What happens when SEO, PPC, analytics, and AI finally speak the same language?

In this episode, Gianluca Fiorelli interviews Arnout Hellemans, a consultant known for blending data, advertising, and search strategy into one no-nonsense approach to digital performance. Their conversation dives into smarter measurement, the shifting world of attribution, and how AI is reshaping PPC—both in automation and in the way Google surfaces ads through new AI features.

Arnout explains why the most powerful insight often starts with asking the right business question, how first-party and backend data can unlock truly useful dashboards, and why blended profitability metrics beat pixel-perfect attribution every time. They also explore privacy laws, consent challenges, ad monetization in AI Mode, and the practical ways Arnout uses AI to work faster, cleaner, and more creatively.

This is the 40th episode of: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sm3ydVBxdAJ84k2qsH1LkTDbtbdNrGh

Here's what you'll learn in this episode:

(00:07) Meet Our Guest: Arnout Hellemans
(01:00) How SEO Feels Right Now
(03:09) Common Onboarding Mistakes in SEO
(09:37) Why Proprietary Data Beats Standard Analytics
(13:38) The Attribution Problem
(21:13) Data Governance Fundamentals
(25:02) Google's AI Push in PPC
(30:33) AI Overviews Impact on Paid Search
(33:21) Ad Placement in AI-Generated SERPs
(37:35) AI Tools in Arnout's Workflow
(40:08) The Modern Customer Journey
(43:18) Oysters and Events: The Personal Side

👉 Read the full article and explore additional insights:

https://www.advancedwebranking.com/blog/rethinking-measurement-smarter-data-attribution-ai

Where to find Arnout Hellemans

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnouthellemans/
X: https://x.com/hellemans
Website: https://onlinemarkethink.com/

Where to find Gianluca Fiorelli

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianlucafiorelli/
X: https://x.com/gfiorelli1
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gfiorelli1.bsky.social
Website: https://iloveseo.net/

🎙 Listen to The Search Session on your favorite platform:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_sm3ydVBxdAJ84k2qsH1LkTDbtbdNrGh
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FzI5qwHtIndtiibZWiroS
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-search-session/id1796043201

Made with ❤️by Advanced Web Ranking, the people behind the world's most accurate and longest-standing rank tracker.

Get your free 7-day trial and find your true visibility in organic search for any market: https://www.advancedwebranking.com/

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The search for Bigfoot