Plus, how to refresh your content, tips from our VP of SEO, and more  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News MAY 13, 2026 By Cristy Posten Content Manager Hi Raptive, Google’s latest AI Search announcement has a lot of creators paying attention, and for good reason. As AI-powered search experiences continue to evolve, the big question is how readers will keep finding and choosing the sites they trust. We’re watching these changes closely and looking at what they mean for your traffic, content strategy, and long-term business growth. One thing is clear: the fundamentals still matter. Sites that offer helpful content, fresh information, clear expertise, and a strong reader experience are better positioned to earn trust and perform well over time. This week, we’re looking at what Google’s March core update revealed about AI Overviews, what you can focus on next, and a few updates worth knowing. Here’s what else you’ll find inside: • What to prioritize in your next content refresh • How authority supports stronger search performance • Google’s creator survey details • How to repurpose social videos on your site What’s new What the March core update tells us about AI Overviews AI Overviews are appearing more often in search results, and they’re changing how clicks are earned. During Google’s March 2026 core update, we found that AI Overviews became more common across both food and non-food results, while click-through rates were 30% to 50% lower on results that included them. The sites that performed best were stronger across the fundamentals that help readers and search engines trust a site, including content depth, freshness, authority, review proof, and reader experience. Read the full analysis to see what changed, what stronger-performing sites had in common, and where to focus your next content updates. Read the March core update analysis → Top resource Use freshness and content depth to guide your next updates In our March core update analysis, stronger-performing sites tended to have more complete, recently updated content and fewer thin pages. That doesn’t mean every post needs a refresh. A thoughtful content refresh strategy can help you focus your time where it may have the biggest impact. This guide walks you through how to spot high-potential posts, improve pages that are slipping, and make smart decisions about content that may no longer serve your readers or your site. Find the right pages to refresh → Quick tip Strengthen your authority to support stronger search performance “Authority stood out as an important signal of site strength in our March core update analysis. Think of authority as the trust your site earns over time through brand recognition, helpful content, backlinks, reader engagement, reviews, and clear expertise. Keep giving readers reasons to know you, come back to you, and search for your site by name. That’s what builds authority over time.” Philip Elias VP, Network SEO In case you missed it Turn your social videos into on-site engagement You can now embed vertical videos in a vertical Related Player, giving your Instagram and TikTok-style content a more natural home on your site. It’s a simple way to get more value from videos you’ve already created and bring more engaging content directly into the reader experience on your site. WordPress users: Make sure your Raptive Ads plugin is updated to version 3.12 to enable vertical embeds. For all other platforms, vertical embeds work automatically. Learn more about embedding vertical videos → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • OpenAI launches GPT-Realtime-2, GPT-Realtime-Translate, and GPT-Realtime-Whisper for real-time voice apps (The Tech Portal) • Brands and celebs lost millions of followers thanks to this Instagram update (Inc.) • Perplexity’s Personal Computer is now available to everyone on Mac (TechCrunch) HOUSEKEEPING • UPCOMING SURVEY Google creator survey coming the week of May 25 Creators and publishers in the Raptive network will receive a short, optional Google survey the week of May 25. Keep an eye on your inbox for an email from Google at GCPP@qualtrics-survey.com. Your feedback helps both Google and Raptive better understand your experience as a creator. We use those insights to keep improving how we support your business. Question of the week Which core update takeaway feels most actionable right now? 🧹 Content glow-up Pruning or improving thin, outdated content 📝 Freshen your favorites Updating older high-value posts 🔎 Trust builders Growing brand recognition, trust, and direct traffic ⚙️ Smoother site vibes Improving speed, usability, and page experience 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? You can update your preferences anytime. 1411 Broadway, 27th Floor New York, NY, 10018, US © 2026 Raptive. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe | View online