Daily Search Forum Recap: March 6, 2025

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 launched its AI mode, but it is in beta and you need to be added to a waitlist, I give you a full breakdown on it. Google AI Overviews are now officially powered by Gemini 2.0. Google is testing new favicon designs in search. Bing Ads is testing auto expand sitelinks. Google's Search Liaison may have an assistant.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google AI Mode - It's Here - Here Is How To Access It
  Google has officially announced Google AI Mode, after hearing rumors about it for months and then seeing leaked screenshots of it a few weeks ago. Google said AI mode gives you more advanced reasoning, thinking and multimodal capabilities so you can get help with even your toughest questions.
• Official: Google AI Overviews Powered By Gemini 2.0
  In December, Google told us they are testing powering AI Overviews using Gemini 2.0. We think we even saw Google testing this in the wild with deeper AI Overviews with tons of links. Well, now, in the U.S. AI Overviews are officially powered by Gemini 2.0, it is no longer a test.
• Google Search Tests More Favicon Designs
  Google is testing more favicon designs within Google Search. I mean, we cover these way too often but hey, I like favicons, don't you?
• Bing Ads Auto Expanding Sitelinks
  It looks like Microsoft is testing search ads that auto expand to reveal sitelinks under those ads within the Bing Search results. You don't need to click or do anything and the ad will dynamically expand to show more sitelinks underneath the search ad unit.
• Google Search Liaison Gets An Assist
  Rajan Patel, a VP, Engineering for Search at Google and the Co-founder of Google Lens, is now also offering an assist to Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Liason. For the past several weeks, Rajan Patel's X profile also was tagged as being associated with the Google Search Liaison account.
• Google Japanese Mending Workshop
  Google held a Japanese mending workshop at the London office. I am not sure what this is, but it seems they are patching together assorted fabrics on clothing.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Partycity now 302 redirecting all traffic to the homepage based on shutting down operations. Here's the drop showing visibility-wise based on that. Sad to see companies have to go through this., Glenn Gabe on X
• Stupid Googlebot crawls an infinite number of URLs, Reddit
• "..and with the upcoming efforts like letsencrypt.com…” Ah the bad old days when TLS certs were a pain to get! Amazing how much it’s changed. So much so that QUIC and HTTP/3 was able to the future stretch to make it mandatory eve, Barry Pollard on Bluesky

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google begins testing AI Mode while rolling out Gemini 2.0 AI Overviews
• Microsoft’s Copilot adds Showroom ads and Dynamic filters
• Why SEO often fails before it even begins
• Image assets in Google Ads: Everything you need to know
• Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC
• 12 essential paid search tips for newbies
• Google Shopping unveils AI-powered fashion and beauty features

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• BigQuery - What permissions do I need?, Analytics Ninja

Industry & Business

• ChatGPT Isn't Slowing Down Google yet — These Numbers Prove It, Business Insider
• Search Central Live is going to Madrid, Google Search Central Blog

Links & Content Marketing

• 6 Ways To Use AI To Scale Content Marketing With a Lean Team, Moz
• Freelance or Full-Scale Agency? How To Choose the Right Path for You, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• The Hidden Dangers of AI-Generated Service Area Pages, Sterling Sky
• Businessplaining your Google Business Profile Appeal Documents Won’t Work, Online Ownership

Mobile & Voice

• Apple adds AI-powered app review summaries with iOS 18.4, TechCrunch
• Google starts rolling out Pixel Camera 9.8, 9to5Google

SEO

• How To Become A Better SEO In 2025 | 9 Skills Every SEO Needs, KP Playbook
• Should I redirect all 404s to the homepage?, Google Search Central YouTube
• The Future of SEO: Setting Your Keyword Priorities, Ann Smarty

PPC

• 8 Misconceptions about Google Ads for Small Business, MarlinSEM
• Google Shopping Not Showing Product Titles, PPC News Feed
• How Do I Get to Show My Google Ads Where I Want?, JumpFly
• How to Check What You’re Spending on Brand Campaigns, Cypress North
• Transforming the future of audience engagement, Microsoft Advertising
• How To Fix Black Background on Images in Google Merchant Center, FeedArmy
• Product Bulk Appeal Requests in GMC, PPC News Feed

Search Features

• Google Begins the Force Feeding of AI – But Do Users Really Want It?, Search Engine World

Other Search

• OpenAI Plots Charging $20,000 a Month For PhD-Level Agents, The Information
• Scientists Say Google's "AI Scientist" Is Dead on Arrival, Futurism
• The Return of Digg, a Star of Web 2.0, New York Times

Feedback:

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