Hey Reader!

Either Kit (formerly ConvertKit, an email marketing platform) had something happen at their end or Google's scanning has gone rogue, but I got a notification last week that one of my GTM tags was automatically disabled for "malicious code."

Regardless of the reason, this reminded me of how important it is to create a system for getting critical analytics alerts to someone who can actually deal with them, even when you're unavailable or it’s a holiday. There are few “marketing emergencies” but analytics flat-out breaking can definitely be an emergency.

At Kick Point, we use Slack, so we have a channel for these messages, but the final delivery mechanism doesn’t really matter. If you use Teams, create a Team (apparently that is what it is called?), or even just an email distribution list works. Make sure that emails from various alerts (e.g. tag_manager_support@google.com) are delivered to these places so that others can see it.

We use an #analytics_alerts channel in Slack for anything analytics-related and we have a #red_alert channel for other alerts, such as a domain that’s about to expire or server downtime for our website clients. We use Little Warden for those types of alerts, it’s a great tool and you should check it out!

To figure out what alerts you actually need, look at your reporting and ask yourself: what would be very bad if it stopped working and you only found out about it a week or a month later? Start there.

Dana DiTomaso Founder ​dana@kpplaybook.com​

How ChatGPT's Atlas Browser Uses ARIA Tags to Navigate Websites

I just published a comprehensive guide on the Kick Point blog about something that changes the conversation around website accessibility: ChatGPT's Atlas browser navigates websites using ARIA tags. If you’ve never heard of them, ARIA tags are the same semantic markup that screen readers rely on.

This matters because ARIA implementation is no longer just about compliance or serving users with disabilities (though those remain critical). When websites lack proper ARIA implementation, AI agents will struggle to navigate them the same way screen readers will struggle to navigate them.

My guide covers what ARIA tags are, common mistakes, which interactive elements need proper tagging, and how to audit and prioritize fixes. Whether Atlas specifically succeeds or fails, the pattern it represents of AI tools using semantic markup to understand website structure will become increasingly common.

​Read the full guide →​

Potential GDPR Reform Could Change Consent Requirements

Rick Dronkers posted on LinkedIn about major changes that could be coming to GDPR, and a few points caught my eye for the digital analytics space. This isn't final law yet, but the draft suggests moving rules for trackers and cookies from the ePrivacy Directive directly into GDPR to tackle "consent fatigue."

What's interesting: a proposed Article 88a could exempt first-party audience measurement from consent requirements, as long as it's for the service's "own use." This might mean no more consent banners for simple, internal-only analytics. There's also language around browser-level consent signals that websites would be required to respect, though Rick points out this feels similar to the failed Do Not Track signal.

These changes (if they happen) feel like the right move. Consent fatigue is real and the current system creates frustration for everyone involved. But privacy protections matter, and whatever emerges needs to actually protect people, not just make our jobs easier.

​View Rick's full post on LinkedIn →​

Google Launches AI Advisors in Ads and Analytics

Google announced that Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor are rolling out now — you might see them already in your accounts! The Advisors are Gemini-powered AI agents that you can ask questions of directly in Ads and Analytics.

Are they good? I’m not sure yet. Apparently the Ads Advisor can apply changes directly in your account (sounds dangerous, honestly!).

Try it out and let me know if you found it useful or not. I'm particularly curious about whether Analytics Advisor's explanations hold up when you dig into the data yourself, and whether Ads Advisor's recommendations align with what you'd implement manually.

These tools represent Google's push toward agentic AI. Whether that translates to better campaign performance or just faster ways to implement Google's preferred solutions remains to be seen.

​Read Google's announcement →​

Common Mistakes When Working With Click Identifiers

If you missed this article from June, it's well worth your time. Jude Nwachukwu Onyejekwe wrote a comprehensive guide published on Simo Ahava's blog about the common pitfalls when working with click identifiers like gclid, fbclid, and ttclid.

Here's what I appreciate about this piece: it acknowledges that incorrectly managed click IDs lead to attribution loss or data quality decline, then walks through exactly where implementations typically break. The article covers case sensitivity issues (gclid values cannot be normalized to lowercase), websites that strip unfamiliar parameters, cookie misconfiguration, and the importance of having backup storage beyond cookies.

This matters because as third-party cookies decline, attribution measurement relies almost entirely on linking ad clicks with actions taken on your site. These click identifiers are critical infrastructure, and getting them wrong means losing the ability to attribute conversions accurately.

If you're responsible for implementing tracking from paid campaigns, this guide will help you avoid the mistakes that break attribution without you realizing it until it's too late.

​Read the full guide →​

Happening Today: AI Reality Check with Lily Ray

Join me today in conversation with SEO expert Lily Ray for an honest discussion about AI search and its actual impact on SEO. While everyone's talking about how AI has revolutionized search, Lily will give us a reality check on the hype.

We'll explore the gap between AI search hype and SEO reality, which core tactics remain unchanged (and why that matters), why some "new" SEO strategies aren't built to last, and what SEO professionals should actually focus on right now.

If you can't make it live, register to get the replay or check it out on my YouTube channel afterward.

​Register for the webinar →
​​Watch on YouTube →​

That's it for this edition of The Huddle. As always, if you have questions or want to share what you're working on, just hit reply!

Want more? You got it!