Welcome back to this week’s Side Income Roundup, Monday, April 20.
The biggest shift in digital advertising in over a decade just landed, and it affects a lot more than people running paid campaigns. This week we are breaking down what it means for you, plus three tools worth testing, a Shopify freebie that used to cost $2,300 a month, and a Google Ads change you should know about before September.
📢 Why Meta overtaking Google reshapes organic reach too
🛠 Three tools: PayPal in Canva, SiteGround stores, and Canva AI 2.0
⚡ Shopify wholesale features now free on all plans
📝 Last week’s affiliate link audit post
🤖 Google is retiring Dynamic Search Ads for AI Max
Let’s get into it.
THIS WEEK’S BIG IDEA
📢 Meta Overtakes Google as the World’s Largest Digital Ad Platform
For the first time in over a decade, Meta is projected to surpass Google in total digital ad revenue, hitting $243 billion versus Google’s $239 billion. The shift is being driven by Meta’s Advantage+ AI ad automation, rapid Reels growth, and expansion into WhatsApp and Threads advertising, while Google’s share of search ad spending has dropped below 50% for the first time.
Why does this matter to you? Because when Meta chases ad revenue, it reshapes what gets shown organically too. If you have been posting on Facebook or Instagram and wondering why fewer people see your content, this is a big part of the reason. The algorithm is now rewarding Reels and short-form video above almost everything else.
Our Take: This matters even if you never spend a dollar on ads. If you are building an audience on any Meta platform, double down on Reels and short-form video this week.
TOOLS OF THE WEEK
🛠 PayPal Payment Links in Canva
Canva now lets you embed PayPal payment links and QR codes directly into any design, so a social post, flyer, or email can become an instant checkout experience without needing a separate website or payment page.
🛠 SiteGround Ecommerce
A new all-in-one store builder that bundles hosting, payments, shipping, tax calculation, and AI tools with a 14-day free trial. It is aimed at getting small businesses from idea to first sale in hours, not weeks.
🛠 Canva AI 2.0
Canva’s major AI update lets you describe what you want in plain language and the AI builds the full design. It also connects to Gmail, Slack, Notion, and Google Calendar to auto-generate social content and marketing materials from data you already have.
Our Take: Test the PayPal-Canva integration first. If you sell anything digital, you can go from design to payment link in under five minutes with zero technical setup.
TODAY’S QUICK WINS
⚡ Shopify B2B Wholesale Features Now Free on All Plans
Shopify just opened up its native B2B wholesale tools to all plans at no extra cost. That includes company profiles, custom catalogs, volume pricing, and payment terms, all of which were previously locked behind the $2,300/month Plus subscription.
⚡ Meta Updates Threads Marketing API with App Ads and Reply Moderation
Meta just opened up Threads (which has 400million monthly users!) to advertisers with new ad placements and reply moderation tools, so you can now run paid promotions and manage the conversation directly from your ad platform.
Our Take: If you are on Shopify, go turn on the B2B catalog feature today because you can test wholesale pricing at zero extra cost. It takes a few minutes and opens up an entirely new revenue channel.
FROM OMC
📝 5 Affiliate Link Problems That Are Silently Costing You Commissions Right Now
If you promote affiliate offers, there are a handful of link problems that silently eat into your commissions without triggering any obvious errors. Last week’s post walks through five of the most common ones and shows you exactly how to find and fix them.
Our Take: Run a quick audit on your top five affiliate links this week. Most people find at least one broken or underperforming link they did not know about.
AI SPOTLIGHT
🤖 Google’s Dynamic Search Ads Are Upgrading to AI Max
Google announced it is retiring Dynamic Search Ads and automatically migrating campaigns to “AI Max” starting September 2026.
Our Take: *If you run Google Search ads, start cleaning up your landing pages and brand messaging now so AI Max has strong inputs to work with when the migration happens. *
UNTIL NEXT WEEK…
Here’s your move this week:
✅ Post one Reel or short-form video on Instagram or Facebook to ride Meta’s algorithm push
✅ Try the PayPal-Canva payment link integration on a digital product or lead magnet
✅ Turn on Shopify’s free B2B wholesale features if you have a store
✅ Audit your top five affiliate links for broken or underperforming URLs
The tools keep getting more accessible and the cost of testing keeps dropping. The edge goes to the people who actually try them instead of just bookmarking them.
Talk soon,
Aidan
P.S. This Wednesday I am sharing the number one reason most ecommerce sellers are losing money in 2026, and the fix is simpler than you think. Keep an eye on your inbox.
