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.
Some new publishers are seeing big swings since the Google December core update. Google is testing a blue send button in the search box. Google's John Mueller posted SEO advice on 404s and on schema. John also published his annual Mueller report on SEO memes. Google posted the New Year's Eve and Day Doodles but the New Year's Day Doodle was delayed. Googlers and Bingers were working on New Year's Day. And I posted the SEO video recap. Wishing you an amazing, successful and healthy 2026!
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Some News Publishers Saw Big Declines With The Google Core Update
Now that the December 2025 core update is officially done, some are looking at the damage it caused. A number of very visible news publishers saw some significant declines in Google Search visibility with this latest core update. -
John Mueller (Personally) On If Schema Helps With LLMs & Google
John Mueller, who works on the Google Search team, responded to a question that asks, "Does extensive Schema markup actually help Large Language Models (LLMs) understand your entity better, or is it just for Google Rich Snippets?" He responded to the question, prefacing it that it is his point of view and "this is not official guidance." -
Google: Why 404s Don't Matter For SEO
Google has been saying that 404 error codes are a normal part of the web, that 404s are not a low quality signal and that they don't use up your crawl budget. Now, John Mueller of Google explained why 404s don't matter for SEO. -
Google Search Tests Blue Send Button In Query Box
Google is testing a blue "Send" button in the search query box on its home page. When you type in your query, you can click "Send" to search Google for that query. -
Google's John Mueller & Other Googlers Working On New Year's Day 2026
Just like with Christmas day every year, so to with New Year's Day - Google's John Mueller and often other Googlers, are out and looking to respond to some questions on Google Search and SEO. John Mueller so far posted a few times on Reddit this morning, January 1, 2026. -
Google Displays New Year's Eve Doodle On New Year's Day
This is weird. It is 2026, and Google.com, the Google Search home page, is still showing yesterday's New Year's Eve doodle of 2025 going into 2026. But it is after 7 am ET here on January 1, 2026, and on all my devices, I see yesterday's Google Doodle. -
(John) Mueller Report Of SEO Memes (2025 Edition)
For the past several years now, John Mueller of Google would come out with what he calls the "Mueller Report of SEO memes." Well, here is his 2025 edition of the Mueller Report of SEO memes. It is fun to scan through, so I'll just embed them all. -
Video: Google December Core Update Done, News Publishers Hit Hard, Frankenstein AI Recipe Horror & Happy New Year
Google completed the December 2025 core update this week and it hit some news publishers incredibly hard. I posted the annual Google algorithm update infographic. Google’s Frankenstein AI-recipes are a complete horror. Google... -
Snowmen Meringues At Google
Google's New York City office served up these cute and tasty-looking meringues that look like snowmen. I found this on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- For 2026, I'll offer speaker mentorships again. If you want to get on stages next year and tell your story, ping me and we'll take it from there., Martin Splitt on Bluesky
- Hmm, Google said it dropped support for the Today's Doodle box but I see it, Barry Schwartz on X
- How to cut waste in Google Ads in 30 mins or less: Before you touch bids or rebuild structure, open your Search Terms tab and start filtering. Most ad accounts don’t leak because of strategy, but through search queries..., Menachem Ani on X
- Since you all seemed to enjoy the last Nano Banana Pro visualization, I couldn’t resist one more iconic NYC landmark. I asked Nano Banana Pro to show the evolution of Times Square (40.7580° N, 73.9855° W) - starting from the ver, Rajan Patel on X
- Tip if you don’t know… AI creates titles for your LinkedIn posts in Google SERPs, Shaun Anderson on X
- ADSQUIRE Top Right Sneaking Onto The National Stage During The NYE Ball Drop!!! Happy New Year Everyone!!!, Anthony Higman on X
- Alright. I am thinking of restructuring and rewriting the JavaScript SEO documentation to be more geared towards an SEO audience. I'm just not sure what that needs to be like, Martin Splitt on Bluesky
- Jan 1 - copyright date update day. Simple. But it never is… as there are always out of date dependencies to sort out before a simple date change can be deployed successfully. This is the day of the year I miss using php., Simon Cox on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Top 10 PPC expert columns of 2025 on Search Engine Land
- Top 10 PPC news stories 2025 on Search Engine Land
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Neuralink plans 'high-volume' brain implant production by 2026, Musk says, Reuters
- 2025: The year in LLMs, Simon Willison
- AI Labor Is Boring. AI Lust Is Big Business, Wired
- Can AI really help us find love?, Financial Times (Sub)
- Google’s Gemini 3.0 Pro helps solve long-standing mystery in the Nuremberg Chronicle, SiliconANGLE
- How AI Labs Are Solving the Power Crisis: The Onsite Gas Deep Dive, SemiAnalysis
- OpenAI Ramps Up Audio AI Efforts Ahead of Device, The Information
Analytics
- How to Fix the China & Singapore Bot Issue, KRM Digital Marketing
Industry & Business
- Google stock wraps best year since 2009 as AI excites Wall Street, CNBC
- How Google, Microsoft, Walmart, Are Preparing for an Aging Workforce, Business Insider
- Meet the new tech laws of 2026, The Verge
- SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to launch landmark IPOs, Financial Times (Sub)
- 31 Bing Statistics 2026 [Facts, Usage & Revenue], Demand Sage
- Baidu AI chip arm Kunlunxin files for landmark Hong Kong spinoff, Seeking Alpha
Links & Content Marketing
- Marketing Calendar With Template To Plan Your Content In 2026, Search Engine Journal
Local & Maps
- How Can You Better Control Which Reviews Google Shows?, Sterling Sky
- This is the open-source Google Maps alternative I’ve been waiting for, Make Use Of
- Beg All You Want, This Google Maps Feature Will Never Launch for Waze Users, AutoEvolution
- Google Maps Vs. Apple Maps - Here's Which Navigation App You Should Use, BGR
SEO
- AI Search Visitor Behavior, DealerOn
- Entity-based SEO: An explainer for SEOs and content marketers, Hubspot
PPC
Search Features
- AI Mode and the inevitability of Google Search’s next evolution , 9to5Google
- If ChatGPT Atlas browser lands on Windows 11, Microsoft Edge already looks ready to “intercept” it with Edge/Bing upsell, Windows Latest
Other Search
- An AI Pen? Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Secret Hardware Project Details Leak, Gadgets 360
- Honey has lost 8 million Chrome users in a year, accused of fraud, 9to5Google
- Search Central Live APAC 2025 Recap: A Note of Gratitude, Google Search Central Blog
- Apple cuts Vision Pro production and marketing after weak sales, Financial Times (Sub)
- Fiddler Ashley MacIsaac has show cancelled over Google AI-generated misinformation, The Globe and Mail
Feedback:
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