# SERP Times > Google, SEO & marketing news, decoded. What changed in Google, SEO and marketing, and exactly what to do about it. SERP Times is an independent news and guides site by Akif Qureshi, an SEO specialist. News reports cover confirmed Google Search updates and changes to Search Console, Google Analytics and AI search, each with practical next steps. Guides explain day-to-day SEO, content and analytics work. Everything is written in English. ## Key pages - [Latest news and guides](https://serptimes.com/news/): every article, newest first - [Google Update Tracker](https://serptimes.com/google-updates/): every confirmed Google Search update since 2021, with start and end dates from Google's Search Status Dashboard - [Free SEO tools](https://serptimes.com/tools/): browser-based writing and on-page tools, plus URL checkers - [About SERP Times](https://serptimes.com/about/): who writes the site, editorial standards, sources and corrections policy - [Akif Qureshi](https://serptimes.com/author/akif-qureshi/): author profile: SEO specialist and founder of SERP Times, credentials and articles ## Topics - [SEO](https://serptimes.com/category/seo/): Practical search engine optimization for people who have to show results. - [AI Search](https://serptimes.com/category/ai-search/): How AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity and other answer engines find and cite sources. - [Google Updates](https://serptimes.com/category/google-updates/): Every confirmed Google core, spam and ranking update, tracked from rollout to completion. - [Strategy](https://serptimes.com/category/strategy/): Planning the work before doing it: keyword and topic research, site architecture, content calendars and how to decide what to fix first when time and budget are limited. - [Content](https://serptimes.com/category/content/): Writing pages that rank and actually help readers. - [Analytics](https://serptimes.com/category/analytics/): Making sense of Search Console, GA4 and Bing Webmaster Tools. - [Marketing](https://serptimes.com/category/marketing/): Search in the wider marketing mix: paid search, social, email and brand. - [Tools](https://serptimes.com/category/tools/): Reviews, comparisons and walkthroughs of SEO and marketing tools, including the free ones built into SERP Times. ## Free tools - [Word & Character Counter](https://serptimes.com/tools/word-counter/): Count words, characters, sentences and paragraphs, and see reading time and the most-used terms as you type. - [Case Converter](https://serptimes.com/tools/case-converter/): Switch text between upper, lower, title, sentence, camel, snake and kebab case in one click. - [Meta Title & Description Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/meta-length-checker/): Check title and meta description length in characters and estimated pixels against Google's display limits, with a live preview. - [SERP Snippet Preview](https://serptimes.com/tools/serp-preview/): Preview how a page could look in Google on desktop and mobile, or beside up to nine competing results. - [URL Slug Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/slug-generator/): Turn any title into a short, lowercase, hyphenated URL slug without stop-word clutter. - [Keyword Density Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/keyword-density-checker/): See how often one-, two- and three-word phrases appear in your text, with percentages and an optional stop-word filter. - [UTM Link Builder](https://serptimes.com/tools/utm-builder/): Build campaign URLs with consistent UTM parameters so GA4 reports your traffic sources correctly. - [Schema Markup Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/schema-generator/): Generate FAQ, Article, local business, product, how-to and organization JSON-LD from a simple form and copy it into your page. - [HTTP Status & Redirect Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/redirect-checker/): Follow a URL's full redirect chain and see the status code, location and timing of every hop. - [On-Page SEO Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/on-page-seo-checker/): Audit a live page, or HTML you paste in, for its title, meta description, headings, canonical, robots tags, Open Graph, hreflang and image alt text. - [Robots.txt & Sitemap Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/robots-sitemap-checker/): Fetch a site's robots.txt and XML sitemap, check they are valid and see which URLs are blocked. - [Meta Tag Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/meta-tag-generator/): Build the title, description, canonical, robots, Open Graph and X card tags for a page, then copy them into your HTML head. - [Robots.txt Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/robots-txt-generator/): Build a robots.txt file with preset rules, AI crawler controls and sitemap lines, then copy or download it. - [llms.txt Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/llms-txt-generator/): Build an llms.txt file: a short, curated Markdown guide to your site for AI tools, with a summary and links to your best pages. - [XML Sitemap Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/xml-sitemap-generator/): Turn a list of URLs into a valid XML sitemap with optional lastmod dates, then download it ready to submit to Google. - [Open Graph Preview](https://serptimes.com/tools/open-graph-preview/): Preview how a link looks on Facebook, X and LinkedIn before you share it, and check your image size. - [Readability Scorer](https://serptimes.com/tools/readability-scorer/): Score your text with Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, and find the sentences that run too long. - [Headline Analyzer](https://serptimes.com/tools/headline-analyzer/): Check a headline's length, clarity and tone, see how wide it is in a Google result and get a plain checklist score. - [Bulk Title & Description Checker](https://serptimes.com/tools/bulk-title-description-checker/): Check hundreds of page titles and meta descriptions at once for length, missing text and duplicates, then download the results. - [Marketing ROI Calculator](https://serptimes.com/tools/marketing-roi-calculator/): Work out ROI, ROAS, cost per conversion and your break-even point from your ad spend, revenue and profit margin. - [Image Compressor](https://serptimes.com/tools/image-compressor/): Shrink JPG, PNG and WebP images in your browser with adjustable quality and size, and see the before and after file sizes. - [Favicon Generator](https://serptimes.com/tools/favicon-generator/): Turn one image into favicon.ico, PNG icons for browsers, iPhones and Android, and the HTML tags to add them. ## Latest articles - [How to Create an llms.txt File (and Does AI Read It?)](https://serptimes.com/llms-txt/): An llms.txt file gives AI tools a short map of your site, and it takes about 20 minutes to make. Here's how to write one, what the data says about whether AI crawlers read it, and what actually gets AI tools to visit your site more often. - [PostHog vs Google Analytics vs Matomo: Which Should You Use?](https://serptimes.com/posthog-vs-google-analytics-vs-matomo/): Google Analytics 4 is free and built for marketing, PostHog is built for products and experiments, and Matomo is built for owning your data. Here's how they compare on price, features and ease of use, and whether you need more than GA4. - [How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT](https://serptimes.com/how-to-get-your-business-recommended-by-chatgpt/): ChatGPT and Google's AI pick local businesses from different sources. Here's how to check whether ChatGPT and AI Mode recommend you, a free tool that runs the check for you, and what to fix on Google, Yelp and your website. - [Hostinger Shared Hosting vs VPS: Which One Do You Need?](https://serptimes.com/hostinger-shared-hosting-vs-vps/): Hostinger's standard web hosting is managed for you but shares a server; its VPS plans give you dedicated resources and root access but leave the software to you. Here's how they compare on price, limits and effort, from a site that runs on Hostinger. - [How Do Google AI Mode Ads Work? Now Live in the US](https://serptimes.com/google-ai-mode-ads-us/): Google AI Mode ads now run in the US, drawn from your existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, and since October 28 they can follow people into follow-up questions. Here's how they work, what you can't control and how to get your ads eligible. - [How to Advertise on ChatGPT: Ads Now Open in the US](https://serptimes.com/how-to-advertise-on-chatgpt-us/): Any US business can now buy ChatGPT ads in OpenAI Ads Manager, starting at $25 a day. Here's who sees them, what you can advertise, how to set up and target a US campaign, and how to measure it. - [Difference Between Search Console and Google Analytics](https://serptimes.com/difference-between-search-console-and-google-analytics/): Search Console counts what happens on Google before the click; Google Analytics counts what visitors do after it. Real data from two sites shows why their numbers never match, and how to use both. - [What Is a Demand Gen Campaign? Google's New Home for Display](https://serptimes.com/demand-gen-campaign/): Google is folding Display campaigns into Demand Gen, which already reaches YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps. Here's what a Demand Gen campaign is, the migration timeline, and how to set one up or move your Display campaigns. - [How Do Google AI Mode Ads Work? Now Live in India](https://serptimes.com/google-ai-mode-ads/): Google is now showing ads inside AI Mode answers in India and nine other countries, drawn from your existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. Here's how they look, how they're matched, what you can't control and how to get your ads eligible. - [How to Advertise on ChatGPT: Ads Now Open in India](https://serptimes.com/how-to-advertise-on-chatgpt/): ChatGPT ads are now self-serve in India, with a minimum daily budget of ₹725. Here's who sees them, how to set up a campaign in OpenAI Ads Manager, how billing works and how to measure results. - [How to Get Cited by ChatGPT: A Practical Checklist](https://serptimes.com/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt/): ChatGPT can only cite pages its search crawler can reach. Here's what OpenAI actually documents, what industry studies add, and a 10-step checklist to follow this week. - [What Is Meta Andromeda? How It Changes Facebook Ads](https://serptimes.com/what-is-meta-andromeda/): Andromeda is the AI that shortlists which Facebook and Instagram ads each person could see. Here's how it works with GEM and the auction, what the October 2026 upgrade changed, and what Meta actually tells advertisers to do. - [Daily Rank Tracker: Semrush, Ahrefs, SE Ranking, Ubersuggest](https://serptimes.com/daily-rank-tracker/): SE Ranking and Semrush check rankings every day; Ahrefs and Ubersuggest update weekly. Here's how much history each keeps, what it costs, and what a week of real tracking data shows. - [Google Search Profile for Creators: Now Live in India](https://serptimes.com/google-search-profile/): Google's Search profiles give creators and publishers their own page in Search and Discover, with a Follow button. After the US, they're now open in India and Canada. Here's who qualifies and how to claim yours. - [Best SEO Chrome Extensions for 2027: AEO and GEO Audits](https://serptimes.com/best-seo-chrome-extensions/): Eight SEO Chrome extensions that check whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI features can reach, read and quote your pages, led by the two I've been using for months: SBMM and AITDK. - [How to Share a Private Repository on GitHub](https://serptimes.com/share-a-private-repository-on-github/): A private GitHub repo can't be shared by link. Here is how public and private repositories differ, how to invite teammates, what access each person gets, and how to take it back. - [How to Increase Website Traffic: What Real Data Shows](https://serptimes.com/how-to-increase-website-traffic/): We compared three months of Search Console and GA4 data from two real sites. Here is what actually moved their traffic, what only looked like a loss, and the fixes to make first. ## Optional - [RSS feed](https://serptimes.com/feed.xml) - [Sitemap](https://serptimes.com/sitemap.xml) - [Contact](https://serptimes.com/contact/) - [Privacy policy](https://serptimes.com/privacy-policy/) - [Terms of use](https://serptimes.com/terms/) - [Disclaimer](https://serptimes.com/disclaimer/)