Daily Search Forum Recap: February 20, 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 discourages SEOs from force indexing pages. Google updated its Google Business Profiles reviews policies document. Google Ads budget pacing for ad scheduling has been updated. One person spotted ads in ChatGPT in the wild. Google has this new "Sponsored places" ad unit. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Discourages Force Indexing Pages To Search
  Google's John Mueller said that he discourages large sites from force indexing its pages to Google Search. He said on a comment on LinkedIn, "I strongly recommend not relying on trying to force indexing."
• Google Ads Updates Budget Pacing For Ad Scheduling
  Google sent out an email to some Google Ads advertisers about changes coming to Google Ads budget pacing for ad scheduling. These changes go into effect on March 1, 2026.
• ChatGPT Ads From Expedia Spotted In The Wild
  As you know, OpenAI said they would release ads in ChatGPT and then about ten days ago, said the ads went live for a limited number of users. Since then, we have not seen reports of anyone seeing ads in the wild within ChatGPT until now.
• Google Sponsored Places Search Ad Unit
  Google may be testing a new ad unit named Sponsored Places. I think this is new, I mean, have any of you seen this before in the search results? Instead of it saying "Sponsored results" or a local pack with sponsored listings.
• Google Updated The Business Profile Review Policies
  As I noted in my story yesterday about Google reviews dropping out, Google has updated the Google Business Profiles review policies, the Prohibited & restricted content section.
• Google Top Secret Hallway
  When I visited the Google office in Zurich, I was taken to a Top Secret hallway. How do I know, well, Google labeled it "top secret," so it had to be.
• Video: Google Volatility Heated All Week, Google Reviews Vanishing, AI Overview & AI Mode Links Updated, Google Ads News and more
  This week, we covered that Google Search has been super volatile all week long. Google’s John Mueller said they don’t really have a bad title black filter in search. It seems a lot of businesses are complaining that Google reviews are disappearing. Google also updated its review policies...

Other Great Search Threads:

• Indexing error in 2.6 Million pages | Please Help, Reddit
• "Testing" makes it sound like someone is poking at it. In reality, sometimes the signals just haven't settled down or gotten clear enough. I guess the visible end result is similar though., John Mueller on Bluesky
• ChatGPT has been sending referral traffic to my UTMs specifically made for Google Ads! More evidence that Open AI uses Google’s search results to deliver answers inside ChatGPT., Harpreet on X
• Genius tech bro move: Inventing the paragraph, Calling it a chunk., Gary Illyes on Bluesky
• Google Ads added examples of how Landing Page Images will be used for your PMax campaigns, Thomas Eccel on LinkedIn

Search Engine Land Stories:

• This press release strategy actually earns media coverage
• ChatGPT ads spotted and they are quite aggressive
• Reddit tests AI shopping carousels in search results
• Google Analytics adds AI insights and cross-channel budgeting to Home page
• LLM consistency and recommendation share: The new SEO KPI
• ChatGPT ads collapse the wall between SEO and paid media
• Google launches no-code Scenario Planner built on Meridian MMM
• Retire these 9 SEO metrics before they derail your 2026 strategy
• The authority era: How AI is reshaping what ranks in search

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Build AI skills: Google AI Professional Certificate, Google Blog
• Gemini 3.1 Pro: Announcing our latest Gemini AI model, Google Blog
• Wyndham Partners with Google and Anthropic for Direct Bookings, Skift
• Is OpenAI Intentionally Distancing Itself from Safety?, Annielytics
• Microsoft has a new plan to prove what’s real and what’s AI online, MIT Technology Review

Analytics

• Build data agents with Conversational Analytics API, Google Cloud Blog

Industry & Business

• 'Think Carefully': Judge Wary Of Notice Plan In Google Deal, Law360
• Ex-Googlers Charged With Stealing Phone Processor Secrets, Bloomberg
• How Google Play and Android app ecosystems stayed safe in 2025, Google Blog

Links & Content Marketing

• Build Agentic Workflows for Your Content Strategy, Content Marketing Institute

Local & Maps

• Google Gemini will soon tap into Maps for improved location-based answers, Android Police
• Google Maps Update Requires Users to Sign in to View Photos and Read Reviews, Android Headlines

SEO

• EP 244 - AI Visibility vs Google Rankings: Rand Fishkin on the Future of Search, Zero-Click & Brand Measurement, Near Media
• Semantic SEO for AI Search: The Enterprise Guide to Citation-Driven Visibility, Onely
• A Strategic Analysis of Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) and Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), Advanced Web Ranking
• Analysing and Reconstructing Site Architecture Using Breadcrumbs: A Practical SEO Guide, Screaming Frog

PPC

• Announcing Android Google Mobile Ads SDK 25.0.0, Google Ads Developer Blog
• Google Ads Account Hack: What Now? How To Protect Yourself, Jyll Saskin Gales
• Google Ads CPL Is Up 69%. Most Teams Fix the Wrong Thing, Foundation Inc
• New Meridian tool puts MMM insights directly in marketers' hands., Google Blog
• PPC in 2026: What’s Working, What’s Risky, and How to Actually Control Performance Max, SearchLab Digital
• The Importance of Lead Quality Scoring for Lead Gen Clients in the World of Automated Bidding, JumpFly
• 20 Predictions for the Future of Digital Marketing, Koozai
• Google Now Attributes Conversions to Install Date, PPC News Feed
• How to use Placement Exclusions in Performance Max (PMax), Smarter Ecommerce

Search Features

• In Case You Saw It: We are Testing a New Shopping Product Experience in Search, Reddit
• Meta reportedly releasing smartwatch, display glasses in 2026, 9to5Google
• When Perplexity's Comet AI browser will come to iPhone, AppleInsider
• Interactive Code Blocks in ChatGPT, ChatGPT Release Notes

Other Search

• New features in Chrome for work, life and everything in between, Google Blog
• Pomelli, now creates studio-quality marketing assets., Google Blog

Feedback:

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