copy and creative themes using conversational prompts instead of manual production processes.
The platform will integrate tools, including Veo, Gemini Omni, YouTube Studio and Canva, to help teams manage creative assets all in one place. Google is also introducing built-in A/B testing so that advertisers can test creative variations quickly.
Big Changes to YouTube
YouTube was another major focus during the event. Google shared that more than one billion hours of YouTube content are now watched daily on TVs, and that creator endorsements drive a 13 times higher likelihood of branded searches. Here are a few more stats Google covered that we think you should know about:
- Google and YouTube appear in 82% purchase journeys
- Combined, Google and YouTube drive 40% higher ROAS compared to other media
- ROI is 1.3 times higher than other paid media social channels in the EMEA region
Google is now integrating creator content directly into Demand Gen campaigns. When advertisers build campaigns, Google Ads can recommend relevant creator videos that can be added to ads. There are currently over three million vetted creators available for partnerships, too.
Commerce and Shopping Innovations
Google also announced updates to its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Universal Cart systems. UCP is designed to allow merchants, payment providers and AI agents to communicate without requiring integrations. Google says this will allow live inventory updates, loyalty data integration and better shopping experiences across AI-driven search.
Universal Cart is being expanded to allow users to add products to their carts across Google surfaces, including Search, Gemini, YouTube and Gmail. In our opinion, Google clearly sees commerce becoming more cross-platform and AI-assisted.
New Additions to Measurement and Data
Measurement through Google also received several upgrades. They introduced two new metrics:
- Attributed Brand Searches (ABS) – Measuring short-term brand impact
- Qualified Future Conversions – Predicting likely sales outcomes up to six months ahead
Google Analytics 360 is also being upgraded with cross-channel measurement using Meridian MMM, which will enable advertisers to see data from platforms such as TikTok, Pinterest and Snap alongside Google data, all in one reporting platform.
A Unified Ask Advisor
Google announced Ask Advisor, which is a unified AI assistant that connects Google Ads, Merchant Centre and Google Analytics. Ask Advisor uses natural language prompts for campaign optimisation and remembers previous conversations and business context. It can also:
- Generate creative assets
- Launch campaigns for you
- Surface recommendations
- Simplify optimisation tasks
Our Thoughts on Organic Impact
Although most of the announcements at GML focused on paid media, there were some points about where organic search fits in, too. One of the biggest things we picked up was Google’s move from traditional keyword matching to understanding context and conversational behaviour. This means organic content will need to answer more detailed, nuanced questions rather than focusing on short keyword phrases alone. At the same time, with AI Overviews rapidly taking over, visibility is happening within AI-generated summaries, not only through blue links.
The event also emphasised the importance of topical depth, structured content and trust signals. Google’s AI systems seem to favour content that fully covers a topic and is easy to interpret and summarise. Thin, single-keyword pages may now struggle to compete compared to richer content with genuine expertise and an original perspective.
Another takeaway was the relationship between brand visibility and organic performance. Google repeatedly linked YouTube and creator activity to increases in brand search behaviour, which means that brands have an advantage as search becomes more AI-driven. Video content also plays a role in discoverability as Google continues to merge YouTube and Search across the customer journey.
Finally, Google’s focus on Merchant Centre feeds, structured commerce data and trusted answers shows that schema markup and credible content will become even more important for organic search visibility moving forward.
The Final Word
This year’s Google Marketing Live made it very clear that Google is focusing far more on AI-driven advertising and search. Many of the updates announced are designed to help brands connect with customers earlier in the decision-making journey. For us, the most interesting part is how closely paid and organic are now starting to overlap.
The same things that help campaigns perform better – strong creative, structured data, topical depth and trusted content – are now influencing visibility across organic search too. As these updates begin rolling out more widely in the UK, there’ll be plenty for us to test and learn how we can better assist our clients.
If you’re wondering how Google’s latest announcements will impact your paid media, SEO and GEO efforts, let’s chat! Please feel free to get in touch.