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 a new ad strength best practices guidelines document. Google Search is testing an "Ask a follow up" feature. Google has product carousel recommended by articles sections. Bing is testing gray backgrounds for favicons. Bing is tested related searches with trending icons. I am offline today, so this newsletter was pre-written and scheduled.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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New Google Ad Strength Guide Best Practices
Google released a new Google Ads ad strength guide and best practices document. The document should help you improve your overall ad strength in Google Ads. -
Google Ask A Follow-Up Search Box
Google is testing yet another search feature that generates new queries on Google Search. This one is named "Ask a follow-up" and they are sported with the Gemini stars next to them. -
Bing Tests Dark Gray Favicons Backgrounds
Microsoft is testing yet another variation for its favicons in the Bing Search snippets. This one uses a dark gray background, with a circle formatted favicon, next to the search result snippets. -
Google Product Carousel Recommended By Article Carousel
Google is experimenting more with shopping carousels, this time, showing products and then which articles are recommending those products. These can be shown in best of articles and recommended in articles. -
Bing Related Searches Tests Trending Icon
Microsoft is testing trending icons on Bing Search's related searches section. We've seen both Google and Bing use trending icons in various search features over the years, but now Bing is testing them on the related searches feature. -
Doogler Google Dog Desk
Here is a photo of a new desk setup at one of the Google office. It looks like Google makes it dog friendly for this Doogler, Google dog. You can see the dog bed, dog indoor fence with the paws and more. -
Programming Note: Offline For Passover Today
This is a programming note that I am completely offline for the Passover holiday today. In fact, this post was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today - so you know I am offline. Passover is/was Sunday and Monday, April 13th and 14th. Any stories published here will be scheduled and written beforehand and not posted live.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Cache control and SEO, Reddit
- Noticed something strange in Google AI mode 👀 When you search for “Google” or “Facebook”, there's no AI overview. It just shows results like the normal search with clickable links. But when you search for “WhatsApp”, the A, shyam on X
- For those monitoring Core Web Vitals, we made a small change to the CrUX History API used by CrUX Vis last night and now return 10 months of data, rather than 6 months of data to bring it more inline with the CrUX Dashboard that we're look, Barry Pollard on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google officially rolls out links in AI Overviews to its own search results
- Uber Advertising partners with Instacart to expand CPG reach
- Marin Software plans to shut down after years of decline
- Google Performance Max gets new customer goals, image controls
- A testing primer for B2B paid social creative optimization
- Google’s AI-powered SERPs: Strategies for recipe, travel, and lifestyle bloggers
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Bentley Systems Partners with Google to Improve Infrastructure Through Asset Analytics, Morningstar
- Collibra Wins Google Cloud Data & Analytics 2025 Partner of the Year Award for Governance, PR Newswire
- How To Install The Google Tag For Conversion Tracking, Search Engine Journal
Industry & Business
- Google lays off hundreds of employees in Android, Pixel teams, The Information reports, Reuters
- Our investment in AI-powered solutions for the electric grid, Google Blog
Links & Content Marketing
- Content Marketing Trends To Watch In 2025, TechRound
- How to Repurpose Your Content With AI — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- The impact mechanism of tourism short video content marketing on users’ travel behavioral intention | Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Nature
Local & Maps
Mobile & Voice
- Apple hampered its Siri ambitions by penny-pinching, AppleInsider
- Gemini's secret 'Circle Screen' feature spotted in Google promo, Android Authority
- Google Cloud Next: Gemini 2.5 Flash, new Workspace tools, and agentic AI take center stage, Mashable
- Google shows new AR glasses, VR headset at TED, Axios
SEO
- Is Wix good for SEO? We walk you through Wix's SEO tools, TechRadar
- SEO, AI, and the State of Search Media – A Conversation with Danny Goodwin, Search Engine World
- When Google’s Raterhub Visited My Site: What I Learned (And Why It Matters in 2025), Live Breathe SEO
PPC
- Frank Azar firm says ex-employee uses Google ads to poach its clients, Denver Post
- Winning Strategies For Small-Budget PPC Campaigns, PPCChat
Search Features
- Google's AI video generator Veo 2 is rolling out on AI Studio, Bleeping Computer
- Microsoft is about to launch Recall for real this time, The Verge
Other Search
- Audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news, Poynter
- OpenAI will soon phase out GPT-4 from ChatGPT, TechCrunch
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.
I am currently offline for the Passover holiday, this post was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today.
