Daily Search Forum Recap: July 9, 2026

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 said it broke its all time usage record on Tuesday during the World Cup. Google is rolling out the Generative AI controls in Search Console beyond UK sites, to some at least. Google is testing favicons on sitelinks within sponsored results. Google announced it has expanded Search campaigns for Travel to an open beta for the Things to Do and Events verticals. Google Ads documented which ad formats are not allowed for alcohol ads. Google Merchant Center Next dropped "Next" from its name.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Broke All Usage Records With Highest Usage Yesterday
  Nick Fox, Senior Vice President of Knowledge & Information at Google, said Google Search "broke all prior usage records and saw its highest usage in history" after Argentina scored its winning goal in yesterday's World Cup match.
• Google Search Generative AI Controls Rolling Out Beyond UK Sites
  Google seems to be rolling out the new Generative AI controls in Google Search Console to sites outside the United Kingdom. It initially launched a month ago only for .co.uk based sites but now we are seeing it roll out for some (not all) sites based in the US and other countries.
• Google Ads Formats That Don't Allow Alcohol Ads
  Google Ads updated its alcohol policy to provide more examples of ad formats that don’t allow alcohol ads. The list previously only had reservation display ads and Google TV masthead ads, and it was updated app install image ads, app install video ads, consumer ratings annotations, Discovery ads, dynamic search ads and Gmail ads.
• Google Merchant Center Next Is Now Just Google Merchant Center
  Google has removed "Next" from Google Merchant Center Next and it is now to be known as just Google Merchant Center. Google announced this over here saying, "The platform you use today will simply be referred to as Google Merchant Center."
• Google Ads Tests Favicons In Sponsored Results Sitelinks
  Google is testing placing favicons in the sitelinks portion of the sponsored results from Google Ads. Generally, we only see the favicon in the main sponsored or organic listing, but here Google is testing showing favicons for all the links in the sponsored results grouping, including all the sitelinks.
• Google Ads Travel Search Campaigns Expands For Things To Do & Events Beta
  Google announced it has expanded Search campaigns for Travel to an open beta for the Things to Do and Events verticals. This brings you Search and AI Max features for those types of campaigns.
• YouTube Summer Fair
  Google hosted the YouTube Summer Fair at the San Mateo County Fair last month. I think a bunch of YouTubers were invited, I was not.

Other Great Search Threads:

• I've demonstrated this several times on Google Discover search profiles. On some publishers, you could see "Threads," but when you clicked the tab, it always displayed a different social network, never any Threads posts. This is no longer the case. See the video, Damien Andell on X
• Google updated a number of its help documents to say "there's no limit to the number of sitemaps you can include in your robots.txt file.", Barry Schwartz on LinkedIn
• It looks like OpenAI is gearing up infrastructure for something big. They've just added 12 net new /28 ranges. I wouldn't be surprised of ChatGPT 5.6 was released at some point today. Make sure…, Ryan Siddle on LinkedIn
• @lilyraynyc @facan @lilyraynyc and @rustybrick - thank you for flagging. We will take a look at this!, Krishna Madhavan on X
• Google Search Profiles: It's no longer just about websites/publishers. Since 2025, I've been observing the evolution of profile(.)google(.)com profiles linked to the Follow on Google buttons in Discover. Initially, each /cp/ URL seemed to be a profile linked to the website, Damien Andell on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Want to present at SMX Next? Now’s the time to submit a pitch!
• ChatGPT citations change when hidden search pipelines switch
• Why you should opt out of Google Search Partners
• Why most original data never gets cited
• 5 questions to ask AI vendors before buying a tool
• How to make your SEO strategy more commercially aware
• How to build an AI-powered content gap analysis workflow

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• Cloudflare Announces Research Pilot with OpenAI, Cloudflare
• The Economics of AI Are Shifting, John Battelle's Searchblog
• How AI tools shape the B2B buying process: A survey of 600+ US business professionals, Semrush
• 3 ways small businesses can save time with Gemini, Google Blog
• How OpenAI's voice assistant got more natural, The Deep View
• Introducing GPT-Live, OpenAI
• Separating signal from noise in coding evaluations, OpenAI

Analytics

• FAQ: What Is a Model Catalog and Do You Need One?, Annielytics
• Google Analytics Training For Small Businesses and Startups, Salesforce Blog

Industry & Business

• Lawmakers probe growing use of Chinese AI models in U.S. companies, CNBC
• Google Beats Suit Over Data Tracking by Gemini AI Assistant, Bloomberg Law News
• Google Fights Opt-Out Certification In £5B Search Ads Case, Law360

Links & Content Marketing

• How To Get C-Suite Respect for Content Marketing, Content Marketing Institute
• The SparkToro API is Live: Audience Research as Infrastructure, SparkToro

Local & Maps

• 5 Google Maps gestures essential for safe driving, Pocket-lint
• Ford Expands Battery Preconditioning Features in Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to More Vehicles, Autoevolution
• Local SEO for Dealer Groups: What Actually Works, SearchLab Digital
• Google Earth Pro is headed for the graveyard, and fans aren't happy about it, Android Authority

Other Search

• A shaky report says Apple has abandoned its lower-cost headset plans, Apple Insider
• How We’re Keeping Reddit Real and Safe in the AI Era, Reddit
• Create videos in seconds with Google Photos’ Video Remix, Google Blog
• Google Home is making automation easier, improving cameras, 9To5Google
• The New York Public Library Has a Human Google, Yahoo

PPC

• Cross-Channel Marketing: Benefits, Strategies, & Tools to Use, WordStream
• Adobe Advertising Just Launched Its Own Custom Algorithms Product, AdExchanger
• Launch of the access filter used in the accounts list end point , Google Merchant Accounts API release notes

Search Features

• DuckDuckGo Browser Can Now Block Video Ads, Including YouTube's, Engadget
• YouTube launches desktop version of Ask YouTube, Social Media Today
• First Google Home Speaker update ‘improves network traffic', 9To5Google
• Google's deepfake detector system used to debunk McConnell hoax pic, TechCrunch

SEO

• GaryVee: Gemini Is the Only Guaranteed Winner in AI Search, Edward Sturm on YouTube
• How to Use Gemini Canvas to Build AI Generated Games for SEO, JC Chouinard
• Is Your Brand Considering a Reddit Strategy for AI Visibility? Here’s What to Do., Seer Interactive

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.