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 Search Console may be rolling out desktop versus mobile Discover performance data, maybe. Google labels search result features that go to commercial queries as sponsored. Google said four identical links to the same page is fine and normal. Google is testing linking the reviews button in the local panel to AI Overviews. Google is tracking deals from this search.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Console Discover Performance Report Hack Suggests Desktop & Mobile Data Filters Coming
We know Google will be bringing Google Discover to the desktop interface, heck, we've seen Google testing it for a while now. But did you know that Google will also show the breakdown of mobile versus desktop performance of Google Discover in Google Search Console? -
Google May Label Search Results As Sponsored If They Link To Commercial Queries
Back in February, I reported about this unusual Google Search ad format for people also considered sponsored results. They did not look like ads, but they were labeled sponsored. Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liaison, confirmed these are a sponsored ads experiment, but clicking on them do not result in a charge. They are labeled as sponsored only because they go to more commercial queries. -
Google: Four Identical Links On A Page Is Fine & Common
Google's John Mueller said having "four identical links on a page to another page seems fine & common to me." He said, don't worry if you have that in your navigation, and implied it won't have an impact on your SEO. -
Google Tests Linking Reviews Button On Local Panel To AI Overviews
Google seems to be testing linking the "Reviews" button you see in the local panel, on a Google Business Profile, to AI Overviews. So when you search for a business, see the local panel on the right side, and then click on "reviews," you are taken to an AI Overview result. -
Google Track Deals From This Search Toggle Button
Google is testing a feature to let you get notified if there is a deal for the product(s) you are searching for directly in Google Search. It is named "Track deals from this search" and it has a slider to toggle on the notification. -
YouTube 20th Birthday Cake & Cookies
YouTube celebrated its 20th anniversary last week and here are some cookies, cupcakes and cakes from various Google offices. I found these on numerous Instagram accounts.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Active users in Google AI Studio and the Gemini API have grown over 200% since the beginning of this year, driven by 2.5 Pro. This is just the beginning…, Logan Kilpatrick on X
- SimilarWeb is severely underestimating Copilot usage (most engagements are in Windows/Edge and on Microsoft properties, no SimilarWeb pixels there). But even so, I wish Copilot grew faster over the last year, of course., Mikhail Parakhin on X
- Small quality of life improvement to PageSpeed Insights pagespeed.web.dev You can now click this link to quickly flip over to CrUX Vis to see the historical Core Web Vitals trends for whatever view you're looking at (mobile/desktop and URL, Barry Pollard on Bluesky
- This week the DOJ concluded its case-in-chief in the search remedies trial. There was a lot about how the government’s proposals would help competitors — but precious little about how they’d help consumers. Key takeaways, News from Google on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google’s ‘People also consider’ sponsored format raises concerns
- Claude Sonnet 3.7 is the leading LLM for AI SEO: Report
- Google disables Discover performance report hack to get desktop data
- Search, answer, and assistive engine optimization: A 3-part approach
- Yelp launches 15 AI-powered updates for service brands and restaurants
- The anatomy of compelling search ad copy
- What should the title tag length be in 2025?
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- How to measure the impact of AI Overviews on site traffic, STAT Search Analytics
Industry & Business
- Google Antitrust Case Wraps With Generative AI in Spotlight, Bloomberg
- Google Shakes up Employee Pay to Incentivize Higher Performance, Business Insider
- It Could Be the End of Google As We Know It, Business Insider
- What an Alphabet Breakup Would Mean for the Stock, Barron's
Links & Content Marketing
- AI reshaping SEO trends and content marketing, DMNews
- Want More LinkedIn Engagement? Get Less Robotic, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Explore the amazing world of trees with World Wide Wood, Google Blog
- Google Kills Off the Google Maps Driving Mode, AutoEvolution
- Local Search Survey, ChatGPT Shopping, Bing Bribery, Near Media
- Yelp debuts AI voice agents for restaurants and service providers, TechCrunch
Mobile & Voice
- Gemini updates at I/O 2025 teased: 'more personalized assistant', 9to5Google
- Google Play sees 47% decline in apps since start of last year, TechCrunch
SEO
- 15 years of Yoast: 15 SEO tips for 2025 and beyond, Yoast
- 6 Months After the Google Creator Summit, My Sites Down -50.8%, Mike Hardaker
- Automation and AI SEO Scripting: Scaling Smarter, Not Harder – p14, Search Engine World
- Beyond the Click: Understanding Organic Traffic Changes, Sara Taher
- How to Optimize the Google Shopping Product Description Attribute - Google Merchant Center Mastery, ZATO Marketing
- What is parasite SEO?, WTF is SEO?
- Semantic SEO: The Advanced Skill Most SEOs Pretend to Understand, Ahrefs
PPC
- Google and Microsoft Smart Bidding In 2025, JumpFly
- Google responds to Dutch call for action against online gambling ads, ReadWrite
- How to Control What You’re Spending On Brand, Cypress North
- Mastering AI-Powered Search: Next Level Strategies for Marketers, Microsoft Advertising
- The AI Shifts Reshaping Paid Media (and Why I'm Paying Attention), Seer Interactive
- The Role of AI in PPC: Magic or Overrated?, PPC Hero
- Why Layering Automation on Native Bidding Can Outperform Proprietary Systems, Optmyzr
Search Features
- Google’s AI podcast maker is now available in over 50 languages, The Verge
- Try Little Language Lessons, learning experiments using Gemini 2.0., Google Blog
Other Search
- OpenAI rolls back update that made ChatGPT 'too sycophant-y', TechCrunch
- Study suggests people stick with Google out of habit, not quality, Windows Central
- Digital creator jobs jump 7.5 times since 2020 to 1.5 million, Axios
- Targeted by 20.5 million DDoS attacks, up 358% year-over-year: Cloudflare’s 2025 Q1 DDoS Threat Report, Cloudflare
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