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 sent us a statement and a help document making it sound like they are now okay with automated AI-translated pages. Google seems to be rolling out asset-level reporting for PMax campaigns. Google Ads has a new policy that may impact you if you have a manager account. Google Search is testing colored stock level indicators. Google Business Profiles tests swapping "add updates" to "posts" in the search interface.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Softens Its Stance On Automated Translation Using AI
In the early days, Google was not a fan of using tools to automatically translate your pages and then have Google index and rank those pages, even with Google Translate. But now as AI is getting better at it, Google is now okay with it, assuming the translation is helpful and useful to your users. -
Google Business Profiles Changes Add Updates To Posts
Google seems to be flip-flopping between calling it Google Posts and Google Updates within Google Business Profiles. When a business owner wants to post an announcement of sorts on their Google local listing, they can click "Add update" or now "Posts" with a plus-sign. -
Google Search Tests Stock Level Colors
Google is testing adding colors to the in stock and out of stock labels or extensions in the search result snippets. So if a product is in stock, the icon will be green and if the product is out of stock, the icon will be red. -
Google Ads Asset-Level PMax Reporting Rolling Out To Some
Some are starting to see the new asset-level reporting within Google Ads for Performance Max campaigns. I am not sure how widespread the rollout is but some are starting to see these reports in their Google Ads advertiser console. -
Google Ads Policy Update: Individual Accounts Can Be Paused Over Manager Account Violations
Google has added a new section to its policy on pausing Google Ads accounts. It says Google "may pause your individual account if it is linked to a Manager account that is currently in violation of the third-party policy." -
Baked Beans Man At Google
Here is a man dressed up in a baked beans costume a the Google office in Boulder, Colorado. This was a couple of years ago on Halloween. I just found it recently and it made me laugh.
Other Great Search Threads:
- June Google Small Business Bulletin, Lisa Landsman on LinkedIn
- When some companies scale back, our team is growing! We're hiring talented individuals to shape the future of Bing & Microsoft AI ! Apply now for roles like Senior Software Engineer & Data Scientist. Apply today!, Fabrice Canel on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Microsoft Advertising launches reporting overhaul & Performance Max updates
- Reddit uses AI to translate millions of pages and Google’s OK with it
- Google Display Network explained: Your quick guide to GDN
- Chunks, passages and micro-answer engine optimization wins in Google AI Mode
- On-page SEO in 2025: What you need to know
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to use GA4 for better business benchmarking, Wix SEO Hub
Industry & Business
- Google Expands Buyout Program in Push to Ramp Up AI Spending, Wall Street Journal
- Google names new chief AI architect to advance developments, Semafor
- Google taps DeepMind's Kavukcuoglu for new chief AI architect role, CNBC
- Google’s $62 Million Settlement Allocation Poses Fairness Debate, Bloomberg
- Herringbone Digital Buys Hennessey Digital, Bill Hartzer
- Meta Hires Top Researchers From Google, Sesame for New AI Lab, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- 50 Content Marketing Statistics You Need to Know for 2025, Digitaloft
- Marketers Using AI Publish 42% More Content [+ New Research Report], Ahrefs
- SaaS Content Marketing: The 9-Step Roadmap for Success, Semrush
Local & Maps
- Android Auto 14.4 update rolling out widely, 9to5Google
- Local Brand Recognition Is More Important Than Ever in the AI Era, Localogy
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- 34 AI Overviews Stats & Facts [2025], WordStream
- SEO is Dead (2025 Edition), Hobo
- Web Marketers Must Stop Complaining About Google AI, SEO Theory
PPC
- Attribution in Google Ads: What You Need to Know in 2025, PPC Live
- Google Ads Bots & Spam: How to Stop It & Why It Happens, MarlinSEM
Search Features
- Chrome Could Soon Get Google's AI Mode: First Look, Windows Report
- The 10 Most Cited Domains for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews Across 78.6M Searches, Ahrefs
Other Search
- Microsoft Copilot zero-click attack raises alarms about AI agent security, Fortune
- OpenAI releases o3-pro, a souped-up version of its o3 AI reasoning model, TechCrunch
Feedback:
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