ADMATIC ANZ

Direct traffic is up in GA4. Organic is down. The easy explanation is AI. Rod Russell checked 6 accounts, five clients and our own site. Direct was up about 43% at a multi-location service business and more than tripled on our own site. Breaking it down by country and device changed the picture. At that multi-location business, Direct sessions from Singapore went from about 2,000 to about 6,600, while Direct visits from New Zealand fell. GA4’s AI Assistant channel, added in May 2026, is a floor you can trust, not the full picture. At one account it picked up 140 of the 144 AI visits we found manually. A ChatGPT bug in October pushed AI clicks into Direct for about a week. Real, but too small to explain months of growth. Being mentioned isn’t the same as being clicked. One brand’s product line was named in 17 of 19 AI Overviews, and AI tools sent one identifiable visit to that product’s pages in almost eight weeks. Rod Russell breaks down which reports to run first.

In Q3 2026, every lead that reached ADMATIC through AI search converted to an MQL! A number like that usually means the tracking is broken, so we went back to GA4 and our CRM and checked them one by one. Each traced to a specific ADMATIC article published in the last three to four years. AI search users diagnose their problem with the model before they enquire, so they arrive pre-qualified. Michael Ungerboeck unpacks what LLMs reward, why a consistent back catalogue matters, and when GEO deserves a place in your planning.

Google just gave Search Console a new job, to report on your Social media. As of 29 July, you can connect Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube directly, and see the actual search queries, impressions and clicks behind your social content, not just your website. Setup takes two minutes per account, no developer needed, and data starts appearing within two to three days. We've already connected client accounts and found some genuinely useful patterns, including video content ranking for real commercial queries. Read our full breakdown of what Platform Properties is, how to set it up, and why we recommend connecting every eligible account this week. This week our CEO Michael Ungerboeck writes...

Did you know that quite literally Google AI defaults to ON, whilst Meta AI defaults to Broad? Google and Meta want their AI to spend your budget for you. Left on default, Google's auto-apply recommendations and AI Max reach into your account, while Meta's Advantage+ audience and opportunity score quietly widen your targeting past the boundaries you set. Neither favours your business outcomes over platform volume. One ADMATIC prospect saw a sponsored ad surface an expired 2021 stock sale, simply because the page was still live. We've broken down exactly which Google Ads and Meta Ads settings deserve a second look before you let platform AI pilot your campaigns. Read the full piece, and audit your own account this week. This week our CEO Michael Ungerboeck writes...

Shopify just made Trustpilot reviews part of checkout itself, and it is worth asking why. Click throughs from AI search rose 1,490% for Trustpilot last year, and it now ranks behind only Wikipedia, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn as the most cited domain on ChatGPT. The bigger issue: one study found AI shopping tools ignored 60 percent of online stores, not because the products were wrong, but because the data was not built for machines to read. Trust is becoming infrastructure, not just persuasion. Curious where your own visibility stands? Read the full breakdown on ADMATIC Opinions. This week our CEO Michael Ungerboeck writes...

Once you made the deal with Meta's Pixel, Meta went ahead without you. Most brands installed the Meta Pixel to improve their advertising. That was the agreement. What has quietly changed is what Meta now considers fair use of those same signals such as organic feeds, Reels, and increasingly, Meta AI responses. The legal basis exists. The customer expectation often does not. In the latest ADMATIC Opinions, we explore why the gap between being covered and being trusted is widening, and what it means for brands building data strategies in an AI-driven environment. This week our CEO Michael Ungerboeck writes...