Plus, new Google insights, sloptimization, and emerging AI trends  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News JUNE 17, 2026 By Courtney Kahn Content Marketing Hi Raptive, This week marks my 11th anniversary working for Raptive. In digital publishing years, that’s what, like 147? When I joined, Raptive (then AdThrive) was still a startup. Since then, we’ve navigated algorithm changes, platform pivots, economic uncertainty, AI disruptions, and enough industry drama to fill several seasons of a reality TV show (Survivor: The Open Internet). I’ll admit there have been moments I’ve wondered if it was worth sticking it out in this industry. I know many of you have had that same thought, too. But 11 years later, I keep showing up. And you know what? I still think it’s worth it. Every day, I get a front-row seat to the resilience, creativity, and determination of all of you. I get to work alongside incredibly smart people who care deeply about helping creators and publishers build sustainable businesses. Extraordinary humans, all around us, fighting for good. There aren’t many jobs out there like this. What a gift it is to work for and with you, even on the hard days! If the last decade has taught me anything, it’s this: the industry will keep changing. It always does. And I’d still bet on creators and publishers every single time. Here’s what’s in this week’s newsletter: • Early takeaways from Google’s May core update • The easiest way to spot what’s holding a post back • Make your expertise impossible to summarize • The rise of “sloptimization” What’s new Google May core update: Early AI Overview trends Google’s May core update finished rolling out this month, and our team is analyzing its impact across our network. One area we’re watching closely is AI Overviews. Across a large set of high-value keywords, AIO coverage has increased from roughly 20% in mid-March to 30% by early June. While AI Overviews still generate fewer clicks than traditional search results, we’re seeing early signs of improvement. Click-through rates have increased modestly from prior lows, suggesting the importance of visibility in AI Overviews as they likely become more linkable. Our working analysis suggests sites with loyal audiences, fresh content, and clean user experiences appear better positioned through this update in capturing AI Overview placements. It’s still early days though, so we’ll follow up with more information as we have it. Explore the early findings → Top resource The easiest way to spot what’s holding a post back Even strong content can have blind spots that limit its performance—from buried answers and weak introductions to missing trust signals. Our SEO team created a practical checklist to help you evaluate every page, identify opportunities, and make improvements that can boost rankings, engagement, and reader trust. Start identifying quick wins → Quick tip Make your expertise impossible to summarize “AI search can answer simple questions. It struggles with original experience. When you’re updating content, add the details only you know—the mistake that taught you something, the test you ran, or the result that surprised you. Those details make your content more valuable to readers and harder for AI to replicate.” John Roa Chief AI Officer In the news The rise of ‘sloptimization’ A new article in The Atlantic (gated) explores how brands are increasingly creating content designed not for people, but for AI systems. The practice, dubbed “sloptimization,” includes self-promotional rankings, comparison pages, and listicles built to influence recommendations from tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. The article features insights from former Raptive executive Tom Critchlow and Inspired Taste co-founder Adam Gallagher, who discuss how AI-generated answers are reducing traffic to independent publishers while creating new incentives for brands to compete for visibility inside AI results. Explore the rise of “sloptimization” → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • The Rundown: AI clones split the creator economy (Digiday) • 83% of global Gen Z fans plan to cheer on the 2026 World Cup (The Current) • LinkedIn is stepping up its pitch to creators with a new marketplace (Business Insider) • Kit opens a creator studio in New York (Yahoo Finance) Question of the week Through all the changes in our industry, what keeps you going? ♥️ My audience The connection with them makes all of this worth it! ✨ Creating and teaching I genuinely enjoy making content. 💪 Pure willpower and stubbornness I’ve survived it all so far. Why stop now? 🚀 New opportunities Constant change is exciting! Thanks for reading! Was this email helpful? You’re receiving this email because you help manage a site that works with Raptive. To ensure our emails reach your inbox, add hello@email.raptive.com to your email contacts. Want to stop receiving Raptive News emails? 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