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.
The Google August 2025 spam update touched down very quickly and is already stirring things up. Google is testing rounded snippet designs. Google Business Profiles NMX shows a new Profiles button for some. Google added guidance for JavaScript-based paywalls. Bing Webmaster Tools sitemaps sometimes is not showing the index coverage button. And I posted the weekly SEO video recap.
Search Engine Roundtable Stories:
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Google August 2025 Spam Update Impact Felt Quickly
Often, but not always, when Google releases an algorithm update, we don't see the impact for the first few days. However, with the August 2025 spam update, we are likely seeing the effect within 24 hours after it was announced. -
Bing Webmaster Tools Sitemaps Index Coverage Button Missing For Some
Some SEOs are noticing that when you look at your sitemaps report in Bing Webmaster Tools, for some sitemaps, some are missing the Index Coverage button. I personally can see the same thing for some of the properties I have access to within Bing Webmaster Tools. -
Google NMX Business Profiles May Show New Profiles Button
Google may show a new "Profiles" button in the Google Business Profiles NMX dashboard. It may show if you manage multiple Google Business Profiles and you are in this test. -
Google Search On JavaScript-Based Paywalls
Google has added new guidance to the "Fix Search-related JavaScript problems" help document, specifically addressing JavaScript-based paywalls. -
Google Tests Rounded Search Results Snippet Design Again
Google is testing a rounded corner search result snippet card design again. We've seen this numerous times over the past decade or so and it seems to be back. The snippet sections are bordered in with rectangular outlines, and the corners of those rectangles are curved and circular. -
Google Gurgaon Live Sketching & Caricature Art
Google had an event in its Gurgaon office where the Googlers were able to get their faces sketched. This was live sketching and caricature art. -
Video: Google Spam Update, AI Mode Changes, ChatGPT Does Use Google, Search Ad News & More
This week we had our first Google spam update in 8 months, the August 2025 spam update. This update touched down very quickly, likely within 24 hours. I also posted a Google search ranking volatility status report. Google is...
Other Great Search Threads:
- I wanted to share some of the upcoming betas and tools we're excited to bring you for your PMax campaigns, Navah Hopkins on LinkedIn
- The "survey" box (How would you rate this suggestion?) on Google Discover has changed its appearance, with a + icon on each suggestion and a new icon when choosing an option. And this requires confirmation via a "done" button,, Damien (andell) on X
- The fact that Google can reference maps reviews in this way within AI Mode feels like a pretty massive difference compared to other LLMs. I imagine it would be much more difficult for ChatGPT to easily access this type of con, SERP Alert on X
- The page has changed now, there's Facebook. I don't think the social networks visible on this page should be taken as important. The page changes frequently; you can see the, Damien (andell) on X
- The report in Search Console only shows the status when something changes. So basically everything is ok for a while, then a request fails once, and it changes to that. Occasional failures don't break things, robots.txt can be cached for a day., John Mueller on Bluesky
- The Washington Post made their SEO best practices and guidelines available. They are part of their design system. I bookmarked that page in 2023, a lot still holds up., Myriam Jessier on Bluesky
- Yesterday I said AI Max seems to like SPN. It also likes competitor terms. This is just one campaign, maybe not representative, but also not cherry picked. The crazy thing: it accounts for 69% of total impr and is ONLY their largest c, Mike Ryan on X
Search Engine Land Stories:
- Google fixes reduced crawling issue impacting some websites
- Why your Amazon Ads aren’t delivering: 6 critical issues to fix
- How to create content that works for search and generative engines
Other Great Search Stories:
Analytics
- Improved ecommerce data availability and usability, Google AdSense Help
- Automated 404 Checking via Google App Scripts, Hallam
Industry & Business
- FCC chairman tells Google to resolve YouTube-Fox dispute before football season, NBC Sports
- Google announces new $9 billion investment in Virginia, Google Blog
- Google previews cyber ‘disruption unit’ as U.S. government, industry weigh going heavier on offense, CyberScoop
- Meet the Google-Scraping Startup Used by ChatGPT, Cursor and Perplexity, The Information
- Nvidia Joins Google to Fund Commonwealth’s Fusion Power Plant, Bloomberg
Links & Content Marketing
- Site Explorer - Advanced Query Filters BETA, Majestic
- Ways Community Can Help Your SEO, Moz
- Why Media Mix Modeling Matters for Marketers Now, Content Marketing Institute
Local & Maps
- Google Maps is working on proper Motion Photos support, Android Authority
- Please Google, stop fixing what isn’t broken in Android Auto’s interface, Android Authority
Mobile & Voice
SEO
- Answer Engine Optimization: How to Win in AI-Powered Search, Ahrefs
- ChatGPT agent allowlisting, OpenAI Help Center
- CloudFlare Releases AI Crawl Control out of Private Beta, Search Engine World
- How AI is shaping brand perception and what you can do, Yoast
- How AI Search is changing SEO right now and why your content marketing needs to improve, Walsh & Partners
- July 2025 - Google did some change around low value content, Gagan Ghotra
- Make Your Website Conversational for People and Agents with NLWeb and AutoRAG, Cloudflare
- The age of agents: cryptographically recognizing agent traffic, Cloudflare
- Understanding 'Best' in AI responses: How LLMs Synthesise Content, Blue Array SEO
- August 2025 Spam Update: Visibility Data, Analysis, and Background, SISTRIX
- Google's Preferred Sources, AI Content Guidelines, And Why My Days Off Aren't Happening, Nikki Pilkington
- SEO Myth: Your H1 Can't Be Longer Than Your SEO Title!, Nikki Pilkington
PPC
- Commerce Media Suite Spotted Live In Google Ads, PPC News Feed
- PPC for Startups: Proven Strategies for Success in 2025, Hopskip Media
- The Future of Google Ads: PMax, AI Max and Broad Match, Jyll Saskin Gales
- How To Find Conversion Opportunities With Audience and Keyword Research, Moz
Search Features
- Google testing AI audio summaries for news feed in Chrome for Android, Tech Issues Today
- OpenAI gives its voice agent superpowers to developers - look for more apps soon, ZDNET
- Web Guide, AI Mode/Overviews, and the Rise of AI Search SEO: How Query Fan-Out is Reshaping Google Search, Advanced Web Ranking
Other Search
- Anthropic will start training its AI models on chat transcripts, The Verge
- Google Gemini and Elon Musk's Grok Are Gaining on ChatGPT, Decrypt
- The US is closer than ever to breaking up Google. Can Europe do more than watch?, POLITICO
Feedback:
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