Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web.
Google has expanded its enforcement of the site reputation abuse policy to German sites. Google Search Console performance reports are showing faster update time periods. Google Ads clarifies its docs around placement exclusions. Google AI Overviews now provides coding help. Google said SEOs can spot made for search engine content quickly.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
Google Expands Site Reputation Abuse Enforcement To German Sites
Google has once again expanded the reach of its site reputation abuse policy, beyond the US enforcement from from May and beyond limited European regions last week - we are now seeing enforcement in the massive German market. -
Google Search Console Reports Latest Update In 30 Minute Intervals
Google may have pushed some improvements to the reporting system within Google Search Console. Now Google can show how soon the report was updated within a 30 minute interval. So instead of showing last updated 3 hours ago or 4 hours ago, as an example, Google can show 3.5 hours ago. -
Google Ads Clarifies Docs Around Placement Exclusions After Confusion
Earlier this month, the Google Ads industry had a lot of confusion around if and in what cases the Google Ads API accept or support placement exclusions for Performance Max campaigns. Well, Google's Ginny Marvin clarified this the other day in an email to Navah Hopkins. -
Google AI Overviews Now Providing Programming Help
Google AI Overviews, even when not signed into a Google Labs project, is providing coding and programming examples and help. This started sometime yesterday, I believe, and before, I believe you had to opt into a Search Labs experiment to trigger this. -
Google: SEOs Can Spot Made For Search Engine Content Quickly
John Mueller from Google noted that he finds it "interesting" how those who spend time in our industry "can often recognize made-for-search-engine content fairly quickly." Meaning, we are good at seeing a piece of content on the web and knowing if it was created to perform well in search or written by a normal user trying to help others. -
Google Custom Coffee
Google hired this company named Fez Coffee Roasters to make custom coffee at the GooglePlex, the main Google headquarters, some time ago. This was share on Instagram back in November.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Don't know if it's a new design or a bug, but Google AI overviews are appearing like this; they just slip away to the left side and change their usual place in the SERP., Sachin Patel on X
- I think it is a really big step forward. I was very happy to see GRPO - very similar to NPO https://t.co/RDOeXUqTPx It is clearly a distillation to a large degree - that makes it look optically better than it reall, Mikhail Parakhin on X
- If they're disallowed, and showing as "blocked by robots", then it's basically a failed crawl attempt - our systems wanted to crawl, but couldn't (because of robots.txt). You wouldn't (shouldn't) see it in your server logs, John Mueller on Bluesky
- Technical SEO: don't just submit the sitemap index file in Google Search Console, you'll need to submit all important sitemaps individually also. When I get access to a clients GSC, often for very large sites, I unfortunately don't alw, Brodie Clark on X
- There are many scenarios in which advertisers have their own MCCs, not just agencies. But the reason an MCC is required for monthly invoicing is because MCCs are viewed as the billing owners for any, AdsLiaison on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google reverses stance on Performance Max campaign controls
- Google testing new-look search results in EU
- Technical SEO: Don’t rush the process
- The top 5 strategic SEO mistakes enterprises make (and how to avoid them)
- Google sending manual actions for site reputation abuse in Germany
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google launches five free cloud data analytics certificate to boost skills and employability, Nairametrics
Industry & Business
- Apple Loses Bid to Defend Google Search Deals in US Monopoly Case, Bloomberg
- Google employees petition for 'job security' ahead of expected cuts , CNBC
- Google forced to step up phishing defenses following ‘most sophisticated attack’ it has ever seen, TechRadar
- Google reclassifies U.S. as ‘sensitive country’ like China, Russia, CNBC
- OpenAI Revenue Surged From $200-a-Month ChatGPT Subscriptions, The Information
Links & Content Marketing
- Publishing Frequency: Expert Tips To Set Your Strategy, Content Marketing Institute
- State of Digital PR Report (2025), BuzzStream
- The Evolution Of AI-Generated Content In SEO Strategies, ABC Money
Local & Maps
- Does Your Google Business Profile Page Get WAY More Clicks on Mobile? How and Why to Check, Local Visibility System
Mobile & Voice
- Gemini app rolling out ‘Talk Live about this’ on Pixel 9, 9to5Google
- Patent Teases Google's Potential Entry Into Home Robot Market, Extremetech
SEO
- AI Overview Study: How User Intent Drives AIO Appearance Rates, Authoritas
- AI overviews: How to improve SEO visibility?, AccuraCast
- Building Topical Authority: Your Powerful Online Presence, Level343
- How long does SEO take to start to see results?, Walsh & Partners
- Is SEO Still Worth It for Small Businesses?, Dagmar Marketing
- Screaming Frog and DeepSeek Integration, Metehan
- The Twiddler That Didn’t Twiddle - How To Track Clicks and Click Through Rate For Google’s AI Overviews (if you have a manual action), GSQI
- Website Launches – How to Avoid a Drop in Rankings, Codefixer
- Why your SEO needs your voice in the community, Aimclear
PPC
- Content Marketing and PPC for Hyper-Local Audiences: How to Dominate a Small Market, PPC Hero
- Google Ads API and Google Ads scripts search term insight report update starting March 3, 2025, Google Ads Developer Blog
- How to Use Customer Match in Google Ads, Jyll Saskin Gales
- The Giant Video Guide Collection for Every Google Shopping Product Feed Attribute - Merchant Center Mastery, ZATO Marketing
- When Help Documentation Is Wrong: PMax API Placement Exclusions Do Work Despite Google Claims, Optmyzr
- Yahoo Is The First DSP To (Finally) Adopt The IAB Tech Lab’s Data Transparency Labels, AdExchanger
Search Features
- News Showcase is launching in Croatia, Google Blog
Other Search
- Are LLMs becoming the new front page for public relations?, Sword and the Script
- Introducing ChatGPT Gov, OpenAI
- AI and the future of national security, Google Blog
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
