Getting Google updates, algorithm changes, and AI search news before LinkedIn does.

Microsoft Advertising rolling out new design for advertiser console

Microsoft says it has "redesigned the navigation and enhanced tables for a more intuitive, efficient experience."...

5 steps to building Reddit authority for Google and ChatGPT visibility

Reddit can reveal why people choose, reject, or question a brand. Turn those insights into better content for organic and AI search....

Google Search Console AI performance reports and Search generative AI control rolling out globally

After a few months of slowing rolling out these features, everyone should soon have access to them....

Google Search Console AI Reports Rolled Out Worldwide via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google says Search Console's generative AI performance reports, which track AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions, have now rolled out to all sites worldwide. The post Google Search Console AI Reports Rolled Out Worldwide appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Confirms Search Spam Team Is Fighting & Well Resourced

Rajan Patel, VP of Engineering for Google Search, has confirmed that the Google Search team is still well-resourced in its fight against search spam. The spam team continues to update its spam algorithms, such as the latest Google August 2026 spam update, to help reduce spam in Google Search results...

Microsoft Forcing Copilot Users To Login But Not For Copilot Search Answers

Microsoft is now forcing all users to log in before using Copilot, but this currently does not apply to Copilot Search answers within Bing Search. When you try to go directly to Copilot, even by clicking on the Copilot button on Bing's home page, you are asked to sign into your account....

UCP Releases Spec Update With Schema Changes via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

The Universal Commerce Protocol's first spec release since April adds grocery readiness, lays groundwork for food and lodging, and brings schema changes. The post UCP Releases Spec Update With Schema Changes appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google is dynamically expanding AI Overviews for some queries

This behavior pushes down the core search results and gives you an AI Mode type of experience within the main Google Search interface....

Updated the site reputation policy

What: Updated the site reputation policy. Why: We've adjusted our enforcement approach within the European Economic Area (EEA). For more information, see our blog post....

Google announces October changes to Display & Video 360 API

Google’s DV360 changes remove targeting exclusions and add new business identity requirements for YouTube responsive ads....

Greg Finn on 20 years of PPC: From exact match to AI Mode

Greg Finn reflects on 20 years of PPC, from exact match and Smart Bidding to automation, AI Mode and why authenticity will matter more than ever....

Google Alcohol Advertising Policy Update On September 30

Google will be updating its alcohol advertising policy on September 30, 2026. The update "revises country-specific guidelines, expands allowed advertising locations, and provides clearer details on specific advertiser requirements and responsibilities," Google wrote....

Google Announces Search Updates For Transparency, Actionable Updates Get Blog Posts

Google's John Mueller said Google "primarily" announces search updates to provide "transparency for site owners." He added that when Google publishes blog posts, updates policies, and help center documentation, that is an actionable announcement site owners could use....

Google Ads Book Buttons Expand To Search & Performance Max

Google is expanding the book button through Reserve with Google partner integration to Google Ads Search and Performance Max campaigns. Previously, I believe, this was only available on Google Local Service Ads and maps ads....

Google AI Overviews Pushing Searchers Into AI Mode, Drops Show More Button

Google Search is testing pushing searchers into AI Mode from the AI Overview by default, without having to click the "Show more" button. The new AI Overview experience that Google is testing shows a much fuller AI answer, like you'd get in AI Mode, and loads the follow up "Ask anything" box by defa...

Google Updates Site Reputation Abuse (Parasite SEO) Policy via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google is replacing site reputation abuse manual actions in the EEA with a system that can rank affected site sections independently. The post Google Updates Site Reputation Abuse (Parasite SEO) Policy appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Update to the Site Reputation Policy

In 2024, we introduced our site reputation policy to stop a practice where third-party content is published on a trusted website just to exploit that site's good reputation to rank higher in Search. This practice hurts search quality, and creates a bad experience for users....

Google Won't Enforce Its Site Reputation Policy Manual Actions In Europe

Google announced it will not enforce manual actions under the site reputation abuse policy in the European Economic Area (EEA) due to a mandate set by the European Commission, effective August 30, 2026. Google said searchers in the EEA will not benefit from Google's spam prevention for sites labeled...

Google expands Demand Gen with messaging ads, travel tools and AI video creation

Google's Demand Gen tools aim to shorten the path from discovery to conversion while making it easier to scale creative across campaigns....

Your images have a new job in AI search

AI doesn't see your images the way a human does. See what it detects, what it misses, and whether the page confirms the right story....

Google’s August 2026 spam update hit rankings harder than normal

Google's spam update caused exceptional search disruption, with dramatic ranking losses across 20 industries, according to SE Ranking data....

Google Ask Advisor Soon To Get Shared Memory Across Tools

Google posted on X that Ask Advisor, which is in Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Merchant Center and more Google tools, will soon "maintain shared memory across your Google marketing tools." When this rolls out, when you ask a question on Google Ads, and then ask a question on Google Analytics ...

Bing Tests Renaming Copilot Search Answer To AI Overviews

Microsoft is testing renaming the Copilot Search AI answer box at the top of the Bing Search results to AI Overviews. That is the name Google uses for its AI answer results in Google Search. Microsoft is still placing the Copilot logo with the box but trying to use the name "AI Overview" instead of...

Google AI Mode Adds Flight Price Tracking, Mile Rates & Hotel Booking

Google is rolling out three new travel features within AI Mode in Google Search. These features include track flight prices, view points or miles rates, and book hotels directly within AI Mode, through your conversational search....

OpenAI Adds WebMCP Site Tools To ChatGPT’s Browser via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

OpenAI added WebMCP support to ChatGPT’s desktop browser, letting supported webpages expose structured actions to ChatGPT Work and Codex. The post OpenAI Adds WebMCP Site Tools To ChatGPT’s Browser appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Starts Rolling Out Hotel Booking In AI Mode via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out hotel booking in AI Mode with Google Pay checkout. Flight alerts and rewards pricing are available in supported markets. The post Google Starts Rolling Out Hotel Booking In AI Mode appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google adds link carousels for developing topics in AI Mode

This is after Google has already added these link carousels for AI Overviews in Google Search....

Google Ads adds reporting for AI-generated product titles

Google’s new Product titles report shows advertisers which AI-generated product titles are being served and how they perform....

Google AI Mode Also Gains Link Carousels For Developing Topics

Back in June, Google released link carousels for top stories or developing topics to AI Overviews. I was happy. Now, Google is also releasing this for AI Mode queries, which adds carousels of web pages directly in the AI Mode response....

Google Massively Expands Booking Partners On Local Services Ads

Google has expanded the booking partners for Local Service Ads from about 20 partners to over 500 partners. That is about a 2,400 percent increase. "We're vastly expanding booking capabilities for Local Services Ads to include more than 500 Reserve with Google booking partners '" up from just 20," G...

Confirmed: Google Search Rolling Out google.com/goto Tracking Parameters

Google Search seems like it is rolling out the google.com/goto URL as a passthrough URL within the search results that it began testing in July 2026. This seems like a way for Google to help prevent scraping of its search results by third-party tools and AI companies but Google has not yet commented...

Judge In Penske Vs Google Says AI Situation “Seems Really Unfair” via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Judge who ruled that Google is a monopoly said in the Penske vs Google hearing that the AI Overviews situation "seems really unfair." The post Judge In Penske Vs Google Says AI Situation “Seems Really Unfair” appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google expands direct booking for Local Services Ads

Google is expanding LSA direct booking to more than 500 partners, making it easier for customers to book straight from ads....

Google tests channel prioritization controls for Performance Max

Google is testing new Performance Max controls that let advertisers influence which channels the algorithm prioritizes....

Google Copyable Emojis In AI Overviews

About a year ago, Google added the ability to copy emojis directly from the search results in an answer box. Now, Google is also showing copyable emojis to AI Overviews in the Google Search results....

Google: There Is Nothing Special To Do For Generative AI Responses In Search

Google's John Mueller said on Bluesky that there is nothing special for one to do for generative AI responses within Google Search. He wrote, "from our POV there's nothing really special you need to do for generative AI responses in search."...

Google Shows AI Overviews Above Stock Charts For Stock Price Queries

Google seems to be showing AI Overviews at the top of the search results page when you specifically search for stock price queries - such as for [GOOG stock] or [MSFT stock] and so on. I was able to replicate this myself and it is just weird to show the AI Overview at the top for this queries and i...

Webflow’s New OpenAI Codex Integration Simplifies Site Management via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Webflow adds Codex support with built-in Skills that vastly simplifies automating common website management and development tasks. The post Webflow’s New OpenAI Codex Integration Simplifies Site Management appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Reports Indicate Google’s Spam Update Focused On SEO AI Content via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google's recent Spam Update may have partially focused on catching mass-generated SEO AI content. The post Reports Indicate Google’s Spam Update Focused On SEO AI Content appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

AI search is here, but marketers still call it SEO

New research shows how marketers define AI search, where they’re putting budget, and what vendors need to prove to earn their trust....

Google unifies Google tag and Tag Manager, adds no-code event tracking

Google is unifying Google tag and Tag Manager with no-code event tracking, streamlined management and faster data transmission....

ChatGPT Ads adds automated bidding, platform targeting

ChatGPT Ads adds automated bidding, platform targeting and view-through conversions as it expands into Latin America....

Google Ads Launches New Search and AI Max Experimentation Tools via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads adds new Search and AI Max experimentation tools for testing budgets, ROI targets, brand controls, location settings, and campaign changes. The post Google Ads Launches New Search and AI Max Experimentation Tools appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Fixed Favicon Bug & Crawl Stats Missing Data

Google has fixed two bugs this weekend related to Google Search. The first is the bug with many favicons not showing up in the Google Search result snippets. The second is the bug with two days of data missing from the Google Search Console crawl stats report....

Google Search Console Sends New Owner Email Notifications - Bug?

Many of you may have woken up this morning to emails from Google Search Console notifying you of a new owner on your Search Console accounts. I received a couple, as did many of you. I was a bit alarmed when I saw it but the notifications were about someone who already had access, which I found we...

Google Tests Pink Highlights In Featured Snippets

Typically, when Google highlights phrases in a featured snippet or AI Overview within Google Search, the highlighter color is blue. We've seen Google test other colors before, but here is a new one - a pink highlight....

Google August 2026 spam update done rolling out

The update took 2.5 days to roll out and is now complete....

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Unleashed The August 2026 Spam Update, Gemini 3.7 Powers AI Mode, Google and Microsoft Ads News & More

Google has released its third spam update of the 2026 year, the August 2026 spam update this week and finished rolling out Friday morning at 4:50am. Google Search's AI Mode is now being powered sometimes by......

Google Search Console Crawl Stats Missing Two Days Of Data

The crawl stats report within Google Search Console has a data gap again. This time the crawl stats report is missing August 15 and 16th crawl data. Normally, Google can fix the data but Google has not yet fixed it....

Google August 2026 Spam Update Has Finished Rolling Out

The Google August 2026 spam update is now done rolling out. It started on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at around 12:30 pm ET and completed on August 21, 2026 at around 4:50 am. Despite some people feeling the update started soon, Google's John Mueller said it did not....

Google Discover Feed Can Be Tailored By Words

Google is rolling out the ability to tailor your Google Discover feed by using your words, in a conversational chat-like experience. You are taken to a screen that lets you enter your desired topics, then you can go back and forth with AI to really zone in on the topic you want your feed to look li...

August 2026 spam update completed

The rollout was complete as of August 21, 2026.

Google adds new AI Max testing and planning tools

Google is expanding AI Max with new experiments and planning tools to help advertisers test budgets, ROI targets and controls....

Google Ads Enhanced Matching In Customer Match

Google Ads seems to be rolling out a new customer match option named "enhanced matching." Google writes this allows you to "Expand your audience reach with your consented user lists." Google will then "match your consented users with publishers' consented users where available."...

Why Google Announces Some Search Updates But Not All

As you know, Google does smaller core updates and algorithm search updates all the time without announcing them. So why does Google announce some of those updates and not the others. Well, as Google told us before, Google announces the larger, more impactful updates so we know it was a Google updat...

Google Expands Personalization Across Search, Discover & News via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out a new embeddable Preferred Sources button, natural language Discover controls, and customizable audio briefings in the Google News app. The post Google Expands Personalization Across Search, Discover & News appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Spike In Complaints On Favicons Disappearing From Google Search

In the past couple of days, I have seen a spike in the number of complaints around favicons disappearing from the Google Search result snippets. The complaints started a couple of days before Google's August 2026 spam update, so I doubt they are related to that, but they have indeed spiked. It mak...

Google Bringing Back Google Posts Insights (People Viewed)

In 2018, Google launched Google Posts Insights, a way to see how many views and clicks a Google Post within Google Business Profiles received. Google discontinued and sunset that feature in January 2023. Now, it seems Google is testing bringing back the view count - it now calls "people viewed."...

Microsoft Advertising Rolling Out AI Max Globally

Microsoft Advertising is rolling out AI Max globally and to all advertisers. If you log in to your Microsoft Advertising account, you should be able to toggle on the AI Max setting for your search campaigns....

Technical SEO for AI search: 4 fundamentals that matter

AI systems can miss content that search engines handle well. Learn what to check so your pages can be crawled, understood, and cited....

ChatGPT Ads are expanding to 31 European countries

Advertisers in Europe will gain access to a new high-intent channel as OpenAI significantly expands its global advertising footprint....

Reddit’s ChatGPT Search citations fell 86% in four days: Report

Reddit's share of ChatGPT Search citations fell from 3.83% to an average of 0.52% between Aug. 14 and Aug. 17. Promptwatch says....

JavaScript links can make your pages invisible to AI search

A 41-day experiment reveals how JavaScript-only navigation limits AI crawler discovery and why fixing it later can be harder....

Google Expands Generative UI Beyond AI Mode Into AI Overviews via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's generative UI, which builds custom visual layouts and interactive tools, has started reaching AI Overviews after launching in AI Mode last year. The post Google Expands Generative UI Beyond AI Mode Into AI Overviews appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Microsoft Advertising Rolls Out AI Max Globally via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Microsoft Advertising is rolling out AI Max globally, bringing expanded Search matching, text customization, URL expansion and new advertiser controls to Search campaigns. The post Microsoft Advertising Rolls Out AI Max Globally appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Why Reddit’s ChatGPT Citation Drop Isn’t Fully Explained via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

New Promptwatch data shows a sharp drop in Reddit's ChatGPT Search citations this month. The post Why Reddit’s ChatGPT Citation Drop Isn’t Fully Explained appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Analytics Real Time Outage Seems To Be Resolving

Google Analytics seems to have had an outage starting at about 4 am ET this morning. The real-time analytics report within Google Analytics was not showing users all of the data. The issue now seems to be resolving a couple of hours later....

Google: We Do Not Roll Out Updates Prior To The Announcement

Google's John Mueller reiterated what Google has said numerous times already, that Google does not wait to announce the update. When Google begins rolling out the search update, whether a core or spam update, it will announce it shortly after it starts. Google does not wait a day or two to announce...

Google Answers Why Spam Updates Need To Happen via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Why does Google have spam updates every once in a while? Google’s John Mueller answers that question and explains the reason why Google doesn’t just get rid of spam on a regular basis with existing algorithms. Spam Algorithms And Updates There are many kinds of search spam, and Google’s systems hand...

Google Search Console now connects social content to search demand

See how query data can reveal content gaps, guide creator partnerships, compare formats, and shape what you create next....

Google updates Branded Searches conversion measurement

Google has updated its Branded Searches documentation, with PMax notably no longer listed among supported campaign types....

What 9 months of AI Overview data and 51,000+ tracked events reveal

Traffic swings, attribution gaps, and unexpected citation patterns offer a clearer picture of how AI Overviews affect organic search....

Google releases August 2026 spam update

The update will take a few days to roll out....

AI Overviews just launched in France, and they already appear on more than 52% of searches

Our analysis of 100,000 French searches found that AI Overviews appear on 1 in 2 queries, with YouTube and Facebook among the top cited sources....

Google August 2026 Spam Update Has Been Unleashed

Google has just announced the release of the August 2026 spam update and said it should only take a few days to roll out. This is a global update and is expected to impact all languages. This only impacts sites that spam, but with any update, there may be collateral damage....

Google Begins Rolling Out The August 2026 Spam Update via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has begun rolling out the August 2026 spam update, applying globally and to all languages, its third one this year. The post Google Begins Rolling Out The August 2026 Spam Update appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

August 2026 spam update confirmed

Released the August 2026 spam update , which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take a few days to complete.

Google Search Console Generative AI Performance Report in Search data bug

Google has confirmed the issue starting on August 13, and the result is a decrease in impressions....

Google Ads will use generative AI to resize Performance Max video ads

Google is expanding PMax video optimization with generative AI that automatically creates missing aspect ratios from existing ads....

The AI visibility index: Which brands are vanishing from AI search?

Some brands dominate Google yet barely surface in AI answers. Here’s where traditional authority and AI recall diverge....

Google Search pauses AI-generated images within AI Overviews

Robby Stein from Google said, "This was a small experiment we're no longer running."...

Apple Adds Thousands Of New IP Addresses For Applebot To Crawl From

Apple has added over 4,000 new IP addresses for Applebot, Apple's Siri and Apple Intelligence crawler, to crawl from. Specifically, there are now 18 of /24 CIDR ranges and 3 of /28, which totals 4,656 new IP addresses....

Google Performance Reports Drop In Impressions/Clicks ~August 12

There are a number of reports that the performance reports, both for Google Search and the Generative AI features reports, are showing a decline in impressions and clicks (AI report does not show clicks) starting around August 12th and 13th. This seems like a bug because the drop seems to be super ...

Llms.txt V2 Adds Formal Markdown Linking For AI Agents via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

A v2 update to the llms.txt spec has shipped, adding formal link relations that help AI agents locate Markdown versions of pages. The post Llms.txt V2 Adds Formal Markdown Linking For AI Agents appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Analytics adds custom conversion attribution windows

Google Analytics now supports custom conversion windows for click-through and engaged-view attribution....

Gemini 3.7 Flash rolling out in Google Search

This is first rolling out AI Mode for Google AI Pro & Ultra subscribers in English....

Google Brings Gemini 3.7 Flash To AI Mode In Search via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out Gemini 3.7 Flash in AI Mode for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, a day after the model's initial release. The post Google Brings Gemini 3.7 Flash To AI Mode In Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google AI Overviews With AI-Generated Images In The Wild

A month ago, we reported that Google said it would be rolling out AI-generated images within AI Overviews in Google Search. Well, it seems Google is starting to roll out those AI-generated images in AI Overviews this week....

Most AI visibility gains are just technical debt repayment

AI search may be making long-standing problems with site architecture, content, internal linking, and rendering more costly....

Your B2B SEO can win the click and lose the consideration

The brands cited in AI Overviews can influence which companies buyers investigate next, even when no one clicks the source....

Spammy Google Selected Canonical In Search Console

When you use the Google Search Console URL inspection tool, Google will show you what it calls the "Google-selected canonical." Sometimes that URL will look off, weird and even scary, because sometimes it might be a URL for a spammy site....

OpenAI Makes The ChatGPT Sources Less Visible

OpenAI is testing or rolling out a change to how you can click to see the sources from the ChatGPT responses. It used to be a button named "Sources" in the footer of the response, but now sometimes it is showing up within the three-dot "More actions" menu, requiring you to click more to find those s...

Google Is Removing Language Targeting From Search Campaigns via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads is changing language targeting for Search and Performance Max in September 2026. Learn what’s changing and what advertisers need to know. The post Google Is Removing Language Targeting From Search Campaigns appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google adds Local customer optimization to Performance Max

Advertisers can now use PMax store-goal campaigns to prioritize nearby, high-intent visitors across Google Maps, Waze and Search....

Google adds real-time reporting endpoint to Campaign Manager 360 API

Developers can now retrieve Campaign Manager 360 reporting data in real time with a single API request....

Google AI Overview Local Results Pulling From Low-Quality Listicles

Google will randomly show AI Overviews for local results, and when it does, It will often show AI-generated information about each local listing. The issue is that Google often cites low-quality and self-promotional listicle articles from across the web when showing those snippets in the local pack...

Google Ads New Local Customer Optimization Help Doc

With Google migrating Local Service Ads to the main Google Ads platform, Google is already preparing new Google Ads help documents with more details about the change. A new document named About Local customer optimization within Performance Max campaign for store goals was just posted by Google....

A 5-layer framework for measuring AI search performance

Traditional attribution misses part of the AI buyer journey. Measure access, visibility, demand, referrals, pipeline, and revenue....

Google adds Campaign Data Import Validation Report

Advertisers can now identify missing campaign metrics in imported data, improving the accuracy of cross-channel reporting....

300 French newspapers file complaint over Google AI Overviews

Publishers say Google's AI-generated search summaries have reduced referral traffic and may breach a news compensation agreement....

Anthropic adds AI text watermarking to Claude models worldwide

Anthropic says detection tools and documentation are coming, while warning that watermarks can't confirm authorship or rule out AI use....

SMX Now: The Target bidding apocalypse and how we’ve been here before

Join us on August 19th for the latest SMX Now where Reva Minkoff will break down Google's August 17 Smart Bidding changes...

YouTube Adds New Shorts Payout Rules To Partner Program Terms via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

YouTube announced Partner Program changes taking effect in 2027, including new Shorts earnings rules, activity checks, and a terms deadline. The post YouTube Adds New Shorts Payout Rules To Partner Program Terms appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Search Console Generative AI Performance Report Available For All

The Google Search Console generative AI performance reports seem to be live for everyone now. Google has not yet announced the full rollout of the generative AI performance reports but after checking all my profiles in Search Console, it seems to now be fully live....

Google Ads & Google Analytics Gain New AI Features

Google announced a number of new AI features for Google Ads and Google Analytics aimed to "simplify your workflow and expedite your path to business growth," as Google wrote. Specifically, there are new AI Overviews at the top of the pages, new AI data dashboard tools, and a new nebcging AI feature....

Why the traditional link building model no longer works for AI search

High-DR links, paid mentions, and link exchanges can look authoritative without giving AI systems enough credibility to recommend your brand....

Google Home Page Create Images, Ask About Files & Brainstorm Buttons

The Google home page is testing or rolling out now, new AI features and buttons in place of the Google Search and I'm Feeling Lucky buttons. There is now "Create images," "Ask about files," and "Brainstorm" buttons below the big search box. This is in addition to showing the AI Mode button, the plu...

Google Announces Campaign Benchmarking In Google Analytics via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google announced that its Ask Advisor AI agent will compare campaign performance in Google Analytics against anonymized averages from similar businesses. The post Google Announces Campaign Benchmarking In Google Analytics appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

What six perspectives reveal about demand generation in AI search

SEO, PR, analyst relations, and publishers are solving the same AI measurement problem from different angles. Here's what they agree on....

Google Ads adds dedicated reporting for new customer acquisition

Google now lets advertisers measure new customer acquisition without affecting bidding, replacing a reporting workaround....

Microsoft Advertising adds bulk editing for disapproved assets

Microsoft's now lets advertisers appeal multiple disapproved text & image assets at once, reducing time spent resolving policy issues....

Google expands Limited Ad Serving policy across all Ads

Google is introducing new qualification criteria based on trust signals, verification and account history....

New Google Ads Report On New Customers Acquired

Google Ads is rolling out a new customer acquisition option named "Report on new customers acquired." This lets you "Drive purchases from new and existing customers without changing bidding," according to Google....

Google explains what advertisers should expect from Smart Bidding changes

Google says its Aug. 17 Smart Bidding update will make budget-limited campaigns more predictable....

Microsoft Ads New Exclude Audience Ads Placements Within PMax Campaigns

Microsoft Advertising is rolling out a new feature for advertisers to allow you to exclude Audience ads placements within Performance Max campaigns. There is a new setting named "Excluded content terms" within Audience Ads....

Google Search Console Shows AI Mode Queries, Not In Generative AI Reports

While the Google Search Console generative AI performance reports do not share query data, you can still try to figure out which queries are from AI Mode versus normal searches. The SEO community has been doing this for years now by looking for more conversational-style queries in your Search Conso...

Google launches secure API access pilot for manager accounts

The new pilot lets advertisers restrict sensitive API actions to approved applications, adding an extra layer of security....

Google releases help doc for Performance Max pay-per-lead goals

The new guides explain how advertisers can set up, target and optimise Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals....

Why paid search could be your AI search advantage

The search terms, ads, landing pages, and product feeds you've already built can strengthen your visibility across AI search....

What happens when AI Overviews contradict paid search ads?

AI recommendations can steer users toward competitors, leaving advertisers to absorb the impact on CTR, CPC, and campaign performance....

Google tightens Ads policy for government document providers

Advertisers now need to prove explicit government authorisation before promoting government documents through Google Ads....

10 SEO use cases for auditing your accessibility tree for AI search

Go beyond HTML with practical workflows to uncover rendering issues, weak site structure, and other obstacles to AI understanding....

Microsoft Advertising adds excluded content terms for Audience Ads

Microsoft now lets advertisers block Audience Ads from appearing next to specific page titles, for more control over ad placement....

Microsoft Advertising Adds AI Visibility Insights, PMax Testing, And Creative Preview Updates via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Microsoft Advertising expands AI Visibility, Performance Max testing, and Ad Preview Hub with new reporting, experimentation, and creative review capabilities. The post Microsoft Advertising Adds AI Visibility Insights, PMax Testing, And Creative Preview Updates appeared first on Search Engine Journ...

Google Local Services Platform Policies Now Local Services Ads Requirements

Google has renamed the Local Services platform policies document to Local Services Ads requirements. I am not sure if this was renamed and reworded because the Google Local Service Ads platform is being migrated into the main Google Ads platform but it just seems weird to do this now?...

Google Ads Government Documents & Services Policy To Be Updated

Google will be updating its Other restricted businesses: Government documents and services policy on October 5, 2026. There are a lot of changes coming to this policy, so if you are in the business that promote direct acquisition of government documents and services, then read on....

Google: Reddit Gets No Special Preference In Google Search Rankings

Google's communications representative, Jennifer Kutz, told The Verge that Reddit gets no preference in Google Search or Google's AI Search features. Kutz told The Verge that Reddit "gets no special preference" in Google's ranking systems....

Microsoft Clarity adds branded and non-branded AI queries

You can now see numerous AI analytics reports broken down by branded and non-branded queries....

Google expands Data Manager API with smarter audience management

Google is providing flexible audience management, smarter validation and richer Google Analytics data collection....

Bing Webmaster Tools SOAP/POX APIs To Be Retired On August 31, 2026

Microsoft will be retiring the Bing Webmaster Tools SOAP/POX APIs on August 31, 2026. If you use these legacy APIs you should begin to migrate to the JSON/HTTP (REST) API version....

What Opting Out Of Google’s AI Search Features Means Now via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's AI search opt-out is rolling out as Top Stories appear inside AI Overviews. What the control covers and what businesses can measure before deciding. The post What Opting Out Of Google’s AI Search Features Means Now appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Analytics adds campaign diagnostics for missing aggregate identifiers

The new Google Analytics alert helps marketers identify missing URL parameters that can reduce campaign attribution accuracy....

ChatGPT Ads Business Agent Conversation Campaign Type

OpenAI is testing a new campaign type named Agent, which allows you to send ChatGPT searchers and users to a Business Agent conversation. So instead of just going to your website, you send them into a chat experience on your website?...

Google Ads Insights Carousel

Google Ads may be rolling out a new design for its insights section where it gives you the "Top things to know today." This new interface for this section is in a carousel format, where you can toggle through the various automated insights that Google Ads is providing....

Google launches Structured Data Files v10.1 for Display & Video 360

Google Display & Video 360's latest Structured Data Files update adds AI labels, DOOH support and new bulk management features....

AI models favor familiar brands in search: Study

The analysis of AI searches found 63% of brand-specific searches involved one of each model's five most familiar brands....

Google Blames Website For Race Based AI Overview Response

Normally, I wouldn't cover political topics like this, but with Google trying to copyright its search results, including AI Overview responses, I thought it was appropriate. Google responded to complaints about a race-based AI Overview answer, blaming the websites it sourced, rather than taking cre...

Almost Half Of Google Searches Have AI Overviews & Climbing

Doesn't it feel like you are always seeing AI Overviews at the top of all your Google Search results? Well, new data from Similarweb says that AI Overviews show up for about 43% of all queries. Meanwhile, Semrush data has it at about 48% of all queries. It depends on the query category because info...

Ghost citations: Why AI search cites your content, not your brand

Around 40% of AI citations leave the source brand unnamed, exposing a blind spot in how companies measure visibility in AI search....

AI halftime report: H1 2026

AI search grew, token spending surged, software stocks fell, and publishers lost traffic. Here’s what H1 2026 revealed about AI’s impact....

Platform properties roll out globally, plus a new social and video performance guide

Earlier this month, we announced platform properties for Search Console, allowing you to track how your social and video posts on Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube perform on Google Search, Discover, and Google News. Today, platform properties are globally available to everyone....

Google Ads Budget Panel

Google Ads has introduced what it calls "Budget Panel," which should be able to be found (at some point) in Performance Max and Demand Gen campaign review page. Google says the Budget Panel "provides customized budget recommendations to optimize campaign performance and prevent low starts."...

Why creator content belongs in your AI search strategy

Creator reviews, videos, and social content shape AI citations, sentiment, and visibility — making cross-team coordination essential....

Google Ads appears to separate Target CPA and Target ROAS bidding strategies

Google is giving Smart Bidding targets greater visibility, potentially making bidding strategy selection easier for advertisers....

SMX Advanced expands in 2027: See you in San Diego or Boston

More opportunities to learn from expert speakers, join in-depth Q&A, and connect with top SEO and PPC professionals at two 2027 conferences....

Google Ads To Allow For Social Casino Games Ads

Google updated its Google Ads policies to begin to allow for Social Casino Games. Social Casino Games are mostly free-to-play gambling-like games found on social networking sites. Google said it will gradually introduce the ability for some advertisers to apply for certification for such ads....

Microsoft Advertising Ad Preview Hub For PMax Campaigns

Microsoft Advertising has rolled out the Ad Preview Hub to now support Performance Max campaigns. Microsoft Advertising Ad Preview Hub launched for other campaigns this past January and is now supported for PMax campaigns....

Google Page Indexing Report Delays Providing Static Data

Since June 11th, Google Search Console's page indexing report has been getting stuck and not showing more daily data for the past several weeks. Google has fixed it a few times, but it leads to seeing the data grouped by weeks rather than by days....

AI Opt-Out May Cost Sites A Google Top Stories Spot via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is putting Top Stories carousels inside AI Overviews, raising the stakes on its new AI opt-out setting in Search Console. The post AI Opt-Out May Cost Sites A Google Top Stories Spot appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google begins rolling out in-account certification applications

Eligible advertisers will soon be able to apply for select policy certifications directly within their Google Ads accounts....

Microsoft Ads adds Ad Preview Hub to Performance Max

Microsoft advertisers can now securely preview and share PMax creatives across placements before campaigns go live....

Google Request Indexing Issue With Robots.txt Files?

Google may have a bug or issue with using the request indexing or recrawling your robots.txt files within Google Search Console. Supposedly, the feature is not working properly for all sites, but it is working for some sites as well....

Google Ads Household Income Exclusions For PMax

Google Ads is reportedly offering a new exclusion type for Performance Max campaigns. This one is named household income exclusions, which is not new to Google Ads as a whole, but maybe for PMax campaigns....

Google Business Profile Dashboard In Blue

Google may be slowly rolling out a blue colored background for the Google Business Profile dashboard within Google Search. Previously, it was on a white background, and now some local SEOs are seeing a blue background....

Google Expands Review Guidelines And Warns Of Manual Actions via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google expanded its review snippet documentation with new ways content can trigger a manual action. The post Google Expands Review Guidelines And Warns Of Manual Actions appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Household income exclusions spotted in Performance Max campaigns

Advertisers can now exclude specific household income segments at the campaign level while keeping PMax's automated optimization....

Google Ads Editor 2.13 brings AI Max support to Shopping campaigns

The new editor expands offline campaign management with new AI-powered Shopping features, and enhanced Demand Gen support....

ChatGPT Ads adds conversion bidding, geo exclusions and bulk campaign tools

ChatGPT Ads improves campaign optimisation, conversion measurement and budget pacing to scale performance on the platform....

Google AdSense Related Search Format To Be Retired On August 6th

Google is doing away with the related search format for Google AdSense auto ads. Google said it will be retired on August 6, 2026. Google sent out an email to those impacted that says starting August 6, 2026, the Related Search format will no longer appear on your site. It will also be removed as a...

Google Ads AI Max For Shopping Campaigns Expands

Last May, Google announced AI Max within Google Ads is rolling out in closed beta globally. Well, more are now seeing AI Max for Shopping campaigns this past week. This also includes text customizations and final URL expansion within AI Max....

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Sends Billions Of Clicks From AI Search, Publisher To Block Google, $120 Billion Quarter, EUâs $1 Billion Fine & More

This week......

Google Ads API v25 adds YouTube metrics and loyalty campaign goals

Google Ads API 25 expands measurement capabilities, introduces retention-focused goals, and new ways of managing objectives....

Google says AI Max unlocks billions of new monetizable searches

Google says AI-driven intent matching boosts conversions, expands ad opportunities, and reshapes how advertisers reach complex queries....

Google Maps Review Not Posted Email Notice

Google is now sending out notifications when a review is not posted after a user tries to submit a review on a Google local business profile. The notice says "review not posted," and adds "Our automated systems removed this content because it seems that the content may not follow our Maps content p...

Google Hotel Search Updates In EU Based On DMA

Google may be rolling out updates to its hotel search results based on the European Commission's requirement for Google to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Despite Google not being a fan of the requirement, it seems Google needs to make changes to its search results as a result....

Does topical authority matter in AI search?

New Semrush data shows topical authority still matters in AI search, helping brands earn and defend category ownership over time....

Google Ads rolls out video campaign groups globally

Google launched video campaign groups, allowing advertisers to optimize YouTube reach and frequency across multiple campaigns....

Google Search Using Latest Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Google Search said it is now using the latest Gemini model named 3.5 Flash-Lite. It is being used for agentic search experiences, but also likely for Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google wrote, "3.5 Flash-Lite is also rolling out in Google Search," on the company news blog....

Google Ads Appeals Limits Set To 6 Months

Google Ads updated its appeals guidelines and documentation yesterday afternoon to say you can no longer appeal a Google Ads violation if that violation is older than 6 months. Google wrote, "Starting July 21, 2026, the option to appeal a policy decision directly from your Google Ads account will no...

The new SEO rules for bloggers in 2026: Why clarity matters in AI search

Forget AI plugins, word counts, SEO scores, and fake freshness. Focus on better content, stronger connections, and less friction....

Google Ads simplifies GA4 setup with bulk account linking

Google Ads now lets advertisers bulk link multiple accounts to a single GA4 property reducing manual account management....

Google Ads adds missed growth estimates to the Recommendations tab

Google Ads' new beta estimates the clicks, conversions, and revenue you may be missing due to limited budgets and low bids....

ChatGPT topic ownership is rare, and SEO alone doesn’t explain it

Mentions matter more than citations, and narrow leads often change, revealing the instability of AI search brand authority, Semrush finds....

Google Ads Google Analytics Bulk Linking

Google Ads is testing a new bulk linking option to attach your Google Analytics account to multiple Google Ads accounts. Google has this new prompt that says "Save Time with Bulk Linking" and Link with more Google Ads accounts....

Google Updates Performance Max Doc: AI Generates Text Customization & More

Google made several changes to the About Performance Max campaigns help document. Most of it just seems like grammatical updates but Google did update the Text customization section to say "Google AI generates headlines and descriptions from your landing page content, domain, and current ads."...

Google Local Services Ads Transitioning To Google Ads Platform

Google announced it is transitioning the Google Local Service Ads platform into the main Google Ads platform throughout this year. With that, Google is making a new and specialized Performance Max campaign type optimized specifically for pay-per-lead goals for these campaigns to transition into....

Local Services Ads come to Google Ads via Performance Max

Advertisers will gain a unified campaign management experience with automatic Google Business Profile syncing....

AI-driven personalized search: A practical guide

See how personalized AI search uses entities, context, and multimodal signals to influence discovery beyond traditional rankings....

Google expands Brand Lift Studies with enhanced measurement option

Advertisers can now choose between standard and enhanced Brand Lift Studies, trading a higher budget for more sensitive campaign measurement....

Google Tag Manager adds guided setup for Google Ads purchase tracking

GTM's new guided setup simplifies Google Ads conversion tracking by automatically configuring key measurement components....

Google: We Send Billions Of Clicks To Websites Weekly Through AI Search

Nick Fox, Google's head of search, said on Friday that Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews - its AI search features - send billions of clicks to websites every week. He said Google Search overall is still sending billions of clicks daily, is only seeing growth......

Google Is Bringing Local Services Ads Into Google Ads via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google is moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads as Performance Max pay-per-lead campaigns, with bidding, reporting, and management changes beginning August 2026. The post Google Is Bringing Local Services Ads Into Google Ads appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

When To Use Search Console’s ‘Validate Fix,’ According To Google via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's John Mueller explained what happens when you click Validate Fix in Search Console, and when the button is worth using. The post When To Use Search Console’s ‘Validate Fix,’ According To Google appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Puts A Number On AI Search Clicks, Without The Data via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's Nick Fox said AI features in Search send billions of clicks to websites weekly, alongside Google's daily count. Neither figure can be checked. The post Google Puts A Number On AI Search Clicks, Without The Data appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google says AI Search features send billions of clicks to websites each week

Nick Fox, SVP at Google, said Google continues to send billions of clicks to the web every day and within AI Search it is billions weekly....

Top Stories roll out in Google AI Overviews

This is now live in the United States for mobile users and will expand to more in the future....

Google Ads Making Broader Smart Bidding Updates? Google Says No.

The PPC community has been going wild over the change that is coming to Google Ads around bidding for campaigns limited by budget on August 18th. There is some belief that this is going to be a broader smart bidding update than what Google communicated....

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google 7/11 Update, Bing Penalties, Google Images, AI Overviews AI Images, Google Ads Updates, ChatGPT Ads Features & Apple Maps

This week, we saw some Google Search ranking volatility around July 11th, so I called it the 7-Eleven update. Bing said it does not do one-off search penalties because it is not scalable. Google Images celebrated its 25th anniversary......

Google’s job Indexing API isn’t the shortcut you think it is

Learn the difference between notification, crawling, and indexing, and use a free tool to check whether your API is doing what you expect....

Google AI Mode adds Instacart, Canva and YouTube Music integrations

U.S. users can move from planning to checkout, design or listening as Search links AI responses directly with connected services....

Google expands Performance Max product reporting across all networks

Google has expanded PMax product reporting to include all eligible networks, resulting in a one-time increase in reported metrics....

Google To Merge Google Shopping Ads & Free Listing Policies To One Policy

Google announced it will consolidate and merge the Shopping ads and free listings policies into a single Shopping policy sometime in September 2026. Keep in mind, there may be specific ads or free listing policies listed in that consolidated policy document, where some policies only apply to ads and...

Google Ads Performance Max Product Reporting Now Uses All Networks

Google Ads updated its Performance Max product level reporting back on June 15th. This report now uses data from all Performance Max networks, rather than the subset it previously pulled from....

Apple Maps Ads Bans Home Service Businesses With Updated Terms

Apple has posted new Apple Maps policies where it now says it is prohibiting home services, such as plumbing, electrical, locksmith, HVAC, pest control, roofing, or general contracting services. It also says bail bonds, cryptocurrency ATMs and some medical services are also banned from Apple Maps Ad...

Google: Discovered vs Crawled Not Indexed Quality Issues & AI-Generated Content

Google's John Mueller and Martin Splitt spoke about the Google Search Console indexing report in its latest Search Off the Record podcast. One item was on how quality issues, including low-quality AI-generated content, can result in those pages not being trusted and not being indexed by Google. That...

Google Starts Rolling Out Connected Apps In AI Mode Search via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is starting to roll out connected apps in AI Mode, so you can send tasks to services like Canva from a search. The post Google Starts Rolling Out Connected Apps In AI Mode Search appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

AI SEO: Writing That’s Specific May Get Cited More via @sejournal, @martinibuster

AI SEO that prioritizes content that is specific may be a key to getting cited by AI search engines. The post AI SEO: Writing That’s Specific May Get Cited More appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google tests Performance Max network controls with new Partners (Alpha) setting

Google is testing new PMax controls that let advertisers control ads showing on Search Partners and the Google Display Network....

Google Bans Prediction Markets Product Ads Michigan & New York; Expands Shopping Ads & Free Listings

Google announced it is no longer allowing the advertisement of prediction markets contracts and related products ads in Michigan and New York. Plus, Google also expanded Google Shopping ads and free listings eligibility to more countries....

Google Confirms Testing Hide Sponsored Products In Shopping Results

Google has confirmed that it is testing the hide and show sponsored results within the Google Shopping search results interface. Google launched the hide/show sponsored results in the main search results last October and is now testing this feature within Google Shopping....

AI Image Generation Now Within Google AI Overviews

Google AI Overviews can now generate AI images based on your questions, directly in the AI Overview response in Google Search. Google wrote, "To help bring those unique ideas to life, we're bringing image generation directly into AI Overviews in Search."...

Google AI Overviews will let you create image

Google uses the latest Nano Banana model to create images directly in Google Search's AI Overviews....

Google Image Search drops clean search box and adds gallery of images

Google Image Search has turned 25 years old and is now making its biggest change to its home page yet....

Google Adds Image Generation To AI Overviews, Revamps Images via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is adding AI image generation to AI Overviews and rolling out a redesigned Google Images homepage. Both start rolling out over the coming weeks. The post Google Adds Image Generation To AI Overviews, Revamps Images appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Merchant Center AI Performance Insights For AI Mode & AI Overviews

Google Merchant Center is rolling out a beta AI Performance report that shares how well your products are performing within AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google wrote this report "specifically revealing your performance on AI Mode and AI Overviews."...

OpenAI Crawlers Can Update Its User Agent String

OpenAI made a number of clarification changes to its crawler help documentation to say that version number of the user-agent string may be updated and it may use a user-agent string with an additional robots.txt marker....

Google Ads Expands Alcohol, Gambling & Games Policy

Google Ads has posted that it has (1) expanded its alcohol policy to expand the approved geographic locations and (2) updated the gambling and games policy to expand the certification requirements to all categories under this policy....

Google Ads Requires Disclosure For AI-Generated Content via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads adds AI disclosure labels for third-party creative. Learn how the new transparency requirements affect advertisers and campaign workflows. The post Google Ads Requires Disclosure For AI-Generated Content appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google’s Marvin Clarifies AI Search and Qualified Future Conversions via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google's Ginny Marvin explains AI Search eligibility, Qualified Future Conversions, and Creator Partnerships, adding context to key Google Marketing Live announcements. The post Google’s Marvin Clarifies AI Search and Qualified Future Conversions appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Tests Sticky Sponsored Results With Gray Curved Borders, Again

Google is testing a slight update to the sticky sponsored results interface that it tested back in September 2024. Note: A version of this was launched in October 2025, but this interface has a thinner and smaller sponsored label and uses curved borders....

ChatGPT Ads New Overview Tab, Expands To Japan & South Korea

OpenAI has been busy adding and expanding its ad platform, ChatGPT Ads. OpenAI sent out an email yesterday announcing a new Overview tab and that it has expanded to Japan and South Korea....

Hack: Google AI Performance Reports For Platform Properties

There is this hack (or trick) to force Google Search Console to show you the generative AI performance report for your social and video content, the new platform properties feature. All you need to do is add "/ai" after "search-analytics" or "discover" in the URL within Search Console. This doesn't...

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Search Breaks Usage Records, Social & Video Platforms Show In Search Console & More Google Ads, ChatGPT Ads & More

This week in search, we covered how Google's Nick Fox announced Google Search broke all usage records when Argentina scored its winning goal in the World Cup. Google Search Console now shows third-party platform content performance data from Instagram, TikTok......

Google expands AI ad disclosures across Search, YouTube, Discover

Google will show whether ad creative was created or edited with AI. The AI-made ad disclosures are rolling out worldwide....

Ask YouTube AI search experience expands to U.S. desktop users

Signed-in U.S. viewers can now ask natural-language questions and get AI responses with videos, Shorts, and follow-up prompts....

Google Ads Travel Search Campaigns Expands For Things To Do & Events Beta

Google announced it has expanded Search campaigns for Travel to an open beta for the Things to Do and Events verticals. This brings you Search and AI Max features for those types of campaigns....

Google Search Generative AI Controls Rolling Out Beyond UK Sites

Google seems to be rolling out the new Generative AI controls in Google Search Console to sites outside the United Kingdom. It initially launched a month ago only for .co.uk based sites but now we are seeing it roll out for some (not all) sites based in the US and other countries....

5 questions to ask AI vendors before buying a tool

Separate genuine solutions from AI hype by evaluating business value, data policies, customer proof, and implementation before you invest....

OpenAI GPT-Live Brings Search Into ChatGPT Voice via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

OpenAI has begun rolling out GPT-Live, new voice models for ChatGPT that can run a web search and show visual answers while you talk. The post OpenAI GPT-Live Brings Search Into ChatGPT Voice appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Clarifies Smart Bidding Update After Advertiser Concerns via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google clarifies its Smart Bidding update, explaining how August 17 changes will affect Target CPA, Target ROAS, and budget-limited campaigns. The post Google Clarifies Smart Bidding Update After Advertiser Concerns appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

AI Search Is Exposing SEO’s Risk Of Losing Ownership Of GEO Outcomes via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Search marketer Tom Critchlow says AI Search is exposing the question of whether SEO still owns GEO outcomes. The post AI Search Is Exposing SEO’s Risk Of Losing Ownership Of GEO Outcomes appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Ads Expands Search Campaigns for Travel Beta to Things to Do and Events via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads expands its Travel campaign beta to Things to Do and Events, giving eligible advertisers a new campaign type for attractions and ticket sales. The post Google Ads Expands Search Campaigns for Travel Beta to Things to Do and Events appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Business Profiles Appeals Adds Evidence Uploads In Workflow

Google has updated its Google Business Profile appeal process and flow to allow businesses to upload their evidence for the business profile suspension. The old flow had a different form where you would later upload that evidence, and you only had 60 minutes to do so. This is now built into the appe...

ChatGPT Ads rolling out audience lists

Several advertisers have begun to notice a new option to upload Audience lists into OpenAI's new ad platform....

Google Search Console gains reporting on social and video platforms

There is a new way to verify and filter your performance reports, insights reports and achievements by platform property....

ChatGPT Ads Gain New Audiences Targeting

OpenAI is rolling out Audiences as a targeting option within ChatGPT Ads. I don't see a help document on what this does but I assume it lets you set up better targeting for your ads by uploading audience lists, like their email and/or phone numbers to the ChatGPT Ads platform....

Google Adds Product Category & Sale Duration To Merchant Listing Doc

Google has added to its Merchant listing structured data documentation help page that it now supports the Product.category property and a new Sale duration mechanism within the schema....

Google Search Console Now Shows You Instagram, TikTok, X & YouTube Content Search Performance

Google Search Console can now show how your social and video content perform within Google Search. This includes channels such as Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube. Google kind of did this before, but now this data is going into the Performance reports, Insights reports, and the achievements section...

Google Search Console Adds Social & Video Platform Properties via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is adding platform properties to Search Console, letting creators track how their Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube posts perform in Search and Discover. The post Google Search Console Adds Social & Video Platform Properties appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Paid media is becoming an SEO investment in AI search

Reviews, creator partnerships, and sponsored content can shape how AI systems understand and recommend your brand. Learn why....

6 SEO priorities to rethink for AI search

AI search is changing which SEO efforts have the biggest impact. Learn the three priorities to emphasize more and the three to emphasize less....

Google: Cloudflare Content Signals Robots.txt Directive Has No Effects

John Mueller from Google said that the new Content Signals robots.txt directive invented by Cloudflare last year has "no effects whatsoever for any crawler or LLM." He added that it "just adds bloat and future maintenance to your robots.txt file." As far as he knows, he said, none of the crawlers or...

Google indexing report in Google Search Console fixed

After a long three-week delay, Google has finally updated the page indexing report with new data....

Microsoft Advertising Performance Max Experiments Beta Types

Microsoft Advertising has opened up a new betas for Performance Max experiments. There are now Max upgrade or uplift experiment available in Microsoft Advertising....

Google Business Profile Restrictions & Penalties Are Additive

Google will add to existing penalties or restrictions on your Google Business Profiles if you continue to violate the same policy over and over again. The initial restriction might be 30 days but then if you are caught doing the same thing, Google can make that restriction twice as long....

Google Local Reviews Go Missing For Many Businesses

Google reviews seem to be disappearing from Google Business Profile local listings. In the past few days or so there has been an influx of complaints in the Google Business Profile forums. I have not seen Google respond to the complaints, but either there is a bug or a change to the review policy t...

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google June Spam Update Done, Fraud DMCA Takedowns Breaks Google, Costly Google Ad Budget Changes & More

This week, I covered that Google's June 2026 spam update completed last Friday afternoon. Fraudulent DMCA takedown requests are breaking Google Search and no one seems to be doing anything. Google AI Mode improved links......

Google Page Indexing Report Has Been Fixed & Updated

Google has fixed the page indexing report within Google Search Console after it was struck and delayed for over three weeks. It was literally just fixed within minutes of this story going live, as I continuously check the report like an unwell-OCD man....

Want to present at SMX Next? Now’s the time to submit a pitch!

If you’re on top of the latest techniques and what’s to come in SEO, PPC, and AI search, submit a pitch to present at SMX Next....

Google Ads Performance Max Channel Diagnostics

Google Ads is testing a new Channel Diagnostics feature for Performance Max campaigns within "Channel Performance" under the "Insights & Reports" section. This shows you the diagnostic data of all the channels together and of a specific channel in particular, all in one place....

July 2026 Google Webmaster Report

Here is the monthly Google Webmaster report, where I summarize the major organic Google Search news and SEO topics from the past month. The big news was the Google June 2026 spam update, which took only two days to roll out and felt like it started earlier and was substantial....

GraphRAG: What entity-first retrieval means for SEO

GraphRAG explains why AI is shifting from isolated text to connected knowledge, and what that means for AI search optimization....

Google adds Channel Diagnostics to Performance Max

Google's Channel Diagnostics for PMax, helps advertisers identify missing or disapproved assets that could limit performance....

Google AI Overviews Study Finds Lost Clicks Weren’t Lower Quality via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

An updated AI Overviews experiment finds no measurable difference in bounce rates, time on site, or returns to search between clicks with and without summaries. The post Google AI Overviews Study Finds Lost Clicks Weren’t Lower Quality appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Fabrice Canel Retires From Microsoft After Almost 30 Years Of Service

Fabrice Canel has announced he has retired from Microsoft as of today. This comes after almost 30 years of service at Microsoft. Fabrice was most well-known in our community for his work on Bing and all of Microsoft's search services....

Google AI Overviews Showing Markdown Files In Snippets Unexpectedly

Google AI Overviews can show the contents of the markdown files of web pages directly in the snippets within those AI Overviews. Google's John Mueller called this "unexpected" and that this does not mean Google treats markdown files any differently than any other content page....

Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5 Is “Near-Opus Intelligence” For All Plans via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Anthropic releases their new Sonnet 5 as the default model for all plans, including the free tier, plus introductory pricing on tokens. The post Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 5 Is “Near-Opus Intelligence” For All Plans appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Why AI search is forcing global SEO teams to rethink ownership

AI is exposing weak global SEO governance. Discover the 10 ownership decisions that can improve visibility, trust, and local relevance....

The new SEO stack: What replaces your old toolset

See how LLMs, APIs and scripts cut busywork, uncover AI search signals and help teams move faster without ditching core SEO basics....

Google adds new YouTube brand campaign measurement tools

Google's new YouTube measurement features help advertisers better connect brand campaigns with branded search activity....

Google renames age estimation ads policy as global age assurance expands

Google updated its age estimation ads policy and changes what they now restrict ads for with shocking content not making the cut....

Google Ads redesigns All Campaigns selector

Google Ads is rolling out a redesigned All Campaigns selector with a new hierarchy view and search to simplify campaign navigation....

Microsoft expands Performance Max testing with new experiment types

Microsoft is expanding PMax testing with two new experiment types that help measure campaign impact and validate upgrades....

Google makes recipes in AI Mode more publisher friendly

Google launched a new "visual treatment making it even easier to discover and visit recipe pages with AI Mode," said Robby Stein of Google....

Google Search Console Has First Generative AI Reporting Bug On June 24

The Google Search Console Generative AI performance reports just launched recently and already Google has documented a data logging bug with the Discover and Generative AI in Discover search performance reports....

Google Puts Recipe Links At Top Of AI Mode Responses via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google launched a new update in AI Mode that places recipe site links at the top of responses, with creator names, ratings and ingredient counts. The post Google Puts Recipe Links At Top Of AI Mode Responses appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Removes Shocking Content From Ads Not Allowed For Young Users

Yesterday, Google announced it was "renaming and updating the Default Ads Treatment policy to improve the clarity and transparency of the policy." But it did one more thing, it removed "shocking content" from the list of categories of ads that would not be shown while Google was determining the user...

Google’s Liz Reid: Personalization Can Help Small Publishers via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google's Liz Reid argues personalization and preferred sources can help small publishers get found in AI search, though she shared no supporting data. The post Google’s Liz Reid: Personalization Can Help Small Publishers appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

AI search is driving customers. Can you measure it? by CallRail

AI search is becoming a measurable source of customer discovery. Here's what nearly 30 million calls reveal and what marketers should do next....

Google Ads PMax Product Reporting By Asset Group & View Audience Segments

Google Ads is adding new reporting to Performance Max campaigns for product reporting by asset group and also a report to view audience segments by spend. These reports should give you more clarity in your ad campaign spend and to understand the ROI of such spend....

Google Begins Rollout Of Top Stories Carousel In AI Overviews

Google seems to be testing the rollout of top stories within the AI Overview section of the Google Search results. This was something Google pre-announced last month and it now seems to be rolling out to some searchers....

Google Says AI Visibility Hinges On Content People Actually Want To Read via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google says publishers who want to survive in AI Search need to start making content users actually want to read. The post Google Says AI Visibility Hinges On Content People Actually Want To Read appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Page indexing report in Google Search Console delayed

The report has not been updated for two weeks now but this is not all that uncommon....

Google June 2026 spam update done rolling out

This spam update took two full days to roll out....

Google Business Profiles Adds Message Button With AI Agent

Google has added the messages button back to the Google Business Profile dashboard within Google Search. Google use to have a feature like this but I believe removed it but now it is possibly coming back....

Google Ads API To Disallow Creation Of Smart Campaigns After August 3

The Google Ads API will stop allowing advertisers to create Smart Campaigns on August 3, 2026. Google has been transitioning from Smart Campaigns to Performance Max campaigns for years now....

New: Google Ads Maximize Conversion Value Bidding For Standard Shopping

Google Ads seems to be rolling out Maximize Conversion Value bidding within Standard Shopping campaigns. You might see under the Budget and bidding optimization setting for your Standard Shopping campaigns, the bid option for "Maximize conversion value."...

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google June 2026 Spam Update Hits Hard, Google Ads Strength Match Labels, AI Reporting Access & More

This week, Google released the June 2026 spam update, Google said it was a normal spam update but it does feel like this one started a bit earlier and was a big one. Yes, we covered on Sunday what we thought......

Google June 2026 Spam Update Has Finished Rolling Out

It only took about two days - the Google June 2026 spam update is now done rolling out. It started on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at around noon and completed on June 26, 2026 at around 2pm ET. This update felt like it started earlier than it was announced, and felt more widespread than a typical Goog...

June 2026 spam update completed

The rollout was complete as of June 26, 2026.

Best SEO MCP servers in 2026: Which to connect, and why

A practical look at the best SEO MCP servers in 2026: SE Ranking, GSC, GA4, Firecrawl, Screaming Frog. What each adds to your everyday SEO workflow....

Google introduces new Merchant Center agency roles

Google is rolling out new Merchant Center agency roles that centralize client access management and strengthen security....

Google Ads API v24.2 adds AI transparency, stronger security and new reporting

API v24.2 introduces AI visibility tools, stronger security controls and new PMax reporting features for advertisers and developers....

Google Search Console Page Indexing Report Delayed By Two Weeks Again

The page indexing report within Google Search Console is now two weeks delayed. It is stuck at June 11, 2026, for me, and has not been updated in 14 days. Google has been reporting issues with Search Console often enough, so this is not unusual, but this delay is significant enough to cover, since...

Google: When AI Performance Reports Count Impressions

Google's John Mueller explained when Google will count an impression for a web page within the generative AI features in Google Search. In short, there needs to be a link to your site being shown in AI Overviews / AI Mode for it to show as an impression in the new Google Search Console AI performan...

Google AI Overviews Tests Button To Go To Only Web Results

Google is testing a button in the AI Overview within Google Search that takes you to the web only tab. As a reminder, the web only tab does not have any AI search features or other search verticles, it only has the web search results....

Google’s Mueller Explains How AI Search Impressions Get Counted via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

John Mueller explained that impressions in Google's Search Console AI report track links to your pages, and user-activated links only count after they're activated. The post Google’s Mueller Explains How AI Search Impressions Get Counted appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Finishes Rolling Out The June 2026 Spam Update via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has finished rolling out the June 2026 spam update globally and across all languages. It's the second spam update of the year. The post Google Finishes Rolling Out The June 2026 Spam Update appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

B2B brands rank in Google but appear in just 3% of AI Overviews

AI Overviews appear in roughly half of relevant B2B searches, yet most brands remain largely absent from the answers buyers see....

Google Ads API to stop supporting new Smart Campaign creation

Google will end support for creating new Smart Campaigns via its Ads API, further shifting advertisers toward Performance Max....

Google releases June 2026 spam update

This update should only take a few days to roll out....

Google June 2026 Spam Update Has Been Released

Google has just announced the release of the June 2026 spam update and said it should only take a few days to roll out. Truth is, we kind of saw this coming, although Google would say no, we did not....

Google Begins Rolling Out The June 2026 Spam Update via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has begun rolling out the June 2026 spam update globally and across all languages. It's the second spam update of the year. The post Google Begins Rolling Out The June 2026 Spam Update appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

June 2026 spam update confirmed

Released the June 2026 spam update , which applies globally and to all languages. The rollout may take a few days to complete.

Semrush API Alternatives: 2026’s Top SEO Data APIs Compared

Compare 7 Semrush API alternatives for keyword, SERP, backlink & AI search data. Pricing, endpoints & use cases — pick the right SEO API....

Google Ads Shop Diagnostics: Shop Sales Eligibility

Google Ads is rolling out a new section under the Conversions section labeled "Shop diagnostics." It says, "This report helps diagnose shop sales reporting and optimization eligibility."...

Google Ads: Unique Search Categories With Clicks, Conversions & Impressions

Google Ads is rolling out new data columns that show unique search categories with clicks, conversions and impressions. This is different from just the clicks column, which is also available in this report....

Google Ads Will Soon Allow Some Final URLs To Redirect To A Different Domain

Google is updating its Google Ads Destination Mismatch policy in early July 2026 to allow the final URL to redirect to a different domain in some cases, with prior approval from Google. This was previously not allowed, as ads generally should take you to the final destination URL, but in some cases,...

Amazon launches Alexa+ Agentic Ads

Amazon's new Alexa+ Agentic Ads let consumers complete purchases directly within a conversation....

Google Search Console AI performance reports rolling out to more users

John Mueller from Google added, "We're just rolling these out incrementally to sites, and reviewing the feedback along the way."...

Shopify launches AI-powered marketing automation tool

Campaign Autopilot aims to simplify multi-channel marketing by handling campaign execution and optimization from a single dashboard....

Google Ads Tests Strongest & Strong Match Labels On Sponsored Results

Google has confirmed it is rolling out a limited test in the search results to add labels to the sponsored results. The labels will say "Strongest match" and "Strong match," which represent how relevant those specific ads are to the query....

Google Launches Ask Ad Manager, Its First AI Agent For Publishers via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google's conversational agent now troubleshoots delivery and builds reports inside Ad Manager, bringing prompt-driven workflows to publisher ad ops. The post Google Launches Ask Ad Manager, Its First AI Agent For Publishers appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google’s Limited Ad Serving Update Raises Questions About Advertiser Qualification via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google expands its Limited Ad Serving policy, introducing new advertiser qualification signals tied to user reports, identity, and Search ad eligibility. The post Google’s Limited Ad Serving Update Raises Questions About Advertiser Qualification appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google Ads Expands Financial Advertiser Verification Across 24 European Markets

Google announced it has expanded its Financial Services Verification process to 24 new European Economic Area (EEA) markets. The verification requirements kicks in today, July 23, 2026. Google said they are doing this to "help stop scams before they start."...

Google Creates Subscription Linking For News Publishers

Google has posted a new policy document for subscription linking for news publishers under the Google Publisher Center help area. Google wrote, "Any publisher using this service must adhere to these policies."...

Google Search Console AI Performance Report Rolling Out To More

Google seems to be expanding access to the new Search Console generative AI performance reports to more regions, outside of just the UK. I see a number of people in India who are now reporting seeing the new AI report. I personally do not see these new AI reports yet but maybe you do?...

AI Chatbot Use Hits 49%, But Skepticism Stays High via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

About half of U.S. adults use AI chatbots, and 60% read AI Overviews, but more predict AI will hurt society than help it. The post AI Chatbot Use Hits 49%, But Skepticism Stays High appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Reddit unveils new AI-powered ad tools built on community conversations

Reddit's new features aim to help advertisers build more relevant campaigns using insights drawn directly from user discussions....

Google Ads Smart Bidding Strategies Target CPA & Target ROAS Updates

Google Ads is updating how bidding strategies are labeled. Specifically, Target CPA and Target ROAS will show as standalone bidding strategy options, separating them from the "Maximize conversions" and 'Maximize conversion value' strategies....

Google Ads Rolling Out Text Disclaimers To All

Last month, Google announced that it is rolling out text disclaimers within Google Ads globally, in all languages. Well, it seems to have rolled out for many last week, as many are seeing it in their Google Ads accounts....

Google Speaks On Chunking, Site Signals, Content, Paywalls & AI Clicks

Google held a Search Central Live event in Milan this week and spoke about several topics including chunking, site-wide signals, AI settings in Search Console, commondity versus non-commodity content, paywalled content, subscriptions for news sites, what clicks look like from AI Overviews and much m...

AI traffic grew 16x from 2024 to 2026: Here are the top AI search engines driving visits to websites

AI search traffic grew 16x from 2024 to 2026. See which top AI search engines send the most traffic to websites — and how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and Copilot compare....

Google AI Overviews cite self-serving listicles, but recommend competitors 69% of the time

Lily Ray’s study found Google cited brands’ own listicles in AI Overviews, yet excluded those brands from recommendations in most cases....

Google Ads launches beta for supplemental conversion data

Google is allowing advertisers to gain more complete measurement and improve bidding performance with stronger first-party signals....

USA Today vs. Google AI Overviews: A World Cup battle for breaking news traffic

As Google's AI Overviews arrive more quickly for developing stories, publishers are adjusting workflows to capture search interest early....

Google launches AI agent for Ad Manager

Google is embedding AI into publisher workflows, making it easier to analyze performance and act on insights from a chat interface....

Google just released an AI opt-out feature. Your competitors hope you use it.

Users aren't opting out of AI Overviews or AI Mode. If your content disappears from those experiences, someone else will take its place....

New Adobe tool shows where brands win and lose in AI search

Backed by 300 million AI prompts and Semrush data, the platform tracks mentions, share of voice, and content gaps across leading AI engines....

7 AI search shifts you can’t afford to ignore

Why Claude and ChatGPT surface different sources, how ChatGPT ads work, and what new AI search data means for visibility....

Meta expands live shopping ads and virtual card checkout to drive more purchases

Meta's new shopping features aim to reduce purchase friction and help advertisers convert product discovery moments into sales....

Google Must Give Notice Before Significant Ranking Changes via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

The UK's CMA introduced two new conduct requirements for Google Search, covering fair ranking of organic results including AI Overviews, and search data portability. The post Google Must Give Notice Before Significant Ranking Changes appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

What replaces the ultimate guide in AI search

Long-form content alone no longer guarantees visibility. Learn the principles behind content AI systems retrieve and cite....

AI search adoption rises as consumer trust declines: Study

Survey data from 1,008 consumers and 150 marketers reveals how AI is reshaping search visibility, brand trust, GEO, and content strategy....

Google Ads Updates Its Campaign Status Interface

Google is rolling out a new look and feel for the Google Ads campaign status notifications and icons. The new statuses are no longer highlighted fully, instead they are just outlined in various colors. It makes it a bit less extreme to look at, and I am not sure if that is a good or bad change....

Bing Webmaster Tools AI Reporting Adds Intents, Topics, Citation Share & Compare

Bing Webmaster Tools is rolling out a preview release of those new AI reporting features demonstrated at SEO Week in late April. These include Intents, Topics, Citation Share, and Compare within the AI reporting section....

Google Explains Why URLs Blocked By Robots.txt Can Still Be Indexed via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Search Console reported 51,000 URLs as "Indexed, though blocked by robots.txt," and Google says that's not necessarily a problem. The post Google Explains Why URLs Blocked By Robots.txt Can Still Be Indexed appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Meta launches AI Mode in Facebook search to answer questions

Public posts, Groups and Reels now power responses, turning conversations into a new discovery engine for advice and recommendations....

Why next-question intent matters for AI search visibility

Many pages answer the query but stop short of the decision. Next-question intent helps create more useful content for users and AI systems....

Microsoft Ads expands LinkedIn targeting with job seniority filters

Microsoft Ads now lets advertisers target audiences by LinkedIn job seniority across Search and Audience campaigns....

Google: LLMS.txt Files Won't Help Or Hurt Your Search Rankings

Google has updated its guide for optimizing for generative AI search help document to clarify that (1) LLMS.txt files don't help or hurt with search rankings and (2) AI files, markdown files, etc are not used in Google Search....

New Microsoft Advertising Product Explorer

Microsoft Advertising has rolled out a new feature named Product Explorer. This tool gives advertisers a searchable view of your entire product catalog, letting you quickly see which of your products are active, serving, and performing....

Google Ads Bidding Changes: What PPC Managers Need To Know About The 3 Updates via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Google Ads expands Smart Bidding Exploration, launches Promotion mode beta, and updates optimization for budget-limited campaigns beginning August 17. The post Google Ads Bidding Changes: What PPC Managers Need To Know About The 3 Updates appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Microsoft Advertising Launches Product Explorer via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Microsoft Advertising launches Product Explorer, a new Merchant Center tool that helps advertisers analyze feed health, product status, and performance data. The post Microsoft Advertising Launches Product Explorer appeared first on Search Engine Journal....

Google expands Smart Bidding Exploration, adds Promotion Mode

Google is adding two new controls to its smart bidding system — Smart Bidding Exploration lets campaigns test bids outside their normal range, and Promotion Mode lets you run limited-time offers without touching your main campaign settings. Both are rolling out this month.

What new AI search data reveals about visibility and trust

New research looked at how people check information before buying something online, and the results show that AI search tools now look at how trusted and established a site is, not just whether it has the right keywords. Authority signals matter more than they used to.

Google Search Rolls Out Information Agents In AI Mode For A Fee

Google has added paid AI agents inside Google Search for people on the AI Ultra plan, and these agents can do multi-step research on your behalf while running in the background. You set the task, and it comes back with a ready-to-read summary.

Google Ads To Limit Ad Impressions From Unqualified Advertisers

Google is now applying its Limited Ad Serving rules to more search terms, which means advertisers who have not verified their identity or built up a solid account history will see fewer of their ads go live. Meeting the verification requirements is now required for full reach.

Google Ads Bidding Target Optimization Changing, Promotion Mode Beta, Smart Bidding Exploration Expands

Google Ads has confirmed that the system will now automatically adjust bidding targets based on how conversions are trending in your account. On top of that, Smart Bidding Exploration is being rolled out to more accounts, and a new Promotion Mode beta makes it easier to run time-limited deals.

Google Analytics adds source grouping and hostname filtering

Google Analytics has added two new features — source grouping and hostname filtering — that give you more control over how traffic gets sorted in your reports. Source grouping lets you build custom channel rules, while hostname filtering helps you block bot traffic and referral spam from skewing your numbers.

Microsoft Ads launches Product Explorer for catalog insights

Microsoft Ads has launched a new tool called Product Explorer that lets e-commerce advertisers browse their full product feed directly inside the platform. It surfaces disapproved items, ads that are not showing, and catalog errors that might be quietly stopping campaigns from spending.

Google expands limited ad serving policy on Search

Google has expanded its Limited Ad Serving policy to cover more search queries, restricting impression volume for advertisers who are newer or lack a verified identity. To get full ad reach, you now need a clean account history, confirmed branding, and a verified business profile.

Google Rolls Out AI Mode Information Agents To Ultra Subscribers

Google has turned on AI Mode Information Agents for people paying for the Google AI Ultra plan, letting them hand off research tasks that run automatically in the background. The agent does the searching, compiles the findings, and delivers a structured summary when it is done.

Reddit Climbs, Clicks Drop, GBP Comes To GA4 – SEO Pulse

After Google's latest core update, Reddit has pulled ahead significantly in search rankings, showing up in top spots for a wide range of everyday questions. At the same time, zero-click searches are rising as Google shows more answers directly, and Business Profile data is now feeding into GA4.

Claude visibility may depend heavily on Brave Search rankings, new data suggests

New data shows that websites ranking well in Brave Search are far more likely to show up in Claude's responses, revealing a clear connection between the two. Since Claude pulls live content from Brave's index, getting into Brave appears to be a real lever for AI visibility.

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Post-Core Update Volatility, Zero Clicks Rising, Appleâs Siri AI & Google SEO Docs

This week in search: Google's latest core update is still causing ranking swings across multiple verticals, and zero-click search numbers keep climbing as Google answers more queries directly on the results page. Also covered are Apple's Siri updates and new changes to Google's public search documentation.

Google Search Console Link Report Finally Fixed & Updated

Google has fixed the Link Report in Search Console, which had been stuck showing outdated and incomplete backlink data for several weeks. The report is now pulling in current link data again, so any audits or link counts you ran during the outage period may need to be redone.

May 2026 Google Core Update: Reddit now holds nearly 5x more TOP 3 positions than YouTube

Post-update tracking by SE Ranking shows that Reddit now holds nearly five times more top-three search positions than YouTube following the May 2026 core update. The data confirms Google continues to push community and user-generated content higher for informational queries over traditional media sources.

Introducing Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console

Google has launched new performance reports inside Search Console that show how often your pages appear inside AI-powered search results like AI Overviews. The reports track impression data from these layouts, giving publishers a first look at their presence in Google's newer search surfaces.

Search Console Adds Generative AI Performance Reports

New dashboards in Google Search Console now show impression data from Google's generative search layouts, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. Click data is not included yet, so you can see when your pages appear in AI results but cannot yet measure how many people actually click through.

May 2026 core update completed

Google has confirmed the May 2026 core update finished rolling out on June 2, 2026, after running for about twelve days. The update caused visible ranking changes across health, finance, and content-heavy sites, with some publishers reporting significant drops and others seeing gains depending on content quality.

Preferred sources is available in AI Mode and AI Overviews

Google has updated its developer documentation to confirm that preferred source settings now apply to both AI Overviews and AI Mode, not just regular search results. Sites that have set up preferred source signals may get priority treatment when Google pulls content to build AI-generated answers.

May 2026 core update confirmed

Google has confirmed the May 2026 core update has started rolling out and will take around two weeks to finish reaching all data centers. Rankings may fluctuate during this period, and the update affects broad quality signals across all types of content, not a specific niche or format.

Clarifying that spam policies apply to generative AI responses in Google Search

Google has clarified that its existing spam rules — covering things like thin content, cloaking, and mass-produced pages — apply to content that shows up in AI-generated search results too. Sites that break these rules risk being removed from both regular search results and AI-powered answer formats.

Deprecating the FAQ rich result feature

Google has officially removed FAQ rich results from its list of supported search features, meaning pages with FAQ schema will no longer get the expandable question-and-answer blocks in search results. The change is permanent, though Google says it may still crawl the underlying schema for other possible uses.

Google deprecates FAQ rich results

The FAQ rich result format was removed from Google Search on May 7, 2026, taking away the visual enhancement that showed expandable answers below search listings. Sites that relied on FAQ schema to stand out in results will need to find other structured data types to maintain visual presence.

Best DataForSEO Alternatives: SEO API & Data Providers Compared for 2026

This comparison breaks down the main alternatives to DataForSEO for teams that need search data through an API, looking at platforms like SE Ranking, SerpApi, and Bright Data. It covers data freshness, coverage, pricing, and ease of integration to help teams choose the right provider for their setup.

Google’s AI Overviews: Updates and changes from SGE to now

A detailed look at how Google's AI Overviews have changed since the early Search Generative Experience tests, tracking shifts in layout, sourcing, and how search visibility has been affected over time. Useful for anyone trying to understand what has changed and what it means for their content strategy.

Introducing a new spam policy for "back button hijacking"

Google is rolling out a new spam policy that targets websites using JavaScript or redirects to stop users from pressing the browser back button to leave the page. Sites caught doing this will face search penalties, as Google classes it as a deceptive practice that harms the user experience.

March 2026 core update completed

Google has confirmed the March 2026 core update finished on April 8, 2026, after running for about twelve days. The update focused on surfacing more helpful, high-quality content, and sites with thin or low-effort pages saw some of the biggest drops in rankings during this period.

March 2026 core update confirmed

Google has confirmed the March 2026 core update started rolling out on March 27, 2026, with an expected completion window of around two weeks. The update covers broad quality signals across all content types and is not aimed at any particular type of site or spam method.

March 2026 spam update completed

Google has confirmed its March 2026 spam update finished rolling out on March 25, 2026, after a short deployment window. The update hit websites running large volumes of automatically generated content especially hard, with many programmatic content and affiliate sites reporting sharp drops in visibility.

March 2026 spam update confirmed

Google has launched the March 2026 spam update, targeting sites that break its quality rules through things like scaled content abuse, manipulative links, and exploiting other sites' reputations. The rollout is expected to wrap up within a few days and may cause short-term fluctuations for affected sites.

February 2026 Discover update completed

Google has confirmed the February 2026 Discover update finished rolling out on February 27, 2026, after running for about three weeks. The update reshaped what content gets recommended in the Google Discover feed, with some publishers seeing major shifts in mobile traffic depending on topic and content quality.

Google's February 2026 Discover Core Update

Google released a dedicated update for its Discover feed in February 2026 aimed at improving what gets recommended to mobile users. The update prioritises content that is timely, matches user interests, and comes from established sources, which may affect smaller or newer sites that depended on Discover for traffic.

February 2026 Discover update confirmed

Google has confirmed the February 2026 Discover update has started rolling out for users in the United States, targeting how content is ranked and recommended inside the mobile Discover feed. The update focuses on interest matching and content quality, and it may take several weeks to fully reach all users.