Pinterest’s user numbers are up again
Pinterest has hit another record high of 553m monthly active users. The visual discovery platform added 16m MAUs in Q4 to continue its recent hot streak. Pinterest has now registered double-digit growth in the last five quarters. Its revenue also jumped 18% to $1.2bn during the latest period.
CEO Bill Ready said: “People are coming to Pinterest more often, the platform has never been more actionable, and our lower funnel focus is driving results for users and advertisers.”
Google tests new ‘AI mode’ in Search
Another week, another AI-driven feature being tested by Google. This time, the search giant is putting an ‘AI mode’ through its paces. This will allow users to ask open-ended follow-up questions after entering a query.
A leaked email about the feature stated the new mode would provide “easy-to-digest breakdowns” of information and serve links to authoritative content. It is reportedly using Gemini 2.0.
Click-through rates suffer when AI Overviews are shown
Google’s AI Overviews are harming organic and paid click-through rates. New research by Seer Interactive shows organic CTR has plunged to 0.64% when AI Overviews are shown. Just twelve months ago, that figure stood at 1.41%. Interestingly, organic CTR has actually increased year-on-year when Google’s AI feature is absent.
TikTok upheaval has helped Snapchat
TikTok’s chaotic start to the year in the US has enabled rival Snapchat to siphon away some of its business. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel revealed last week that advertisers have been diversifying their spend and focusing on contingency planning in the wake of TikTok’s brief ban and return.
Snapchat also grew in Q4, adding 39m daily active users to take its total to 453m. The social app noted that its community published more than 1bn snaps during the latest quarter.
YouTube viewers gravitate towards longer videos
YouTube made a big play with its Shorts feature, investing lots of time and resources into making it a strong rival to TikTok. However, new data suggests viewers are gravitating away from short-form clips to longer videos on the platform.
British software company Digital i found long-form video now accounts for 73% of viewing time on YouTube, up from 65% in late 2024. Meanwhile, short-form viewing has dropped from 35% to 27% during the same period.
Author bios created for SEO are “kinda awkward”
Google’s John Mueller says author bios created for SEO purposes can be “kinda awkward, not reassuring.” The search engine expert was responding to another user on Bluesky who stated that bios should be used to build trust with human readers and not game algorithms.
Mueller reshared the post and echoed the sentiment, adding that visitors can easily sniff out any bios that are used just for SEO. Rather than boosting visibility in SERPs, the tactic can actively harm trust and engagement.
