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.
OpenAI will be testing ads in ChatGPT very soon. Google's Gemini 3 Pro now powers some AI Overviews. Surprise, surprise, Google is appealing the search monopoly ruling. Google warns that using free subdomian hosts is not a good idea. Google also said that comment link spam won't help or hurt your site.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
OpenAI Will Soon Test Ads On ChatGPT
OpenAI announced on Friday it will begin testing ads in the ChatGPT responses in the coming weeks. The ads will show on the free product and low-cost subscription tier, ChatGPT Go. The ads will show under the main response and not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you. Advertisers will not get conversations with ChatGPT. The ads will be clearly labeled as ads. -
Google AI Overviews Powered By Gemini 3 Pro For Complex Queries
Google announced late on Friday that Gemini 3 Pro is now powered Google AI Overviews for complex queries. Google actually said this last November, but then edited its story to say it was just AI Mode that was powered by Gemini 3 Pro and not AI Overviews. Now both AI Overviews and AI Mode can use Gemini 3 Pro. -
Google Is Appealing Its Search Monopoly Ruling & Asks To Pause Remedies
Google is appealing the ruling that it is an illegal search monopoly - which surprises no one. Plus, Google asked the court to pause the remedies during the appeal phase. -
Google Warns On Hosting With Free Subdomain Hosts
Google's John Mueller once again warned about hosting your website on free subdomain hosting service because they are magnets for a "lot of spam & low-effort content." -
Google: Comments Link Spam Has No Effect On SEO/Search
Google's John Mueller said that link spam left in the comments section have no effect on Google Search or SEO, (and maybe even your website's performance in Google Search?). He wrote on Bluesky, "These links all have no effect - they're from spammers dropping links into comments. These would not have any effect, positive nor negative, on your site." -
Google Student Ambassador ID In Korea
Here is a photo that caught my eye from the Google offices in Korea. It is of a student ambassador ID, certificate and some program Google has at that office.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I was asked recently to share perspectives who are "must follows" for Microsoft Advertising who don't work for Microsoft. I'm going to cheat and give you both non-employees and employees:, Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
- Last year we got 5x more signups from Google than from ChatGPT. See the graph with insights from ~250K self-attributed signups — a “small” subset of our total annual signups. There’s a lot of fearmongering about, Tim Soulo on X
- The 2025 Web Almanac by HTTP Archive has been officially released!, HTTP Archive on Bluesky
- Do backlinks still matter for White Hat SEO?, BlackHatWorld
- Enjoyed presenting for Pubcon Pro SEO & AI Search conference and thanks to those who attended my session. Here is my deck, Dawn Anderson on Bluesky
- We update the guidelines when things change, so if "others are saying" something different, then that's usually a sign that it's not compliant with the guidelines. If you think we need to make something clearer, please submit feedback in the docs!, John Mueller on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google search ad clicks hit five-year high as Q4 spend rises 13% – Report
- Amy Hebdon discusses the PPC decision that cost her a good client relationship
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Google Ads tests A/B experiments for Shopping ad product data
- OpenAI will begin testing ChatGPT ads in the U.S.
- Google Ads makes Manual CPC easier to find
- Google AI Overviews cite YouTube most often for health topics: Study
- Discoverability in 2026: How digital PR and social search work together
- AI for video advertising: 5 best practices for PPC campaigns
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- A Guide to Fine-Tuning FunctionGemma, Google Developers Blog
- Announcing the winner of the Global AI Film Award, Google Blog
- OpenAI's Hardware Transformation: RFP Signals Shift from Software Company to Vertically Integrated AI Manufacturer, WinBuzzer
- Google Ipsos poll says Americans wary of AI, Axios
- There’s a Hit Movie Set Deep Inside an AI Lab—and It Will Give You Goosebumps, Wall Street Journal
- Agents & The New Internet (3/5), James W. LePage
Analytics
- Cross-channel budgeting (Beta), Google Analytics Help
- A Complete Guide to Demographic Data in GA4, KRM Digital Marketing
- How to Add & Use Google Tag Manager on a Next.js Website, MeasureMinds
Industry & Business
- Five US publishers sue Google over 'manipulative' adtech practices, Press Gazette
- Google taps Sen. Todd Young chief for top government affairs role, Axios
- Has Airbnb really revealed that the Apple Car was real?, AppleInsider
- Italy's privacy watchdog, scourge of US big tech, hit by corruption probe, Reuters
- McClatchy sues Google in NY alleging online ad monopoly, Miami Herald
- Publishers Hachette and Cengage ‘unite with authors’ to join Google AI copyright lawsuit, The Bookseller
- The truth Elon left out, OpenAI
- Court Won't Revive RNC Suit Against Google Over Spam Filters, MediaPost
- Musk Seeks Up to $134 Billion Damages From OpenAI, Microsoft, Bloomberg
- Former OpenAI policy chief debuts institute, calls for independent AI safety audits, Fortune
Links & Content Marketing
- How We Built a Content Optimization Tool for AI Search [Study], Semrush
- Our Top 5 Blog Posts of 2025 (And What Made Them Work), Ahrefs
Local & Maps
- Google Maps vs. Waze: I compared the two best navigation apps, and this one wins easily, ZDNET
- 6 brilliant Google Maps gestures most people overlook, Android Police
- Google Maps Suggesting Toll Routes When "Avoid Tolls" Is Enabled? Here's What Happens, AutoEvolution
SEO
- Vibe Coding Your Own SEO Tools — Whiteboard Friday, Moz
- Can a Categories Accordion Boost Organic Traffic?, Search Pilot
- Making Sense of Next.js Caching for Developers and SEOs, Will Kennard
- SEO | 2025, The Web Almanac by HTTP Archive
- How to Enable UCP Payments in Google Merchant Center: A Step-by-Step Guide, FeedArmy
PPC
- 10 Remarketing Lists To Boost PPC Performance, Search Engine Journal
Search Features
- The Google-powered future of retail is here, Retail Brew
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026 Doodle, Google Doodles
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.
