Daily Search Forum Recap: June 18, 2025

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.

There are new signs of an unconfirmed Google search ranking update that touched down. Google's Martin Splitt explained The Great Decoupling, well, maybe. Google Ads is testing a new ad format with half-filled-in horizontal lines. Google says no AI system currently uses LLMs.txt. Google Merchant Center now has website-reported autofeeds to streamline inventory controls. Bing is testing new search result user experiences.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility Heats Up June 18th
  It's been almost ten days since I last reported on a Google search ranking update. Well, I had to stop the streak and cover what I've seen over the last 24 hours or so. It appears that the volatility in ranking positions in Google search results is shifting more than the norm.
• Google Ads Tests Design With Horizontal Lines Filled Halfway
  Google is testing a new design for its sponsored search ads in the Google Search results. These have horizontal lines that are darkened or filled halfway through, alternating from left to right and right to left every other ad.
• The Great Decoupling Explained By A Googler
  The term, The Great Decoupling has really been catching on over the past couple of weeks. It is being used to describe what we are seeing with impressions and clicks moving further and further apart since AI Overviews has become more of the norm in the Google Search results.
• Google: No AI System Currently Uses LLMs.txt
  There has been a lot, I mean, a lot, of chatter around if one should add an LLMs.txt to their website. Many are starting to add it while others have not added it yet. Well, John Mueller of Google chimed in and wrote on Bluesky, "FWIW no AI system currently uses llms.txt."
• Google Merchant Center New Website-Reported Autofeeds
  Google has rolled out a new feature to automate the process of updating your inventory with Google Merchant Center. It is called Website-reported Autofeeds and it uses Google Tag Manager tag implemented in your site to manage this.
• Bing Tests Bold & Colored Hover Styles On Snippets & Related Searches
  Microsoft is testing new hover effects and styles in the Bing Search results. Specifically, when you hover over the URL of a snippet, it will bold and underline the result. And then on related searches, Bing is using a blue and orangish styled background color.
• Google Indoor Golf
  Here is a photo from the Google office in Chicago of one of those indoor golf games where you hit a ball at a screen and it has cameras and sensors to simulate where on the screen the ball will land.

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Meta unveils generative AI tools for automated video, branding, and creative ads
• Reddit unveils social listening tool and conversation add-ons
• Target CPC bidding comes to Google Ads Demand Gen
• How to align your SEO strategy with the stages of buyer intent
• 3 soft skills that are critical for SEOs in 2025
• Why Google ad strength won’t predict your RSA success

Other Great Search Stories:

Analytics

• Common Mistakes When Working With Click Identifiers, Simo Ahava's blog
• How to avoid key event bloat in GA4, SALT agency

Industry & Business

• Gemini Chatbot Engineering VP Departs Google Amid AI Reorg, The Information
• Sam Altman says Meta tried and failed to poach OpenAI's talent with $100M offers, TechCrunch
• SEO Conferences Are Valuable Again, SEO for Lunch

Links & Content Marketing

• The Power of Interactive Content (+12 Types & Examples), WordStream
• AI Content Is 4.7x Cheaper Than Human Content [+ New Research Report], Ahrefs

Local & Maps

• ROR Acquires Incline Marketing to Supercharge Local SEO for Home Services, Bill Hartzer
• Spotted: Google Maps on Wear OS is testing an Expressive new UI, Android Authority
• Travel more sustainability in Europe with Google Maps, Google Blog

Mobile & Voice

• Apple may look late to AI but it's aiming for something different, AppleInsider
• Circle to Search could soon get an AI Mode upgrade, Android Authority
• Meta smart glasses with Oakley and Prada, extending Luxottica deal, CNBC
• Hands-On: How Apple's New Speech APIs Outpace Whisper for Lightning-Fast Transcription, MacStories

SEO

• 5 Revolutionary Strategies for Enterprise Ecommerce SEO, Sitebulb
• Experiment with Google Vertex AI Ranking API: Here's What I Found (Free Script), Metehan
• Google Publisher Meetup NYC, June 2025, Adam Gallagher On LinkedIn
• SMX Advanced 2025: Every SEO Session Through a Relevance Engineering Lens, iPullRank
• Start Using Bing Webmaster Tools to Improve Your Site Visibility, Bing Webmaster Blog
• The Great Decoupling (or Why Your Clicks Are Down and Impressions Up), Ahrefs
• The New Normal, Growth Memo
• Universal Query Classifier, DEJAN
• Welcome to Zero-Click Search. Please Leave Your Traffic at the Door., Ahrefs
• Forecasting SEO Growth, SALT.agency
• The rise of synthetic authority, Jono Alderson

PPC

• Best practices to boost results with Performance Max, PPC Hero
• New Tools for Measuring Google Ads Performance: Measurement Is Finally, Hopskip Media
• Video Action Campaign Migration Tool Available, PPC News Feed
• Why Brand Connection Matters More Than Ever in Paid Social Ads –Especially When Budgets Are Tight, JumpFly
• Does paid search strategy exist?, PPC Hero
• Understanding the Channel Performance Report in Performance Max on Google Ads, JumpFly
• Update to Gambling and Games Policy: Brazil (June 2025), Google Advertising Policies Help

Search Features

• Firefox quietly starts testing Perplexity AI as a built-in search engine, 9to5Mac
• Gemini app rolling out video upload and analysis, 9to5Google
• Google app going edge-to-edge for Discover feed , 9to5Google

Other Search

• Gemini 2.5 model family expands, Google Blog
• Which AI Search Tools (LLMs) are the Most Gullible?, Lily Ray

Feedback:

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