GA4 gets smarter, Google Ads shifts, and Looker cleans up.

Hey! I am back with the newest info from the world of ads, analytics, and data.

We’re going to get into what’s been changing in Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, and how to change your perspective for the “session duration” metric and more!

Grab a coffee or any other drink, and let’s get into it already!

Did CTR drop in your Google Ads recently?

Over the past few weeks you could have noticed a strange trend, CTRs are going down across some accounts, but campaign performance is holding steady.

Turns out, it’s likely due to Google’s double serving update. This allows more than one ad from the same business to appear on a search results page. Great for visibility, but not exactly great for your CTR.

Also, Google’s new AI Overviews are shaking things up a bit. These AI-generated summaries show right at the top of search results, which means
people can often get the answers they need without clicking anything -not even ads. This kind of “zero-click” behaviour pushes regular ads further down the page, making them easier to miss and, yep, lowering CTR.

Why is that? Your ad might now be showing up in lower positions, increasing impressions but not necessarily clicks. But if impressions are high there and your campaign is still performing well, then no need to worry!

Annotations now open to more users in GA4

As of July 1, anyone with Analyst+ permissions in Google Analytics can now create, edit, and delete annotations.

A small change, but a helpful one, now more team members can flag important moments directly in the GA4 timeline without needing admin access.

Looker: Cleaner comparison metrics and connector upgrades

From June 26, 2025, if you're using the Group others option in your charts along with comparison metrics, Looker Studio now shows “no data” instead of potentially incorrect values. This avoids confusion and keeps your reports cleaner.

Time spent on the website does not always mean real

engagement

Just because someone spends 30+ minutes on a page doesn’t mean they’re actually reading or interested in making a purchase.
There are just too many other scenarios, such as:

• Someone could have called them on the phone
• They were doom-scrolling on TikTok in the same time
• They were grabbing a cup of tea or making lunch
• Or leaving your tab “for later” (which we all do, thinking we will be back but then put it off ;)).

That’s why other KPIs and user behavior data matter way more than time on page alone.

Lately, I’ve been thinking…
a lot about how much the analytics space is shifting.
With search results changing and zero-click behaviour becoming more common, it’s starting to feel like we’re entering a new phase in how we track and understand the customer journey.

What used to be a clear first interaction - someone clicking through to your site after a Google search - might now happen entirely within an AI generated summary.

People can discover your brand without ever visiting your site, and right now, that kind of touchpoint doesn’t show up in the data.

It’s a strange new challenge, and honestly, it’s making attribution trickier than ever. I believe we’re at the start of a big shift in how data is captured and interpreted, especially with LLMs in the mix. I’ll keep you updated as I learn more.

See you then!
David