July 2025 was a whirlwind month for SEO, Google Ads, AI, and digital marketing updates. From Cloudflare’s new approach to AI crawlers to Google’s AI-powered search enhancements rolling out in India and beyond, there’s plenty to catch up on. Let’s dig into the biggest news and what they mean for marketers, website owners, and businesses.
Cloudflare Protects Websites from AI Crawlers with “Pay-Per-Crawl” Program
In a first-of-its-kind move, Cloudflare launched a program that lets website owners control and monetize AI crawler access. If an AI crawler tries to access a website on Cloudflare’s network, it will be blocked by default—unless the site owner opts into a payment system allowing specific AI bots to crawl their site.
This concept sounds great on paper because it gives content creators control and potential revenue opportunities amid the rise of unchecked AI content scraping. However, there are doubts about its practical success because AI bots can often bypass security measures, and ethical questions remain given past AI scraping without permission. Even complex security can sometimes be circumvented by user-agent tricks.
Still, it’s a responsible step towards rebalancing content ownership in the AI era, and Cloudflare deserves credit for kicking off this initiative.
Google Ads Tightens Phone Number Verification for Message Assets
Starting August 1, Google Ads requires advertisers to verify the phone numbers used in message assets. Any unverified phone numbers will cause message assets to stop functioning. This adds a much-needed layer of security and helps maintain ad authenticity.
Advertisers should immediately check their message assets and verify numbers either by confirming the number’s presence on the website or via domain verification through Google Search Console. This reduces ad disapprovals and protects user trust.
Google Ads Launches AI Max Reporting for Search Campaigns
Google introduced AI Max as a new match type in Google Ads reporting, allowing marketers to see performance insights specifically from AI-powered automated search campaigns. This transparency helps advertisers understand how AI-driven ads perform compared to traditional campaign types, making it easier to optimize budgets intelligently.
Big Update to Google Keyword Planner Forecasts
Google Keyword Planner now lets advertisers filter keyword forecasts based on device type (mobile, desktop, tablet) and user location down to city, state, or postal code. This is a game-changer for businesses targeting multiple markets, helping refine local targeting and budgeting with greater precision.
Google AI Mode Publicly Launches in India
Google has officially launched its AI Mode for Google Search across India, making the AI-powered search experience available to all users without the need for Labs enrollment. Powered by the Gemini 2.5 Pro model, this feature allows users to ask complex, multi-part queries and receive richer, more conversational answers.
This rollout surprised many since India was the first country after the U.S. to receive this feature at scale. India’s massive, mobile-first user base makes it ideal for testing advanced search AI.
Google Ads Editor Version 2.1 Released with New Features
Google Ads Editor, an offline tool for managing campaigns, updated to version 2.1 with multiple improvements:
- Support for negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns
- Ability to exclude platforms within Performance Max
- Desktop OS targeting
- Support for portrait images in Demand Gen campaigns
- Landing page previews for videos
- Barcode and QR code support in promotion assets
- Enhanced campaign builder and search themes
- Partial download of ad extensions
- Export options for ad previews
These features are designed to boost efficiency and control for advertisers managing complex campaigns.
Google Search Console Adds Discussion Forums Filter
A new filter has been added in Google Search Console to track traffic from discussion forums like Quora and Reddit. This helps webmasters and SEOs monitor and optimize traffic coming from these communities more precisely.
Google Core Update Completed in Mid-July
The July 2025 Google core update, which rolled out from June 30 to July 17, brought changes that recovered some traffic for sites previously penalized. The main goal of this update is to prepare Google’s search infrastructure for expanded AI mode integration, as AI-powered search becomes more central.
Google Analytics Now Reports Reddit Traffic
Google Analytics has improved its tracking to now show referral traffic originating from Reddit, helping marketers better analyze social media campaign impact and audience engagement from this popular platform.
Google Trends API Beta Launch
Google introduced a beta API giving programmatic access to Google Trends data from 5 years ago up to just beyond 48 hours ago. This will enable marketers and developers to build more data-driven tools for trend analysis and forecasting.
Exciting New Features Launch in the US for Visual and Live Search
- Virtual Try-On: Shoppers in the US can now upload photos to virtually try on clothing before purchase, enhancing e-commerce experience.
- Live Video Search: Google’s new video search feature lets users search visually by showing a live video feed via their camera to ask questions in real-time, useful for complex tasks like repairs.
These features aren’t yet available globally but offer a glimpse into the future of search.
Caution: Google Ads Recommendation Button in Gmail
Google has added a dynamic button in Gmail that lets advertisers enable Google Ads recommendations directly from email without visiting the Ads dashboard. This could lead to accidental adoption of recommendations aligned with Google’s business goals rather than the advertiser’s interests. Advertisers should be cautious and avoid enabling recommendations blindly.
July 2025 proved to be a month packed with significant advancements and shifts across SEO, AI in search, and digital advertising. Staying updated and adapting strategies will be key for marketers and businesses aiming to thrive in the evolving digital landscape.
Written by Qausain Anwar
Founder at www.branxhq.com
Empowering your digital growth with smart SEO and AI-driven strategies
