Unconfirmed Google Search Ranking Update: Volatility & Chatter Spike
I know I just reported on an unconfirmed Google Search ranking update from this past Saturday, October 24th. But I am now seeing a larger spike in volatility, along with an increase in SEO community chatter around another unconfirmed update over the past 24 hours.
Latest Articles
Google Performance Reports Showing Weird Spike In Clicks For Some Sites
Google Search Console's performance report is showing a weird spike in clicks for some sites over the past couple of days. It is not impacting all sites, and it might be a bug, but some are seeing this huge increase in clicks reported by Search Console.
Daily Search Forum Recap: November 3, 2026
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today...
Search Video Recaps
Google Will Turn Off Google Search For K-12 Schools & Testing Learning Beta
Google announced it will "entirely" turn off Google Search, along with Gemini, Gemini Notebook, and Gemini in Classroom for K-12 schools. "Access to these products will be entirely off for K-12 student accounts until school administrators explicitly turn them on," Google wrote.
Google AI Mode Biased: It Only Shows Links To Google Flights
Over the weekend, I tested out using Google AI Mode to get flight information and 100% of the time, the only links available within the AI Mode responses were to Google Flights. I am sure the Digital Markets Act (DMA) folks in Europe are going to like this.
Google Tests Removing AI Mode Button From Search Bar
Google is supposedly testing removing the AI Mode button from the Google Search bar. I cannot replicate this, but it doesn't surprise me that Google would test removing the AI Mode bar for a tiny subset of searchers to compare how it performs versus when the AI Mode button is available.
Only Home Page Indexed? Might Be A Google Search Quality Issue
Is your home page the only page indexed by Google Search? Were other pages of your site previously indexed and are no longer showing up in Google's index? Well, that might be a Google Search quality issue with your website.
Google Ads PMax Campaigns May Filter Out Navigational & Brand Queries
Google Ads updated its How Performance Max interacts with other campaigns in your account help document to add a new section on how "Performance Max campaigns may also filter out navigational or brand-specific search queries to prioritize serving them through dedicated Search campaigns."
Archives
Google Ads Asset Scheduling With Day Grouping (Weekends/Weekdays)
Nov 3, 2026Google On How To Block Popups Using Robot.txt In Search
Nov 3, 2026Google AI Overviews For Brands Moved To Right Column
Nov 2, 2026Daily Search Forum Recap: November 2, 2026
Nov 2, 2026November 2026 Google Webmaster Report
Nov 2, 2026Gary Illyes Implies Click Data Not Coming To Google Search Console AI Reporting
Nov 2, 2026Google Ads Strategists Using AI-Generated Fake Names & Profile Photos
Nov 2, 2026Picture of the Day
