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.
Some Google AdSense vignette ads may trigger the new back button hijacking search penalty, we cover this in detail with statements from Google. Google Ads has a new preview impact of negative keywords. Google tests AI Overviews Ask Anything box that sticks as you scroll. Google also tests an "Enter AI Mode" button. Google Business Profiles local panel tests show more action buttons, which is not good.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google AdSense Vignette Ads Setting May Trigger Back Button Hijack Penalty
Just a heads up, that a small setting within Google AdSense under the vignette ads may trigger your site to get a Google search penalty - specifically for the new back button hijacking search spam rule. -
Google Local Panel With Show More Action Buttons
Google is testing removing some of the action buttons on local panels, Google Business Profiles, including call and share, and replacing it with a numbered show more button. Clicking on that button opens up those additional action options. -
Google AI Overview Ask Anything Box Sticks As You Scroll
Google is testing having the AI Overview box "Ask Anything" section stick to the bottom of the Google Search box as you scroll down the AI Overview and the search results. This keeps AI Mode in your face during the whole search experience. -
Google Tests Enter AI Mode Button For AI Overviews
Generally, when Google wants to take you into AI Mode from an AI Overview, it uses a button that says see more or some variation of that. But now Google is testing "Enter AI Mode" as the call to action. -
Google Ads Preview Impact Of Negative Keywords (& More)
Google Ads is testing a way for advertisers to preview the impact of a change, like adding negative keywords. It seems to be called "Preview impact estimates" and lets you estimate the impact of, in this case, adding specific negative keywords. -
SEO Week Honors Lost SEO Legends With T-Shirts (Respect)
SEO Week is happening now in NYC and it is a wonderful show. But this is next level. They are selling t-shirts with the faces of some of the SEO legends we lost in our industry over the past years. The best part, all proceeds going directly to the families.
Other Great Search Threads:
- The Google Ads Name Change Team Is At It Again!!! LOL They Are Now Changing The Names Of Content Suitability And Inventory In Video Ad Campaigns. Expanded Inventory is Now Called "Maximum inventory" Standard Inventory Is Now Called, Anthony Higman on X
- Google Offer & Event Post highlights are finally beginning to appear in search results for the Leisure Industry., Michael B. Snow on LinkedIn
- And that's through May of 2025... I can only imagine the spike over the past year -> An analysis of Internet Archive data: By mid-2025, ~35% of new websites published since ChatGPT's launch in November 2022 were AI-generated or AI-a, Glenn Gabe on X
- Celebrating 20 years of Google Translate and… the launch of a top-requested feature! One of the toughest things about speaking a new language is getting the nuances of pronunciation just right. Now, you can get instant feedback, Nick Fox on X
- Look familiar? It's like AI Mode in YouTube. This is big news. I have the experiment live now -> Google launches Ask YouTube, a conversational AI search “experiment” that generates pages with videos and text summaries, for Premi, Glenn Gabe on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- LinkedIn expands Event Ads beyond its own platform
- The framing gap: Why AI can’t position your brand
- SEO isn’t just about being seen — it’s about being believed and chosen
- Why more content is no longer a reliable way to grow SEO
- How to measure paid social’s impact on PPC
- YouTube testing new search experience, Ask YouTube
- New to PPC? 7 tips to build skills and confidence fast
- Where PPC and SEO teams lose control in branded search
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- GenAI Citations, Explained, Practical Ecommerce
- Google donates Agent Payments Protocol to FIDO Alliance, Google Blog
- Why AI Search Matters, Tom Critchlow
Analytics
Industry & Business
- Adobe Completes Semrush Acquisition, Strengthening CX Enterprise with Enhanced Brand Visibility Capabilities, Adobe
- Australia to charge Big Tech companies 2% levy unless they strike local news deals, Reuters
- Google Takes USPTO 'Settled Expectations' Fight To High Court, Law360
- OpenAI Hits Back at Growth Fears, Says ‘Firing on All Cylinders’, Bloomberg
- OpenAI Sees $8 ChatGPT Driving Consumer Subscribers to 122 Million This Year, The Information
- OpenAI to make its models available via Amazon's cloud, Axios
Links & Content Marketing
- How I Do Content Engineering with Claude Code, Ahrefs
- Why AI-Generated Content Is Like Fast Fashion, SuccessWorks
- N-grams Near Links: Identify recurring phrases in the context around your backlinks -, Majestic
Local & Maps
- Gemini replacing Google Assistant on Android Automotive GM cars, 9to5Google
- GM Hits 1 Billion Hands-Free Miles, Drops Google Gemini Into 4 Million Cars, InsideEVs
- New Releases: Official Google GBP Guides, SearchLab Digital
SEO
- Google Says Prompt Injection Moving From Theory Into Real Abuse, Search Engine World
- SEO scores are worthless, Ilana Davis
- The SEO Crisis of Faith Is Real. Here's What Marketers Are Doing, CMSWire
- URL Redirects Best Practices During a Site Migration, Bruce Clay
PPC
- Google Shopping Feed Optimization: What Works in 2026, ZATO
- The PPC Job Market Is Harder Than Anyone Is Admitting: Here's How to Actually Get Hired, PPC Live
- A.I. Helps Online Ad Businesses Boom, New York Times
- Google Launches Security Agent for Enhanced Account Hygiene, PPC News Feed
- Pickup cost and minimum order values will be required in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and all EEA countries for in store products enabled for pickup, Google Merchant Center Help
Search Features
- The 30-Year Head Start: How the Strength of Yahoo’s Data Fast-Tracked Yahoo Scout | Built by Yahoo, Yahoo
- Easier model selection in ChatGPT, ChatGPT Release Notes
Other Search
- 20 fun facts to celebrate Google Translate turning 20, Google Blog
- Google is testing AI chatbot search for YouTube, The Verge
Feedback:
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