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 Ads is testing using Gemini to load sponsored results in Google Search. Google says there is nothing special to do for generative AI search. Google to charge for missed and subsequent calls over LSAs after October 1. Google is showing AI Overviews above stock charts for stock price queries. Google said Googlebot does not parse JSON files, it just downloads it. Google is also showing copyable emojis to AI Overviews in the Google Search results.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google Ads Tests Loading Sponsored Results Using Gemini With Animation
Google Ads is testing loading the sponsored results in the mobile search results interface with an animation. It shows that Gemini is also involved by saying, "Evaluating sponsored results" and has a Google and Gemini logo as the ads load in. -
Google: There Is Nothing Special To Do For Generative AI Responses In Search
Google's John Mueller said on Bluesky that there is nothing special for one to do for generative AI responses within Google Search. He wrote, "from our POV there's nothing really special you need to do for generative AI responses in search." -
Google To Charge For Missed & Subsequent Calls On LSAs
Google sent out emails to some advertisers notifying them that starting October 1st, Google Local Service Ads will charge for some missed and subsequent calls over the platform. "On October 01, 2026, we are updating how and when you are charged for call leads originating from Local Services Ads," the email wrote. -
Google Shows AI Overviews Above Stock Charts For Stock Price Queries
Google seems to be showing AI Overviews at the top of the search results page when you specifically search for stock price queries - such as for [GOOG stock] or [MSFT stock] and so on. I was able to replicate this myself and it is just weird to show the AI Overview at the top for this queries and it seems to make the search results less relevant. -
Google Says Google's Crawlers Don't Parse JSON
Gary Illyes from Google reiterated this morning that Googlebot, Google's crawler, does not parse JSON files. Instead, Googlebot just downloads the files and then the indexer does the rest. -
Google Copyable Emojis In AI Overviews
About a year ago, Google added the ability to copy emojis directly from the search results in an answer box. Now, Google is also showing copyable emojis to AI Overviews in the Google Search results. -
Google Cafe Painting
We often share photos of cafes at Google in this section but here is a painting, art, of a Google cafe hanging in a Google office, probably near a Google cafe.
Other Great Search Threads:
- Big drop for this site with the August spam update. Scaled to 1.3M urls... Looks heavily programmatic., Glenn Gabe on X
- It may look like Google is indexing fewer pages when you show both not indexed and indexed. But if you just look at indexed, some are going up..., Barry Schwartz on X
- noticed even Perplexity is doing site: in fan outs now! site: Australia AI SEO expert this chat , Gagan Ghotra on X
- One of my favorite parts of Microsoft Advertising's AI Max is that it truly is opt in. , Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
- Phones aren't a requirement -- Passkeys can also be set up on computers as well as hardware security keys. More details on setup requirements here: https://t.co/O9AwZSWlN6. Existing Passkeys can be managed in individuals' Google Accounts (Google Account settings > Security, AdsLiaison on X
- Google just shipped its embeddable Preferred Sources button, and the SEO community immediately asked: "so it's the same as the Follow button on Discover?" No. https://t.co/yubm562BuL Google itself mixed the two in one announcement. We mapped every "follow" button in the, 1492.Vision Service on X
- I mean if we’d known it was for sale, Barry and I …. :), Danny Sullivan on X
- One of the more frustrating things about AI Overviews is when you're looking for the official source of something, the AI Overview often cites other sites "talking" about that thing, while the official source doesn't show until you scroll down to the regular organic results., Lily Ray on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- ChatGPT Ads adds automated bidding, platform targeting
- Google expands Local Services Ads categories ahead of migration
- How to build an AI content workflow from the ground up
- Google unifies Google tag and Tag Manager, adds no-code event tracking
- AI search is here, but marketers still call it SEO
- Your Google Business Profile needs a business continuity plan
- How to build content briefs around audience situations
Other Great Search Stories:
AI & LLMs
- How Big Tech Captured American Schools, New York Times
- New York Times tests out AI-generated search summaries, Semafor
- We Created a Public Research Repository. Minutes Later, Meta AI Found Us., Net Content SEO
- Google prepares Gemini App for Avatars, Plugins and Gemini 4, Testing Catalog
- A look at the winning entries from the Gemma 4 Good Challenge., Google Blog
- Our OpenAI fanout data shows no rise in site: operator use, DEJAN
- How to Evaluate Live & Voice Agents in ADK, Google Developers Blog
Industry & Business
- Google's Bid for Spirit Airlines' Data Just Hit Two Major Roadblocks, Android Headlines
- Aecom Denies Liability In $17M Google Center Design Claim, Law360
- Google plans to stop making Pixel products in China in 2027, Nikkei Asia
- Google Gobbles More Office Space, Consolidating in DC, The Real Deal
- Search Engine Watch is back: a new independent chapter begins, Search Engine Watch
- Nvidia Discusses Perplexity Investment at $30 Billion-Plus Valuation, The Information
- Plaintiffs lawyers' fee slashed in Google privacy settlement, Reuters
- Google Wins Spirit Data Bid, Cumulus Gets OK On Transfers, Law360
Links & Content Marketing
- Chunkability: Why Some Content Gets Cited and Most Doesn’t, Lumar
- The Prestige Trap: How B2B Influencers Extend Analyst Recognition into AI Search, TopRank Marketing
- 10Xing Your Real Estate Content? Know the Risks, SEO Savvy Agent
Local & Maps
- Google Maps bug won't show traffic data on Android Auto and more, 9To5Google
- Google’s AI Is Calling Businesses for Pricing. But Are Those Calls Really Leads?, Search Engine World
- Waze alerts are coming to navigation in Rivian's electric vehicles, 9To5Google
- Celebrate National Parks Week with Google, Google Blog
- Google Maps is running into another traffic-related problem, Android Authority
Other Search
- Selected iOS users get a Virtual Shopping Assistant from Apple, Apple Insider
- Google stoops to showing Pixel product ads in notifications, Android Headlines
- New Apple HomePods with AI are coming. Everything we know., Mashable
PPC
- Marketing Measurement: MMM vs Attribution vs Incrementality, Brainlabs
- Google’s Smart Bidding Update: Why the Cheapest CPL Isn’t Always the Best Lead, PPC Live
- Google Tests "Only Bid for New Prospects" in Performance Max, PPC News Feed
- Event Section Added to Promotions in Merchant Center, PPC News Feed
- Stale Customer Data Is Hurting Your Google Ads Results, Hop Skip Media
- Unlock creative variety across YouTube & Google Ads with Gemini Omni, Google
- New AI Max tools can help you scale Search campaigns, Google
Search Features
SEO
- Google Patent: Listwise Learning to Rank Explained, Patentlyze
- The Top 100 Domains in US Search, SISTRIX
- Google Discover Publishers ranking in July 2026, DiscoverSnoop
- Trust the Log, Not the Chatbot: What AI Search Crawlers Actually Read, Advanced Web Ranking
- Collection descriptions are worth the effort, Ilana Davis
- How to Explain SEO to Your Mom (and Your Clients), Olga Tsimaraki
- Has Google demoted listicles?, Kevin Indig
- SEO is the cleanup crew for organisational dysfunction, Jono Alderson
Feedback:
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