Google is testing a text-based link format for ads within AI Mode. So the ads look like normal AI Mode responses, with normal looking text links with anchor text, but they are labeled as “Sponsored” above the AI-generated response.…
Category: SE Roundtable
Google Ads August 17 Target-Based Bidding Update Finished August 27
Google has posted the date of when the Google Ads bidding update, the target-based bid strategies rolled out, completed globally. It started on yes, August 17, 2026 and completed on August 27, 2026.…
Google Business Profile API Application Delays
Google announced a delay in processing applications for access to the Google Business Profile API. This was posted by Victoria Kroll in multiple languages in the Google Business Profiles support forum.…
Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up This Morning – September 15th
Google Search seems to be heating up this morning, I am seeing a huge spike in chatter in the past few hours and the tools may be starting to heat up as well. We will know more tomorrow but I …
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 14, 2026
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 is testing a way to pay publishers for using their content in …
Google AI Mode More Query Expansion Interfaces
Google continues to test new query expansion methods in AI Mode, beyond standard follow-up questions. Now Google is testing questions with multi-selection tools, a query refinement option and those recent paginated responses.…
Google Search: It’s Normal For Image Thumbnails To Be Slow To Update
Google’s John Mueller said it is normal for Google Search to take a while to update image thumbnails in its search results with updated images from the website it pulls from. And it can take even longer if the image …
Google Search Tests Blue More Link In Shopping Results
Google is testing a blue background color on the “More” link within the product results in Google Search. The link is normally just a basic “more” link with no prominence or color that calls it out but in this test, …
Google Search Update September 4th That Reverted September 13th?
I’ve been pretty quiet on posting reports Google updates recently, in fact, I have not posted about one since late August. But while most sites seem calm in the Google rankings, there was definitely some sort of ranking blip around …
Google Al Contribution Pilot – Paying Publishers For Use Of Content In AI
Google is doing a small test where it is paying publishers for using their content within the Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini and other AI search features. This is called the AI contribution pilot, something we actually spotted back …
Google AI Overviews Practice Knowledge Quiz
Did you know that Google AI Overviews can also quiz you on various knowledge topics? Google announced this with AI Mode a few weeks ago, but it is also available in Google Search.…
Google Ads Product Value Optimization Beta
Google Ads has a new beta named Product Value Optimization that allows advertisers to configure value adjustments to guide automated bidding to optimize for the products that matter for your business goals.…
Dashboards Available In Google Analytics
Google Analytics is rolling out dashboards where you can create your own custom dashboards using Google Analytics data. Google explains that you can “create custom visualizations to quickly pull actionable insights from your Google Analytics data, all in a single, …
Google Search Console Indexing Report Missing Old June Data
The Google Search Console page indexing report is now missing a huge chunk of data from June 2026. It seems something is super buggy with this report over the page several months or something weird is happening with indexing in …
Daily Search Forum Recap: September 11, 2026
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’s page indexing report is missing a chunk of data from June……
Google Ads Video Campaign Group Beta
Google Ads is beta testing a new option during the campaign creation process for “Video Campaign Group.” This option is for video or Demand Gen campaigns, and it features aggregated metrics and controls for reach and frequency across campaigns.…
Google Ads Reporting Segments For Loyalty Program Members
Last month, Google Ads added a new customer retention option named Loyalty program members. Now Google Ads can segment reporting by Loyalty program members.…


