Daily Search Forum Recap: February 4, 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.

Google's search rankings are highly volatile, and Google has not yet confirmed any official updates. Google seems to have targeted self-promotional listicles from showing up in the search results, at least many. Microsoft released the Publisher Content Marketplace to pay publishers to license its content for AI. Google commented about serving markdown pages to LLM crawlers. Google Ad Network was investigated for invalid clicks. Googlebot's limit for web pages is 15MB, 64MB for PDFs and 2MB for other file types.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up Big Time Starting On February 2nd
  I was hoping, well, not really, that Google would calm down a bit since we had such a volatile January. But the Google Search results volatility is still very volatile, and the shuffling in those results is still shaking up.
• Google Hit Self-Promotional Listicles In Recent Unconfirmed Updates?
  Google may have hit those self-promotional and self-serving listicle articles in one of the more recent unconfirmed Google search ranking updates. Lily Ray dug into a pattern she spotted with these types of pieces of content, mostly in the SaaS space, being hit hard with the January Google updates.
• Microsoft Publisher Content Marketplace - Pay For AI To License Content
  Microsoft announced the expansion of the Microsoft Publisher Content Marketplace. This marketplace is designed to give publishers a new revenue stream, provides AI systems with scaled access to premium content, and deliver better responses for consumers. In short, it will pay for using your content in its AI.
• Google On Serving Markdown Pages To LLM Crawlers
  Google's John Mueller responded to a question on the pros and cons of serving raw markdown pages to LLM crawlers and bots. John didn't say much but he did list a number of concerns and things you should be on top of, if you do go down that avenue.
• Google Ad Network Invalid Clicks Report: Fraud vs Accidental
  Mike Ryan posted data on the percentage of invalid clicks on the Google Ad Network, broken down by fraudulent clicks or likely accidental clicks. It shows the Google Display Network has the most invalid clicks, but search partners have the most fraudulent invalid clicks.
• Googlebot File Limit Is 15MB But 64MB For PDF & 2MB For Other File Types
  We have known for a long time that Google can crawl web pages up to the first 15MB but now Google updated some of its help documentation to clarify that it will crawl the first 64MB of a PDF file and the first 2MB of other supported file types.
• Google's First 2026 Winter Olympics Doodle: Curling
  Google posted its first Winter Olympics Doodle, special logo, for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The first sport Google covered is curling. The Doodle is an animated GIF of an Olympian pushing the curling stone down the ice.
• Google Founder Sergey Brin Visits Miami Office
  Here is a photo from several weeks ago where Google's co-founder, Sergey Brin, stopped by the Google Miami office for a visit. He "had an impromptu Q&A with us, and kindly agreed to take several group," was posted on Instagram.

Other Great Search Threads:

• #showerthought LLMs rarely reply with "I don't know" to a prompt because we, humans, rarely ever admit online that we don't know something., Gary Illyes on Bluesky
• A small interface change to "Tailor your feed" on the discover feed, with a search field that still opens the same menu at the bottom of the screen, however., Damien (andell) on X
• ChatGPT vs. Gemini website visit growth chart, including January 2026. Preliminary data indicates that Gemini topped 2 billion monthly visits for the first time, while ChatGPT, though not recovering to its October 2025 peak, grew af, Similarweb on X
• Generative AI was the fastest-growing online industry in 2025, jumping from 4.401 billion to 8.017 billion monthly visits., Similarweb on X
• Scientific citations getting a boost in @GeminiApp! When you ask Gemini to include scientific sources, you will now see proper APA-style inline citations and detailed reference sections, which should help students and researchers, Josh Woodward on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Microsoft launches Publisher Content Marketplace for AI licensing
• Inspiring examples of responsible and realistic vibe coding for SEO
• LinkedIn: AI-powered search cut traffic by up to 60%
• Are we ready for the agentic web?
• 7 digital PR secrets behind strong SEO performance
• Google: 75% of crawling issues come from two common URL mistakes
• Microsoft rolls out multi-turn search in Bing
• Why most SEO failures are organizational, not technical

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Gemini Tools menu adds Labs section, Personal Intelligence toggle, 9to5Google
• How ChatGPT Sources the Web, Profound
• Learn how to easily finetune FunctionGemma, a small language model, using the JAX-based Tunix library on Google TPUs for fast and cost-effective agent development., Google Developers Blog
• Why Hybrid Graph-Vector RAG Is the Future of Enterprise AI, Schema App

Analytics

• How Cookieless Tracking Actually Works | Analytics Playbook, KP Playbook

Industry & Business

• Alphabet Plots Big Expansion in India as US Restricts Visas, Bloomberg
• Google Search Ruling to be Appealed by DOJ, States, Bloomberg
• Google Sued by NovaCloud Over Cloud, Advertising Tech Patents, Bloomberg
• In Google earnings, analysts want answers on Apple's Siri-Gemini deal, CNBC
• New Data: OpenAI’s Lead Is Contracting as AI Competition Intensifies, Big Technology
• OpenAI Fills Safety Job Listed at $555,000 With Anthropic Hire, Bloomberg
• Sam Altman Explains The Future, OpenAI's New Device And His Musk Feud, Forbes
• US files appeal in Google search case, court filing shows, Reuters

Links & Content Marketing

• How Dashboards Mislead Marketing (And AI Prep Tips), Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Google Erroneously Removed Biz Profile, Colo. Law Firm Says, Law360
• Google Maps may bring Gemini to the last place you expected, Android Police

SEO

• 6 Ways to Build a Search Everywhere Optimization Strategy for 2026, Semrush
• Baidu SEO in 2026 is not what it used to be, International Search News
• Compromise: The Lost SEO Skillset, SEO for Lunch
• How to Do Prompt Research for AI SEO, Semrush
• Is boilerplate content ok for SEO, Ilana Davis
• Schema Markup for AI: Types, Benefits, & How to Set It Up, WordStream

PPC

• High-Spending B2B Account? The Third Problem I See., Group Twenty Seven
• From Keywords to Context: How PPC Shifted from Search Terms to Understanding People, JumpFly

Search Features

• Will Siri's speech get any better or more natural?, AppleInsider

Other Search

• Experience Jitish Kallat’s work on Google Arts & Culture, Google Blog

Feedback:

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