Daily Search Forum Recap: January 29, 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.

Only 33% of you said you would block your site from Google using it for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Microsoft announced earnings and search ad revenue may be growing a bit slower. Google is testing 10 sitelinks for some search snippets. Google Personal Intelligence does the Frankstein AI recipes too. Google Ads API version 23 is out. Google Ads advertiser verification page is changing.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Poll: 33% Will Block Google AI Search Experience: AI Mode & AI Overviews
  I ran a poll yesterday on X asking Would you block Google from using your content for AI Overviews and AI Mode. About 33% of the over 350 responses said they would block Google from using and showing their content in the AI search experiences. 42% said they would not block Google and 25% are not sure yet.
• Google Personal Intelligence Creates AI Frankenstein Recipes
  We covered the topic of Google's AI Frankenstein recipes and how bad it is for recipe bloggers and publishers. But when you have Google's Personal Intelligence serve up these Frankenstein chunks of content, it makes it so much worse.
• Google Ads API Version 23 Now Available
  Google has released version 23 of the Google Ads API, this is a major release with dozens of updates. Updates include Performance Max reporting data with Ad Network type breakdown, more incentives, reporting and conversion controls - plus much more.
• Bing Ads Revenue Up 10% - Is Growth Slowing?
  Microsoft reported its second quarter 2026 earnings and it showed that its search and advertising revenue was up for 10% but growth is down over the past two quarters. The previous quarter it was up 16% and the one before that was 21% and this quarter, it is only up 10%.
• Google Ads Advertiser Verification Page Moving
  Google is moving the Google Ads verification page to a new section within the Google Ads console. It is moving to the Admin, then Policy and Account section.
• Google Tests 10 Sitelinks On Some Search Result Snippets
  Google seems to be testing showing up to 10 sitelinks on some of the search result snippets. Normally, Google will show about 4 sitelinks, but here Google is showing 6 more.
• Photos From Google Restaurant Influencer Summit
  Krystal Taing shared some photos from a Google Restaurant Influencer summit that happened several weeks ago. She posted these photos on LinkedIn and it looks like some good eats.

Other Great Search Threads:

• I get that some kinds of sites wouldn't want to disclose their non-efforts, but there are at least some that are keen on being transparent about their use of AI. Personally, it makes me kinda trust a site/business more, when they're transparent about thei, John Mueller on Bluesky
• Local Falcon as switched their AI Overviews tracking to mobile so that it can now track AI local packs (which are currently only on mobile in the USA). The list of sources it gives you is very helpful. Also, while these grids aren', Joy Hawkins on X
• Oh, I'm sure publishers will mark up the AI portions.... LOL -> Google might mark up parts of pages created via AI (but it's based on html markup by the author) "Enables authors to declare the degree of AI involvement in any HTML el, Glenn Gabe on X
• OpenAI's announcement that it "plans to start testing (ads) in the coming weeks for logged in adults in the U.S. on the free and Go tiers" generated a spike in search interest for ChatGPT Ads., Similarweb on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• AI local visibility is up to 30x harder than ranking in Google: Report
• Meta tests paid subscriptions
• AI recommendation lists repeat less than 1% of the time: Study
• The future of search visibility: What 6 SEO leaders predict for 2026
• Google adds one-click ad previews to PMax
• Google searches per U.S. user fell nearly 20% YoY: Report
• How to optimize video for AI-powered search
• Inside Meta’s AI-driven advertising system: How Andromeda and GEM work together

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• LiteRT: The Universal Framework for On-Device AI, Google Developers Blog
• Research: AIs are highly inconsistent when recommending brands or products; marketers should take care when tracking AI visibility, SparkToro
• Smokejumpers: the team behind Google’s AI infrastructure, Google Blog
• To avoid accusations of AI cheating, college students turn to AI, NBC News
• AI Brand Visibility: Why Tracking Across Multiple LLMs Matters, Yoast
• How shopping chatbots might transform retail, Financial Times (Sub)

Analytics

• Is Consent Mode V2 Mandatory in 2026?, Measure Minds Group
• The first episode of the Ads Decoded podcast dives into how marketers can leverage analytics and AI for better results., Google Blog

Industry & Business

• Former Google engineer challenges claims of stealing AI trade secrets, Courthouse News Service
• Google Aims Knockout Blow at Chinese Company Linked to Massive Cyber Weapon, Wall Street Journal
• Google updates Mayors AI playbook for smarter cities, Axios
• Google's Allegedly Stolen AI Secrets Not Valuable, Jury Told, Law360 UK
• OpenAI One-Ups Anthropic with New Whistleblower Policy, The Information
• Google to pay $135 million to settle Android data transfer lawsuit, Reuters
• Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon in Talks to Invest Up to $60 Billion in OpenAI, The Information

Links & Content Marketing

• Better Content Writing: Follow This System (With or Without AI), Content Marketing Institute
• PR bodies launch campaign against fake experts after Press Gazette investigation, Press Gazette

Local & Maps

• Google Ads Just Killed Local SEO? What You Need to Know in 2026, Sterling Sky
• Google Maps Needs It: This Is Google's New Feature for the World's Top Navigation App, AutoEvolution
• Local AI Study, AI Mode Onramp, G-Queries Down, Squandered Tech Trust, Near Media

SEO

• 10 Important SEO Metrics to Track in 2026, Backlinko
• 2026 Hugo SEO benchmark data: What high performance sites get right, SALT agency
• 5 key SEO tactics to adapt for AI search, STAT Search Analytics
• How Do People Search in Some of the Most Censored Countries?, BruceClay
• IndexWatch 2025: Visibility Losers in Google UK Search, SISTRIX
• Let's Talk "Impressions": 2026s Biggest Hoax, SEO for Lunch
• News/Media Alliance is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Google's AI mode opt-out announcement, Editor and Publisher
• SEO didn’t die. It learned to speak AI, Meer
• SEO vs GEO vs AEO + Optimizing for All, According to Microsoft, Ann Smarty

PPC

• High-Spending B2B Account? The Second Problem I See, Group Twenty Seven
• How to run Google Shopping alongside Performance Max in 2026, Smarter Ecommerce
• How to Use Seasonality Adjustments in Google Ads for Better Year-Round Performance, WordStream
• The Ads Decoded podcast is here, Google Blog
• Top 4 PPC Platforms That Enable True Profit-on-Ad-Spend (POAS) Bidding, Smarter Ecommerce
• Universal Commerce Protocol: How Google Ads are changing in 2026, Smarter Ecommerce
• Your PPC Client Isn’t “Non-Technical” They’re Decision-Overloaded, PPC Live

Search Features

• Chrome gets new Gemini 3 features, including auto browse, Google Blog
• New AI Tools to Support India’s Next Generation, Google Blog
• The Power of Personal Intelligence in Google Gemini and AI Mode – Another big step towards Jarvis, the impact to SEO and AI Search, and the inherent tracking challenge, GSQI

Other Search

• Android desktop interface leaks: Status bar, Chrome Extensions, 9to5Google
• Our first look at Google's Android desktop makes its Chrome OS replacement feel real, Android Central
• Snapchat builds a whole company around smart glasses efforts, 9to5Google

Feedback:

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