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 Google May 2026 core update was announced on Thursday but this weekend it was felt in a big way by many (not all). Google has appealed the search monopoly ruling, as expected. Bing is officially testing the new AI-curated Bing Image results interface. Google seems to have removed the indexing delay for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google Business Profiles rejection notices have more details. Google is promoting AI features and I/O news on its home page, that is until Google put the Memorial Day Doodle on its home page.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google May 2026 Core Update Landed Over The Weekend
As you know, Google announced the May 2026 core update on Thursday afternoon and it didn't take long for the update to be felt by the SEO community. Many, not all, but many, started to feel the impact of this core update over the weekend. -
Google Officially Appeals Search Monopoly Ruling
We knew Google would appeal the search monopoly ruling; in fact, Google asked the courts to pause the remedies until the appeal is handled. Google was ruled an illegal monopoly in August 2024 but then the courts refused to break up Google as part of the remedies in September 2025. -
Google Removes Lag For AI Overviews & AI Mode Showing Penalized Content
Since Google launched AI Overviews (and AI Mode), there was an apparent lag or delay from when a web page would be removed from the Google Search index, including after getting a manual action penalty, to when it would also be removed from the AI Overview (or AI Mode). That delay is reportedly gone. -
Bing Officially Releases AI Guided Image Search Experience
Back in March, we were the first to talk about Microsoft Bing testing a new AI version of Bing image search. Microsoft was not talking about it, but it was clear that this was an AI-curated, categorized, and grouped image search experience. Now, Microsoft has released and announced this version to the public. -
Google Home Page Promoting AI Features Out Of I/O
Google has added a lot of content boxes below the search box on the Google home page. These boxes promote a lot of the news out of Google I/O around AI Mode, AI image generation, tips on using AI Mode and more search news that came out of I/O. -
Google Business Profile Detailed Rejection Notices
Generally, when a Google Business Profile email notice gets sent, especially the rejection notices, the details around that rejection are obscure and unknown. But Google seems to be trying harder to get more specific and detailed advice on the notices. -
Google Mocktail Workshop
Here is a video I found on Instagram of Googlers making mocktails from scratch. You can see them shaking the cocktails in this mocktails workshop at Google. -
Google Posts Memorial Day 2026 Doodle
Google has historically not posted a Doodle, a special Google logo, for Memorial Day in the United States. Instead, Google has placed an American flag and message below the search box over the past several years. This year, Google has a Doodle above the search box and a flag below the search box, for some reason...
Other Great Search Threads:
- 100 URLs attempted to index, which actually link to a 3rd party. They're not my actual link, Reddit
- A few months ago, we discovered the "Tailor Your Feed" feature on Google Discover, which allows users to personalize their feed via a prompt. This triggers the historicalnaturallanguagetuningcontent pipeline. (For more info, Damien (andell) on X
- It's impossible to say without knowing the site, but in general, it's not necessarily a problem if the amount of crawling changes on a site. Crawling can vary over time, and across sites., John Mueller on Bluesky
- First I'd make sure you log the accept headers. Then you'll see ... the number of requests that ask for that content type and can make an informed decision., John Mueller on Bluesky
- Interesting that in "Ask Gemini" side panel in Chrome users can mark each citation URL as helpful or not helpful cool but not cool given it's "Helpful" word which of course haven't proven to be right PR strategy for Google, Gagan Ghotra on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- What makes a brand machine-readable in AI search
- OpenAI expands Ads Manager Beta with new budgeting and geo targeting controls
- Organic traffic is still worth tracking — just not all of it
- Velocity: What the Googlers not on stage said at I/O 2026
- ‘Fix everything’ is the wrong SEO strategy
- Google’s AI search guidance is naive and self-serving
- Yes, you need to use AI, but you need to use it strategically
- Google May 2026 core update rolling out now
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- Adobe, Canva, CapCut Are Coming to Gemini to Help You Edit AI Creations, PC Magazine
- I Got a Sneak Peek of Google Docs Live Ahead of Its Launch. Watch Me Try It Out, Wall Street Journal
- You’re Using AI at the Execution Layer. The Value Is in the Judgment Layer., Duane Forrester Decodes
- AI guardrails stripped from Meta and Google models in minutes, Financial Times (Sub)
- All You Need to Know About Cloudflare's Agent Readiness Score, No Hacks
Analytics
- Event Types in GA4, KRM Digital
- GTM Introduces Container Optimization Workflow, PPC News Feed
Industry & Business
- OpenAI Held $1 Billion Revenue Lead Over Anthropic in First Quarter, The Information
- Google's overhaul marks the end of the internet's golden age, Axios
- Sundar Pichai Understands Why People Are Anxious About A.I., New York Times
Links & Content Marketing
Local & Maps
SEO
- 15 updates from Google I/O 2026: Powering the agentic web with new capabilities, tools, and features in Chrome, Chrome for Developers
- Google finally weighed in on GEO. (Spoiler alert: it’s not the full story.), Foundation Inc
- The New Rules of AI Visibility and How To Prepare for It, Moz
- Shuffling Rabbits: How LLMs Handle Out of Order HTML Streaming in Next.js, Tame The Bots
- How to Optimize Your Product Feed for Google AI Overviews: 8 Attributes That Actually Matter, FeedArmy
- SEO poisoning campaign leverages Gemini and Claude Code impersonation to deliver infostealer, Security Boulevard
PPC
- 42 Launches Redefining Lead Generation, Google
- Google Marketing Live 2026: 11 Biggest Announcements, WordStream
- Google Marketing Live Takeaways: AI Won't Be Your Advantage. Better Marketing Systems Will Be., Amsive
Search Features
- Google's AI Overviews are so confused, it can't tell if you're looking something up (Update), Android Authority
Other Search
- Google I/O 2026: Highlights from the Dialogues stage, Google Blog
- Deleted Google API Keys May Keep Working, Search Engine World
- How Google's Image and Video AI Search actually works, I Love SEO
- Watch The Surprising Science Behind Google Searches, Bloomberg
Feedback:
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