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 is testing using AI to generate backgrounds automatically for your shopping campaign images, you need to opt out. Google Business Profiles added product studio to your product section. Google is testing related places carousel under the map. I posted the monthly Google webmaster report. Microsoft's head of search touted Bing's growth.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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February 2025 Google Webmaster Report
While this month was not as busy as last month, it was still a pretty stressful month for a lot of site owners and SEOs. I was expecting more core updates this past month, but we had none, whereas the previous report, we covered three confirmed Google updates. -
Google To Test AI Generated Background Images For Your Shopping Ads
Google is sending emails to some advertisers letting them know that they can opt out of a test, where Google will use AI to automatically create backgrounds for their images in Google Shopping Ads. -
Head of Search at Microsoft Touts Bings Growth & Power Of LLMs
Jordi Ribas, the Head of Search at Microsoft, touted Bing's growth on social media (X and LinkedIn). He wrote, "Since we launched Bing Chat in Feb 2023, we've seen significant growth in users, engagement and even market share on PC." -
Google Business Profiles Edit Products Feature Gains Product Studio AI
Over the weekend Google launched Product Studio AI features to Google Business Profiles products. Now when you add/edit products on your local Google Business Profile, Google will let you "change the background scene of your product with Product Studio, a generative AI tool which helps you create engaging imagery to showcase your products," Kara from Google said. -
Google Search Related Places Carousel Map
Google has this new map unit that is titled "Related places" and shows a map with a carousel beneath it of related places. This actually comes up for brand name searches, which isn't great - why would you want Google to show competitor names when you search for a specific brand name. -
Hambooglers At Google Hamburg Global Watch Party
Hambooglers, Googlers who work in the Google Hamburg office, had this "Global Watch Party." Here is a photo of it from Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Struggling with Google Business Profile Verification? Google has updated the Verification flow., Claudia Tomina on LinkedIn
- A lot about SEO is not magic: *use page titles to tell strangers what your pages are about*. When you open a store down town, you don't put a sign on top that says "store". Be honest, don't overdo it, it's not sneaky or obnoxious: just do s, John Mueller on Bluesky
- Google test things to know in bold. Here are both screenshots, bold or non-bold., Sachin Patel on X
- Google tests the dark theme on mobile pop-ups, says search just got easier on the eyes. Here is the screenshot, Sachin Patel on X
- Thanks for flagging. That is not expected behavior & we are looking into it., AdsLiaison on
- AdSense Earnings and Observations - February 2025, WebmasterWorld
- a reminder that improving core web vitals and general web performance will do more for user experience than SEO. it's a very small cog in the SEO wheel when it comes to ranking. please stop making it seem like it's on par with helpful content, Luke Davis on Bluesky
- Apparently @ahrefs is being blocked on AWS via AWS Shield, which is turned on by default. There were zero comms about this from the Ahrefs team. It's insane that after 72 hours of failure, a rep finally let's us know what's going on., JH Scherck on X
- Deepseek now 23% of ChatGPT daily active users. And far more daily app downloads, Marc Andreessen On X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google offers tagging support appointments for advertisers
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- How to analyze and fix traffic drops: A 7-step framework
- Google search trends every restaurant needs to know in 2025
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Cookie Consent Management: How to Verify When Your GA4 Tag Actually Is Sent – Step-by-Step Guide with ObservePoint, Corina Burri
Industry & Business
- Apple asks court to halt Google search monopoly case, The Verge
- Microsoft is forming a new unit to study AI's impacts, TechCrunch
- ChatGPT Subscribers Nearly Tripled to 15.5 Million in 2024, The Information
- Google earnings are coming. What Wall Street expects, QZ
Links & Content Marketing
- Create High-Impact Content Using Backward Design — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- How Do AI Content Detectors Work? Answers From a Data Scientist, Ahrefs
- How to Use AI for a Content Strategy That Drives Results, Semrush
Local & Maps
- How to Add Tags to Your Google Business Profile & Track GBP Traffic, SEO Savvy Agent
- Added a Service Page to Your Site? Now Do These 30 Things for It to Help Your Local SEO and Grab Customers, Local Visibility System
Mobile & Voice
- 300 doctors attended a summit on Apple Vision Pro, AppleInsider
- Apple Intelligence will support more languages from April, TechCrunch
- Apple Scraps Work on Mac-Connected Augmented Reality Glasses, Bloomberg
- New Google ads show 50 small businesses using Gemini for Workspace, Google Blog
SEO
- 28 SEO Skills That Will Help You Reach New Career Heights, Semrush
- Shopify Submit custom XML Sitemap to Google Search Console, Chris Lever SEO
- Systems and methods for improving the ranking of news articles, Kopp Consulting
- why does Google roll out so many algorithm updates, Walsh & Partners
PPC
- Filtered Product Downloads Return to Google Merchant Center, PPC News Feed
- Google Ads Begins Enforcing Third-Party Policy Update, PPC News Feed
- Microsoft advertisers phished via malicious Google ads, Malwarebytes
- Structuring and Applying Audiences in Performance Max (PMax) Campaigns, PPC Live
- When a Client Wants to Do Something You Know Won’t Work, PPCChat
Search Features
- A Look at OpenAI’s Operator, a New A.I. Agent, New York Times
Other Search
- Introducing "Grounding with Bing Search" in Azure AI Agent Service, Bing Search Blog
- OpenAI launches o3-mini, its latest 'reasoning' model, TechCrunch
- How you can celebrate Black History Month with help from Google, Google Blog
- OpenAI o3-mini, now available in LLM, Simon Willison
- OpenAI unveils a new ChatGPT agent for ‘deep research’, TechCrunch
Feedback:
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