Craig Hordlow

Google Search is testing pushing searchers into AI Mode from the AI Overview by default, without having to click the “Show more” button. The new AI Overview experience that Google is testing shows a much fuller AI answer, like you’d …

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.

A first, Google won’t enforce a spam policy within the European region……

Google will be updating its alcohol advertising policy on September 30, 2026. The update “revises country-specific guidelines, expands allowed advertising locations, and provides clearer details on specific advertiser requirements and responsibilities,” Google wrote.…

Google’s John Mueller said Google “primarily” announces search updates to provide “transparency for site owners.” He added that when Google publishes blog posts, updates policies, and help center documentation, that is an actionable announcement site owners could use.…

Google has two, well, maybe three, features that are being confused as one. The preferred sources, the tailor your feed and also search profiles. All kind of customize what you see across Google Search features including Google Search, AI Mode, …

Another week……

Google is expanding the book button through Reserve with Google partner integration to Google Ads Search and Performance Max campaigns. Previously, I believe, this was only available on Google Local Service Ads and maps ads.…

Google announced it will not enforce manual actions under the site reputation abuse policy in the European Economic Area (EEA) due to a mandate set by the European Commission, effective August 30, 2026. Google said searchers in the EEA will …

Over the past few days, the IRS website (and other government sites) has tanked within Google’s search results. My gut feeling is that the federal government implemented some bot-blocking that was too aggressive and blocked Google, among others, resulting in …

Google is rolling out three new travel features within AI Mode in Google Search. These features include track flight prices, view points or miles rates, and book hotels directly within AI Mode, through your conversational search.…

Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today……

OpenAI has pinned the Shopping tab to the left sidebar on ChatGPT. Clicking on it takes you to a landing page and a dedicated search page focused on shopping.…

Google is testing once again testing swipeable Google Ads sponsored results, where you can swipe a carousel of categories to potentially change the sponsored results listed below. We saw this for shopping ads in October 2024 and Google has continued …

Google posted on X that Ask Advisor, which is in Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Merchant Center and more Google tools, will soon “maintain shared memory across your Google marketing tools.” When this rolls out, when you ask a question …

Microsoft Advertising, with the release of AI Max globally, has rolled out a new Search term landing page reporting template. This report gives advertisers “full insights into all parts of AI Max’s performance,” said Navah Hopkins, the Microsoft Ads Liaison.…

Microsoft is testing renaming the Copilot Search AI answer box at the top of the Bing Search results to AI Overviews. That is the name Google uses for its AI answer results in Google Search. Microsoft is still placing the …

Google Search seems like it is rolling out the google.com/goto URL as a passthrough URL within the search results that it began testing in July 2026. This seems like a way for Google to help prevent scraping of its search …