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 responded to the decable around AI Overviews and basically said they are here to stay and they made improvements. Only 10% of SEOs said they would trust Google going forward. The Google News tab was buggy today. Google is testing people also ask open by default. Google knowledge panels have a "see also" section. Google has a new "Shopping Ideas" carousel. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google AI Overviews Are Here To Stay With Improvements - The Ray AIO Update
Google's Head of Search, Liz Reid, wrote a blog post last night named "AI Overviews: About last week." She basically said that overall the vast majority of the AI Overviews are really good and they did find examples of where they can make improvements. But AI Overviews are here to stay and Google will continue to show them in Google Search. -
Google News Tab, Discover & Google News Not Returning Results
This morning, I was doing some news queries and noticed that, sporadically, the Google News tab was not returning results for some queries. I thought it was just me and I moved on - but it was not just me - others are also seeing the Google News tab not working. -
Only 10% Of SEOs Trust Google (Same As 10 Years Ago)
Even after the Google search API data leak, even after it was confirmed by Google, still 10% of SEOs will continue to trust Google statements going forward. The wild thing is, this level of trust has not changed in the past decade when I ran a similar poll in 2014. -
Google Shopping Ideas Search Carousel
Google is now showing a newish "shopping ideas" carousel within its search results. It can show up for a variety of queries and gives you a less promotional version of the the shop all deals banners, but the links do lead to the Google Search shopping interface. -
Google Tests People Also Ask Open By Default
Google is testing showing the first people also ask link, as opened by default. So you don't need to click on it to reveal the snippet within the first people also ask option. I guess this might increase "queries" for Google. :) -
Google Knowledge Panels "See Also"
Google has added a "see also" section to some knowledge panels over the past few weeks. I think it is similar to the "people also search for" and related features we saw in knowledge panels. This one will show you other people some how related (in the news, etc) with the person or entity you searched for. -
Another Doogler at Google
I know a lot of you like photos of dogs, so here is another Doogler, Google dog, at the Google office, in Boulder, Colorado. I found this on Instagram where the photo caption was "Turns out I'm better at barking than I am at coding." -
Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Rank Data Leak, Google Volatility, Search Console Link Decline & Google On AI Overviews
This was one heck of a week with Google's search ranking data features being leaked...
Other Great Search Threads:
- Google Ads is allowing a phishing site to run branded search ads. WTF, Joe Youngblood on X
- The snippet will tend to be closely related to what someone searched. You could get rid of that, but not that many people are probably searching in the way you did and with exact quotes -- so in practice, it's probably not worth worrying about. Especially, Google SearchLiaison on X
- What?? "All these pages are publishable and also searchable through Google." -> Perplexity AI’s new feature will turn your searches into shareable pages "Perplexity said its algorithms work to create a detailed article with differ, Glenn Gabe on X
- Not saying the Google Search Leak will change everything about how SEO is done. But if you're not..., Rand Fishkin on Threads
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google explains how it is improving its AI Overviews
- How SEO moves forward with the Google Content Warehouse API leak
- Google adds opt-in for Video Enhancements for ads
- Unpacking Google’s massive search documentation leak
- Google Search Console link report may be broken today
- 6 guiding principles to leverage AI for SEO content production
- 4 ways to check your website’s Google consent mode setup
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Bilderberg: Google DeepMind, Microsoft AI, Anthropic among elite guests, CNBC
- Exclusive: Google, augmented reality startup Magic Leap strike partnership deal, Reuters
- How Google is supporting the 2024 UK general election, Google Blog
- Tech giants form an industry group to help develop next-gen AI chip components, TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
- 105+ Insightful B2C Content Marketing Statistics and Trends 2024, TechReport
- AI Search, Cookieless Ads Boost Content Marketing, Practical Ecommerce
Local & Maps
- 12 Kinds of Growth in Local SEO, Local Visibility System
- Google Maps: Why can't I get voice directions on my iPhone?, Android Police
- Is Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze better for navigation?, Upworthy
Mobile & Voice
- Apple iOS 18 Siri AI Update Will Let Users Control Features in Apps With Voice, Bloomberg
- Hands-on with Amazon’s new AI-powered Fire TV search, The Verge
- New Android features coming to phones and smartwatches, Google Blog
SEO
- From Data to Dialogue: Creating Client-Centric Reports, Semrush
- How independent websites are dealing with the end of Google traffic, The Verge
- In defense of SEO, Josh Mendelowitz
- What are attributes? Digging into the Google API docs, Marie Haynes
- 11-Min Video: The Google API Leak Should Change How Marketers and Publishers Do SEO, SparkToro
- Parasite SEO Explained (It's Not Always Evil!), Ahrefs
PPC
- A new guide to help you upgrade to Performance Max using the Google Ads API, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Tell Google to drop OpIndia, Check My Ads
Search Features
- Google News Showcase launches in Cyprus, Google Blog
- Perplexity AI's new feature will turn your searches into shareable pages, TechCrunch
- Google Chrome Is Ready to Kill Manifest V2 Browser Extensions, How To Geek
Other Search
- Anthropic’s AI now lets you create bots to work for you, The Verge
- ChatGPT Is Coming For Higher Education, Says OpenAI, Forbes
- Google has yet another name for its news feed, Android Police
- Hacker Releases Jailbroken "Godmode" Version of ChatGPT, Futurism
- AI Integration and Modularization, Stratechery
Feedback:
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