Daily Search Forum Recap: July 20, 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 Search results were highly volatile over the weekend. Google sid it sends billions of clicks through AI Mode and AI Overviews to the open web. Google warns not to uninstall and reinstall the Google & YouTube Shopify sync app. ChatGPT is testing two ads from two different advertisers in the answers. You can now request an extension for the migration of the Content API to the Merchant API. Google also warned not to place the AI labels too close to the margin of the image.

Search Engine Roundtable Stories:

• Google Search Ranking Volatility This Weekend - Around July 18th & 19th
  Google may have released yet another unconfirmed Google search ranking update this weekend. I am seeing some signs of ranking movement from the third-party Google tracking tools and the SEO chatter spiked a bit this weekend.
• Google: We Send Billions Of Clicks To Websites Weekly Through AI Search
  Nick Fox, Google's head of search, said on Friday that Google's AI Mode and AI Overviews - its AI search features - send billions of clicks to websites every week. He said Google Search overall is still sending billions of clicks daily, is only seeing growth, and that AI Search does send clicks...
• Google Warns Not To Uninstall/Reinstall Google & YouTube Shopify App
  Google has updated us on the Google and YouTube Shopify app issue with uninstalling and reinstalling the app. In short, do not do it, do not uninstall and reinstall the app. Google said it will handle the API transition for you. If you do uninstall and reinstall the app, it can currently lead to issues, which Google is working on fixing with Shopify.
• ChatGPT Showing Two Ads In Footer Of Results
  OpenAI seems to have started to show two ads in the footer of the ChatGPT responses. Generally, we have only really seen one ad from one advertiser. Sometimes we'd see two ads from a single advertiser. But now we are seeing examples of two ads from two different advertisers.
• Google Content API Extended Access Form Now Available
  As many of you know, the Google Content API for Shopping is being replaced by the Google Merchant API by August 18th. Google has opened up a request form to ask Google to give you an extension on the August 18th deadline.
• Google Warns Not To Place AI Labels On Corners Of Images
  Google updated its use AI content labels help document, which it first created on July 9th when it announced it will label ads created or edited with AI. The update now says that when you add your own labels to image assets, you should not place labels in the very corners.
• Google Dublin Boxing Club
  Google has a boxing class or club, where Googlers in the Dublin office practice their boxing techniques and skills.

Other Great Search Threads:

• Did you know you can customize your Microsoft Advertising navigational menu?, Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
• Don’t put off this account security action! Passkeys are required to complete many sensitive actions in Google Ads. You will need a passkey to take sensitive actions in your Google Ads account – such as add or manage users, add new customers or accounts, and update billing. No..., AdsLiaison on X
• We're announcing a major update to Weather Lab, our interactive website for sharing Google’s AI weather models from @GoogleDeepMind and @GoogleResearch, Peter Battaglia on X
• All the organic results should respect the site operator. Are you seeing something different?, Rajan Patel on X
• Hello marketers, I will soon be heading out for some family time and returning August 3. I'll do my best to respond promptly to any questions when I'm back! As always, please contact Support for account inquiries., AdsLiaison on X

Search Engine Land Stories:

• Heather Robinson talks about a £50 PPC ad that cost £1,000
• Top Stories roll out in Google AI Overviews
• Google brings business data feeds to Demand Gen campaigns
• Google says AI Search features send billions of clicks to websites each week
• How to report SEO results executives actually care about
• How ad platforms count and report conversions differently
• Meta Business Agents are here. Marketers should pay attention

Other Great Search Stories:

AI & LLMs

• How Google’s New Gemini Rates Work and How to Track Your Usage, Wired
• ‘ChatGPT for Doctors’ Mulls New Financing at $20 Billion Valuation, The Information
• AI isn’t destroying entry-level jobs. It’s changing them, Financial Times (Sub)
• Security incident disclosure — July 2026, Hugging Face
• Using AI makes people less likely to admit they don't know something, The Register

Analytics

• The 3 Event Types Silently Breaking Your GA4 Tracking (And How to Fix Them), MeasureU
• Google Went “Not Provided” in 2011 and Blinded Us. ChatGPT Just Shipped Its Version., Duane Forrester Decodes

Industry & Business

• Apple targets dozens of OpenAI employees with legal letters, Financial Times (Sub)
• Bipartisan Bill Targets Google's Search Dominance, Law360
• Google broke the law. Congress can change that., DuckDuckGo
• US Considers Creating Finra-Like Watchdog to Vet Top AI Models, Bloomberg
• Google and Apple are clashing with the EU over the future of AI assistants, CNN Business

Links & Content Marketing

• Authentic brand content and in-person marketing are imperative amid growing digital fatigue, eMarketer
• Your content isn't your competitive advantage anymore, MarTech

Local & Maps

• Android Auto rolling out speedometer in Google Maps for some, 9To5Google
• Google Maps is getting a major visual upgrade which will transform how you use it and it's already hitting Android Auto, Super Car Blondie
• Waze for Everybody: Motorcycle Navigation Now Rolling Out, What's Google Maps Cooking?, Autoevolution

Other Search

• How design, data and AI shaped Google’s Noto 3D emoji, Google Blog
• The Future of Search Engines Looks a Lot Like the Past, Newsweek

PPC

• Introducing: Ads Page, Peec AI
• Microsoft Confirms Adult Ads Delivery Issue, PPC News Feed
• Why Your Google Shopping CTR Is Terrible (And It Has Nothing to Do With Your Bids), PPC Hero
• Using the Sales Feedback Loop to Improve B2B PPC Leads, PPC Hero
• Enhanced Brand Lift Study Launched, PPC News Feed
• GTM Adds Guided Setup for Google Ads Conversion, PPC News Feed

Search Features

• ChatGPT desktop app experience updates, ChatGPT Release Notes

SEO

• How SEOs and Marketers are Abusing Reddit for SEO & GEO/AI Visibility, Matt Tutt
• SEO Ranking Factors for 2026 - What you need to know, Assertive Media
• How an intern 10x'ed impressions with 1 AI experiment, Seer Interactive
• Does Adding a Brand Carousel to Store Pages Improve Organic Traffic?, SearchPilot
• Politicians Are Trying to Change What Chatbots Say About Them, New York Times
• The Worst Thing You Can Be in an SEO Job Interview Is Forgettable, SEO For Lunch

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