Plus, what Google’s latest core update and 103K content refreshes revealed  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News JULY 1, 2026 By Cristy Posten Content Manager Hi Raptive, RPMs are climbing, and many creators are wondering what’s behind the increase. While the numbers are exciting, the story is more nuanced than a single metric can tell. The advertising market is especially strong when driven by seasonal demand, major events like the World Cup, and the lead-up to Prime Day. When advertiser demand increases, CPMs rise, creating favorable conditions across the industry. It’s also important to keep timing in mind. At the beginning of a new quarter, advertiser budgets often reset, and spending may start more slowly before building again later in the quarter. As we move into Q3, that means RPMs may shift even if your traffic, content, and strategy remain steady. Beyond market conditions, we’re closely evaluating how factors like ad density influence both earnings and the reader experience. Our teams are continually testing and refining ways to help creators maximize revenue while protecting the long-term health of their sites. That includes exploring how we can capitalize on periods of exceptional advertiser demand without compromising the experience that keeps audiences coming back. Here’s what else is inside this week’s newsletter: • Learn which quality signals helped sites stay resilient through Google’s May core update • See which content updates were most associated with stronger Google traffic growth • Choose the right date to show on meaningfully updated posts • Learn how Raptive Intelligence is putting creator value at the center of AI What’s new What Google’s May core update means for you Google’s May 2026 core update is complete, and our SEO team analyzed performance across the Raptive network to understand what helped some sites maintain or grow their search visibility. Sites that maintained or grew search visibility tended to show clear topic authority, a better reader experience, and more complete answers than competing results. We also found: • One site-level signal stood out above all others • Some commonly discussed SEO tactics mattered less than many publishers expected • The strongest performers weren’t necessarily creating more content—they were improving the right content In our latest blog post, we break down what changed and, most importantly, the steps creators and publishers should prioritize next. See the actions that matter most → We analyzed 103K content refreshes—and here’s what we found Refreshing existing content can help grow Google traffic, especially when updates make a page more useful, complete, and aligned with what readers are searching for. Raptive’s SEO team analyzed 103,000 refreshed pages across the network to better understand which updates were most closely associated with stronger performance. The strongest refreshes had something important in common. They didn’t just make content newer. They helped the post better satisfy search intent by improving the answer, strengthening the structure, and closing gaps that may have kept the page from fully meeting the reader’s needs. In the full analysis, you’ll see what changed on higher-performing pages, how refreshed content compares with similar untouched pages, and how to choose the right posts to update next. Explore the refresh patterns tied to traffic growth → Top resource How seasonal advertiser spend affects RPM RPMs don’t move in a straight line. Even when your traffic is steady, advertiser spending patterns can cause revenue to rise and dip throughout the year. This guide explains the seasonal trends behind RPM shifts, including why advertiser spend often starts slower at the beginning of a quarter, month, or week and builds toward the end. See what seasonal RPM trends mean for your revenue → Quick tip Use the updated date for meaningful content refreshes “Think of the date on your post as a freshness signal for both readers and Google. If you show the original publish date and the updated date, Google may still grab the older one, and suddenly, a post you just refreshed looks outdated in search. I’d keep the front-end byline focused on the most recent meaningful update, while making sure your schema still includes both dates behind the scenes.” Tyler O’Shea Manager, SEO Solution In the news Raptive Intelligence centers creator value AI is changing how people discover information, make decisions, and shop, but it still needs the trust, nuance, and real-world experience that creators bring. A new article from A Media Operator examines how Raptive Intelligence aims to help make creator expertise and audience insights more valuable parts of the AI ecosystem. As John Roa, Raptive’s Chief AI Officer, shared in the article, the goal is to create “a far higher value, far safer way to participate” in what comes next, with creators at the center. Read why creator expertise matters → Don’t miss Join us live for a look at what’s next with Raptive Intelligence On Tuesday, July 14, at 1 pm ET, get a closer look at Raptive Intelligence and what it could mean for the future of your business. Raptive CEO Michael Sanchez, Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bannister, and Chief AI Officer John Roa will share how Raptive Intelligence is being built to help creators and publishers navigate the next era of search, AI, and discovery—and where we believe new opportunities are emerging for your business. We’ll cover: • Why we’re launching Raptive Intelligence • How we’re thinking about audience growth, monetization, and creator value in the AI era • What we’re building and where we’re headed next We’ll close with a live Q&A focused on your biggest questions. Submit yours when you register, and we’ll address as many as we can during the conversation. Register now to learn what’s next → In case you missed it New GRO option helps ad networks better connect clicks to conversions If you use GRO (formerly Grocers List), there’s a new setting that can help us better understand how your subscribers engage across channels. Advanced Tracking securely adds a hashed version of a subscriber’s email address to links in GRO DM automations and saved link emails. This can help us connect clicks from your GRO messages to activity on your site, improving attribution and supporting stronger monetization without exposing your subscribers’ email addresses. Advanced Tracking is available on the GRO Pro plan and can be enabled in your GRO settings. Learn how to enable Advanced Tracking → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Google June 2026 spam update has finished rolling out (Search Engine Roundtable) • Facebook rolls out an AI companion app for creators (TechCrunch) • Substack unveils sponsorship program teaming advertisers with newsletter authors (Variety) • Brands win by focusing on communities (Axios) Question of the week What’s the first thing you check before refreshing an older post? 📉 Search performance Show me what’s losing visibility 🔎 Search results I want to know what Google is rewarding now 🧑‍🍳 Reader experience I’m looking for gaps in the actual experience 📅 Seasonality Timing matters, especially for my biggest topics 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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