Plus, the March core update and new Discover insights  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News APRIL 1, 2026 By Cristy Posten Content Manager Hi Raptive, Ad performance improved year over year in Q1, and that momentum is carrying into Q2. With a weaker Q2 last year, we’re well positioned to keep seeing gains, even if the broader environment remains unpredictable. Global tensions and rising oil prices are adding pressure and uncertainty, potentially affecting advertiser sentiment and short-term spend. That’s where your strategy makes a difference. Creators who focus on strong fundamentals—strengthening SEO, growing social presence, investing in your email newsletter, and expanding their digital footprint—are more likely to keep growing, even when the market shifts. We’ll help you stay on track with expert tips and resources to guide you through Q2 and beyond. Here’s what we’re covering this week: • Google’s first core update of the year • Key takeaways from the Discover algorithm update • A behind-the-scenes look at one of the teams driving your revenue growth What’s new Google rolls out the March core update Google’s March core update is underway and can take up to two weeks to complete. This is the first broad core update of the year, following the March spam update and the February Discover update. Core updates make broad changes to ranking systems to surface more helpful, reliable content. We’ll monitor and analyze these changes to understand their impact on the network and share our key findings. The Discover algorithm update results are in Last month marked Google’s first-ever Discover-focused algorithm update, pointing to a growing focus on Discover as an important traffic source. Our analysis suggests that Google prioritizes niche sites with strong expertise, regardless of size, and that foundational SEO advice applies here as well. How to win at Discover → Top resource Focus on the work that drives growth You already have enough to do, so why add more to your plate? Growing traffic in today’s industry is about focusing on which actions will actually move the needle. The SEO Workbook brings your data into one place so you can quickly see which pages to update, where traffic is shifting, and how to prioritize your time with confidence. Get started with the SEO Workbook → Quick tip Strengthen authority through quality content, consistency, and trust “If you want to grow in search, don’t chase an authority score. Build the signals behind it. Create content people trust, stay consistent in your niche, and give your audience a reason to search for you by name. When people recognize your brand, click on it, and come back for more, that’s what builds authority. That’s also what helps you stay steady through updates and see more consistent results.” Philip Elias VP, Network SEO Don’t miss Meet the team powering your revenue growth Strong performance doesn’t happen by accident. Our team tests and optimizes your ad performance every day to increase your revenue and improve RPM. Meet the Ad Performance and Tech Support team—the engineers, analysts, and strategists who improve your monetization. Their goal is to help you earn more while keeping a great experience for your audience. In a time when automation is becoming the norm, we’re continuing to invest in people who love serving creators, because we believe real expertise and partnership still matter deeply. If you’ve ever wondered what’s driving your RPM gains, this is one of the teams making it happen. “I’ve been doing this work for over a decade, and I’m still here because I genuinely love solving these challenges. Every day brings a new problem to work through, a new puzzle to solve, and at the end of it, we get to help creators and publishers earn more doing what they love. That never gets old for my team or me.” James Baldwin SVP, Creator Performance See how our team supports your growth → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Reddit Pro opens to all publishers, adds new features in public beta (Search Engine Land) • Bing AI dashboard maps grounding queries to cited pages (Search Engine Journal) • Google commits to publisher opt-out from AI Overviews (The Keyword) • Meta rolls out new AI content enforcement systems while reducing reliance on third-party vendors (TechCrunch) Question of the week As you head into Q2, where are you focusing your efforts? 📈 Updating existing content Refreshing posts to improve rankings and traffic 🔍 Doubling down on SEO fundamentals Improving structure, internal linking, and on-page optimization 📣 Growing audience channels Investing more in social and email 🧪 Waiting to see how updates shake out Holding steady until things stabilize Thanks for reading! Was this email helpful? 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