Daily Search Forum Recap: April 3, 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.

We are seeing more Google Search ranking volatility kick off yesterday, it might be big. Google is showing AI summaries in the local panel. Google LSAs console was down yesterday. Google Ads is testing show more ads buttons. Bing is showing Copilot Answers with shopping results. Google Maps is promoting the mobile interface with a QR code on the desktop interface.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google April Post Core Update Ranking Volatility Heats Up
  We are less than a week after the Google March 2025 core update finished rolling out and we are seeing some heated volatility again, maybe more heated than what we saw during the last core update.
• Google Local Service Ads Advertisers Console Down All Day
  Google's Local Service Ads advertiser console, where advertisers go to manage their LSAs, has been inaccessible for many advertisers since this morning. Google has not yet confirmed the issue but I see a number of complaints from advertisers starting at around 8 am ET.
• Google Ads Tests Show More Overlay To Load More Ads
  We've seen a similar format in the Google Shopping results with a show more button to show more shopping ads but now we are seeing something similar within the main Google Search results. Google is testing overlaying a show more button on the second row of Google Shopping ads in the main search results.
• Microsoft Bing Copilot Answers Serving Product Results
  Microsoft seems to be serving produt and shopping results within the Bing Copilot Answer boxes. When I first saw this I thought this was a bug, but it keeps happening and I can replicate this.
• Google Maps Desktop Promoting Mobile App
  Google is testing promoting the Google Maps app in the desktop interface of Google Maps. Google is placing a little icon at the bottom left corner of the desktop interface that says "Mobile app." When you click on it, it takes you to an overlay that has links to the iOS or Android Google Maps app and a large QR to scan as well.
• Google AI Summaries Now In Local Knowledge Panels
  Last November, Google began using AI to generate review summaries in Google Maps. Well, now they seem to be showing up in the local knowledge panels on the right side of the Google Search results page.
• Google Korea 21st Birthday Party
  Google had a birthday party at the Google Korea office for its 21st birthday. While Google is 26 years old, the Korea office is apparently now 21 years old.

Other Great Search Threads:

• AdSense Earnings and Observations - April 2025, WebmasterWorld
• Channel controls are now live in Ads Editor - make sure you have 2.9.4 downloaded, Greg on X
• I'm not aware of anything outside of search engines that uses link rel alternate hreflang - my team helped with some of that spec at Google. I can't rule out that nobody else uses it for other things, but it was designed specifically for se, John Mueller on Bluesky
• It's been fun working with @rmstein on Search over the last year, but one of our best collabs is his feedback and coaching of my latte art game. And now it's starting to look like a real shape...that Lens can recognize and give feed, Rajan Patel on X
• Some minor changes to the Google Business Profile edit help docs at support.google.com, Barry Schwartz on Bluesky

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Google working on restoring Local Service Ads advertiser console
• Amazon makes surprise bid for TikTok ahead of U.S. ban deadline
• Google AI Overviews spiked during March 2025 core update
• Google Ads Display Keywords: Everything you need to know
• LLMs are driving referral traffic – but what about engagement?

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• How to track AI traffic in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Browser Media
• [GA4] Generated insights, Google Analytics Help

Industry & Business

• Google calls for urgent AGI safety planning, Axios
• Google Gemini shakes up AI leadership, Sissie Hsiao steps down, replaced by Josh Woodward, Semafor
• Google's pro-innovation proposals for UK copyright, Google Blog
• Similarweb Acquires The Search Monitor, Enhancing Paid Search and Affiliate Marketing Solutions, Similarweb
• Google in Advanced Talks to Rent Nvidia AI Servers From CoreWeave, The Information

Links & Content Marketing

• 6 Creative Visual Content Examples From Award-Winning Brands, Content Marketing Institute
• The Ecommerce Content Marketing Strategy that Builds Industry Leaders, Intergrowth

Local & Maps

• Android Auto 14.0 update is now more widely rolling out, 9to5Google
• Google made a dashcam app for cars with Android Automotive, but you can't download it, Android Authority

Mobile & Voice

• Google could be working on a kid-friendly version of Gemini, Android Police

SEO

• 200 Tips from Tech SEO Tuesdays, Nikki Halliwell
• AI Revolutionizes Search: Key Insights from Microsoft Accelerate, Bing Webmaster Blog
• Google’s March 2025 Core Update: What Do We Need to Know?, Digitaloft
• How to Create an Effective Branded FAQ Page, Ann Smarty
• When to publish your eCommerce content for better SEO, Wix SEO Hub
• Who Really Owns Your Google Accounts? (Hint: It Might Not Be You), Nikki Pilkington

PPC

• Deprecation of Display & Video 360 API v3, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Google Ads "Limited by Search Volume": What to Do, Jyll Saskin Gales
• How To Find A Competitor's Keywords — Next Level, Moz
• How to Protect Your Google Ads Account from Being Hijacked, JumpFly
• Is 2025 the Golden Era of Google Ads?, Cypress North
• Is the Collapse of SEO About to Cause CPM Inflation?, AdWeek
• Location Manager Coming to Google Ads, PPC News Feed
• Spotify opens programmatic ads to Google, Magnite, Ad Age
• The State of Performance Max Campaigns 2025, Smarter Ecommerce

Search Features

• A practical approach to creative content and AI training, Google Blog
• Did Microsoft Edge Play a Prank? Google Search Engine Missing, Windows Report
• Google's New AI Mode: Everything You Need to Know, WordStream
• NotebookLM Discover Sources: Add web research to your notebook, Google Blog

Other Search

• How a Googler used AI to understand his son’s rare disease, Google Blog
• Perplexity Takes Its AI Search Engine Out On A Shopping Trip, AdExchanger

Feedback:

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