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.
I have a status report on the Google search ranking volatility. A report says OpenAI's ChatGPT does use Google results for some queries but it takes it from SerpApi. Is Google hiring a new Search Liaison? I doubt it. Google AI Overviews "Ask anything" box leads to AI Mode. Google Ads channel reporting for PMax is now on the account level.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Search Ranking Volatility Status Report
The last time I covered the ongoing Google search ranking volatility was when I said there was a bit of a cooling period. The weird thing is that most of the week that Google volatility was calm but chatter did spike up towards the end of the week, but the tools that track it didn't show that volatility heat up until a couple days later. -
Is Google Hiring Another Search Liaison? Seems Unlikely.
Google posted a new job for an External Communications Manager, Search - this job seems a lot like what Danny Sullivan, the former Google Search Liaison, did, but I am not sure if this is the job posting to find a new Google Search Liaison. -
Report: ChatGPT Using SerpApi To Scrape Google Search Results
Earlier we reported that ChatGPT from OpenAI seems to be using parts of Google search results for its answers. Well, according to The Information, OpenAI has been partially using Google search results scraped by a startup called SerpApi for ChatGPT responses on current events like news and sports. -
Google Ads PMax Channel Reporting On Account Level
Google Ads seems to now have PMax, Performance Max, channel reporting on the account level. This allows you to compare multiple PMax campaigns on the same screen, the same report. -
Google Tests AI Overview Ask Anything Box Leads To AI Mode
Google is now testing adding an "Ask Anything" box within the AI Overviews, and when you type in that box and click search, it takes you into the Google AI Mode results. -
Super G Google Dress
Here is a woman wearing a white dress with the Google super G logo on the front. I am not sure why or what is going on here but I spotted this on Instagram.
Other Great Search Threads:
- SEO Tip: AI Mode has expanded to 180+ countries now. Understanding your data is more important than ever. Average position in Google's AI Mode takes more of a sharp-left compared to the zig-zag of a traditional search results page., Brodie Clark on X
- Amazon started spending on Google Shopping again. This is exactly one month after they turned off ads, which lends credibility to the theory that it was a marketing test. All international domains have been reactivated but they are st, Mike Ryan on X
- ChatGPT Shopping results seem to be progressively getting worse. This query generated a shoppable product carousel that would normally feature merchants, but each instead links to the top of articles (instead of a list of merchant, SERP Alert on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- The latest jobs in search marketing
- Google Ads rolls out Asset Studio beta
- Cloudflare’s Pay Per Crawl campaign from an SEO-led PR perspective
- How upper-funnel LinkedIn ABM drives measurable impact
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Free-Form Explorations in GA4, KRM Digital Marketing
Industry & Business
- We Have a new Chapter in the Saga of OpenAI Using Google SERPs?, Search Engine World
- AWS, Cloudflare, Google, helped Feds identify DDOS suspect, The Register
- Publishers race to counter ‘Google Zero’ threat as AI changes search engines, Financial Times
- What's up with the States?, Dean W. Ball
Links & Content Marketing
- Surprise! AI Is Creating a Premium Market for Narrative Skills, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Apple celebrates parks' 109th anniversary with Watch & Maps, appl
- "Have AI Check Pricing Now" Button Live & Tested, Design Right 4 U
Mobile & Voice
- Apple Explores Using Google Gemini AI to Power Revamped Siri, Bloomberg
- Meta to unveil smart glasses with a display, wristband at Connect, CNBC
- Apple to Launch iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Air in September; iPhone Fold Next Year, Bloomberg
- Music Industry’s Go-To Promotional Tool Went From ‘Payola’ Accusations to Widespread Use, Bloomberg
SEO
- AI Search Optimization: How to Rank in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, Pure Visibility
- Amazon quietly blocks AI bots from Meta, Google, Huawei and more, Modern Retail
- Does Schema Help With “AI”?, DEJAN
- Can you edit or change Google sitelinks?, SEO Savvy Agent
- SEO For News Publishers 2025: The Perfect Recipe for AI Overviews and Discover, Clara Soteras
PPC
- The Hidden Leaks in Your Google Ads Account—And How to Patch Them Before Q4, JXT Group
- Why Performance Max Isn’t a PPC Panacea, Pure Visibility
- Maximizing ROI with Smart Bidding: A Guide for PPC Marketers, PPC Hero
- Brand Guidelines Now Available in Demand Gen, PPC News Feed
- Google Renames "Chat" to "Ads Advisor", PPC News Feed
Search Features
Other Search
- OpenAI Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Search Data, The Information
- 3 Ways AI Could Pay Publishers—And Why They Might Not Work, AdWeek
- Agentic Browser Security: Indirect Prompt Injection in Perplexity Comet, Brave
Feedback:
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