Digital Roundup – February 2026

From the evolving complexities of zero-click search to the ethical implications of your tech stack, we've distilled the key updates you need to navigate this fast-moving landscape. Here are the developments that should be shaping your strategy this month.

Ready for the highlights (and lowlights)?

The TL:DR you need:

• Google's market share has dipped below 90% for the first time in a decade, signalling growing competition.
• AI-powered browsers from Perplexity and ChatGPT are emerging as potential challengers to Chrome's dominance.
• ChatGPT will soon introduce advertising, reversing its previous stance.
• Threads now attracts more daily active users than X.
• YouTube is testing photo carousels in Shorts and making AI tools, in-app shopping, and text-to-game features a 2026 priority.
• A significant AI skills gap exists in B2B marketing, with many practitioners feeling underprepared for the demands of their roles.

SEO Updates

Succeeding at SEO today means creating content that satisfies both sophisticated AI-driven search algorithms and increasingly discerning human users.

Search Updates for February

• Google Search Console has received new features, including query groups, social channel tracking, and AI-powered configuration options.
• The shift toward zero-click marketing is deepening, as AI Overviews continue to suppress click-through rates from search results.
• Google's market share is under pressure, having dropped below 90% for the first time since 2015. It remains the dominant search platform by some distance, but competitors are staking their claim.
  • Chrome may also face a challenge, as both Perplexity and ChatGPT have launched AI-powered browser products.

AI Updates for February

• eBay has taken a firm stance against AI agents and LLM-driven bots on its platform. While the broader internet is becoming increasingly difficult for AI-resistant consumers to navigate, this decision may carve out a safe haven for that audience within ecommerce.
• For those looking to keep AI out of their sites, Cloudflare now offers tools to block and even monetise AI crawlers visiting your domain.
• “Perplexity has described AI search as ‘no longer a zero-sum game’ and that ‘traditional SEO best practices still apply’.”
  • This has been consistent guidance for months. AIO and GEO are fundamentally just SEO expressed through a different interface.
  • Google has reinforced this by advising against crafting content “specifically for search or LLMs”—a direct reference to practices like chunking.
• Advertising is coming to ChatGPT.
  • OpenAI had previously ruled out ads entirely. This is a classic reminder to avoid speaking in absolutes, because business realities have a way of changing the picture.
• For content creators targeting AI search specifically, Medium posts and AMAs appear to be among the more effective formats for influencing AI search results.
• Reports suggest Gemini's usage is rising sharply and may be approaching ChatGPT in terms of active users.
  • This coincides with Gemini introducing Personal Intelligence, a feature that connects Gemini to other Google apps for more contextually relevant suggestions.
  • It has also been confirmed that Gemini will power Siri and Apple Intelligence in the future.

Social Media Updates

It has become increasingly important to audit your tech stack and verify that the tools you rely on are not at odds with your organisation's values. Associating your brand with the wrong platform or partner can alienate prospects, customers, and employees—sometimes without realising it. For example, Hootsuite's reported work with ICE in the US caused genuine uproar among their own staff. Similarly, users walked away from Grok following reports it may have breached UK law by generating sexualised images of women and children.

Meta Updates for February

• Instagram has overhauled its terminology, replacing follower counts with “friend” counts.
  • This changes nothing strategically, but it is worth knowing when someone refers to their “friend count”— they are simply using the new language.
• Editing a video in a third-party app before uploading does NOT affect your reach on Instagram. Adam Mosseri has reiterated this point.
• Meta Verified is reportedly expanding with a range of new potential features.
  • Competitive Insights would allow users to benchmark their performance against comparable accounts.
  • Facebook could restrict the number of links business pages can share unless they subscribe to Meta Verified.
• Threads has overtaken X in daily active users.

TikTok Updates for February

• TikTok is reportedly testing the ability for videos to include links to fundraising pages. This feature is currently in testing.

YouTube Social Updates

• YouTube is becoming more social, testing Instagram-style photo carousels that appear within the Shorts feed.
• YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has outlined the platform's 2026 priorities:
  • AI-powered tools for Shorts creation
  • Text-to-game features
  • In-app shopping with checkout functionality
  • Image posts within Shorts.

Marketing Training Updates

Marketing Week's B2B Marketing Report has shone a light on some difficult truths within the industry.

• More than half (51.7%) of B2B marketers acknowledge an AI skills gap within their marketing team.
• Over a tenth (11.8%) of B2B marketers openly admit they do not feel equipped with the right skills to meet the demands of their role.
• A further 8.2% of B2B marketers are uncertain whether their current skillset is sufficient.