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 Ads AI Max for Shopping Campaigns expands. Google Ads now uses its AI to make recommendations within the conversion summary dashboard. Google Ads seems to have replaced Comparison Listing ads with CSS Product Listing ads. Google Merchant Center has some new AI features. Bing is testing faded-out related search buttons. Google is updating the Google Ads certification applications and standards for gambling. Google is doing away with the related search format for Google AdSense auto ads on August 6th. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Sends Billions Of Clicks From AI Search, Publisher To Block Google, $120 Billion Quarter, EU’s $1 Billion Fine & More
This week, we covered more Google Search ranking volatility. Google said it sends billions of clicks to websites every week through AI search. Large publishers are fed up and strongly considering blocking Google Search completely. Google Search is now using the latest Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite model. Google earnings were out, they made about $120 billion... -
Google Merchant Center Gains More AI Features
Google continues to add more AI features to the Google Merchant Center portal. We saw Merchant Advisor added earlier this year, AI performance reports added just the other week, and now we are seeing more AI sprinkled throughout Merchant Center. This includes AI summary insights, search suggestions and previous chats on the Merchant Center dashboard. -
Bing Tests Fading Out Related Searches On Hover
Microsoft is testing fading out the related searches in the Bing Search results. When you hover over a related search, that one stands out and the other related searches options then get faded/blurred out. -
Google Ads AI Max For Shopping Campaigns Expands
Last May, Google announced AI Max within Google Ads is rolling out in closed beta globally. Well, more are now seeing AI Max for Shopping campaigns this past week. This also includes text customizations and final URL expansion within AI Max. -
Google Ads Recommended By Google Al In Conversion Summaries
Google Ads now uses its AI to make recommendations within the conversion summary dashboard. Google will give you actions to "improve your conversion measurements," and those recommendations are labeled "Recommended by Google AI." -
Google Ads Gambling Certification Applications & Standards Update On 8/26
Google is updating the Google Ads certification applications and standards for gambling, including gambling jurisdictions, online non-casino games and social casino games on August 26, 2026. All new applicants must use the revised forms when obtaining certification with Google. -
Google Comparison Listing Ads Now CSS Product Listing Ads
Google Ads seems to have replaced Comparison Listing ads with CSS Product Listing ads. It has redirected the old support URL to a new page named About CSS Product Listing ads. They seem very similar, but the help document was mostly changed and was also moved to a new support URL. -
Google AdSense Related Search Format To Be Retired On August 6th
Google is doing away with the related search format for Google AdSense auto ads. Google said it will be retired on August 6, 2026. Google sent out an email to those impacted that says starting August 6, 2026, the Related Search format will no longer appear on your site. It will also be removed as a format option from the AdSense frontend. -
Google Pastry Creations
Here are some photos from the Google London office of a Google chef showing off his pastries he made for some Google event. He even showed photos of them being made and then on display for consumption.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Data from Google's Search Console Page Indexing report is so way behind, I thought it was the Wayback Machine, Cyrus SEO on X
- I have noticed that the sorting (Relevance or Distance) option in desktop Google Maps completely disappeared? It’s been gone for a few days now, though it's still working fine on mobile., Syed Amir on X
- Did you know you can get your products in front of Microsoft's ecosystem with free product listings through Microsoft Advertising's Merchant Center?, Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
- Google Ads message assets now support LINE, Arpan Banerjee on X
- Yep, two weeks again, the Google Search Console page indexing tool is delayed two weeks again - updated older story, hopefully @johnmu can kick it, Barry Schwartz on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google says AI Max unlocks billions of new monetizable searches
- ChatGPT gains access to Yelp reviews, ratings, and photos
- Google Ads automation makes governance a competitive advantage
- How to prepare for Google’s DSA sunset and move to AI Max
- AI Max spotted in Google Standard Shopping campaigns
- Google Ads API v25 adds YouTube metrics and loyalty campaign goals
- Technical debt in SEO: When to fix vs. when to ignore
- Google fined €460 million over self-preferencing Search and €430 over Google Play
- The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- How to Use ChatGPT and Gemini Prompts to Find Out What They Know About You, New York Times
- OpenAI Models Spent Hours on Hack That Usually Takes Weeks, Bloomberg
- The first ATLAS report on AI, Google Blog
- Google Study Says AI Is Helping Workers, Not Replacing Them, Wall Street Journal
- Introducing MAI-Image-2.5-Pro and MAI-Voice-2-Flash, Microsoft AI
- Launching Health in ChatGPT, OpenAI
- OpenAI sued over ChatGPT's 'dangerous' medical advice, Apple Insider
- Anthropic updates Claude voice mode with more capable models, TechCrunch
- Gemini Spark rolling out to Google AI Pro users in the US, 9To5Google
- How AIOs are reshaping click-through rates, Browser Media
- How the Futuristic Hack by Rogue OpenAI Models Unfolded, Wall Street Journal
- Free LLMs.txt Generator, Ahrefs
Industry & Business
- Where Did All the Computer-Science Professors Go?, The Atlantic
- Google Has the Muscle to Overpower Spending Worries, Wall Street Journal
- Google Cloud CEO Kurian says customers are spending 50% more as segment blows away expectations, CNBC
- Google Discloses $94 Billion in SpaceX Shares Following IPO, Bloomberg
- Alphabet’s AI Anthropic Stake Surges to $124 Billion in SEC Filing Disclosure, Bloomberg
- Alphabet’s Future Spending Commitments Soar to $811 Billion, Bloomberg
- Google's Immense Greed Is Destroying the Open Web, Futurism
- Google Takes $290 Billion Stumble as Investors Balk at AI Spending, Wall Street Journal
- Wall Street Sends Google a Message, The Information
Links & Content Marketing
- The Content SEO Manager: How a brand-new role took over content marketing [Study], Semrush
- 7 Reasons Every Marketing Team Should Monitor Brand Mentions, SparkToro
Local & Maps
- Apple Maps will be at the core of Ford's future electric vehicles, Apple Insider
- Ford Will Use Apple Software in New Self-Driving System, New York Times
- Yelp partners with OpenAI to surface reviews in ChatGPT, Axios
- Drive with Halo on Waze, Google Blog
- How Online Reviews Shape AI Search Visibility, Amsive
PPC
- July 2026 update to the Display & Video 360 API, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Google quietly gives ground on PMax controls, Digiday
- Google’s August 17 Bidding Change: What Advertisers Need to Do Now, Optmyzr
Search Features
SEO
- There's no 5 second render limit in Google, but I can see why you might think there is., Tame the Bots
- Winning Agentic Commerce: A CMO's Guide, Brainlabs
- The New (AI) SEO Playbook, Moz
- The "TikTokification" of Search: Why the Creator Model Is Replacing the Ranking Model, Moz
- Why FAQ Content Matters More Than Ever for AI Search, DealerOn
- AI Search Strategy: 4 Pillars to Show Up More (and Right) in AI Answers, Ahrefs
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