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 expands AI Mode to 53 new languages. Google does not have a bad title filter or blacklist in search. There are more complaints about Google reviews being removed. Google is still working on releasing the branded queries and social channels in Search Console. Google Ads certification process for cryptocurrency was updated.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google: We Do Not Have A Bad Title Algorithm Filter Of Sorts
Google's John Mueller responded to a concern about having bad title tags and how that might impact your site in Google Search. He said on Bluesky "I don't think our systems have a "we don't like this one guy's titles" filter." -
Complaints Over Google Reviews Being Removed Again
There has been an uptick in complaints from businesses around Google local reviews disappearing or being removed. We had something similar last October and it was fixed in December and now I am seeing more complaints about reviews going missing. -
Google Search Console Still Testing Branded Queries & Social Channels Feature
The other day, Google released the Google Search Console AI-powered configuration tool and we continued to wonder when the other features, like branded queries and the social channels would go live. Well, Google's John Mueller confirmed Google is still testing those two features before they are more fully rolled out to more users. -
Google AI Mode Works In 53 New Languages
Google has added 53 new languages to AI Mode, which means the AI Mode works in just under 100 languages. This was announced by Nick Fox from Google on X yesterday. -
Google Ads Updates Certification Process For Cryptocurrency
Google is rolling out an update for Google Ads advertisers to certify for some cryptocurrency and complex speculative financial products. This is "incrementally to all advertisers over a period of time and not all advertisers and certification applications will be affected immediately," Google wrote. -
Google Lunar New Year Celebration
A couple of days ago, Google held a Lunar New Year celebration at the main Google office. It included the Dragon dance, games, food and more events.
Other Great Search Threads:
- ChatGPT is starting to include inline links in chat responses. Unfortunately, those links go to more ChatGPT content and do not go to source websites where the data was scraped from. This includes, Joe Youngblood on X
- SEO tip: SEO traffic down ? Don’t look at Google alone. Check Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console. If both decline near the same days, it’s probably a technical SEO issue or competitors gaining ground,, Fabrice Canel on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google Ads shows PMax placements in “Where ads showed” report
- Paid search click share doubles as organic clicks fall: Study
- Microsoft Advertising adds a multi image creative to Shopping ads
- Microsoft rolls out applied Performance Max learning path
- 44% of ChatGPT citations come from the first third of content: Study
- Google Ads adds Results tab to show impact of applied recommendations
- AI search KPIs: Focus on inclusion, not position
- Perplexity stops testing advertising
- How to apply ‘They Ask, You Answer’ to SEO and AI visibility
- How to build AI confidence inside your SEO team
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took 20 minutes, BBC
- Only 12% of AI Mode Citations Match URLs in the Organic SERP, Moz
- OpenAI pushes into higher education as India seeks to scale AI skills, TechCrunch
- Sorry Google, I was wrong., DEJAN
- Use Lyria 3 to create music tracks in the Gemini app, Google Blog
Analytics
- How US Companies Can Avoid Data Privacy Fines, Measure Minds Group
- Generated insights on the Home page and Cross-channel budgeting (Beta), Google Analytics Help
Industry & Business
- Exclusive: OpenAI Has Poached Instagram’s Celebrity Whisperer, Vanity Fair
- Google Plans New Fiber-Optic Routes Between the US and India, Bloomberg
- Google Taps Ormat Geothermal Power to Supply Nevada Data Centers, Bloomberg
- Microsoft says it is on pace to invest $50 billion in 'Global South' AI push, Reuters
- OpenAI Funding on Track to Top $100 Billion in Latest Round, Bloomberg
- OpenAI Pays 20% of Total Revenue to Microsoft Until 2032, The Information
- U.S. court bars OpenAI from using 'Cameo', TechCrunch
Links & Content Marketing
- 5-Step Content Marketing Measurement Framework, Content Marketing Institute
- Safe Link Building in 2026, Majestic SEO Podcast
- The Role of Informational Content in the Age of LLMs, Sitebulb
Local & Maps
- 10-Step Local SEO Audit Checklist to Boost Small Business Rankings, Sterling Sky
- Drive with World of Warcraft on Waze, Google Blog
- Google Maps 'limited view' heavily restricts signed-out usage, 9to5Google
- Google Maps makes key info harder to see, Android Police
SEO
- How to perform well in agentic search, Blue Array SEO
- How to Win at SEO in 2026: Start With Your Audience, Brainlabs
- Bad News: It's Not Just Listicles, Clearscope
- Why your SEO tickets get ignored, Product Led SEO
PPC
- 3 Ways to Build a Strong Keyword Strategy Without Overcomplicating It, JumpFly Digital Marketing Blog
- Google Ads Budget Allocation for Maximum Efficiency, Hopskip Media
- Introducing the Performance Max learning path, Microsoft Advertising
- PPC System Decay: Why campaign problems can start outside the account, PPC Live
- Why clustering products by margin is insufficient: the impact on ecommerce growth, Smarter Ecommerce
- Google Emails Advertisers About Demand Gen Lookalike Update, PPC News Feed
Search Features
Other Search
- Google announces the new Pixel 10a for $499, Google Blog
- Information Retrieval p. III: Vectorisation and Transformers (not the film), Leadership SEO
- Pixel 10A hands-on: More like a slightly better Pixel 9A, The Verge
Feedback:
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