From AI traffic to rally cars, here's what's new!

Hey, it’s me again :D In this edition, you’ll learn how to spot traffic from LLMs, customise Looker Studio charts with real background colours, and find out what Google’s changing in Trends and Ads.

There’s also a quick peek at our BEFA programme and a little goodbye to our CTO’s rally car.

Let’s dive in!

1. New in Looker Studio - background colors for chart labels.

A small but useful update from August 14, you can now set background colors for data labels in bar and column charts in Looker Studio.

This applies to all label positions, so no matter where your data labels appear, you can make them stand out more clearly and match your report’s style.

A subtle change that can make your dashboards a bit cleaner and easier to read.

2. Another Handy Upgrade for Performance Max.

Google has quietly rolled out another useful improvement to PMax campaigns!

As of 7 August, you can now add negative keyword lists at the campaign level. This makes it much easier to manage exclusions across campaigns, saving you time and cutting out the need for manual updates.

There are also better targeting options and new reporting tool,including diagnostics for goals and insights on Final URL assets.

It’s still PMax, but with less guessing. Check the full update here.

3. Ads are officially moving into Google’s AI Overviews.

Last time we talked about how Google might start sneaking ads into AI search results.

Well, it’s no longer just a “maybe.”

As of now, Search and Shopping ads are officially expanding into AI Overviews on desktop in the U.S. And later this year, they’re rolling out globally on mobile and desktop.

Even more interesting, Google is testing ads inside AI Mode, the deeper, more conversational version of Search.

If you’re running Search, Shopping, or Performance Max with broad match, you’re already good to go. No special setup needed (for now). Just follow the usual best practices if you want to show up in this new search layer!

4. LLM Traffic - you can start to measure it!

You can check AI traffic in Backona AI or Google Analytics, but it’s still not the full picture.

A lot of those clicks are still showing up as direct. 

Things are definitely improving though, so with a bit of patience or by exploring other methods - we’ll soon get a clearer view.

In the meantime, feel free to ask that question directly in Backona AI and see what it shows you!

or explore the same metric in Google Analytics.

Up next, I’ll walk you through a new way to see how your website is being positioned across LLMs organically.

5. Find out how ChatGPT and other LLMs are showing your website in their results.

There’s also a tool on the market called Chatbeat. It tracks how visible your brand is across LLM responses. So it's less about traffic, more about presence but definitely worth a look.

The creator behind it is the same guy who built Brand24 - I used many times (which was bought by SEMrush). I’m still testing it, no affiliate links here, just genuinely curious to see where it goes!

6. Google Trends got a solid upgrade.

Google Trends recently rolled out a refreshed interface.

The new trending page makes it easier to browse current search trends, with a cleaner layout and improved search experience.

Still the same reliable data, just a bit more usable now.

By the way, I’m not exactly sure when Google Trends rolled out this improvement - I might be a bit late with the news! If that’s the case, apologies haha.

You can check it out here.

Meanwhile, In The Backona Universe…

7. Want an early access to new Backona AI features?

If you're into trying things before they go live, BEFA might be for you!

BEFA is an exclusive group that gives you free early access to test what we’re building. Like when we added Google Ads as a data source recently, BEFA members were the first to get it.

Not in yet? You can still join here.

And if you're already signed up expect to hear from me soon about your BEFA perks!

8. A change of wheels in the team!

When he’s not busy building Backona Tools, our CTO, Piotr Donica, has spent years racing as a hobby -  motorsport has always been a big passion of his.

Just a few days ago, there was a bit of an emotional moment as he decided to part ways with his beloved rally car. After many great memories on the track, he’s now shifting gears and heading into the world of old-school vintage racing.

Here are a few photos of his actual car to remember it by 

That’s all for this round!

As always, thanks for reading and staying curious.

See you in the next one!