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 Financial Times interviewed Google's head of search, Liz Reid. Google AI Overviews can link to itself over and over again, in a loop. Google said again structured data does not help you rank better. Google has a bug with its first image in the product image carousel in search. Google is testing a new AI Mode shortcut.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Financial Times Interviews Head Of Google Search, Elizabeth Reid
The Financial Times has a detailed interview with the newish Head of Google Search, Elizabeth Reid. The interview can be gated, so here are some of the quotes that stood out most to me from this interview. -
Google AI Overviews Linking Over & Over Again To Itself
As you know, Google is okay with linking its AI Overviews back to more Google Search results. But is Google okay with linking the same query, to the same query, over and over again, through the AI Overviews? -
Google Again Says Structured Data Does Not Make Your Site Rank Better
Google said it again - structured data does not help your site rank any better. John Mueller of Google said this on Bluesky, "Structured data won't make your site rank better." He said, all it is "used for displaying the search features listed in" this search gallery document. -
Google Bug Product Snippet Image Carousel
There seems to be a bug that is impacting the first image in the product snippet image carousel set. I was notified about this a few times in the past few days by various people and while I cannot replicate this, many can. -
Google Tests AI Mode Shortcut In Search Bar
Google is testing a new shortcut location for AI Mode in the Google App on Android. Google is placing the shortcut button directly in the search bar. -
New Google Bikes Have LED Headlight & Basket Solar Panel
Did you know that Google at some point updated its Google bikes used in various Google campuses. The new bike has anLED headlight and also there is a solar panel mounted inside the red carrying basket.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Get Insight Into Your GBP Photos with AI Overviews, Claudia Tomina on LinkedIn
- To what John said, we make lots of changes all the time and don't do formal announcements of them. Sometimes, we're asked about some changes, and we might confirm things people have seen. That's a confirmation from us., Google Search Liaison On Bluesky
- Yes, and also no. I love seeing folks stumble into the world of online marketing, search engines, and all that, but reading up on how things technically work will save you time & help you focus, John Mueller on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google’s anti-privacy bill push sparks outrage among advertisers
- Temu pulls its U.S. Google Shopping ads
- Google AI Overview-organic ranking overlap drops after core update
- Join Google, Chewy, and Amazon at SMX Advanced!
- How to track visibility across AI platforms
- Make 2025 the year you take home the highest honor in search
- Short-form, big impact: What creators can teach performance marketers
- Is keyword targeting as impossible as spinning straw into gold?
Other Great Search Stories:
Industry & Business
- Exclusive: Alphabet, Nvidia invest in OpenAI co-founder Sutskever's SSI, source says, Reuters
- Google Cloud’s so-called UPS caused a six-hour outage, The Register
- Google’s Elizabeth Reid: ‘Human curiosity is boundless and people ask a lot of questions’, Financial Times (Sub)
- Japan competition watchdog issues cease and desist order to Google, Reuters
Links & Content Marketing
- 11 Proven Ways to Make Your Content Stand Out in 2025, WordStream
- Say Goodbye to Bad Breakups With Better Customer Service Content, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Baidu Maps launches V21 map, introducing intelligent driving-level navigation, Gasgoo
- New Google Maps AI Tool Could Help Congestion and Fix Roads Near You, CNET
- West Philippine Sea is now on Google Maps, GMA News Online
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- Hocus pocus shift your focus. When will SEO's start thinking beyond the website?, Chantalsmink
- Do We Really Need GEO? Why “Search Optimization” Still Works in the AI Era, Rich Sanger SEO
- Google Updates Small Businesses Need To Know: April 2025, Nikki Pilkington
- Recap of Google Search Central Live Madrid 2025, Clara Soteras
- The Google HCU Helpful Content Update & Helpfulness, Hobo
- How Preply improved INP on a Next.js application (without React Server Components and App Router), Stefano Magni
PPC
- Proven Tactics for Getting Better Ads Support, MarlinSEM
- Amazon PPC Audit: How to Cut Wasted Ad Spend, Optmyzr
- Updates to Google TV Masthead (format requirements) (April 2025), Google Advertising Policies Help
- Undermining Ourselves: How Advertising Keeps Getting Standards Wrong, AdExchanger
Search Features
- Google made an AI model to help decipher dolphinspeak., The Verge
- Google tests new Search bar to access AI Mode on Android, 9to5Google
Other Search
- LLMs Don’t Reward Originality, They Flatten It, Ahrefs
- LLMs no longer require powerful servers: Researchers from MIT, KAUST, ISTA, and Yandex announce a scientific breakthrough, Yandex
- OpenAI plans to phase out GPT-4.5, its largest-ever AI model, from its API, TechCrunch
Feedback:
Have feedback on this daily recap; let me know on Twitter @rustybrick or @seroundtable, on Threads, Mastodon and Bluesky and you can follow us on Facebook and on Google News and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or just contact us the old fashion way.
