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 Reviews count bug is almost fixed but it is not yet fully fixed for all. Google launched new member pricing structured data for merchant center. Google adds article links to the product snippet overlays. Google dropped its minimum required budget for LSAs. Google Ads has a new PMAx performance indicator. Bing is testing ads in its e-commerce card in search. Plus, I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google: Google Reviews Count Bug Not Fully Fixed Yet
Google has posted an update on the reviews bug we first reported on a week ago, that it later confirmed this past Monday and we saw a fix rolling out starting on Tuesday. The short, it is not yet fully fixed but it should be in the coming few days. -
Google Merchant Listing New Membership Loyalty Pricing Property
Google has updated its Merchant Listing structured data documentation to now support, in beta, membership loyalty pricing property types. Google also updated the docs to provide more examples and instructions around active prices, sale prices, strikethrough prices, and member prices in JSON-LD. -
Google Article Links To Product Snippet Overlays
Google seems to be adding links to review publishers when you hover over some of the product results, popular products, snippets. The links show only after the box expands, and it includes a snippet of content and then a link to the source. -
Google Dropped Minimum Required Budget For Local Service Ads
Google seems to have removed the minimum required budget for Local Service Ads. It is not clear if this is intentional or a bug but the box to stop you from setting a budget too low, seems to not be there anymore. -
Bing Shopping / E-Commerce Card With Ads
Remember the Bing shopping / e-commerce cards? Well, now it looks like Bing is putting an ad slot in them and labeled them as ads. -
Google Ads New Performance Max Search Themes Indicator
Google Ads has added to Performance Max campaigns, the search themes, an indicator to tell you what is driving a specific change in your ad performance. This shows a trend icon near the campaign and then shows you why it is performing, as it is. -
Cool Google Fireplace
Here is a photo I found on Instagram from Google office in Boulder, Colorado. It has this neat and cool looking fireplace under a black Google logo signage on a wood paneled wall. -
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Super Bowl Volatility, Reddit Blames Google, Search Is Faster & Reviews Bug Fix
Google had some more ranking volatility around the Super Bowl weekend. Reddit blamed Google for not meeting its expected user growth. Google Search is now faster for some users. Google had a reviews count bug that it later confirmed and later fixed...
Other Great Search Threads:
- Seeking Help with Local SEO for Overlapping Zip Code, Local Search Forum
- Depending on the type of issue, that can happen. You can always submit a review request, and usually that results in getting more/some sample URLs, if the issue was not temporary., John Mueller on Bluesky
- Every now and then, someone posts about finding "hashtags" (URLs with #anchors) in Search Console. Here's what's up with that (and none of this is new). Most search features report on the canonical URL (the main URL used for indexing), a, John Mueller on Bluesky
- Hello, Bonjour, こんにちは, Hola, Hallo, مرحبا, Olá, 你好 New voices in 40 new languages are ready for you to try out., Microsoft Copilot on X
- Rough math, but interesting :) Reddit told AdWeek that its AI licensing deals make up about 10% of its revenue. Annual revenue for Reddit in 2024 was $1.3B, so 10% is $130M. Google pays Reddit $60M so that means OpenAI is paying Red, Glenn Gabe on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google adds member pricing beta type to Merchant listing pricing structured data
- Think spiderwebs, not funnels for remarkable SEO results
- Google tackles key Performance Max concerns in FAQ
- Google tightens Customer Match data rules in major privacy update
- 5 underrated tools to boost your B2B PPC performance in 2025
- OpenAI may pay Reddit $70M for licensing deal
- 7 best AI image generation tools to bring your content to life
- Google Ads releases Performance Max usefulness indicator
- 7 reasons why we love SEO
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Google Consent Mode Fines: Requirements for UK & US, Measure Minds Group
- How to get ROAS for Ecommerce SEO using Google Analytics, Luke Carthy
Industry & Business
- Google is on the Wrong Side of History, Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Google loses second India policy head in as many years, Reuters
- Google says it forms AI partnership with Poland, Reuters
- OpenAI removes certain content warnings from ChatGPT, TechCrunch
- Search Central Live is going to New York City, Google Search Central Blog
- Watch Google's Symbiotic Relationship with Reddit, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- AI Detector Plugin for Wordpress, Andy Drinkwater
- March Content Ideas For Your Blog And LinkedIn, Nikki Pilkington
- Should You Toss Your Editorial Calendar in Favor of This Marketing Strategy?, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Continues to Work with Baidu on AI Features for iPhone in China, The Information
- Gemini Advanced can now recall and use your past chats, 9to5Google
- Google updating Gemini Live to be ‘more dynamic and engaging’, 9to5Google
- The Gemini app can now recall past chats, Google Blog
- How to unplug from Apple Intelligence on iOS and macOS, AppleInsider
SEO
- Generate JSON-LD Schema at Scale With JavaScript Snippets, Screaming Frog
- Google Now Automates EPREL – Energy Efficiency & CO2 Data In Google Merchant Center, FeedArmy
- List of Top AI Search Crawlers & User Agents, Momentic
- Local SEO career kit: From novice to industry leader, Wix SEO Hub
- Why Rank Tracking is Losing its Place in SEO Strategy, Koozai
- Your Fast Track to Mastering Keyword Gap Analysis, Moz
PPC
- Major Ramadan trends and three marketing strategies to help your brand excel, Microsoft Advertising
- SEO vs Google Ads: Where Should You Invest, Codefixer
- How To Install Google Merchant Center Store Badge In Shopify, FeedArmy
Search Features
- OpenAI will offer free ChatGPT users unlimited access to GPT-5, Engadget
- Imagine it, create it: Veo 2 is coming to YouTube Shorts, YouTube Blog
Other Search
- Reddit hints at expanded AI-powered search, TechCrunch
- Valentine's Day 2025 Doodle, Google Doodles
Feedback:
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