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 Local Service Ads are transitioning to the main Google Ads platform, with some changes. Google Ads updated its PMax help docs with more on AI-generates headlines and descriptions. Google Ads now supports bulk linking with Google Analytics. Bing is testing an open button for sitelinks in search. Bing is testing a shopping images section in the top panel.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Local Services Ads Transitioning To Google Ads Platform
Google announced it is transitioning the Google Local Service Ads platform into the main Google Ads platform throughout this year. With that, Google is making a new and specialized Performance Max campaign type optimized specifically for pay-per-lead goals for these campaigns to transition into. -
Google Updates Performance Max Doc: AI Generates Text Customization & More
Google made several changes to the About Performance Max campaigns help document. Most of it just seems like grammatical updates but Google did update the Text customization section to say "Google AI generates headlines and descriptions from your landing page content, domain, and current ads." -
Google Ads Google Analytics Bulk Linking
Google Ads is testing a new bulk linking option to attach your Google Analytics account to multiple Google Ads accounts. Google has this new prompt that says "Save Time with Bulk Linking" and Link with more Google Ads accounts. -
Bing Tests Open Sitelinks Button In Search
Microsoft Bing is testing an open button that says the site domain and when clicked, shows you sitelinks from that domain on the right side. You can then close out the sitelinks, if you want, or click on them. -
Bing Tests Image Section In Shopping Panel
Microsoft seems to be testing a new image section in the Bing Search shopping panel. Sometimes Bing will add a section at the top of the page for shopping results, here is an image section within that panel. -
Fake Google Pickup Truck
Here is a beaten up pick up truck driving somewhere in San Francisco. It has Google painted in blue on the back of it. I found it funny when I spotted it on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- I found a local SEO negative attack for Service Area Businesses where users can submit a change of address and map pin, even though the UI for these businesses hide it., Mika Lepisto on LinkedIn
- New features on Google Search Profiles via Google Discover. On Google Discover, you can access the search profile of a creator or publisher you see in Discover cards. Clicking on it will take you to the search profile page. Google has just updated it by adding two buttons, Damien Andell on X
- Spotted a small UI change on Google's Search Status Dashboard. Update titles now have a dedicated summary-tooltip element in the DOM, and hovering over them displays a tooltip., Shauvik Kumar on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google confirms Local Inventory Ads will be enabled by default
- Google drops $50K ad spend requirement for Lead Form assets
- How to report PPC performance without lying to yourself (or your boss)
- Google Tag Manager adds guided setup for Google Ads purchase tracking
- Google expands Brand Lift Studies with enhanced measurement option
- AI-driven personalized search: A practical guide
- Local Services Ads come to Google Ads via Performance Max
- How to evaluate Google Ads creative before testing it
- The biggest technical SEO time-wasters to avoid
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- AI visibility is a topic-level game: A study of 50,000 brands in ChatGPT [Study], Semrush
- Apply for Anthropic’s AI for Science rare disease research grants, Anthropic
- How to use Gemini to start a side business, Google Blog
- Expedia CEO’s defence against AI: ‘People are happiest when they’re planning the trip’, Financial Times (Sub)
- Safety and alignment in an era of long-horizon models, OpenAI
Industry & Business
- Alphabet stock pops on report it's developing a more efficient AI chip, CNBC
- Google Plans New ‘Frozen’ Chip to Run Its AI Models Much More Efficiently, The Information
- Google quietly rebrands ‘The Keyword’ to the new, generic ‘News from Google’, Chrome Unboxed
- The Voice of Google, The New Yorker
- US judge approves Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement of copyright lawsuit, Reuters
- Google confronts skepticism over Chesterfield data centers, Axios
- Morgan Stanley cashes in on AI boom with debt deals, Financial Times (Sub)
Links & Content Marketing
- Three innovative examples of content marketing, eConsultancy
Local & Maps
- 5 Common Problems With Google Maps (And How To Fix Them), BGR
- Why Do Some Uber Drivers Use Google Maps Instead Of Uber Navigation?, BGR
- Google Maps is getting Personal Intelligence ready, Android Authority
- Google's New "Collected Info" Tab: What Multi-Location Teams Need to Know, GMBapi
Other Search
PPC
- Google Ads Shows AI-Powered Conversion Recommendations, PPC News Feed
- The 17 August Google Ads Update Explained, Hop Skip Media
- Enabling Local Inventory Ads by Default for Shopping Campaigns starting on August 31, 2026, Google Ads Developer Blog
- Google Ads Tests Dedicated Collapse Button, PPC News Feed
Search Features
- Apple is testing a new way of accessing Writing Tools on the Mac, Apple Insider
- Google search traffic to leading UK publishers set to halve by Q3 2027, Press Gazette
- How Google’s A.I. Search Is Imperiling the Open Web, New York Times
SEO
- Measuring Crawled Coverage of a Website in Common Crawl, Common Crawl Blog
- Scaling SEO: Crawl Strategies, Image Optimization and Internal Search | Roxana Stingu, Advanced Web Ranking
- What If AI Search Cites You — and Still Gets You Wrong?, CMSWire
- Why Meta Descriptions Still Matter, Practical Ecommerce
- Your Boss - How To Become A Freelance SEO Consultant, SEO Jobs
- Why AI Referrals Are Falling (And Why This Isn’t All Bad News), Schema App
- Ask a News SEO: Nicola Aigus, SEO For Journalism
- What's new in the Yoast SEO Bulk Editor, Yoast
- AI Overviews and Declining Search Volume: What 1.35M Keywords Reveal, Brainlabs
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