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 Discover has these new publisher entity pages with follow counts, latest posts and more. Google Ads is testing a label that shows how many visits the page got in the past month. Google Merchant Center panel with deals, loyalty benefit boxes and more. Google is testing moving the follow button in the knowledge panel. Google discussed what makes for a good web crawler. And I posted my weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Ads Continues Testing X Visits In Past Month Label
Google Ads is testing displaying how many visits a specific ad or website or landing page has received in the past month. The label would say, "X visits in the past month" right below the unit. -
Google Discover Publisher Entity Pages With Follow, Social & Latest Posts
Google seems to be testing a new publisher entity landing page from the Google Discover feed. When you click on the publishers name from your Google Discover feed (it is a test, you may not see it live), you are taken to this new publisher landing page that has the publisher's name, logo, follow button, social counts and recent social shares. -
Google Tests Moving Follow Button Within Knowledge Panel Menu
Google is testing moving the follow button within the knowledge panels in Google Search from a primary button on the main search results page to within the three dots menu button. -
Google Retailer Panel Deals & Loyalty Benefits & Shopping Ads Discount Codes
Google is now showing the deals and loyalty benefits details in the retailer/merchant knowledge panels. Plus, Google Shopping Ads show a "discount code" link that opens a dialog box with the code and a button to "continue to site." -
Google On Good Web Crawler Attributes
Myriam Jessier asked Google about what would be good attributes of a web crawler. In which both Martin Splitt and Gary Illyes gave some responses to. -
Google Gemini Cake Made Of AI
Here is a video of a cake Google posted on its social channels, it is of a Gemini cake. It looks like it was made of AI, how tasty.... -
Video: Google Volatility Check, AI Mode Expands Big Time, ChatGPT Sends Less Traffic & SPN Ad Reporting
This week, we did a check in on the ongoing Google Search ranking volatility. Google AI Mode expanded to 180 countries, added agentic experiences, got more personalized and gained sharable links. ChatGPT may be...
Other Great Search Threads:
- When OpenAI shopping was announced, they linked Bing documentation for their structured data markup standards., Jamie Indigo on LinkedIn
- 4 months later, I get a response from Google. They say it's a "known issue," & then provide a "solution" that I showed them back in May with screenshot documentation that it doesn't work. 4 months to respond with someth, David Kyle on X
- @JeffDean This is so damn impressive. Excited to leverage these foundational improvements to make Search better!, Ben Kaufman on X
- Announcing - The #SEOFOMO State of AI Search Optimization Survey: Help us uncover the state of AI search optimization by completing this short survey and get the chance to win an SEOFOMO hoodie, mug and more prizes to, Aleyda Solis on X
- Google is now showing the virtual try on feature for product grid results on hover. This allows users to click directly to login to the try on experience, being a feature that recently launched for free listings. Details:, SERP Alert on X
- The integration of Ask anything in AI Mode represents a clear shift in Google's anticipation of user needs. The AI Mode search suggestions unit first appeared earlier this month within product grids, now it's started to show, Brodie Clark on X
- The mysterious and elusive ad in AI Overviews. I captured this earlier today. You don't see the ad unit until you expand the AIO. Here is the desktop and mobile treatment. So yes, they do exist., Glenn Gabe on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Microsoft Advertising suspensions: What triggers them and how to appeal
- How to vibe code for PPC: Building a seasonality analysis tool
- GEO x local SEO: What it means for the future of discovery
- Meta rolls out new AI ad tools to boost holiday sales
- The business risk of being invisible in answer engines
- Google launches AI Mode in 180 countries and territories
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Google says a typical AI text prompt only uses 5 drops of water — experts say that’s misleading, The Verge
- Meta Signs $10 Billion-Plus Cloud Deal With Google, The Information
- Our approach to energy innovation and AI’s environmental footprint, Google Blog
- Exclusive: OpenAI's chief people officer to depart, company says, Reuters
- OpenAI to launch first India office in New Delhi this year, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
- Guest Posts: What They Are & How to Get Yours Published, Semrush
- Quantifying the SEO Impact of Backlink Placement Quality and Relevance on Search Engine Rankings, Search Atlas
Local & Maps
- I Wasted $605.20 On Yelp Ads So You Don't Have To | Local SEO Guide, Local SEO Guide
- The Google Business Profile Booking Link Nightmare and How to Fix It Fast, Sterling Sky
- Google Maps just added a 'Your recent places' section under the You tab, Android Police
Mobile & Voice
- Google Pixel Launch: AI Marketing Tries a Bit of Everything, Bloomberg
- Google Pixel 10: A history of 10 generations of Pixel, Google Blog
- New Gemini feature and model updates for Pixels, smartphones, Google Blog
SEO
- How to Rank in AI Search in 2025: 6 Tactics from Industry Experts, Semrush
- Lazy loading demystified, Search Off the Record
- Monday.com Stock Slides As SEO Traffic Declines Raise Growth Fears, Yahoo Finance
- NLWeb: Consuming Schema Markup for AI Applications, Schema App Solutions
- SEO “Chunk Optimization” is Overrated, Ahrefs
- You will need a strong, consistent brand to cut through in AI search, The Drum
PPC
- Changes for supporting European Union Political Ads Regulation in Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Google Consent Mode Explained: All You Need to Know in 2025, PPC News Feed
- How To Create a CRO Strategy That Turns Traffic Into Revenue, Moz
- Amazon quit Google Shopping. Don’t let Temu win!, Smarter Ecommerce
Search Features
Other Search
- AI Bots and Robots.txt, Paul Calvano
Feedback:
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