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.
The Google search ranking volatility remained heated through the weekend. A new study says Google AI Overviews clicks are shifting from organic clicks to paid clicks. Google warned about serving "not available" content with JavaScript. Google and Bing both call markdown files messy and cause more load requirements. Google Ads has a new calculate your conversion value for new customers. Google stopped parked domains on the Search Partner Network.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Ranking Volatility Remains Heated Through The Weekend
On February 10th, we reported the beginning of yet another unconfirmed Google Search ranking update. The volatility has not cooled yet and it seems it may have even heated up through the weekend. -
Data: Google AI Overview Clicks Shifting To Shopping Search Ads
There is some new data out that shows that yes, Google's AI Overviews are causing a huge decline in clicks to websites organically but it is also showing that for e-commerce queries, there is a massive increase in clicks on search ads and product/shopping ads. -
Google Warns Not To Serve "Not Available" With JavaScript
Google's John Mueller warned one site owner not to load "not available" in the JavaScript before the actual content that loads is available. It can lead Google to believe the page does not exist, preventing indexing and ranking in Google Search. -
New Google Ads Calculate Your Conversion Value For New Customers
Google Ads has this new feature that lets advertisers calculate your conversion value for new customers. It says, "Select a lower target ROAS to adjust the incremental conversion value used to bid for new customers." -
Google & Bing: Markdown Files Messy & Causes More Crawl Load
We covered the topic of markdown files before but now we have more commentary from official representatives from Google and Bing on the topic. In short, they call markdown files messy, it can cause issues with finding errors, cause more crawl load and either way, the search engines use what people/humans can see over what bots can see. -
Google Ends Parked Domains (AFD) On Search Partner Network
Google Ads has ended its Parked Domains (AFD) as an ad surface within the Search Partner Network effective February 10, 2026. Google wrote, "Parked Domains (AFD) will cease to be an ad surface within the Search Partner Network effective February 10, 2026." -
Matching Clothing With Google Office Walls
This photo caught my attention. You have this wild neon blue and green color pattern on one of the walls in the Google Playa Vista office. But then you have this person dressed up to match the colors of those walls.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I’m finding myself relying on AI Mode with Personal Intelligence for where to go and what to do. For a trip it can now nail what I’m looking for -- e.g. finding coffee shops. So much potential., Robby Stein on X
- Yes Patrick, it is complicated. Many sites miss full conversion analytics. So clicks & impressions (Ahrefs/GSC/BWT/Clarity/etc.) are still great signals for now for most. But their real value? It varies wildly, Fabrice Canel on X
- A quick update on Reddit's AI translation project. I have covered this heavily via a two-part series in the past. Google explained that scaling via AI translations is ok *IF* the content is high quality. That's the nuance that's tou, Glenn Gabe on X
- I think what bothers me more about these kinds of questions is the unspoken mindset of "these features that were made to help folks who otherwise have trouble accessing the web at all, what if we filled them with SEO keywords and made them unusable instea, John Mueller on Bluesky
- Anyone checked Cloudflare can Convert HTML to markdown, automatically for llm and agent?, Reddit
- ChatGPT Shopping again directly replicates features from Google's AI Mode. Now showing a 'follow up' button attached to results, where you're then able to ask a follow-up related to the item or use the similar/more details bu, SERP Alert on X
- Peter Steinberger is joining OpenAI to drive the next generation of personal agents. He is a genius with a lot of amazing ideas about the future of very smart agents interacting with each other to do very useful things for people. We exp, Sam Altman on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Andrea Cruz talks about turning client pressure into growth
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Cloudflare’s Markdown for Agents AI feature has SEOs on alert
- Google Ads adds ROAS-based tool for valuing new customers
- SEO leaders: stop chasing rankings, start building visibility systems
- Why creative, not bidding, is limiting PPC performance
- How to optimize news content for today’s social-first Google SERP
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Gemini app features that support students, Google Blog
- Google Docs rolling out Gemini-powered audio summaries, 9to5Google
- OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’, The Guardian
- Retiring GPT-4o and other legacy models, ChatGPT Release Notes
- Schema App's Integrations for Enterprise AI Visibility and Control, Schema App
- Why AI Misreads the Middle of Your Best Pages, Duane Forrester
Analytics
- The Truth about 'Direct' Traffic, Practical Ecommerce
Industry & Business
- Anthropic: Former Trump aide Liddell on board of directors, CNBC
- FTC Ratchets Up Microsoft Probe, Queries Rivals on Cloud, AI, Bloomberg
- Google warns EU against ‘erecting walls’ in tech sovereignty push, Financial Times (Sub)
- Google Search Isn't a Common Carrier-Richards v. Google, Eric Goldman
- India has 100M weekly active ChatGPT users, Sam Altman says, TechCrunch
- OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI, TechCrunch
- Radio host David Greene says Google’s AI podcast tool stole his voice, Washington Post
Local & Maps
- Google quietly fixed a big annoyance with Android's Driving Mode, Android Authority
- Woman uses Google Maps and Waze side by side for weeks to work out which is truly best and one clearly wins, Super Car Blondie
- Tesla CarPlay is coming but it's reportedly being held back by low iOS 26 adoption numbers, Engadget
SEO
- Do Title Tags Perform Better When They Sound More Natural?, Search Pilot
- Measuring the effectiveness of your redirects, Simon Cox
- Search Isn’t Just Turning to AI, it’s being Re-Monetized: Text Ads Are Taking a Bigger Share of Google SERP Clicks (Data), Aleyda Solis
PPC
- Data Source Integration Now Available in Conversion Settings, PPC News Feed
- Google Ads Automatically Enables Paused Keywords, PPC News Feed
- OpenAI's Fidji Simo on ads in ChatGPT and ending the Code Red, Sources News
Search Features
- AI platforms are competing against us by taking our recipes, says Inspired Taste's Joanne Gallagher, CNBC
- China's Baidu adds OpenClaw AI into search app for 700 million users, CNBC
- Introducing Lockdown Mode and Elevated Risk labels in ChatGPT, OpenAI
- Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses, New York Times
- Gemini app makes sharing more prominent in chats, boosts icon, 9to5 Google
- Google's AI Overviews Now Serving Up Scams to Users, The Tech Buzz
Other Search
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