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 Ads Advisor added some new AI features. Microsoft Advertising also added new AI features. Google Ads has new AI-qualified call conversions. OpenAI is rolling out its ChatGPT ad manager and we have videos and screenshots. OpenAI also has a new bot for ads named OAI-AdsBot.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
-
OAI-AdsBot - New OpenAI Ads Bot
We've been keeping track of the bots, spiders, OpenAI has been releasing. OpenAI just posted about a new bot for ads, it is named OAI-AdsBot. -
ChatGPT Ad Manager Interface
Here are some early screenshots and videos of the ChatGPT ad management interface that some OpenAI advertisers have access to. You can see that you can create campaigns, ad groups, budgets, CPC limits, conversions and much more. -
Microsoft Advertising Releases New AI Features
Microsoft Advertising has announced the launch of several new AI features and upgrades across the ad platform. This is to "To help businesses succeed across all three eras of the human, LLM, and agentic web," Microsoft wrote. -
Google Ads New AI-Qualified Call Conversions
Google Ads has a new help document on AI-Qualified Call Conversions. Google says AI-qualified call leads use Google AI to evaluate call recordings to determine the actual quality of the conversation. -
Google Ads Advisor Gains Troubleshooting, Security Monitoring & Instant Certification
Google Ads Advisor, which officially began rolling out last November, is rolling out three new features. These features include proactive troubleshooting, 24/7 security monitoring and instant certifications.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Made with ChatGPT Images 2.0, OpenAI on X
- Twitch on Google Discover. Twitch streamer suggestions for Discover feeds., Damien (andell) on X
- Looking at the site mentioned in the thread (assuming that's the one you mean), and what other search engines are indexing, I don't think this is a technical issue. I'd recommend rethinking the strategy behind the site., John Mueller on Bluesky
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The hidden ‘bland tax’ that could erase your brand from AI search
- Google adds AI-qualified call leads to improve measurement
- The funnel flip: Why AI forces a bottom-up acquisition strategy
- Google rolls out new AI safety features in Ads Advisor
- How to build a YouTube analytics report in Data Studio
- Why IBM says every brand now needs a GEO playbook
- SEO reporting outgrew Data Studio — here’s what comes next
- Microsoft launches AI Max and new ad tools for the “agentic web” era
- How to measure Demand Gen creative impact with asset uplift tests
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Google AI subscribers get premium features in AI Studio, Google Blog
- Introducing Deep Research and Deep Research Max, Google Blog
- Make chats more natural and efficient with Continued Conversation, now in Gemini for Home, Google Blog
- OpenAI’s updated image generator can now pull information from the web, The Verge
- Production-Ready AI Agents: 5 Lessons from Refactoring a Monolith, Google Developers Blog
Analytics
- Page Referrer in GA4, KRM Digital Marketing
- Should I worry about bots flooding my GA?, Ilana Davis
Industry & Business
- Anthropic outspends OpenAI in biggest-ever lobbying quarter, Axios
- Google confirms plans for data center in LaGrange, Georgia, Data Center Dynamics
- Google Hit With Patent Lawsuit Over Networking, Security Tech, Bloomberg
- Google Struggles to Gain Ground in AI Coding as Rivals Advance, Bloomberg
- Morningstar targets Google’s Chicago Thompson Center redevelopment for future home, Costar
- Ohio’s Bid to Regulate Google Faces State Appeals Court Pushback, Bloomberg
- Publishers oppose Google using content for 'fine-tuning' AI models, Press Gazette
Links & Content Marketing
- Even Satisfied Marketers Have an Exit Strategy, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- I finally get the hype about Gemini in Google Maps, Android Police
SEO
- Is SEO Necessary? When It Works and When It Doesn’t, RicketyRoo
- Listicles Are Dead? Or Rather Shortcuts Are Dead for GEO / AEO, Ann Smarty
- Upgrading Content for a Site Migration, Bruce Clay
PPC
- App Consent Insights Now Available in Google Ads, PPC News Feed
- How to create effective AI Max text guidelines, Adalysis
- Meta Is Sued Over Scam Ads on Facebook and Instagram, Wired
- OpenAI turns on cost-per-click ads inside ChatGPT, Digiday
- Update to Gambling and Games Policy: Alberta, Canada (April 2026), Google Advertising Policies Help
Other Search
- Hackers Hijack Google Results: Bybit Exposes AI-Powered macOS Malware Targeting Claude Code Searches, Bill Hartzer
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, add as a preferred source on Google and make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or just contact us the old fashion way.

