Daily Search Forum Recap: January 13, 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.

Apple and Google reached a deal to have Gemini power Apple Intelligence and Siri. We are also seeing signs of Google search ranking volatility over the past couple of days. Microsoft Advertising allows up to 50 search themes in PMax campaigns. Google Shopping promotions now support subscriptions and abbreviations. Google hotel knowledge panels posting is currently turned off in the desktop search interface, it might be a bug.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Official: Apple Intelligence & Siri To Be Powered By Google Gemini
  It is now official, Google confirmed it has entered "into a multi-year collaboration" with Apple to power Apple Intelligence features and Siri with Google's Gemini models and cloud technology.
• Possible Google Search Ranking Volatility Around January 12
  I am seeing signs of a possible Google search ranking update or volatility around January 12, 2026. This is weird in that most of the tools, not all, are mostly calm, but the chatter has picked up and many SEOs are noticing ranking fluctuations.
• Microsoft Advertising Now Allows Up To 50 Search Themes In PMax Campaigns
  Microsoft Advertising has expanded the number of search themes it allows to 50 search themes for Performance Max campaigns. This should be live now but Microsoft will announce it sometime this week.
• Google Shopping Promotions Support Subscription Fees & Abbreviations
  Google Shopping is updating its promotions policy to now allow for promotions on subscription fees and abbreviations. This was updated as of this month, January 2026.
• Google Hotel Knowledge Panels Posting Currently Turned Off Bug
  Google seems to have a bug that prevents searchers from leaving hotel reviews directly in the Google Search desktop interface. It works fine within Google Maps and Hotel search interfaces but not in the web search interface.
• Sign At Google: I Work Hard So My Dog Can Have A Better Life
  There is this corner at Google office in Kirkland, Seattle that has a sign for dogs, Dooglers, and there is another sign that says, "I Work Hard So My Dog Can Have A Better Life." It caught my eye, so I decided to share it here.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Crossed 1 billion images Nano Banana Pro images in @GeminiApp! The pro community is moving fast. This model has been out for 53 days. Come for the potassium, stay for more., Josh Woodward on X
• Did you know you can set ad group level location and language settings in Microsoft Advertising campaigns?, Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
• Made a Chrome extension to bring semantic SEO to everybody for FREE!, Ryan Jones on X
• That sounds as expected, yes. (Generally I'd recommend just one version for everyone, but some sites are a lot of work to get there), John Mueller on Bluesky
• These claims around pricing are inaccurate. We strictly prohibit merchants from showing prices on Google that are higher than what is reflected on their site, period. 1/ The term “upselling” is not about overchar, News from Google on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• News publishers expect search traffic to drop 43% by 2029: Report
• Google opens Olympic live sports inventory to biddable CTV buys
• Google expands Shopping promotion rules ahead of 2026
• Apple is finally upgrading Siri, and Google Gemini will power it
• 3 PPC myths you can’t afford to carry into 2026
• Why copywriting is the new superpower in 2026

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Companies are racing to make AI adorable at CES, Washington Post
• Morgan Stanley: Most Gen Zers and millennials in the US listen to about three hours of AI music a week, Sherwood News
• Nvidia and Microsoft back AI breakthrough for gene therapies, Financial Times (Sub)
• Publishers fear AI search summaries and chatbots mean ‘end of traffic era’, The Guardian
• The new biologists treating LLMs like an alien autopsy, Technology Review

Analytics

• AI & Search: Zero-Click, Ads, and What to Measure Now, Brainlabs
• How are we going to handle attribution as clicks disappear?, Chris Green

Industry & Business

• Alphabet hits $4 trillion market capitalization , CNBC
• Are quantum computers finally becoming useful?, Financial Times (Sub)
• Global Smartphone Shipments Grew 2% YoY in 2025; Apple Emerged as Market Leader, Counterpoint Research
• Google Engineer Disputes AI Secrets in China Espionage Trial, Bloomberg
• OpenAI Agrees to Buy AI Healthcare App For About $100 Million, The Information
• Trump Microsoft changes ensure ensure consumers don't pay for power AI, CNBC
• Will Apple Intelligence give data to Google on iOS?, AppleInsider

Links & Content Marketing

• This Year’s Content Marketing Resolution: Be Intentional | Blattel Communications, JDSupra
• How To Build Linkable Assets With AI In 2026, Search Logistics
• Multi-channel content distribution: How to scale content reach in the era of Loop Marketing, Hubspot

Local & Maps

• 1-Minute-a-Day Strategy for Getting More Yelp Reviews, Local Visibility System

SEO

• Clicks, Impressions and Positions from AI Mode in Google Search Console, JC Chouinard
• Data-Driven Content Pruning at Scale Using APIs and the Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Screaming Frog
• Grounding in AI: How It Works and How to Use It for SEO, Collaborator
• How to Use SEO Data to Improve Products & Services, Wix SEO Hub
• Hreflang and x-default for International SEO: When You Actually Need Them, Visively
• What Comes Next for News SEO and Publishers | John Shehata, Advanced Web Ranking

PPC

• 100 Most Expensive Keywords for Google Ads in 2025, Ahrefs
• Administrative Update to Google Ads Personalized Ads Policy, PPC News Feed
• AI is changing the search game, but paid still wins the last click, DAC
• Key Google Ads Trends & Predictions for 2026, WordStream
• New biddable capabilities for live sports with DV360, Google Blog
• Google Merchant Center’s Automatic Import: Why It’s Still Failing in 2026, FeedArmy

Search Features

• Google's Android XR glasses app surfaces with tidbits [Gallery], 9to5Google
• Increased file size limits and expanded inputs support in Gemini API, Google Blog
• New Google Search Easter Egg for America's 250th, Google Blog

Other Search

• Apple TV Viewership Update Released by Eddy Cue Amid F1 Debut, Hollywood Reporter
• Dictation Updates, OpenAI Help Center

Feedback:

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