State of AI is a monthly account of what changed in AI, what it means for search, and which tools are worth a small business’s time. It covers what I am actually using and testing, not every release.
A monthly look at AI from the point of view of someone running a business rather than someone following the industry. Most months, the honest summary is that two things changed and one of them matters.
What each issue covers
Releases that matter. New models and features get filtered by one question: does this change anything for a small business this month. Most do not, and the issue says so.
AI in search. AI Overviews, AI Mode and assistants, covered in more depth than the weekly roundup has room for.
AI for marketing. What the tools are actually good at now, where they still produce confident nonsense, and where the risk sits.
Regulation, policy and trust. Anything that changes what you can and cannot do, or what you have to disclose.
What I’m using and testing. The tools that survived contact with real work, and the ones that did not.
How it’s written
Adoption over announcement. A demo is not a capability. Things get covered when they can be used, not when they are launched.
The small business filter. Every item ends at what it means for a business without an AI budget or an engineering team.
No hype, and no reflexive scepticism either. Both are easy positions and neither is useful.
Where I am wrong, later issues say so. A monthly stream accumulates a record, which is the point of writing it down.
Who it’s for
Business owners and marketers who want to know which of this month’s noise is real, without either the breathless version or the dismissive one.
The archive
The first issue of this series is being written and will appear here. In the meantime, here is the most recent writing.
SEO2 Nov 2026Is your website too slow? What I did to my own site, and how to check yours
What Google says about site speed, what I changed on my own site to reach 100 on PageSpeed Insights, what the scores don't show, and how…
SEO2 Nov 2026Enquiries are down but traffic looks fine: where to look
Fewer enquiries but steady traffic? Check the contact route, who is visiting, the results page and your tracking, in the order I would.
SEO31 Oct 2026Traffic dropped after a Google update: what to check, and what an update can’t prove
Traffic fell around a Google update? How to test whether the update is a credible cause, what else to rule out, and what an update can't…
SEO30 Oct 2026Why isn’t my business recommended by ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews?
Why your business isn't named by ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews: indexing, blocking, unclear answers, vague business facts, and how to test it.
SEO29 Oct 2026Independent SEO consultant or agency, project or retainer: how to choose
Choosing between an independent SEO consultant and an agency, and between a project and a retainer: when each suits, and what to ask.
SEO27 Oct 2026Website traffic dropped after a redesign: what to check first
Website traffic fell after a redesign? Check redirects, indexing, lost content, reset titles and tracking, in the order I would, using Search Console.
The other regulars
State of Search runs weekly, Content Marketing fortnightly, Direction monthly, and the tests run continuously. Everything sits on the writing page.