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- Core Updates, Token Auctions & Broad Match Overhaul: What Google Just Changed
Core Updates, Token Auctions & Broad Match Overhaul: What Google Just Changed
What’s Google up to? Plus: Meta’s legal win for AI training, why AI Overviews don’t always rank first, and how to use Excel for your SEO strategy.
Happy New Month from us at Click Raven’s Growth Grind Newsletter!
If it feels like the digital marketing world is moving faster than ever, that’s because it is.
Turns out, Google’s AI Overviews, (those flashy summaries at the top of search) don’t always hold the #1 spot. And for you, that’s good news.
Between Google rolling out a fresh core update, experimenting with token-based auctions and rethinking how we test Broad Match, the marketing landscape is getting a serious shake-up.
But the shifts don’t stop at Google.
Meta just secured a major legal win that could reshape the rules for AI training data and it might be time to rethink Excel as a must-have SEO tool.
This month, we’re cutting through the noise to bring you what really matters and what to do about it.

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Google June 2025 Core Update Alert 🚨

Major algorithmic changes are rolling out NOW through July 21st. Expect significant ranking volatility across all verticals.
✅ What's happening:
Google's largest ranking algorithm update of 2025.
⏰ Timeline: 3-week rollout (started June 30)
📊 Impact: Some sites will see ranking improvements while others may experience fluctuations or downgrades in Google rankings and organic traffic.
For marketers:
Don't panic over daily ranking fluctuations
Avoid major SEO changes during rollout
Monitor traffic patterns closely
Focus on content quality over quick fixes
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Google AI Overviews: The SEO Comeback Opportunity

For the first time since launch, 12.4% of AI Overviews now rank below Position 1 on U.S. desktop searches, a dramatic jump from under 2% just a month ago.
Here’s what you need to know:
This isn't just a ranking fluctuation, it's user behavior driving algorithmic change.
📊Let’s talk Numbers:
AI Overviews appear in 19% of all searches
87.6% of AI Overviews appear in Position 1.
7.6% appear in Position 2.
2.8% appear in position 3.
2% appear in Position 4 or lower.
And to show that user intent matters, here is another breakdown.
Most of the AI Overviews low rank can be attributed to transactional queries (buying intent), a strategic opening for marketers.
If most people are scrolling past the AI Overview to click on an organic web result for a particular keyword, then Google may demote the AI Overview for that keyword.
Bottom Line: AI Overviews aren't the SEO apocalypse many feared.
They're becoming another SERP feature that responds to user preference.
Main Lesson: Focus SEO efforts on transactional queries and optimize for superior CTR if you want to outrank the AI Overviews.
Token Auctions: How Google Plans to Replace Ad Placement
Google Research has developed a "Token Auction" model where advertisers don't bid for ad placement, but instead bid to influence the actual words an AI generates.
Rather than choosing from existing ads, the system creates responses by blending multiple advertisers' "voices" based on their bids.
✔Key Changes for Marketers
No more static ads: Content is generated live during conversations
Language engineering over copywriting: Success depends on training AI models, not crafting headlines
Multi-brand responses: Several advertisers can influence the same answer
New metrics: ROI measured by "token-level influence" rather than clicks or impressions
⚒How It Works
Advertisers submit bids along with language models that represent their brand voice
The AI generates responses token-by-token, weighing each advertiser's influence based on bid amounts
Multiple brands can shape the same response simultaneously
Advertisers only pay when their influence actually changes what gets generated

The token auction model architecture, Source: Google Research
This represents a fundamental shift from placement-focused to influence-focused advertising.
📢Google Ads' New Broad Match Experiments
Google just eliminated the biggest headache in broad match testing.
Instead of creating duplicate campaigns, this new approach splits your existing campaign traffic between control group and a trial.
Control: A % portion of your existing Search campaign with your original keywords.
Trial: The remaining % portion of your existing Search campaign with original keywords and Broad Match versions of those keywords.
👌Why This Matters
Faster results: No learning period delays. Get actionable data in days, not weeks.
Zero setup errors: No more mismatched bid strategies or audience settings between control and treatment.
Automatic optimization: Google creates broad match versions automatically.
🔍Want to know how to set it up - Read Google’s guide
WaterCooler✨
⚖Meta Wins AI Copyright Case-But Creators Might Not Be Clapping
Meta just scored a major legal victory in its battle over using copyrighted content to train AI models.
A federal judge ruled it didn’t violate copyright law when it trained its AI on books written by authors like Sarah Silverman.
Meanwhile, the authors argued Meta’s AI could mimic their work too closely and that the company even stripped away copyright info to cover its tracks.
The judge’s decision hinged on “transformative purpose”.
The idea that using content to build tools (like email writers or translators) is fundamentally different than entertaining readers.
🤔 What’s your take?
Should AI companies be allowed to train on copyrighted content as long as it’s “transformative”?
📊Essential Excel Workflows and Formulas for SEO
Excel might not be the flashiest tool in your stack but it’s one of the most powerful.
Smart SEOs know that when it comes to slicing data, spotting trends, and building clarity out of chaos, Excel still delivers.
Here are my favorite essential workflows and formulas that will help you unlock Excel’s full potential for SEO and have you working smarter, not harder.
⚒Key Workflows
1. Data Cleaning & Merging
Use Power Query to clean Screaming Frog exports, remove UTM parameters, and merge datasets from GSC, GA4, and SEO tools using XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP.
2. SEO Audits
Build content inventories with conditional formatting to flag metadata issues, thin content, and pages with no traffic.
3. Keyword Analysis
Create pivot tables to detect cannibalization by counting URLs per keyword.
Use custom scoring: =0.4*Volume + 0.3*CTR + 0.3*(1-Rank/100)
to prioritize keywords.
There is more where that came from- read here.
These workflows transform raw SEO exports into actionable insights for smarter prioritization and reporting
💬 I’d love to hear from you.
Which of these stories was more impactful to you?
And if you found this helpful, forward it to a friend or team member who’s serious about growth. Let’s win together.
Until next time, have a good one!
The Growth Grind Team,
Part of Click Raven, Inc.