Affiliate Roundup: OpenAI Launches Business Hub, Ziff Davis Reports Search Decline, APMA Calls for Tracking Reform, & More

This week in FMTC’s Affiliate Roundup: OpenAI launched ChatGPT Business Hub, offering businesses new tools to manage their presence in AI search. Ziff Davis reported a 37% decline in Google search referrals, prompting a shift toward alternative traffic sources. The APMA is calling for UK affiliate tracking reform to improve attribution and commission payments.

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• The PMA announced nine nominees for its 2027 Board of Directors, with member voting open through November 30. 

• OpenAI launched ChatGPT Business Hub in beta, allowing businesses to claim profiles, view mention and click analytics, and create AI-powered business agents.

• The APMA is calling for UK affiliate tracking reform, seeking a limited consent exemption for transaction attribution and publisher commission payments.

• Ziff Davis reported a 37% year-over-year decline in Google search referrals and is shifting toward social platforms and cashback as AI reshapes publisher traffic.

• Partnerize CMO Maura Smith discussed turning AI visibility into verified, commissionable outcomes, highlighting the company’s integration with Profound.

• The PMA introduced a B2B Partnerships Glossary aimed at standardizing terminology and improving communication across the B2B partnership industry.

• Affiliate marketing researcher Ben Edelman discusses his support for affiliate marketing, offering a perspective on the channel from a longtime industry researcher and critic.