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 

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