Google Marketing Live 2026, Google I/O, and the May Core Update: Why digital is no longer just about clicks.

Three days.

Three strong signals.

And one certainty: The Google that many companies knew is no longer the same.

Google I/O 2026 showed an increasingly conversational, agentic and integrated Search with Gemini.

Google Marketing Live 2026 has brought this transformation to advertising, e-commerce, creativity, measurement, and campaigns.

The May 2026 Core Update He reminded everyone of a simple thing: generic content, produced only to fill the blog, no longer creates value.

The point is not that Google is dead.

The point is, the user journey is changing.

The first goal was to drive traffic to the site.

Now users can search, compare, get recommendations, see ads, interact with AI agents, and purchase directly within the Google ecosystem.

This means that many companies will have to rethink the way they design their websites, SEO, e-commerce, ads, and content.

It's no longer enough to be found.
You need to be chosen even when the click doesn't come immediately.

The real change: Google is no longer just a gateway

For years, Google was the starting point.

The user was searching.
He found a result.
He clicked.
He entered the site.
He was comparing products or services.
He filled out a form.
He was buying.

The site was the center of the route.

Today this model does not disappear.

But it becomes less linear.

With AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Universal Cart, new Ad formats, and AI agents, Google is increasingly becoming an environment where users can do many things without immediately leaving the platform.

You can ask more complex questions.
You can get concise answers.
You can compare alternatives.
You can discover products.
It can communicate with a brand.
You can add products to a cart.
You can purchase using Google Pay.

The site remains important.

But it can no longer be thought of as the only point where conversion takes place.

The problem is not losing the site.
The problem is having a website, a catalog, and content that only works if the user arrives at the site.

Universal Cart: The Shopping Cart That's Changing the Role of E-Commerce

The biggest news for those who sell online is Universal Cart.

Google presents it as a smart shopping cart that works across multiple surfaces: Search, Gemini, YouTube, and Gmail.

According to the official announcement of Google I/O 2026, Universal Cart is rolling out to Search and Gemini apps, with YouTube and Gmail to follow.

Google also explains that the new Universal Cart It is designed as an agent hub for shopping, capable of helping the user pick products, track availability, receive updates and manage the purchase more seamlessly.

In some cases, the purchase can be made directly through Google Pay or the user can be transferred to the retailer's website to complete the order.

This is not a small technical change.

It's a change of perspective.

For years, many e-commerce strategies have been based on what happens after the click:

• upsell;
• cross-sell;
• bundle;
• related products;
• offers in the cart;
• recovery of abandoned carts;
• contents in the product sheet;
• personalized itineraries;
• coupon on page;
• checkout strategies.

If part of the process moves to Google, everything that was designed only for the site risks being seen less.

This doesn't mean that upselling, cross-selling and bundling are going away.

It means they need to be thought about first.

They must enter the catalog structure, feeds, offers, product data and commercial logic.

If the user buys before arriving on the site, the value must already be present before the site.

It's not the death of websites. It's the end of the site as the sole center of conversion.

It would be a mistake to say that websites are no longer useful.

The site remains essential.

It helps build trust.
It serves to explain the brand.
It is used for positioning.
It is used to collect proprietary data.
It is used to create authoritative content.
It is used to manage complex leads and conversions.
It helps you stand out from your competitors.

But the website can no longer be thought of as the only place where the user makes decisions.

The route is distributed.

A person can discover a product in Search.
Compare it in AI Mode.
Add it to the Universal Cart.
See it again on YouTube.
Receive information in Gmail.
Buy it without actually visiting the site.

This changes the way an e-commerce must work.

The site needs to stay strong.

But it must be connected to a larger ecosystem made up of:

• complete product feeds;
• Merchant Center curated;
• structured data;
• consistent creative assets;
• updated information;
• clear offers;
• reviews;
• authoritative content;
• recognizable brand;
• correct tracking;
• CRM and proprietary data.

It's no longer enough to just build a beautiful product page.
You need to make the product understandable, competitive, and saleable even outside the product page.

The new e-commerce logic: not just single products, but smarter offers

If Google becomes an environment where users can discover and purchase more directly, e-commerce must rethink the way it presents its offerings.

Simply sending Google a list of individual products may not be enough.

For some industries, it becomes more useful to build packages, kits, bundles, and complete solutions.

For example, if you sell sunscreen, you don't have to think just about the cream.

You can build a summer kit:

• face sunscreen;
• body cream;
• after sun;
• beach towel;
• thermal water bottle;
• waterproof pouch;
• travel size product;
• complementary accessory.

The point is not to add products randomly.

The point is to create an offer that makes sense for the user's need.

Because AI doesn't just think in keywords.

Think about context, intent, and solution.

If a person searches for “what to take to the beach with small children,” a catalog made up only of isolated products is weaker than one that shows complete, well-described solutions that are consistent with the intent.

In the new e-commerce, it's not just the one with the most products that wins.
Whoever builds the purchasing context best wins.

Merchant Center, feeds and product data become strategic

In this scenario, the quality of the produced feed becomes even more important.

Vague titles, poor descriptions, incorrect categories, generic images, and incomplete attributes are no longer just optimization problems.

They become commercial limitations.

If Google, Gemini, and AI circles are to understand the product, the catalog needs to speak more clearly.

Must explain:

• what the product sells;
• for whom it is useful;
• what problem it solves;
• which products is it compatible with;
• what alternatives exist;
• which accessories are recommended;
• what variants are available;
• what advantages does it offer;
• which commercial conditions to apply;
• What information is needed to choose?.

Google has introduced new features related to the Universal Commerce Protocol, designed to create more intuitive and agentive shopping experiences for consumers and retailers.

This means that the catalog becomes an active part of the strategy.

Not just a database.

The product feed is no longer just a technical file.
It is a commercial surface.

Performance Max, AI Max, and the New Job of the Media Buyer

Google Marketing Live 2026 also highlighted another important change: campaign work is becoming increasingly driven by AI, data, and guidance.

Performance Max, AI Max, Asset Studio, new Ad formats and Ask Advisor shift the media buyer's work.

Less manual micro-optimization.

More strategy, input, control, creativity, data, and governance.

Google announced new AI-powered solutions for advertising during Google Marketing Live 2026, including news on creative, measurement, campaigns and ad formats.

In detail, Asset Studio It is presented by Google as an environment for developing and scaling creative assets with new multimodal AI capabilities.

The system can combine assets, test variants, allocate budgets, generate ads, and choose delivery contexts.

But this does not mean that the media buyer becomes useless.

It means he's changing jobs.

He needs to be better at writing instructions.

It must define clear boundaries.
It must provide quality assets.
He needs to understand which messages not to use.
You need to control your brand positioning.
You need to read the data.
Must distinguish between apparent performance and actual result.

A weak brief generates weak output.

A precise brief generates more control.

For example, it is not enough to say:

“Promote our pet products e-commerce.”

It is much more useful to say:

“We are a premium brand in the pet food market. Don't use words like cheap, convenient, or low-cost. Our customers are looking for quality, controlled ingredients, solutions for intolerances, and products perceived as daily care. The tone must be authoritative, reassuring, and premium. The goal is to sell high-margin bundles, not discounted individual products.”

This is the new point.

AI performs better when the strategy is clearer.

The risk: giving too much control to the algorithm without a strategy

AI tools can improve campaigns and performance.

But they can also amplify errors.

If the brand doesn't have a clear positioning, AI can generate inconsistent messages.

If the catalog is messy, it can push non-strategic products.

If margins aren't tracked, you may optimize for sales that aren't profitable.

If tracking is weak, it may spread budgets across incomplete signals.

If the creative assets are poor, it can only combine mediocre materials.

Automation is not a substitute for strategy.

It makes it more necessary.

Because the more autonomously the system decides, the more the company must define well:

• goals;
• margins;
• priority categories;
• products to push;
• products to be excluded;
• tone of voice;
• public;
• communication constraints;
• offers;
• conversion data;
• tracked events;
• real value of sales.

Performance Max doesn't just have to spend budget.
It must work within a clear commercial strategy.

May 2026 Core Update: Generic Content Becomes a Risk

The day after the big news of Google I/O and Google Marketing Live, the May 2026 Core Update.

Google indicated on the Search Status Dashboard that the rollout began on May 21, 2026, and that the rollout could take up to two weeks.

There was no long, spectacular statement.

But the message, read in the broader context, is clear.

Search is changing.

And the content needs to demonstrate more value.

In the official documentation on Core Update, Google explains that these updates serve to improve the overall quality of results and invites site owners to carefully analyze any changes, without looking for quick and superficial solutions.

This means that a site full of generic, repetitive articles designed solely to target keywords risks becoming increasingly less competitive.

The problem is not using AI to write.

The problem is publishing content without experience, without data, without examples, without a point of view and without real usefulness.

Google isn't saying AI is the problem.
He's saying that useless content is the problem.

The company blog can no longer be a warehouse of articles

Many companies have used blogs as SEO resources.

Articles upon articles.

Similar keywords.
General introductions.
Scholastic definitions.
A few real-world examples.
No proprietary data.
No direct experience.
No connection to commercial strategy.

This model is becoming increasingly weak.

Because today content has to do much more than just position itself.

It has to build trust.

It must explain a real problem.

Must show competence.

It must drive a decision.

It must be linked to a service, a product, a specific case or a measurable result.

Google, in the guide on how to create useful, reliable and people-friendly content, explains that ranking systems are designed to reward useful, reliable information created for people, not just to manipulate rankings.

An article shouldn't be written just to "get on Google".

It should help the user understand something better.

And it must help the company be recognized as a credible source.

The blog doesn't have to fill up the site.
It must increase trust and conversion.

The new SEO: not just ranking, but recognition

SEO isn't going away.

But it changes function.

Previously, many companies reasoned like this:

“What keyword do I want to rank for?”

Now the question needs to become broader:

“For what problem do I want to be recognized?”

And again:

“When AI summarizes, compares, or recommends, does my brand have strong enough signals to be included?”

In an environment where AI Overviews and AI Mode synthesize information, visibility does not depend only on the page positioned.

It also depends on:

• site authority;
• semantic clarity;
• brand consistency;
• quality of sources;
• structured data;
• original content;
• reviews;
• external citations;
• real experience;
• case studies;
• updating information;
• concrete usefulness of the answers.

Google has also released updates dedicated to the enhancement of original and quality content in Search, a signal consistent with the need to make recognizable and reliable sources more visible.

It's not enough to produce content.

We need to become a source that users and the ecosystem recognize as useful.

SEO shouldn't just drive traffic.
It must build recognition, trust and qualified demand.

What does all this mean for businesses?

For companies, these announcements are not just technical news.

They are a change of scenery.

Anyone who runs an e-commerce site must rethink their catalog, feeds, bundles, product pages, Merchant Center, and sales data.

Those who do advertising need to work on briefs, assets, tracking, margins, CRM, and brand control.

SEO investors need to stop producing generic articles and start building content with experience, data, and real utility.

Anyone who has a website must understand that the website remains central, but cannot exist in isolation.

It must communicate with Google, Gemini, Merchant Center, campaigns, CRM, analytics, content, social, email, and the customer journey.

Digital is no longer a sum of channels.

It's an ecosystem.

And each part has to work together.

It's not enough to be present online.
You need to be readable, credible, and convertible at every point along the way.

Operational method: what to do now

Faced with this scenario, the worst reaction is panic.

The second worst is immobility.

We need a method.

1. Review the product catalog

For e-commerce, the first step is to analyze the catalog.

We need to understand whether products are described sufficiently to be understood in AI and conversational commerce environments.

To check:

• product titles;
• descriptions;
• Images;
• variants;
• categories;
• attributes;
• availability;
• prices;
• reviews;
• compatibility;
• accessories;
• bundle;
• replacement products;
• complementary products.

The goal is not just to be indexed.

It's being chosen.

2. Create strategic bundles and kits

If part of the purchasing process moves off-site, you need to bring more value right into the catalog.

Bundles help to:

• increase average order value;
• protect the margins;
• guide the purchase;
• make the offer clearer;
• respond better to complex requests;
• differentiate themselves from individual products.

Not all sectors have to do it the same way.

But almost everyone may ask:

“What complete solution can we offer instead of a single product?”

3. Strengthen Merchant Center and feed

Merchant Center shouldn't be treated as a set-up-and-forget-it technical step.

It must become part of the e-commerce strategy.

You need to check:

• completeness of the feed;
• correctness of attributes;
• image quality;
• product categories;
• availability and price data;
• errors;
• policy;
• promotions;
• reviews;
• commercial information;
• useful data for AI and conversational shopping.

A weak feed reduces the product's ability to emerge.

4. Rethink Ads campaigns around data and margins

With Performance Max, AI Max, and new AI formats, the company needs to feed the algorithm with better data.

It's not enough to set a budget and be creative.

You need to connect:

• real conversions;
• order value;
• margins;
• priority categories;
• strategic products;
• CRM;
• public;
• first-party signals;
• contents;
• creative assets;
• brand constraints.

The goal is not to get more clicks.

It's about generating sustainable conversions.

5. Write more precise briefs for AI

If AI generates assets and copy, the brief becomes a strategic skill.

Must include:

• who is the brand;
• what it sells;
• to whom he speaks;
• what promise does he make;
• what tone he should use;
• what words to avoid;
• which products to push;
• which margins to protect;
• what goals to achieve;
• which creatives to use as a reference;
• which messages are inconsistent.

The new media buyer doesn't just have to click settings.

Must be able to give strategic instructions.

6. Perform content audits after the Core Update

For SEO, the first step is to analyze your blog and organic pages.

Not to erase everything.

But to understand what is really useful.

To be evaluated:

• which articles bring qualified traffic;
• which contents are generic;
• which pages have no real experience;
• which items are duplicated or overlapping;
• what contents can be updated;
• which items can be joined;
• which pages deserve data, examples and case studies;
• which contents are of no use to the user or to the business.

Google recommends avoiding quick and superficial interventions after a core update.

Structural work is needed.

7. Build content with real experience

Content that works in the new scenario must be more concrete.

You need to include:

• examples;
• real cases;
• proprietary data;
• screenshot;
• procedures;
• checklist;
• expert opinions;
• comparisons;
• observed errors;
• measurable results;
• documented updates;
• authoritative sources.

It is not enough to explain what a theme is.

You need to show why that topic impacts sales, inquiries, qualified traffic, trust, and conversions.

Mistakes to avoid

Thinking that the site is no longer useful

The site is still in use.

But it needs to become more strategic.

Not just a showcase.

Not just a catalogue.

Not just blogs.

It must be the center of identity, trust, proprietary data, and conversion.

Entrust everything to the algorithm

Google can optimize distribution, assets, and placements.

But it cannot decide for the company which margins to protect, which positioning to defend, and which promises to keep.

Continue posting generic content

“Filler” content becomes less and less useful.

Better to have fewer, but stronger articles.

More specific.

More documented.

More connected to business.

Don't check product data

In agent trading, product data is crucial.

If they are incomplete, inconsistent or poor, the product starts at a disadvantage.

Measure traffic only

Traffic remains significant.

But you also need to measure conversions, branded search, order value, margins, qualified leads, AI visibility, mentions, merchant performance, and post-click behavior.

Checklist: Is your business ready for the new Google?

FAQs

Does Google Universal Cart eliminate the need for an e-commerce site?

No. E-commerce remains important, but the purchasing journey can begin and, in some cases, end within the Google ecosystem. For this reason, the catalog, feeds, product data, offers, and bundles need to be better designed.

What changes for those who sell products online?

Change the way products are discovered, compared, and purchased. It's not enough to simply have product pages on your site. You also need to make your products understandable for Search, Gemini, Merchant Center, Shopping Ads, and conversational environments.

Does Performance Max replace the work of a media buyer?

No. It transforms it. The media buyer must work less on manual micro-optimizations and more on strategy, data, assets, margins, briefs, tracking, and brand monitoring.

Does the May 2026 Core Update penalize AI-written content?

Google doesn't automatically penalize content just because it's created with AI. The problem is quality. Generic, repetitive content written solely for ranking purposes risks losing value. What's needed is useful, reliable, original, and people-focused content.

What should a company do after the May Core Update?

You need to wait for the rollout to be completed, analyze Search Console, identify the pages that were truly impacted, and improve the content structurally: real experience, data, examples, sources, clarity, and usefulness.

Is SEO still useful?

Yes. But it shouldn't just focus on rankings. It must build authority, recognition, trust, and content that can also be useful in AI experiences.

What is the biggest risk for companies?

Thinking that business as usual is enough. The new landscape requires a more integrated digital ecosystem: website, SEO, ads, e-commerce, CRM, data, content, and automation must work together.

Conclusion

Google Marketing Live 2026, Google I/O, and the May Core Update point in the same direction.

Digital is no longer just about clicking.

It depends on the ability to be present, understandable, and credible within increasingly distributed paths.

Search goes conversational.
Ads become more integrated into the AI experience.
The cart can follow the user across multiple surfaces.
The products need to be described better.
Campaigns require more robust data.
Generic content loses its power.
The brand must become recognizable even before the user arrives on the site.

This is not the trailer for the end of websites.

This is the trailer for the end of strategy-disconnected websites.

It's not enough to be seen.
You need to be chosen, even when the entire journey no longer passes through your site.

Want to know if your website, e-commerce site, and campaigns are ready for the new Google landscape?

DigiFe Analyze SEO, content, Merchant Center, product feeds, Ads campaigns, data, CRM, and the user journey to build a clearer, more measurable, and conversion-oriented digital ecosystem.

Because today it's not enough to bring traffic.
We need to transform visibility, data, and content into requests, sales, and real growth.